Spring ························ 2021
Degree Project ········ Bree McMahon
Degree Project ········ Bree McMahon
Elixir
Rethinking the approach to
clinical therapy
Rethinking the approach to
clinical therapy
How might the design of a system-based approach to therapy integrate virtual reality environments and research-based use of psychedelics to improve the healing process for those experiencing mental illness?
I spent my final semester of school investigating this question and using those findings to inform my final creation — Elixir.
I spent my final semester of school investigating this question and using those findings to inform my final creation — Elixir.

SECONDARY RESEARCH
Millions of people in the
United States are affected
by mental illness each year
— 51.1 million to be exact. The
unemployment rate is higher
among adults who have a
mental illness. There is an
increased risk for chronic
disease among those affected
by mental health disorders. 21% of people experiencing homelessness and
37% of people incarcerated
in prisons experience mental
health issues. Depression and
anxiety disorders cost the US
$193.2 billion in lost productivity each year. Since 1999,
the overall suicide rate has
increased by 35%. However,
antidepressant use has also
increased by 65%.
So, when conducting secondary research I kept these topics in mind:
︎︎︎ People - which included therapists, participants, and experts
︎︎︎ Virtual reality
︎︎︎ And psychedelics
My research materials included published studies, participant reports, histories, and various case studies. I also read Michael Pollan’s How to Change Your Mind: What the new Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression and Transcendence, which was incredibly insightful in terms of the potential of psychedelic medicines.
So, when conducting secondary research I kept these topics in mind:
︎︎︎ People - which included therapists, participants, and experts
︎︎︎ Virtual reality
︎︎︎ And psychedelics
My research materials included published studies, participant reports, histories, and various case studies. I also read Michael Pollan’s How to Change Your Mind: What the new Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression and Transcendence, which was incredibly insightful in terms of the potential of psychedelic medicines.


SECONDARY RESEARCH FINDINGS SYNTHESIZED:

PRIMARY RESEARCH
To get an even deeper understanding of the
problem I’m designing for, I set
out to interact directly with
those closest to the issue.
Through interviews, surveys,
and a collection of diary
entry studies, I was able to
gain helpful insight on current
outlooks with psychedelics,
therapy, and virtual reality.
- I had a conversation with local therapist Angie Leek of Holos Counseling
-
I met with Nanea Reeves, CEO of Tripp INC., to discuss VR and mental wellbeing
-
I circulated a survey through various social groups to get an understanding of what people want and need out of their experiences
- I collected diary entries to get a sense of what individuals were already experiencing during psychedelic uses



RESEARCH THROUGH DESIGN
The final step before beginning to design my concept was taking all of my collected research and applying it in real world scenarios.
My research through design
methods included personas,
a user journey, stakeholder/audience map, artifact
analysis, and a moodboard.
These methods allowed me to
explore potential outcomes
and overall led me to my
final decisions.






DESIGN INTERVENTION / FINAL DESIGN OUTCOME
Through my conversations, readings, and experimentations, I landed on a new
approach to therapy called
Elixir. Elixir is a revolutionary
approach to psychedelic-assisted therapy, implementing the use of virtual
reality environments to
improve the client’s experience. Curating a user’s virtual
environment allows for a
comfortable set and setting,
eases come-up anxiety, all
while in the safety of your
therapist’s office.
The idea of virtual-reality integration would come to an existing psychedelic therapy practice. Here a therapist would work closely with their client to determine what issues are at hand and what the best approaches may be to work toward healing. Then the therapist would take this information and work with a designer to create a specific experience for the client. This approach allows for professional assistance, potentially relieving psychedelic-related anxieties for the clients. The use of VR in this setting would allow the participant to be virtually transported to just about any setting, which we know is an important piece in this puzzle. This approach essentially meets psychedelic-assisted therapy where it’s already at but builds upon that to provide the participant with the best experience possible.
The idea of virtual-reality integration would come to an existing psychedelic therapy practice. Here a therapist would work closely with their client to determine what issues are at hand and what the best approaches may be to work toward healing. Then the therapist would take this information and work with a designer to create a specific experience for the client. This approach allows for professional assistance, potentially relieving psychedelic-related anxieties for the clients. The use of VR in this setting would allow the participant to be virtually transported to just about any setting, which we know is an important piece in this puzzle. This approach essentially meets psychedelic-assisted therapy where it’s already at but builds upon that to provide the participant with the best experience possible.











I strongly believe that
everyone deserves peace of
mind in this wild world. I’ve
been attending therapy for a
couple of years now and have
seen myself grow in ways I
didn’t think possible. After a
personal experience, I became
fascinated with how psychedelics provide relief for those
experiencing mental illness.
This project allowed me
the time and space to expand
my knowledge on the growing
fields of psychedelic integration and virtual reality. I hope
to expand on this project and
my passion for alternative
healing in my future design
endeavors.
The connections I made throughout this project were wonderful and I’m so thankful for the time everyone involved took out of their days to engage with my concept.
The connections I made throughout this project were wonderful and I’m so thankful for the time everyone involved took out of their days to engage with my concept.