Take A Safe, Drug-Free Psychedelic Trip At This California Sensorium

Between sound baths, cacao ceremonies, and even goat yoga, wellness enthusiasts have never been ones to shy away from thinking outside the box when it comes to elevating their state of mind. And in the world of wellness culture, California seems to reign supreme. Perhaps it's due in part to its historical roots as the heart of the hippie movement, where experimenting with drugs and exploring new states of consciousness became a part of the counterculture. It seems like nearly every week a new, immersive, transformative wellness experience for guests to recharge and rejuvenate pops up in the Golden State. So many people today are looking to find new ways to get closer to their inner selves, and the limits seem endless. It was honestly just a matter of time before someone dreamed up a way to simulate a psychedelic trip without the use of any actual drugs. The new frontier of healing is upon us.

Reality Center in Santa Monica is a pioneering wellness center that uses sound, light, and vibrations to enhance your mental health. It's a type of therapy they call Sensory Resonance that blends ancient, Eastern practices of meditation and psychedelics with modern technology. During a 30- or 60-minute session, you will experience many of the benefits of going on a drug trip, but without any of the drugs. What does this even mean?

The concept of Sensory Resonance, which is what the Reality Center is built around, is an idea that was first published by its co-founder Don Estes in 1990, building on ancient concepts to use sound for healing. The theory explains that our inner senses are involved in outer sensory experiences. For every sense we experience out in the world, we have a matching inner version of that sense. It's basically what we experience when we sleep or meditate –- when we are trying to relax and connect with the inner versions of ourselves. Reaching this ultra-relaxed state can help regulate our nervous system and improve stress, anxiety, and sleeplessness, among many other things. But it's not just about chilling out to trippy lights and sounds, according to their website. "Part of the appeal of Reality Center is that it feels like a fun and interactive experience, but, behind the scenes, it is an advanced neuroscience and biofeedback treatment facility," the website says. "Our proprietary frequency technologies activate the same parts of the brain which get stimulated by deep meditation and psychedelic therapies.

The 90-minute Wavetable and Vocal Analysis Experience is Reality Center's most popular service, and is perfect for first-timers. After lying down on the Wavetable, which can really only be described as a vibrating water-bed-like contraption, a facilitator will analyze the frequencies in your voice to personalize the session before sending you off on your journey and lead you through goal setting and breathwork. The 90-minute experience costs $299 at the time of this writing, but there are also a few other experience options that vary in length, price, and an option to swap out the liquid-filled wavetable for something more akin to a vibrating massage table.

Reality Center is an innovative and unique technique that's said to calm your nervous system and boost your mental wellness, which can be much needed in today's high-octane world. But you don't have to necessarily fly to LA to find your Zen. There are so many options out there. There is an array of yoga and wellness retreats to book around the world and stress-free destinations to vacation, and the choices are endless.