In some circles, the powerful psychedelic N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is known as the “spiritual molecule” for its special ability to transport people to other worlds. Those who take it typically discover vibrant colors, abstract geometric patterns – and even encounter elves and aliens – all in a way that feels completely real.

All of this may seem as far from the realm of empirical science as possible – but not to neuroscientists. Zeus Tipado. In his laboratory in Maastricht, the Netherlands, he is preparing a wacky experiment in which he will monitor the brains of people who have received a dose of DMT while they wear a virtual reality headset. The hope is that by observing what happens when we slip into another form of reality, we can understand how our minds construct the one we experience every day. “Our brains are easily mistaken about reality,” says Tipado.

He has already found tantalizing clues about a new brain network that he believes may be behind our sense of being immersed in a world – whether real life, reality virtual or a drug-induced trip. He hopes to identify and perhaps even learn to control this hypothetical “immersion circuit”. If it can, it could allow us to increase or decrease the credibility of an experiment, create more effective therapies for mental illness, and create more visceral training worlds for surgeons or firefighters. Of course, this would also be a major advance in the field of neuroscience.

Prediction machines

We do not fully understand how our minds create the transparent experience of…