Viscereality Project
The Viscereality Project innovatively combines breathwork and virtual reality to induce altered states of consciousness. At its core is a bio-responsive VR application that dynamically adapts to users' breathing patterns.
This approach aims to couple interoception (internal bodily awareness) with exteroception (perception of the external world) by synchronizing immersive virtual environments with breathing techniques such as circular breathing and hyperventilation.
By blurring the boundaries between internal physiological states and external virtual contexts, the project seeks to facilitate a dissolution of the sense of self - a key characteristic of altered states.
This novel method explores how the interplay of bodily sensations and responsive digital environments can influence consciousness, potentially offering new insights into subjective experiences and opening avenues for therapeutic applications in mental health.

Project Explainers

5-Minute Project Overview

Extended Explainer

Scientific Ingredients

Altered States of Consciousness

Breathwork induces altered states of consciousness similar to psychedelics 📄 [1] 📄 [2] 📄 [3]

Bioresponsive VR

Bioresponsive VR

Respiratory coupling of lung-mechanics to the contraction and expansion of virtual space.

Breathing affects perception

Breathing affects the perception of quantities 📄 [4]

Tap to pause/play

Kuramoto Oscillator Dynamics

Coupled oscillators with nearest-neighbor synchronization create emergent geometric patterns during breath retention phases.

Meet the Team

George Fejer

George Fejer

Corresponding Author

George Fejer is a PhD candidate in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Konstanz, an affiliate of the Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, and a research affiliate at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences.

Till Holzapfel

Till Holzapfel

VR Developer

Till Holzapfel obtained a Master's in Cognitive Science from the University of Osnabrück, and worked as a lab manager for Intangible Realities Lab. His work is dedicated to designing immersive VR for facilitating transformative experiences.

Taru Hirvonen

Taru Hirvonen

VR Developer / Researcher

Taru Hirvonen provided invaluable guidance on integrating spatio-temporal oscillation dynamics into particles, enabling them to move in response to lung dynamics.

Anestis Lalidis Mateo

Anestis Lalidis Mateo

Computer Scientist / VR Developer

Anestis Lalidis Mateo is a Master's student and Research Assistant in Computer Science, specializing in Human-Computer Interaction and Audiovisual Computing with focus on VR/XR and biofeedback.

Publications

Viscereality: A Bio-responsive VR System for Breath-Based Interactions and Coupled Oscillator Dynamics to Augment Altered States of Consciousness

Fejer, George; Holzapfel, Till; Gómez-Emilsson, Andrés; Hirvonen, Taru; Jermaks, Raimonds; Blum, Johannes; Lobser, David; Lalidis Mateo, Anestis; Glowacki, David; Gaebler, Michael; Lenggenhager, Bigna (2025)

Mensch und Computer 2025 - Workshopband. Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V.. MCI-WS11: 18th Workshop "Be-greifbare Interaktion". Chemnitz. 31. August - 03. September 2025

Collaborations

Qualia Research Institute – HEART Workshop

The QRI HEART Workshop, held in Tepoztlán in 2024, provided valuable developer feedback and inspiration, offering a creative space that helped shape the aesthetic and technical direction of the Viscereality Project.

The Viscereality VR paradigm represents a novel innovation: the first ever 3D implementation of QRI's coupling kernel framework, extending their 2D coupling kernel simulation grid into immersive three-dimensional space. This approach allows users to experience oscillatory synchronization dynamics not just visually, but as a fully embodied spatial phenomenon coupled with their own physiological breathing rhythms.

Andrés Gómez Emilsson

Andrés Gómez Emilsson contributed the coupling kernel paradigm that underpins the oscillatory dynamics at the core of the system, a central theoretical and computational model guiding the bioresponsive synchronization of virtual and physiological rhythms. His work on cessation simulations and coupled oscillator dynamics informed key aspects of the system's design.

qri.org

Symmetric Vision

Symmetric Vision provided invaluable advice contributing to the particle textures. With years of experience creating textures, his feedback greatly improved the aesthetics of our setup, helping refine the visual quality and immersive character of the particle-based environments.

symmetric-vision.xyz

Cardiac Coherence

Heart Rate Variability

In collaboration with the University of Sussex, we are adding cardiac coherence monitoring to complement the breath-responsive system. Based on HeartMath's resonance frequency research, the interface adapts in real-time to help users find their optimal breathing rate, where heart rhythm naturally synchronizes with respiration. Visual changes responding to coherence levels, providing intuitive feedback improve HRV metrics.

Scientific Advisory

Bigna Lenggenhager

Bigna Lenggenhager

Cognitive Neuropsychologist | Co-Principal Investigator

Bigna Lenggenhager has several years of experience, having worked as a professor at the Universities of Zurich and Konstanz, with her research focusing on body-swap illusions and the plasticity of the bodily self.

Michael Gaebler

Michael Gaebler

Cognitive and Brain Scientist

Michael Gaebler is a cognitive neuroscientist at the Max Planck Institute and leads the Mind-Body-Emotion Group. His research explores the relationship between mental processes and brain-body interactions.

Oliver Deussen

Oliver Deussen

Professor for Visual Computing | Principal Investigator

Oliver Deussen is a professor of Visual Computing at the University of Konstanz and a speaker of the Excellence Cluster. His research focuses on modeling and rendering complex systems.

Johannes Blum

Johannes Blum

VR Developer / Consultant

Johannes Blum is the Head of Research and Development at the Pädagogische Hochschule Schaffhausen. He previously worked on the development of Flowborne VR, a meditative breathwork experience.

Affiliations

Supported By

This project is supported by leading research institutions and funding organizations committed to advancing the understanding of consciousness and virtual reality applications.

Contact