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What happens when you find yourself in a space where time and gravity don't work as you're used to, and your body reacts differently than in the ordinary world? These are the questions posed by Michal Poustka's research, which examines how virtual and extended reality (XR) can pull us out of everyday 'autopilot' and open unexpected ways of perception.

You might wonder why such topics aren't studied by a psychologist, but by a doctoral student from an art faculty. Michal Poustka's research emerges from the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art, where technology, perception, and creative experiment converge. Michal explores human experience at the intersection of art and psychology – specifically that which deals with perception, attention, and learning. He's not concerned with clinical diagnosis, but with understanding how the human mind reacts to disrupted sensory conditions. Using special XR glasses and headphones, he works with situations where normal rules don't apply – for example, spatial orientation, time flow, or gravity change. Thanks to an artistic approach, he can also focus on subtle, subjective layers of experience – such as disorientation, body tension, or loss of control. For XR technology creators, artists, and educators, such a perspective brings practical insights about designing environments that work not only visually, but also sensorially and psychologically.

Michal Poustka focuses on what happens to our brain and body when we find ourselves in an environment that disrupts our sensory certainties – such as light, space, or time. He examines how we react to these changes, how we learn new things, and how artists could use these insights. In his conception, virtual reality transforms into both a laboratory and artistic tool – a space where one can experiment not only with technology, but also with human consciousness. What if such an experience can change how we think about ourselves and the world around us?

What is the main goal of your dissertation, Mr. Poustka?

I'm interested in what happens to human consciousness when it finds itself in a world that operates according to different rules than ordinary reality. In my dissertation, I examine the boundary between what we still perceive through our senses and what our mind is already just imagining. XR – extended reality – allows these boundaries to be disrupted, jumped over, and rewritten. And precisely in these 'gaps,' I believe something fundamental happens – space emerges for changing thinking, perception, and perhaps even oneself.

How would you simply explain the concept of 'deep immersion' to someone who has never experienced XR technologies?

It's a state where you forget you're using any technology. Glasses on your head, virtual world around you – the brain starts taking it as reality. Deep immersion isn't just visual deception. It's a bodily and emotional experience that can resemble a lucid dream, meditation, or even a psychedelic experience. XR in this sense isn't just a tool – it's a new environment for human consciousness.

What happens in the environment you create with space, time, or gravity? And what happens to our body and brain when XR deliberately removes or disrupts ordinary sensory constants? How does the brain behave during predictive error that you deliberately simulate?

In XR we can 'bend' reality – space can develop differently, time can flow accelerated or slowed down, and gravity doesn't have to exist at all. The body is often deceived – for example when we see that we're moving, but physically standing still. The brain tries to resolve this discrepancy and often experiences so-called predictive error – the brain expects something that doesn't happen, which causes brief disorientation, but also increased neuroplasticity. It's a moment when old patterns collapse and the brain must 'relearn the world.'

Can you describe a specific situation or project where XR really 'disrupted' ordinary perception and opened a new way of thinking or feeling?

Yes, for example during testing of weightlessness simulation, one participant experienced a strong sense of dissociation from her body – she said she felt like she had 'left the physical world' and needed time to return after the experience ended. This wasn't just playing with the senses – it was a deep psychological transcendence. And precisely in these moments XR functions as a medium for inner transformation, not just as a technological attraction.

Timothy Leary claimed that humans are programmed robots, but that the program can be changed. Do you see XR as a tool for this consciousness reprogramming? Do you think appropriate stimulation can also influence our resilience in real life?

Absolutely yes. XR is unique in that it can deliberately disrupt reality, thereby creating conditions for cognitive reset. The moment assumptions about how the world should work collapse, the brain becomes far more open to new patterns. If this moment is well-designed, XR can strengthen adaptability, empathy, or the ability to manage stress. It's like 'soft hacking' of consciousness – not destructive, but transformative.

It seems that human consciousness can be manipulated using XR. Are there already any measures to prevent this from happening (at least legally)?

There aren't yet sufficiently specific legislative measures that would protect people from psychological manipulation in XR. Some ethical frameworks are being prepared – for example in the area of neuro-rights or digital identity – but practice has outpaced them so far. This is also why I try to highlight these risks in my research: XR isn't just a medium, it's also a form of psychotechnology. And like every technology, this one also needs rules.

Michal Poustka will present his findings at the international UNIMMERSUM conference, which he is organizing at the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. The event will take place on October 23rd and will connect artists, researchers, and students in dialogue about immersive technologies. The program will offer lectures by international guests from Brazil, Hungary, and Britain, and a panel discussion about the future of perception in digital environments.