Press Kit
SoundSelf Wins the 2026 Psychedelics Design Awards in the Products and Services Category
See the award on the Psychedelics Design site
ASHEVILLE, N.C., 9 November 2026. SoundSelf, a zero-gravity vibroacoustic recliner whose light, sound and vibration move with a person's breath and voice, has won the 2026 Psychedelics Design Awards in the Products and Services category. The winners were announced live on Saturday 7 November.
The Psychedelics Design Awards, described by the organisers as the world's first design competition in the psychedelic space, drew 86 applications from 13 countries this year, reviewed by a panel of 32 judges.
A session begins with the person's own voice: they hum or tone, and light therapy glasses, music through headphones and the vibration of the chair all follow them. The result is a full sensory experience that carries people into a deep, altered state. The 200 clinics SoundSelf works with have built it into their psychedelic therapy protocols.
A member of the 2026 Psychedelics Design Awards jury called SoundSelf "a brilliant example of using technology in a multisensorial way to take users to a deeper state of meditation or relaxation," adding: "This is the stand out winner in this category."
"A good psychedelic session is put together with care: the light, the sound, the way the body is held," said Robin Arnott, founder and CEO of SoundSelf. "Clinics are coming to understand how central set and setting are, which is why music is now in nearly every session. We kept asking who should be making that music, and the answer turned out to be the person in the chair."
"Design in psychedelic care is critically important because it must honor the numinous reality of the psychedelic experience without determining it, which makes it a radically patient-centered process," said Dr. Sandeep Prakash, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of SoundSelf. "SoundSelf uses real-time biofeedback from a person's own voice to guide them into deeper states of calm and receptivity, and has been shaped by feedback from the patients and clinicians who use it in ketamine, Spravato, and emerging psychedelic care. We are honored by this recognition from Psychedelics Design and its jury, and as we expand the SoundSelf Suite, we see therapeutic design as a way to make psychedelic care safer and more accessible."
The award comes as the company opens orders for the new SoundSelf Suite, a limited run of just twenty, available first come, first served and shipping in January 2027.
SoundSelf builds on more than 20 years of published research into audio-visual stimulation and vibroacoustic therapy. The company's own studies include a pilot at Palm Beach Atlantic University and an EEG study at the NeuroMeditation Institute, which found brainwave patterns resembling those of deep psychedelic experience.
Reporters can arrange a free session in Asheville or Austin, or a demo sent to their office.
Photos and logos: download the media kit.
SoundSelf works alongside treatment and is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition.
About SoundSelf: SoundSelf builds technology for altered states of consciousness, for clinics, retreats and individuals, with teams in Asheville, North Carolina and Austin, Texas. soundself.com
Media contact: Robin Arnott, founder and CEO, SoundSelf, robin@soundself.com
About SoundSelf
SoundSelf is a zero-gravity vibroacoustic recliner with light therapy glasses and music through headphones. Every part of it listens: the light, sound and vibration move with your breath and your voice, carrying you into a deep, altered state.
How a session works
- Lie back and tone. A long, easy exhale with sound. There's no pitch to hit and no technique to learn. SoundSelf follows your natural breath and tone.
- The Suite responds. Light shifts with your voice, the sound harmonizes, and the chair hums it back through your whole body.
- The mind lets go. Sessions typically run 20 to 40 minutes, and up to two hours, with some sessions designed for the esketamine two-hour REMS window.
Fast facts
- Where it is: the 200 clinics we work with have built it into their psychedelic therapy protocols, as preparation before a session and a place to land after. More than 15,000 people have had a session.
- Included in the Suite: everything for a session, ready to go: the zero-gravity recliner, and the tablet computer, light therapy glasses, headphones and microphone that let it listen and respond to the person lying in it.
- Availability: a limited run of twenty Suites, first come, first served, shipping January 2027.
- Research: SoundSelf builds on more than 20 years of published research into audio-visual stimulation and vibroacoustic therapy. Its own studies include an EEG study against a sham condition, by Jeff Tarrant PhD and Fabiola Einhorn at the NeuroMeditation Institute, which found brainwave patterns resembling those of deep psychedelic experience, and a pilot study at Palm Beach Atlantic University.
- History: SoundSelf began as an award-winning VR game (IGF, IndieCade) that pushed the limits of that medium. After impressive results in research, its creators took it off the games market and developed and researched it as a standalone technology for psychedelic therapy.
People
Robin Arnott, founder and CEO. Robin started SoundSelf as a VR game and has led it from game to standalone technology for psychedelic therapy.
Dr. Sandeep Prakash, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer. Sandeep leads SoundSelf's research and works directly with the clinics that have built it into their protocols.
Press contact
For interviews with Robin Arnott, or to arrange a session, email Robin at robin@soundself.com or Cosmo, his assistant, at cosmo@soundself.com.