how to do ganzfeld experiment without ping pong balls

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How To Do Ganzfeld Experiment Without Ping Pong Balls

Last modified: October 22, 2023

Just when you thought you’d heard everything in the book, here comes something even more surprising. Have you ever wanted to perform a Ganzfeld Experiment but didn’t have readily accessible ping pong balls? I know, it sounds like a plotline pulled straight from a sitcom, but in reality, it’s a common question for those who are interested in exploring the boundaries of their consciousness. The Ganzfeld Experiment is a method used in the field of parapsychology – the study of paranormal and psychic phenomena – to test individuals for extrasensory perception (ESP). Here’s how you can do it right at home, without a single ping-pong ball in sight.

Using a Translucent Plastic Sheet

Just because we are deviating from the standard ping pong method does not mean we are straying away from the intended purpose of the Ganzfeld incident. This adaptation merely replaces one form of visual static with another.

Find a Translucent Plastic Sheet

The first thing you’ll need to do is get a translucent plastic sheet, similar to what you’d use to cover a report or a project. The plastic needs to be semi-transparent, letting in light, but obscuring vision.

Prepare Your Surface

Next, trim your plastic sheet into a shape that comfortably fits over your eyes, much like how sunglasses would. You could use a pair of old frames as a template for the perfect fit.

Test it Out

Now, simply place the prepared sheet over your eyes while you lie back in a relaxed position. Just like with the ping-pong method, you should be exposed to a uniform field of vision.

Experimenting with LED Lights

Moving away from plastics, another approach involves the use of LED lights. This method doesn’t block your vision completely but produces a similar, sensory altering effect.

Selecting LED Lights

Choose a pair of LED lights that are comfortable to wear, such as those in LED glasses or strips. Ensure they emit a gentle, non-harmful light.

Setting Up Your Environment

Wear the LED glasses or set up the LED light strip in a comfortable semi-darkened room. This method covers your eyes with a steady diffusion of light, similar to a Ganzfeld condition.

Turn on the Lights

Switch on the LED lights to a level that won’t be harmful or uncomfortable to your eyes. With your vision uniformly bathed in soft light, you’re ready to start your experiment.

Trying Out Goggles Filled with Milk

It’s as eccentric as it sounds, but actually a testable and real method for achieving Ganzfeld conditions.

Prepare Your Goggles

You’ll need a pair of goggles that you don’t mind potentially ruining. Fill these goggles with milk, ensuring they are still comfortable to wear.

Position Yourself

Sit back and place the milk-filled goggles over your eyes. The milk should create a uniform white field across your vision.

Begin the Ganzfeld Experiment

With the milk goggles in place, you can now start your Ganzfeld experiment. Prepare to possibly experience some fascinating sensory phenomena.

While the original Ganzfeld experiment called for halved ping pong balls placed over the eyes, your options are as varied as they are interesting when these traditional props aren’t available. Whether through the use of a translucent plastic sheet, LED lights, or even milk-filled goggles, you can still successfully test the outer limits of your consciousness.

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My Quest for a Natural Psychedelic High

It’s possible to experience a temporarily altered state without drugs or alcohol through a neurological phenomenon known as the Ganzfeld effect. And all it takes is a ping-pong ball, headphones and a knife

If you’re trying to cut back on weed or booze , the concept of a natural high is understandably appealing. But the things that are often suggested — like food , sex or exercise to amp up your dopamine — are usually something you’re already well aware of. In my recent search for a new natural high, however, I stumbled on a Reddit post that described an experience I definitely had never heard of before — and it starts with sawing a ping-pong ball in half.

Here’s how the redditor says it works: You use the ping-pong ball halves as makeshift goggles to block out light for a sensory deprivation experience, further enhanced by turning off any lights in the room and listening to static noise through headphones for several minutes. At some point, you should start to hallucinate and possibly feel “a sense of extreme and imminent danger” and “gain a spike in adrenaline. Continue as long as needed or until insane.”

