Psychedelics and virtual reality converge in a Nature Mental Health perspective on altered states, therapeutic design, and research opportunities

Psychedelics and virtual reality are presented as converging tools for shaping altered states with potential therapeutic and research value. Both domains can modulate perception, embodiment, emotion, and meaning-making, which creates opportunities to compare mechanisms and design more targeted interventions. Therapeutic applications likely center on carefully structured set, setting, and multisensory experience rather than pharmacology alone. Virtual environments may help prepare, guide, or integrate psychedelic sessions, while psychedelic science can inform how immersive technologies influence cognition, awe, self-processing, and psychological flexibility. Research at this intersection matters because it could clarify which aspects of healing come from drug effects, context, expectancy, and environmental design. Ethical and safety questions remain important, including manipulation, overstimulation, vulnerable populations, and the need for rigorous evidence before clinical adoption.