STROBONAUT

Experience visionary states with ganzflicker
a luminous launchpad into liminal dreaming

To sit, with eyes closed, in front of a stroboscopic lamp is a very curious and fascinating experience.

Aldous Huxley. The Doors of Perception: And Heaven and Hell

Not believing at that time, as I do today, that the potential for a mystical experience is the natural birthright of all human beings, I attributed everything that happened to the combined effect of LSD and the stroboscopic light.

Stanislav Grof, The Way of the Psychonaut, Volume I: Encyclopedia for Inner Journeys

Strobonaut is a stroboscopic ganzfeld (ganzflicker) app for Android phones. When used in a smartphone Virtual Reality headset for meditation and music-listening reverie it has psychedelic effects promoting mental health and creativity by giving access to altered states of consciousness and vivid dream-like visual imagery released from the deep brain / unconscious.

From Trance to Transcendence

• Both ganzfeld and flickering light have hallucinogenic effects, promoting vivid visual imagery by increasing the alpha rhythms of the brain. Their synergistic combination as ganzflicker is therefore especially effective for accessing visions (pseudo-hallucinations) from the deep brain / unconscious.
• The Flicker Drive page of this website gives instructions for moving from the focused attention of meditation to the immersive absorption of trance visioning.
• Further augmentation of the alpha rhythm during ganzflicker meditation, by using alpha rebound following a period of eye closure, can produce profound experiences of inner light as have been reported across mystical traditions.
• The mystical-type bright light experience is highly charged with positive affect and appears to be singularly effective in overcoming and neutralizing negative emotions such as anxiety and depression.
• It is hypothesized that the combination of ganzfeld and flicker activates secondary visual pathways to the deep brain to facilitate these transformative states of inner illumination.

Please read the Safety Information before downloading the app:

Click the icon below to download Strobonaut for Android

As a safety feature, to prevent unauthorised access by children and others who might be at risk, on most smartphones the app only opens when the phone is held precisely horizontal in relation to the gravitational field of the planet you are on.

Go to Flicker Drive for the instruction manual on how to pilot the app, including detailed information on using Flicker Jumps (alpha rebound) to progress from elementary to complex levels of visual imagery:

For a description of the hallucinatory progression from elementary to complex levels of visioning:

Installing the Strobonaut App on Android

The Strobonaut app is a direct download (APK file) for Android devices. It comes directly from the developer (Pete Carr, a psychiatrist with EMDR expertise) and is safe to install. Follow these steps to install:

Step 1: Enable Installation from Unknown Sources

Before you can install the app, you’ll need to adjust your phone’s security settings:

• Android 8.0 and newer: When you try to install the APK, Android will prompt you to allow installation from your browser or file manager. Tap “Settings” and enable “Allow from this source”
• Older Android versions: Go to Settings > Security, and enable “Unknown sources” or “Install unknown apps”

Step 2: Download the APK

• Tap the download link on this website using your Android phone’s browser
• The APK file will download to your device (usually to your Downloads folder)

Step 3: Install the App

• Once downloaded, tap the notification or open your Downloads folder
• Tap the Strobonaut APK file
• Follow the installation prompts
• Tap “Install” when prompted

Step 4: Launch Strobonaut

• Once installed, you can find the Strobonaut app in your app drawer
• As a safety feature, on most smartphones Strobonaut requires a perfectly horizontal launchpad. The app only opens when the phone is laid flat on a horizontal surface or held horizontally.

Smartphone VR Headsets for Ganzflicker

Basic smartphone VR headsets are inexpensive and widely available:

• These are simple holders with lenses that turn your phone into a VR display—not expensive standalone VR gaming systems
• They are lightweight, easy to use, and can be found online and in stores worldwide
• Any smartphone VR headset that fits your phone can be used for ganzflicker meditation with the Strobonaut app
• Budget-friendly options are typically available for less than the cost of a few coffees

For EMDR eye movement features:

• The Destek V5 headset includes a touch button that allows you to switch between ganzflicker mode and eye movement mode during your session

Using a dedicated Android phone (optional but recommended):

If you use an iPhone, or want to enhance your sessions, consider using a dedicated Android phone for the Strobonaut app. Refurbished Android phones are available online at modest prices depending on model and condition.

Benefits of using two phones:

• Keep your main phone available for audio (music, guided meditation, hypnosis, etc.)
• Use the dedicated secondary phone in the VR headset for uninterrupted ganzflicker sessions
• Avoid notifications or calls disrupting your meditation

RESEARCH PAPER

Click on the yellow button for a research study describing the induction of mystical-type bright light experiences during ganzflicker meditation by using the alpha rebound phenomenon:

For further information contact:

strobonautinfo@gmail.com