Lumenate App Claims To Allow Users To Have Psychedelic Trips Using Only Their Phone

A new app claims to be able to make users trip as if they're on LSD while only using their smartphone.

It's a bold claim, but that's exactly what the people behind Lumenate reckon they can do.

Their app uses the flickering lights of the phone to create the sensation of a trip, and there's a good chance it could actually work.

The creators of the app claim it can 'guide your brain into a unique and powerful altered state of consciousness between that of deep meditation and classic psychedelics.'

They hope the app can be used to help people get a decent night's kip, and clear their mind of unnecessary stresses.

Hey - if it works - that has to be worth a try, right?

It was created in Bristol by software engineers Tom Galea and Jay Conlon, who want their brainchild to 'make subconscious exploration more accessible than ever before.'

Their website reads: "From interviewing people at Burning Man about what freedom means to them, to months of EEG brain scans developing and optimizing our method of inducing altered-states using light and sound, our journey has been anything but ordinary."

So, how does it all work?

In an interview with Vice, Galea explained: "At a basic level, as the light flashes the brain also flashes in sync, sending a signal that something's changing.

"Gradually that synchronization with the light spreads through the brain and allows you to send it into the desired state."

In actual terms, that means you'll have to hold your smartphone up to your face with the flashlight facing you while you sit in a darkened room with your eyes closed.

Apparently, that state of elevated consciousness allows the brain to function better and in a more connected way, as well as decreasing the activity of the brain's default mode network.

The science behind it all is a little bit hazy, but a study performed at Sussex University in 2019 found that 'stroboscopic stimulation caused substantial increases in the intensity and range of subjective experiences, with reports of both simple and complex visual hallucinations'.

That paper - which detailed a study of 19 students - has yet to be peer reviewed, however.

Either way, you can head on over to the Apple App Store or Google Play to get involved and try out your own one person study.

Featured Image Credit: Lumenate

Topics: UK News, Interesting, Technology, Weird

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a LADbible journalist and Twin Peaks enthusiast. Despite having a career in football cut short by a chronic lack of talent, he managed to obtain degrees from both the University of London and Salford. According to his French teacher, at the weekend he mostly likes to play football and go to the park with his brother. Contact Tom on [email protected]

@TPWagwim