The Impact of Hostile Design on User Experience

Till Holzafpel is an engineer, programmer, consciousness researcher, and hardware psychonaut who designs virtual reality systems that can evoke the transcendent components of psychedelics… without requiring the consumption any substances. Much of his work is based on fact that there appears to be a massive component of psychedelic experiences that comes from sensory feedback, like sounds, patterns in the visual field, and the tactile components of the environment. Even something as simple as a flashing light can induce mystical experiences in a significant fraction of the population, and plenty of research suggests that there’s a visual component to the healing properties of nature. As Till works on fitting those discoveries into an entirely new class of VR programs, we sat down for a conversation about how our sensory systems can be treated and tweaked to induce altered states of consciousness, the value of making this kind of experience widely accessible, and the shortcomings of a purely biochemical approach to understanding the impact of psychedelics on the human psyche. The video also includes a demo of Brain Candy, his augmented reality program for exploring consciousness through audio-visual patterns (https://braincandyapp.com/). MAKE HISTORY WITH US THIS SUMMER:https://demystifysci.com/demysticon-2025PATREON https://www.patreon.com/c/demystifysciPARADIGM DRIFThttps://demystifysci.com/paradigm-drift-show00:00 Go! 03:30 Fractals and Nature’s Design 08:00 The Aesthetics of Psychedelics 10:00 Personal Motivations for Psychedelics 15:00 Cannabis vs. Psychedelics 19:00 Integration of Psychedelic Experiences 20:33 Ego Development and Integration 23:01 Psychedelics and Consciousness Management 26:38 Historical Context of Psychedelic Use 29:08 The Perception and Projection Dilemma 31:39 The Intersection of AI and Psychedelic Experiences 37:28 Designing for Consciousness and Well-being 40:52 Current State of Augmented Reality and Psychedelic Research 44:54 Flicker Light Stimulation and Its Effects 49:30 Challenges in Understanding Psychedelic Experiences 55:03 Potential Societal Benefits of Psychedelic Experiences 59:02 Acceptance of Ketamine as a Therapeutic Tool 01:00:27 Dissociation and Psychedelic Experiences 01:01:45 Neuroplasticity in Psychedelics 01:08:12 Ketamine and Acute Suicidal Ideation 01:12:21 Integration of Psychedelics into Medical Care 01:16:39 Critiques of Medicalizing Psychedelics 01:18:12 Discussion on Consciousness and Activity 01:23:01 Observer Dependence and Material Basis 01:28:24 Communication and Meaning-Making 01:34:11 Interdisciplinary Dialogues and Psychedelics 01:37:52 Transitioning Identities and Comfort Zones 01:39:00 The Art of Communication and the Trickster Archetype 01:41:20 Communication Dynamics and the Power of Comedy 01:43:00 Innovative Approaches to Sensory Experiences 01:46:30 Re-enchanting Modern Spaces for a Human Experience 01:49:55 Building Community Awareness Around Sensory Processing 01:51:30 Future Collaborations #psychedelicresearch , #consciousness , #neuroscience , #mysticalexperiences , #ego , #mindexpansion , #brainhealth , #fractaldesign , #integration, #selfdiscovery, #neuroplasticity , #philosophypodcast , #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast ABOUS US: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities.