Advanced Consciousness

May 2025 Received funding for project COMING SOON! Will begin running participants. 117 Expected total number of participants. Study Status Protocol 009 HEARTBEAM: Heart-Brain Engagement for Adolescent Meditation Modern adolescents face unprecedented rates of anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders, yet traditional meditation approaches struggle to engage youth immersed in digital envir…

Join Us on an Exploration of Consciousness: Support Documentary Film “Instructions for Leaving (without going anywhere)" About IACS IACS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit research institute that is dedicated to advancing our understanding of consciousness through rigorous scientific investigation. Our institute operates thanks to the support of a diverse range of funding sources, including traditional re…

Evolve 4B: Stress Resilience Research Study Are you a working professional experiencing high stress or burnout? The Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies is conducting a research study evaluating an investigational virtual reality-based stress resilience program. We are seeking employed adults (ages 22-65) who are currently experiencing elevated stress levels. About the Study This study in…

Ninette Simonian Research Consultant Ninette is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at The Ohio State University under Ruchika Prakash, Ph.D. In the Clinical Neuroscience Lab, she is working on an NIH-funded clinical trial examining an internet-based mind-body intervention for older adults with subjective cognitive complaints. She aims to study the intersection of technology and med…

Participate in our Actively Recruiting Studies These are the studies we are currently recruiting participants for. See a full list of our studies on our IACS Research Page Dark Cave, Bright Mind: Mapping Neural and Phenomenological Effects of Dark Retreat Practice Can extended periods of darkness facilitate profound self-reflection and transformation by disrupting habitual perception patterns? Co…

Prospective Intern Guide 1. Welcome & Overview Thank you for your interest in IACS! We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research institute based in Santa Monica, CA, using experiential technology to promote human flourishing. Our work spans meditation neuroscience, aesthetic chills, neuromodulation (including transcranial focused ultrasound), immersive audiovisual experiences, floatation-REST, VR-based …

Get The Article PDF Cite This Work APA MLA BibTex Simonian, N., & Reggente, N. (2026, February). Beyond the Testing Room: Virtual Reality as a Paradigmatic Solution to Ecological Validity Deficits in Neuropsychological Memory Assessment. In Virtual Worlds (Vol. 5, No. 1, p. 7). MDPI. Simonian, Ninette, and Nicco Reggente. “Beyond the Testing Room: Virtual Reality as […] The post Beyond the Testin…

Actively Recruiting Studies Dark Cave, Bright Mind: Mapping Neural and Phenomenological Effects of Dark Retreat Practice Can extended periods of darkness facilitate profound self-reflection and transformation by disrupting habitual perception patterns? Could this “sober psychedelic” experience lead to insights similar to those induced by traditional psychedelics? Unlikely Collaborators Understand…

December 2025 Received funding for project. January 2026 Will begin running participants. 20 Expected total number of participants. Study Status Evolve 4B Stress Resilience Research Study This study investigates whether a VR-based biofeedback program can effectively reduce stress and burnout in working professionals. Participants engage in guided breathing exercises and heart rate variability tra…

- Empirical Papers - Theory Papers - Posters - Talks - Press - Pre-Registered Papers 2026 - Christov-Moore, L., Schoeller, F., Von Guttenberg, M., Durinski, T., Jain, F. A., Iacoboni, M., & Reggente, N. (2026). Using Chills-Inducing Music to Augment Self-Transcendence, Emotional Breakthrough, and Psychological Insight During Mindfulness and Loving Kindness Meditation. Frontiers in Psychology, 17,…

October 2024 Received funding for project Location Sky Cave Retreats Oregon, U.S. 30 Number of participants Study Status The Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies (IACS), alongside Sky Cave Retreats, is investigating the neuroscientific and phenomenological effects of dark retreat practices. This research aims to bridge ancient wisdom with modern science by examining how sustained darkness…

May 2021 Received funding for project. July 2021 Began running participants. October 2022 Completed data collection for 286 participants. Study Status Protocol 001 Assessing The Impact of an Audiovisual Experience on Mood States The purpose of this study is to characterize the neurophysiological responses and behavioral measures tracking mood states between different light and sound experiences a…

May 2021 Received funding for project. May 2022 Began running participants. 36 Expected total number of participants. Study Status Protocol 002 Identifying Gradations of The Meditation Experience With funding from the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation, The Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies will be conducting a series of basic research studies aimed at modeling the neurocognitive underpinnings s…

March 2023 Received funding for project. April 2023 Will begin running participants. 4000+ Expected total number of participants. Study Status Protocol 005 (E4002) Characterizing the neurophysiological and behavioral profile of aesthetic chills With funding from the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation and Joy Ventures, The Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies will be conducting a series of basic res…

January 2020 Received funding for project. November 2022 Began running participants. 72 Expected total number of participants. Study Status Protocol 003 Neuromodulatory Induction of Meditative States For Experienced Meditators If you volunteer to participate in this study, your first session (Day 1) will include receiving a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) structural image of your brain on the fi…

Mihir Nath Junior Research Scientist Driven by a deep curiosity to understand consciousness and well-being, Mihir Nath combines a background in physics and neuroscience with a profound interest in meditation. He is interested in harnessing the synergy of neuroscience and technology to enhance and make meditative practices more accessible to the wider world. Graduate Ashoka University, B.S Physics…

Giacomo Reggente Research Consultant Giacomo Reggente is a composer and sound designer crafting immersive, emotionally charged scores that fuse orchestral architecture with electronic innovation and rare acoustic textures. Trained at Berklee College of Music, his work spans cinematic, ambient, and hybrid sound worlds—where analog synthesis, large-scale percussion, and world instruments become par…

Matthew D. Sacchet, Ph.D. Research Consultant Dr. Matthew D. Sacchet, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Meditation Research Program at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General). Dr. Sacchet and his team study advanced meditation: skills, states, and stages of contemplative practice that unfold with mastery and time. Since 2012, he has authored…

May 2024 Received funding for project. July 2024 Will begin running participants. 60 Expected total number of participants. Study Status Protocol 006 Harnessing Stroboscopic Protocols to Develop Therapeutic Interventions for Stress and Burnout Mitigation The alarming rise in stress-related issues among warfighters, such as suicide, alcoholism, and substance abuse, poses a significant threat to th…

October 2024 Received funding for project April 2025 Began running participants. 1500 Expected total number of participants. Study Status Protocol 007 Virtual Reality Prognostics for Subjective Memory Complaints The increasing prevalence of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease among older adults poses a significant challenge to global health systems and the quality of life for …