SoundSelf
 | |
| Developer(s) | SoundSelf, Robin Arnott |
|---|---|
| Initial release | April 22, 2020 |
| Type | Digital therapeutic system, Meditative biofeedback |
| Website | soundself.com |
SoundSelf is a meditative digital therapeutic system that employs immersive light and sound biofeedback therapy to facilitate self-transcendent or mystical experience.[1]. The system guides patients into the meditation practice of "vocal toning" with a multisensory biofeedback therapy loop that responds to their own voice and breath while delivering real-time light and sound therapy stimulation via strobe light glasses, vibroacoustic therapy, and adaptive music.
It is primarily used by mental-health practices, including those practicing psychedelic therapy.[2]
History
Art Installation and Kickstarter
SoundSelf was first announced by its lead developer, Robin Arnott, in March of 2013, when Arnott launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to finance the project's development with an initial goal of $18,000.[3] The campaign exceeded its target and ultimately raised $36,766 from 1,180 backers by April 2013. One stretch goal of the Kickstarter was to fund an art installation of SoundSelf at the 2013 Burning Man festival [4].
Early Virtual Reality Experiments
During its early development in VR under the title SoundSelf: A Technodelic, Arnott and SoundSelf were featured in GameLoading: Rise of the Indies (2015)[5], a feature-length documentary covering the independent games movement of the early 2010s. The movie covered the project’s creative development, leading climactically to its selection for the 2014 Independent Games Festival under nomination for the prestigious Nuovo Award.[6]. It was also featured in the third episode, "Hacking Reality," of the video game docu-series Screenland (2017), which highlighted SoundSelf’s innovative approach to immersive design.
SoundSelf: A Technodelic was officially released on Steam (service) and Oculus Rift on April 22, 2020, as a PC and VR application published by Andromeda Entertainment.[7] While many games industry reviews[8] were positive, most were also confused, with one describing “SoundSelf: A Technodelic” as being “nearly impossible to describe” and “more like an intense meditation” than a traditional video game.[9]
Removed from VR and Gaming Platforms
In June 2022, the developers announced that “SoundSelf: A Technodelic” would be removed from sale on Steam and other digital game stores. This decision was made in order to “focus our efforts on the medical and therapeutic aspects of the experience,” shifting SoundSelf away from the commercial games market and toward health and wellness uses[10].
Redeveloped as a Digital Therapeutic
SoundSelf was redesigned as a digital therapeutics technology, using strobe light glasses. It no longer uses virtual reality headsets and is not distributed through gaming platforms[10]. The software is now used in mental health clinics, Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy clinics, and other mental health practices, where the SoundSelf experience is used during preparation, integration, and concurrently with dosage to enhance therapeutic outcomes.[2]
Research
SoundSelf has been the subject of academic study in relation to its potential therapeutic and psychological applications, and more broadly to the potential of technology to induce mystical or religious experience.
2019 Wellbeing Study
A 2019 mixed-methods workplace well-being study investigated SoundSelf as part of a three-arm trial alongside guided breathing and a control condition. Participants reported strong interest and described the experience as both relaxing and mind-altering.[11]
2020 Pilot Electroencephalography Study
A 2020 Electroencephalography (EEG) study investigated SoundSelf’s impact on brainwave states against an active control (guided meditation using VR). The SoundSelf experience produced brainwave changes otherwise associated with classic psychedelic states, most notably an alpha wave decrease across regions of the brain associated with the Default mode network, an increase of gamma wave activity in the temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes, and a decrese in low beta wave activity.
