UNLIKELY COLLABORATORS
Funding Follows an Open Application and Blind Review Process That Draws Hundreds of Innovative and Forward-Thinking Applications From Research Teams From Around the Globe Recipients Include Studies From Institutions From the United States, Spain, The Netherlands and Australia on Subjects Ranging From Effects of Psychedelics, Using VR for Coping With Death Anxiety, Dream Induction for Trauma Recovery, Developing Open-Mindedness and Constructive Dialogue, Online Therapy Combining High-Intensity Breathing Exercises With Psychotherapy, Effects of Regular Meditation on Health, Teaching Narrative Skills to Minority Adolescents and Its Impact, Attentive and Supportive Listening For Broadening Perspectives, Perceptual Differences in People With Psychosis, and Teenagers’ Awareness of Their Body Signals
(July 30, 2024 - Los Angeles, CA) – Twelve major neuroscientific research projects related to “The Science of Perception Box™” are being funded by Tiny Blue Dot Foundation, each project receiving three consecutive years of funding of up to $900,000. This latest group of studies marks the second consecutive year that Tiny Blue Dot Foundation is funding projects related to The Science of Perception Box.
This year’s projects include a wide range of empirical investigations studying the effects of psychedelics, using VR for coping with death anxiety, dream induction for trauma recovery, developing intervention to promote open-mindedness and constructive dialogue, online therapy combining high-intensity breathing exercises with psychotherapy, effects of regular meditation on health, teaching narrative skills to minority adolescents and its impact, attentive and supportive listening for broadening perspectives, perceptual differences in people with psychosis, and teenagers’ awareness of their body signals.
The studies, which will be conducted by researchers from many corners of the world including the United States, Spain, The Netherlands and Australia, were selected from more than 200 applications during an open call for proposals that kicked off in October 2023. The final decision was made in a lengthy, double-blind review process: judges did not know the identity of the applicants or their institutions and applicants did not know the identity of the judges. Details and scope of the projects as well as the researchers were announced by Elizabeth R. Koch, the Co-Founder of Tiny Blue Dot Foundation, and Christof Koch, the Chief Scientist at Tiny Blue Dot Foundation.
“We were again thrilled this year by the outpouring of innovative and forward-thinking responses that we received to our The Science of Perception Box RFP,” said Christof Koch. “The dozen projects that we decided to fund represent just a fraction of the multitude of terrific studies submitted for consideration and underscore the scientific community’s desire to better understand how Perception Box affects the brain with an ultimate goal of people living happier lives.”
“We at Tiny Blue Dot Foundation are blown away by the range, creativity, and rigor of research topics proposed,” said Elizabeth R. Koch. “Each proposal approaches the complexity of the Perception Box paradigm from a different scientific or clinical angle and will ultimately help a huge range of individuals and communities reduce both internal and external conflict to live more fulfilling, joyful lives.”
Grants are being awarded to recognized Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) research organizations located within the United States as well as qualifying international research institutions. The Principal Investigators are clinical, applied, or basic science researchers at the Applicant Institution with an MD, PhD, or an equivalent degree.
Below is a brief summary of each of the funded projects along with the originating organization and Principal Investigator.
Deep Phenotyping of Interoception in Adolescence: Making the Imperceptible Perceptible
Institution: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Principal Investigator: Joseph McGuire
Co-Investigator(s): Martin Lindquist, Kimberly Smith
Country: USA
Overview: This study looks at how teenagers' ability to sense their internal body signals affects mental health problems and tests new ways to improve this ability using virtual reality.
Developing and Testing a Novel Critical Open-Mindedness Intervention to Reduce Polarization
Institution: Stanford University
Principal Investigator: Geoffrey Cohen
Co-Investigator(s): Brian Knutson
Country: USA
Overview: Researchers will study the causes of closed-mindedness and develop an intervention to promote open-mindedness and constructive dialogue by addressing perceived threats to personal identity.
Does Narrative Skill Training Increase Transcendent Thinking and Social-Emotional Well-Being Among Minoritized Adolescents?
Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
Principal Investigator: Rebecca Gotlieb
Country: USA
Overview: Researchers will test how teaching minority adolescents narrative skills impacts their thinking and well-being, hoping to find a sustainable way to improve these skills in diverse youth.
Effects of High-Quality Listening on Psychological and Biological Well-Being Through the Expansion of the Perception Box
Institution: University of California, Riverside
Principal Investigator: Sonja Lyubomirsky
Country: USA
Overview: Researchers will study how attentive and supportive listening can improve well-being and health for both the speaker and listener, potentially even broadening their perspectives and creating a stronger sense of connection.
Identifying Optimal Responses to Challenges Related to Expanding the Perception Box in Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy
Institution: Emory University
Principal Investigator: Roman Palitsky
Co-Investigator(s): Deanna Kaplan, Merlijn Olthof (University of Groningen)
Country: USA
Overview: Researchers will study the effects of psilocybin on adults with depression, using various methods to track changes in behavior and psychological states to identify factors that predict positive or negative outcomes of these perception-altering experiences.
Transformative Benefits of Contemplative Sleep Practices and a Novel Pathway to Deliver Benefits to the General Public
Institution: Northwestern University
Principal Investigator: Ken Paller
Co-Investigator(s): Gabriela Torres Platas, Michael Sheehy (University of Virginia)
Country: USA
Overview: This project aims to characterize ways for individuals to learn how to use their dreaming experiences to expand their perceptual horizons in the waking state.
The Transformative Potential of Anesthesia-Induced Dream States Institution: Stanford University
Principal Investigator: Boris Heifets
Co-Investigator(s): Laura Hack, Patrick Purdon
Country: USA
Overview: Researchers are developing a new therapy for PTSD using anesthesia to induce a specific type of dream that has the potential to help people recover from trauma and improve mental well-being.
A Computational Psychiatry Approach to Understanding the Brain Mechanism Underpinning Altered Perception in Psychosis
Institution: The University of Melbourne
Principal Investigator: Marta Garrido
Co-Investigator(s): Suresh Sundram (Monash University), Nao Tsuchiya (Monash University), Stephen Wood
Country: Australia
Overview: Researchers will use brain scans and decision-making tasks to determine if people with psychosis have a different balance of prior beliefs and sensory information when forming perceptions, which could lead to new treatments.
Breathe Hard to Breathe Easy: High-Intensity Online Breathwork-Assisted Psychotherapy for Social Anxiety
Institution: Maastricht University
Principal Investigator: Kim Kuypers
Country: The Netherlands
Overview: This study will examine if a new type of online therapy that combines high-intensity breathing exercises with traditional psychotherapy can reduce social anxiety better than slow-paced breathing exercises.
Numadelic VR Experiences for Improving Mental Health Outcomes in Patients Facing Life-Threatening Illness
Institution: CiTIUS (Centro Singular de Investigación en Tecnoloxías Intelixentes)
Principal Investigator: David Glowacki
Country: Spain
Overview: Researchers are using virtual reality to simulate near-death experiences in order to study their potential to reduce death anxiety and improve mental health in terminally ill patients and their loved ones.
Psilocybin-Assisted Neurocognitive Training for Sustained Reduction of Negative Attention Biases
Institution: Maastricht University
Principal Investigator: Natasha Mason
Co-Investigator(s): Bettina Sorger
Country: The Netherlands
Overview: This study investigates the potential of combining psilocybin administration with attention bias modification training (ABMT) to quickly and persistently reduce negative attention biases in highly anxious individuals.
When Does Meditation Expand the Perception Box? A Comparative Longitudinal Study
Institution: The University of Melbourne
Principal Investigator: Julieta Galante
Co-Investigator(s): Cate Bailey, Ana Dragojlovic, Deanna Kaplan (Emory University School of Medicine), Cullan Joyce, Nicholas Van Dam
Country: Australia
Overview: A two-year study will investigate the effects of regular meditation practice on health and well-being in different meditation traditions, using various self-reported measures and "voice diaries" to assess changes in perception and experiences.
About Tiny Blue Dot Foundation
Tiny Blue Dot Foundation strives to help people understand that they live in their own unique Perception Box whose walls can be expanded to minimize suffering, increase acceptance of self and others, and view trauma/other challenges as opportunities for growth. Our mission is to develop Perception Box modification techniques that are safe, effective, reliable, measurable, widely accessible, and easy to use.
# # #
Tiny Blue Dot Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. © 2024 Tiny Blue Dot Foundation. All rights reserved. Perception Box™ is a trademark of Stellar Flywheel
