CARLISLE Memorial Church in North Belfast is offering a totally unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience – Dreamachine – which entails a journey to explore the potential of your own mind.

I will admit, I had thought the potential of my own mind had been limited to remembering niche quotes from The Sopranos and The Simpsons, and the locations of treasure in the video game Skyrim, but I was absolutely overwhelmed by this truly wonderful collective experience, in which everyone there experienced something uniquely different.

Dreamachine is a multisensory experience, and bills itself as a campfire experience wherein you lie down and close your eyes, while a lightscape plays over your darkened vision, accompanied by 360 degrees of specially created spatial sound.

Put together by top minds in the fields of neuroscience, architecture, technology, music and philosophy, including music from the Turner prize winning and Grammy nominated composer, the legendary Jon Hopkins.

Along with 21 others I took part in the ‘High Sensory’ experience, the other main experience being the ‘Deep Listening’ experience. High sensory involved utilizing powerful technology to play enchanting music, coupled with lighting that raced across my closed eyes, creating an all-encompassing colourful experience which was completely unique to my own mind.

The journey starts with going into a darkened wooden hut, built inside of the beautiful Carlisle Memorial Church. Calm music plays, as you are told to take a seat on a bench where you lean back with your head between two speakers and are told to close your eyes.

White lights are above you but they are initially dimmed. Everyone is given a rundown of what’s to happen, and a taster of what to expect. Beforehand you must fill in a form confirming you don’t suffer from epilepsy, or any other condition which can be triggered by bright flashing lights.

For myself, the taster was brilliant, though I did find the parts when it was just pure bright light a little too much, as I’m the sort of person who would usually have to squint during thunderstorms.

When the experiment got underway, I quickly relaxed, the organisers giving you breathing excercises to help you completely relax.

What happened next is something I can’t properly put into words, however I will give it a go to put across some of what I felt and saw. The enchanting and relaxing music of Jon Hopkins had me immediately relaxed. It was like someone had put my mind to sleep inside a computer, and I was floating through a dreamscape.

When the lights picked up I saw my first colours, intense greens, and shining bright phantasms lit my vision, swirling and diving across my vision. My relaxed mind quickly forming them into shapes as my brain tried to make sense of the sensory wonder.

I experienced what I can only describe as the phantasmagoria of fever dream, but without any of the negativity. I saw long corridors of green plants which coalesced into clovers as I was hurtled down them at lightning speed while purple strobes thrummed in the air. I saw images of what appeared to be some form of an ancient sea god who was riding on waves on a horse made from sea foam. I saw grids of red and yellow squares which formed into reels and reels of newsprint, and then I was pushed out into the deepest forms of space while images of a brain scan flashed across my eyes.

I have no idea what to make of anything I saw, but by the time it ended I found it difficult to move my arms and get up, that was how deeply relaxed it had made me.

PEACE: I felt relaxed for the rest of the day, totally at peace
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PEACE: I felt relaxed for the rest of the day, totally at peace

Afterwards you are invited out to a space to discuss (if you want) what you experienced. Everyone sees different things. Many people saw no images at all, unlike myself who had a whirlwind of them. There are also drawing stations where you can try and colour what you saw. I’m not very good at drawing, so it was difficult to express what I saw and heard, but I can only describe the feeling which enveloped me and lasted for the remainder of the day, and that was one of complete contentment and happiness.

For the remainder of the day I felt absolutely content with the world, and my place in it, and in these days of worry and strife, being able to genuinely feel that is something that’s worth its weight in gold.

Speaking on the launch of Dreamachine in London, composer Jon Hopkins said: “The music affects the images that people see, everyone sees something different, and this is all happening behind closed eyelids with white light. I love the fact that it’s not fully understood, a lot of ancient Neolithic sights have a sonic component. The chambers of the Great Pyramids resonate on very specific notes and no-one knows why, but to me it seems like there’s some great healing power in there, and in everyone, to rediscover.”

MIND: Everyone sees something different in the Dreamachine
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MIND: Everyone sees something different in the Dreamachine

The founders of Dreamachine state: “The colourful world of the Dreamachine will unfold behind your closed eyes, conjured entirely by light and music, created by your own brain and completely unique to you. The most complex technology you require is the brain itself.”

Dreamachine will be on in Belfast until September 4 with weekend and evening opening hours as well weekdays.

Book online here.