Do Psychedelics Open Doors To The Metaverse?
You’ve probably heard the term ‘metaverse’ being thrown around the internet over the past few months.
But what does it actually mean?
According to venture capitalist Mathew Ball, who has written several essays about the metaverse: “The metaverse is a 3D version of the Internet and computing at large,” he tells Vice. He goes on to explain that there are two ways to define it based on context: “When these two technologies (internet and computing) first emerged, all interactions were primarily text-based (emails, messages, usernames, email addresses). Then they slowly became more media-based (photos, videos, livestreams). The next elevation of user interface and user experience is into 3D. Secondly, if we think of a mobile phone as placing a computer in our pocket and the internet being available at all times, think of the metaverse as always being within a computer and inside the internet,” he explains.
So in summary, it’s a 3D version of the internet, a place where we live parallel to our real physical environment. This is where our digital home is: where we store our digital footprint, post photos, and communicate with others using our phones and computers.
At the moment, the metaverse still hasn’t become reality. Not until we have a single gateway to enter the metaverse.
So are psychedelics the answer to entering the metaverse in the (near) future?
The Role of Psychedelics
Psychedelics are having a heyday right now. Given the millions of people worldwide who are suffering from one kind of mental health disorder or another, and considering how the world seemingly keeps on breaking into shambles, we all need psychedelic therapy.
So how can psychedelics possibly open doors to the metaverse?
Perhaps in the near future, we could use psychedelics together with virtual reality to treat mental health problems: using the metaverse to treat one dysfunctional reality in the virtual world to effectively treat our “real” reality. For example, using VR equipment to recreate the causes of one’s post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) while on psychedelics, under the guidance of a therapist or clinical professional, and use this context to help the patient advance through their PTSD.
Take Emotional Intelligence Ventures (EI), for one: this company is now working on how psychedelic-assisted therapies can be done in the metaverse. For anyone who’s open to such experimentation, you may be able to get into the metaverse and make it back – with stories to tell.
According to David Nikzad, founder of EI, the company seeks to take advantage of virtual reality to get through the borders posed by economics and geographies, preventing most of the population from tapping into psychedelic-assisted therapy. “The reality of being able to give a billion people a psychedelic experience [is that] not everybody’s going to be able to fly to Maui or Peru and have a $100,000 experience,” Nikzad tells The Drum. “What we understood with technology – and we saw this back when Meta’s Oculus was born – was that eventually you could give people a psychedelic journey, and a shaman would show up, or Ram Dass would show up, and he would take you on this journey through something like a Hawaii that would be done through a PS5,” he says.
Just like when the internet was new, businesses in all industries were scrambling to be among the first to enter the world wide web. It’s the same now: brands from several industries are rushing to build a presence in the metaverse. The psychedelic industry is no different, but its effects on humankind could be extremely profound.
Healing In The Metaverse
EI Ventures bought a 12 x 12 piece of land in the Sandbox, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, a Hong Kong-based blockchain gaming business. It’s the third biggest virtual land sale in the metaverse today, with a value of over $2 million. But more than simply real estate, the space, which is named PSLY.com, is where their merger with Mycotopia Therapies will be based.
“The combination of our tech, cannabis, psychedelics, outer space, and crypto-related holdings will all be utilizing this exciting space,” Nikzad says in a statement. “We are very excited to invite all of our portfolio companies and investors to be part of something extraordinary.”
Last November 2021, Canadian company Revitalist announced their acquisition of Revitaland Meta Tech Inc., where they intend to develop virtual clinics within the metaverse. Developing these virtual clinics will be under the management of Metachain Technologies, which has a 40% share in Revitaland. Since 2018, Revitalist has given thousands of ketamine treatments for patients struggling with treatment-resistant mental health conditions.
“A virtual clinic offers patients an alternative to traditional treatment options and also puts Revitalist at the forefront of the virtual interactive world as it relates to mental health. Our team will work closely with Revitalist to ensure patients have a quality experience when visiting Revitaland. Technology in the metaverse is changing at a rapid pace with large technology companies such as Facebook and Microsoft spending a significant amount of time and resources to deploy projects in the metaverse,” said META CEO, Matthew Connelly.
Conclusion
It’s exciting times for sure: even if the metaverse is still in its infancy, the creation of this new virtual world and the use of psychedelics has great potential for helping make psychedelic therapies for mental health disorders more accessible than ever. For sure, more research is needed so that we can have a better understanding of what the metaverse can bring into the world of mental wellness, but it all seems promising.
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