Self-report measures showed greater calmness and happiness, and higher scores on most Altered States subscales than the control, though generally lower than psilocybin benchmarks except for “experience of unity,” which was higher. The study concluded that SoundSelf can evoke neurophysiological and phenomenological patterns similar to psychedelic drugs. [12]
2022 Study of Altered States and Mental Health
A 2022 doctoral dissertation employed a mixed-methods approach to evaluate SoundSelf’s ability to evoke altered states of consciousness and psychological transformation. Participants demonstrated improvements in well-being scores, reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression, and reported mystical-type experiences such as feelings of unity and transcendence. Qualitative findings emphasized ego-dissolution, emotional catharsis, and transpersonal insight, suggesting potential for SoundSelf as a therapeutic modality.[13]
2024 Study of the Elicitation of Awe
A 2024 phenomenological study with fifteen participants analyzed lived experiences with SoundSelf and found it could elicit a broad range of emotions and self-transcendent states. [14]
2024 Digital Therapeutics Review
A 2024 peer-reviewed review of digital therapeutics and psychedelic simulations described SoundSelf as a participatory sound bath activating multiple senses and capable of producing transpersonal states of consciousness within 15 minutes. The review suggested it could extend therapists’ toolkits through practices of surrender and reactivation of psychedelic memory, classifying it as part of a new category of “technodelic” experiences.[15]
Awards and recognition
- Independent Games Festival (2014) – Finalist for the IGF Nuovo Award. The experimental and sensory-exploration title was noted among other "unconventional" games advancing the medium.[6]
- IndieCade at E3 (2013) – Selected for the IndieCade showcase at E3 2013. Kotaku described it as “the most intense thing I saw at E3,” comparing the experience to the psychedelic LSD.[16]
References
- ↑ Wildman, Wesley J.; Stockly, Kate J. (2021). Spirit Tech: The Brave New World of Consciousness Hacking and Enlightenment Engineering. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 116–132. ISBN 9781250274946.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Meissen, Andrew (May 9, 2025). "True REST and SoundSelf Layer Ketamine Therapy, Float Tanks and Tech". Lucid News. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ↑ "SoundSelf – Kickstarter campaign page". Kickstarter. Kickstarter. 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ↑ Kuchera, Ben (September 25, 2013). "Lost in the desert: How Burning Man nearly destroyed SoundSelf creator Robin Arnott". Penny Arcade Report. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ↑ "GameLoading: Rise of the Indies – Official Trailer". YouTube. StudioBento. 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Escapist Staff (December 22, 2010). "The Weird, The Abstract, The Unique: The IGF Nuovo Awards". The Escapist. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ↑ VR Fitness Insider Staff (April 20, 2020). "SoundSelf: A Technodelic Meditation VR Release Date". VR Fitness Insider. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ↑ "SoundSelf: A Technodelic Reviews – Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ↑ Stockdale, Henry (April 23, 2020). "SoundSelf PC review – "A Psychedelic Experience"". Hooked Gamers. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Important Announcement: SoundSelf Leaving Steam to Focus on Therapeutic Use". Steam (community announcement). June 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ↑ Naylor, J.; Koleva, B.; Benford, S.; Reynolds, L. (2019). "Augmented Experiences: Investigating the Feasibility of Virtual Reality as Part of a Workplace Wellbeing Intervention". Interacting with Computers. 31 (5): 507–526. doi:10.1093/iwc/iwz028. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ↑ Tarrant, Jeff (March 23, 2020). "Can Virtual Reality Be Psychedelic? A Comparison of SoundSelf VR with Guided Meditation VR on Quantitative EEG, Altered States, and Mood". International Virtual Reality Healthcare Association. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ↑ Prakash, A. (2022). Psychedelic Virtual Reality: A Mixed Methods Study of Psychological Transformation (Thesis). ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ↑ Reynolds, S. (2021). The Phenomenology of Abstract Awe: A Qualitative Study of Lived Experiences in Psychedelic Virtual Reality (Thesis). University of New Mexico. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ↑ Spasov, S.; Popova, M.; Manolova, R. (2024). "Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Virtual Reality: A Review on the Simulation of Psychedelic Effects for Treating Psychological Disorders". Psychedelic Medicine. 6 (2). doi:10.3390/psychedelic6040036. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ↑ Person, Chris (June 14, 2013). "This LSD-Inspired Oculus Game is The Most Intense Thing I Saw at E3". Kotaku. Retrieved September 10, 2025.