Mindfulness
Mindfulness interventions have been shown to benefit attention, emotion regulation, stress and overall wellbeing (Creswell, 2017). Part of mindfulness is the capacity to cultivate an inner observer and interoceptive awareness (Farb et al., 2015).
VR can support mindfulness by anchoring attention in the present moment through sight and sound (Seabrook et al., 2020), and group VR experiences have produced ego attenuation and connectedness comparable to psychedelics (Glowacki et al., 2022).
Mindset
Another key aspect of metacognition is mindset, the beliefs we hold about our abilities and experiences, which shape how we meet challenges. A growth mindset supports self-efficacy and resilience (Yeager & Dweck, 2012).
Brief mindset interventions can make a measurable difference: short films reframing stress as enhancing shifted people’s stress responses (Crum et al., 2013), and a growth mindset session of under an hour improved grades for lower-achieving students (Yeager et al., 2019).
Meaning
Meaning, the narrative we weave from our experiences, shapes our identity and purpose. Viktor Frankl asserted that the search for meaning is the primary motivational force in humans (Frankl, 1959).
Psychedelic states can heighten the sense of personal meaning, even in music that previously felt meaningless (Preller et al., 2017). Cyberdelic technologies have the potential to extend these experiences, aiding in the construction of personal meaning and the understanding of the complex tapestry of life.
Multiplicity
Multiplicity in the context of metacognition refers to the ability to hold and appreciate a variety of perspectives simultaneously. It’s about recognising the multifaceted nature of our psyche and the world around us.
On an individual level, multiplicity is the recognition of the diverse aspects of our identities and the ability to navigate between them; a richer, more differentiated self-concept has been linked to resilience under stress (Linville, 1987). Psychedelic experiences have been associated with greater psychological flexibility (Davis et al., 2020) and emotional empathy (Pokorny et al., 2017), supporting multiplicity internally and interpersonally.
