What It Feels Like to Light Travel

After I was first requested if I needed to gentle journey, the one response I might muster was: “Huh?” However after some research, I used to be all in.

Light journey is a apply pioneered by neurologist and psychologist Dirk Proeckl and medical psychologist and psychotherapist Engelbert Winkler. Flashing gentle patterns, mostly facilitated by a lamp referred to as Lucia N°03, theoretically permit you to enter a deep meditative state, effortlessly—with out the psychological focus required to watch your ideas, quiet your thoughts, or focus in your breath. It’s like a light-induced meditation.

I quickly discovered myself mendacity down on a pleasantly cushioned, sheer-draped cover mattress with a Lucia N°03 gentle positioned above my head. Theresa Peoples, a Lucia N°03 gentle practitioner who guides folks via gentle journey at her house studio, positioned headphones over my ears and pressed play on a soothing soundtrack. (The Lucia N°03 gentle lamp, which has one halogen gentle within the middle surrounded by eight LED lights, is related to a pc program. The particular person guiding your session—Peoples, in my case—controls all the pieces from a laptop computer, stopping and beginning this system and adjusting the depth primarily based in your desire.)

After I closed my eyes and Peoples turned on the Lucia N°03 lamp, I instantly noticed vibrant, kaleidoscope-like fractal patterns as in the event that they have been enjoying throughout a display screen on my eyelids. Inside minutes, my ideas started to float away earlier than I might full a sentence. After which my thoughts chatter stopped utterly. I used to be in a hard and fast state of awe, unaware of time and area. I used to be gentle touring.

I can’t keep in mind a lot else about my 90-minute session (which appeared like 10 minutes), besides that it felt extraordinarily enjoyable and a bit out of this world. And afterward, it took a couple of minutes of wiggling my toes, sipping heat natural tea, and nibbling dried white mulberries to reawaken my senses and really feel like I used to be absolutely in my physique once more.

Ideally, it’s finest to gentle journey at night time, catch a journey house, and instantly go to mattress. I went within the afternoon, although, and wanted to get my daughter from college. By some means, even driving in LA site visitors, I felt extraordinarily calm (in a very good, safe-to-drive means). That feeling lasted for a few days.

The Results of Lucia Light

Primarily, the aim of the Lucia N°03 gentle is to information you into what’s referred to as an alpha-theta hypnagogic state. It’s a stage the place our mind waves are someplace between the alpha (8 to 13 hertz) and theta (4 to 7.9 hertz) frequencies—between rest and a deep meditative state that evokes creativity and lucid dreaming.

What’s occurring within the mind throughout the session? How is flashing gentle so impactful, even along with your eyes closed? We requested Jamie M. Zeitzer, PhD, an affiliate professor within the Division of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford College. “Precisely the way it works, nobody’s fairly certain,” says Zeitzer. Scientists do know that the flashing gentle synchronizes or entrains the mind to (roughly) harmonize in a means that it usually doesn’t, until you’re sleeping or experiencing a seizure. And the eyelids act as a lightweight filter (about 90 % of sunshine is blocked), however loads nonetheless reaches the mind to have an impact.

There’s not a lot analysis on this remedy, however there are some budding hypotheses that gentle remedy triggers the rise of sure neurotransmitters, like acetylcholine (a distinguished neurotransmitter all through the physique). It’s additionally doable that there are adjustments within the sensitivity of the thalamus, a mind area recognized for its position in capabilities just like the sleep-and-wake cycle, ache, senses (besides smelling), cognition, arousal, and motor abilities.

The place to Go Light Touring

It’s value a attempt should you’re open to experiencing gentle journey with none expectation of a particular final result—a lightweight exploration, so to converse. However going to a trusted skilled is essential. “The precise frequency and the way they’re utilized can [deliver] very completely different results on the mind,” says Zeitzer. IntoMeSea in Santa Monica presents gentle journey periods for one or two folks at a time. Flower of Light presents particular person, {couples}, and group gentle periods at its house studio and does native house visits within the higher Los Angeles space.

Warning: When you’ve got a historical past of light-induced epileptic seizures, this remedy could set off seizures throughout your session. You could be examined by your physician with an EEG to decide whether or not a seizure is probably going to happen throughout a session, however there’ll all the time be some threat.

The Lucia N°03 gentle shouldn’t be a medical gadget, however we all the time suggest consulting your physician prior to attempting a brand new remedy.

This text is for informational functions solely, even when and no matter whether or not it options the recommendation of physicians and medical practitioners. This text shouldn’t be, neither is it supposed to be, an alternative choice to skilled medical recommendation, analysis, or therapy and will by no means be relied upon for particular medical recommendation. The views expressed on this article are the views of the professional and don’t essentially symbolize the views of goop.