Created by the power of your brain and unique to you, the Dreamachine experience offers you a new way to disconnect from everyday life, and reconnect with both yourself and others.
It’s powered by a flickering white light and a musical soundscape – but how does it work?
Flickering light on closed eyes can create vivid visual experiences. These are known as ‘stroboscopically induced visual hallucinations’. Scientists and philosophers are still investigating precisely how and why these dramatic effects arise.
With your eyes closed in the Dreamachine, you may have witnessed a vivid visual journey inside your mind, despite knowing that there was only white light and a musical soundscape around you. Within the Deep Listening experience, you may have experienced changes in your sense of time and place.
The rich inner experiences created by the Dreamachine are linked to a phenomenon known as ‘entrainment’. The frequency of the light imposes a ‘beat’ on the rhythms of the brain, similar to the ‘alpha’ rhythm – the slow brain waves normally present when we’re awake but relaxed.
Even with the tools of modern neuroscience, the question of exactly why such vivid experiences occur is still unanswered. Research into people’s differing responses in the Dreamachine will help shed light on how the human brain gives rise to our subjective ‘inner universe’ in ordinary life. It is an insight into the everyday miracle of consciousness.
"I was feeling a big sense of peace and stillness, a recognisable warmth and flexible control as if everything will be manageable as long as I keep this sense of peace and stillness."
Some people’s encounters with the Dreamachine go beyond the senses. They might feel emotions like anxiety or joy. Others might have a sense of empowerment, euphoria, relaxation or connection. A feeling of great beauty or indescribable complexity can make the experience feel profound or even transformative.
Philosopher Emily Brady writes that transformative experiences can be sublime – making us feel both humble and connected to an incredible universe. They can give us powerful new perspectives on our place in the world.
Some people describe these feelings, but there is no right or wrong way to experience the Dreamachine. Whatever your journey, we hope your visit today has helped shine a light on the extraordinary power of the mind and perhaps sparked a sense of curiosity about the mysterious nature of your conscious experience.
"‘It was one of the most amazing, evocative experiences I’ve ever had. I stopped for 30 minutes and let myself feel. I surrendered to the power of something else which actually in turn turned out to be the power within me. I let myself go and I felt…it was numbing, confronting, and beautiful.’"
Social activities and interaction within our communities can help with major challenges, such as loneliness and ageing. It can help to boost confidence and make us feel more engaged and resilient. Engagement with art is also positively linked to alleviating anxiety, depression and stress.
Dreamachine is an invitation to disconnect from everyday life and reconnect with yourself and others in a radically new way; by sitting back, closing your eyes and taking a fascinating journey inside your own mind.
Dreamachine offers a shared space for personal reflection away from the distractions of everyday life. What Dreamachine unlocks within its visitors is distinctly unique to every individual. However, many participants have reported a heightened sense of relaxation, reflection and communal togetherness after experiencing Dreamachine, feelings that are often recognised as valuable foundations for positive emotional wellbeing. Our brilliant team of onsite Guardians are trained to help hold our audiences journey through the Dreamachine with love and care – whatever their experience.
"I felt incredibly calm and warm, somewhat euphoric but the world was very spacious and serene. Felt a lot of the time like I was being dipped into a body of water in which there was a sanctuary for the mind."
Take part in one of the largest scientific research studies of its kind to help leading researchers chart the unique ways we each encounter the world.
Dive deeper into the thought that influences and inspires the Dreamachine team and community, from the worlds of culture, philosophy, neuroscience and art.
Find out more about the impact of the Dreamachine programme on people, place and human understanding.