Down the Rabbit Hole:: Experiencing Alice in Wonderland Syndrome through Virtual Reality

Abstract

Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS) is a rare perceptual disorder affecting visual processing, the perception of one's body and the experience of time. This condition can be congenital or result from various insults to the brain. There is growing interest in AIWS in providing a window into how different areas of the brain work together to construct reality. We developed a virtual reality (VR) simulation of this condition as a psychoeducational tool for students in the psychological and medical sciences and care givers to experience the different perceptual distortions common in AIWS and an opportunity to reflect on the nature of perception.