What are some ACTUAL natural highs? from AskReddit

Surprisingly, what the redditor is describing is actually a very sane and scientifically-backed phenomenon known as the “Ganzfeld effect.” First described by psychologist Wolfgang Metzger in 1930, the Ganzfeld effect describes a short-term altered state of consciousness that’s the result of depriving multiple senses at once. It’s been demonstrated in several studies , as well as on YouTube and TikTok . There are even “Ganzfeld goggles” that you can buy or make with household items that aren’t necessarily related to table tennis, like cotton balls, paper and string.

@yordynnnn this better work ? #fyp #foryou #ganzfeldexperiment ♬ Thing Called Love By DJ Mike Gip – eli

A recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports monitored the brain activity of 19 individuals using fMRI scans while they used ping-pong balls, white noise and LED lights with warm colors and white noise to try to achieve the effect. Hallucinations related to psychedelic use or psychosis from mental disorders is typically linked with a malfunctioning thalamus in the brain, or what scientists describe as increased “thalamo-cortical coupling,” a type of sensory overload. Likewise, drug use and psychosis is associated with decreased activity in the default mode network of the brain, which is usually activated when we have no tasks to perform and our mind can wander. Interestingly, researchers found that in the case of hallucinations related to the Ganzfeld effect, the opposite was true. The thalamo-cortical coupling in participants decreased as the default network of their brain became more active. The researchers concluded that this creates a similar yet different neurological imbalance that “could explain why participants sometimes experience hallucinations.”

When I reached out to psychologist Raffaello Antonino , he assured me that “the Ganzfeld effect isn’t harmful, it’s simply a by-product of how our brains normally function.” Likewise, he confirmed that as much as the Ganzfeld effect can result in a temporarily altered state that may include hallucinations, it’s “entirely dissimilar to any drug experience in that it doesn’t require the presence of otherwise absent chemicals in our nervous system.”

Based on this, I had no reason not to spend $6.99 on a pack of 12 Franklin table tennis balls at Target just to cut one in half with a crappy kitchen knife. It’s recommended that a person sit for anywhere from five to 30 minutes in order to achieve the full effect, but I went with the same amount of time the study subjects did: 25 minutes. Since I live in a noisy, creaky Chicago apartment, I doubled up on white noise, with a machine I use to sleep, as well as through my headphones. Then I proceeded to lay in the dark.

About seven minutes in, my dog jumped on me, startling me out of a meditative state. That said, I laughed the way that high people do when nothing is particularly funny, so I knew I was feeling something.

After satiating my pup with some treats, I attempted the Ganzfeld effect again. For the first 10 or so minutes, I was mostly trying to not force myself to feel anything or experience what scientists described as a “ pseudo-hallucination .” I felt my eyes moving rapidly back-and-forth, similar to what I imagine they do during REM sleep. At a certain point, the biggest challenge was not falling asleep.

Still, due to late-afternoon exhaustion, I’m pretty sure I drifted off at some point anyway. I heard some noises from my neighbors outside, and birds chirping, but it was unclear if those were hallucinations or reality. When my alarm went off at the 25-minute mark, I did a body scan and realized I could no longer feel my hands. I consciously was aware that I had them laying flat on my thighs, but it really felt like they were gone. So I didn’t lose my head, but I lost some part of my perception.

For the next 10 or so minutes of being awake, I didn’t feel high exactly, but I felt weird — a little lighter, loopier and sensitive to light and sound. It was similar to trying a drug, in that it elicited a smiley sense of “hey, this isn’t bad,” but it wasn’t that intense. Ultimately, the closest thing I could compare it to is the endorphin rush you get after a really intense round of exercise and post-workout meal.

But I definitely have the balls — and interest — to try it again.

Lauren Vinopal

Lauren Vinopal is a writer and stand-up comedian based out of New York City, who writes mostly about health, science and men. She is the host of the Mid Riff Comedy Show in Brooklyn, a frequent podcast guest all over, and lives the life of a teen who looks like they haven’t slept in years.