Have you created a piece of art based on a non-ordinary state of consciousness or unusual experience? Or have you had an unusual experience involving a piece of art you created? Would you be happy to share your stories and creative work as part of a research project?

The purpose of this research is to explore stories of people using creative processes to depict experiences beyond the boundary of ordinary consciousness (such as altered states of consciousness or unusual experiences) and understand more about this process including how it relates to experiences in day to day life.

If you choose to take part you will be asked to complete an online questionnaire. You may then be invited to talk more about your experiences in an informal interview (you can choose whether this is online, by phone or by email) and asked to send a digital copy of your artwork. During the interview you will be asked to share stories about your artwork and related experiences. You can choose to adopt a pseudonymn or use your real name.

You will be considered a co-researcher and will be given the opportunity to collaborate by emailing anything you think might help with the research (such as other artwork, photographs, journal entries).

At a later stage, you may also be asked if you would like to participate in a creative exercise (each stage of the research process is voluntary and you will be asked if you are still happy to participate).

At the end of the study you will be provided with a summary of the research, along with a booklet containing artwork and stories collected during the project.  

The project is being conducted as part of a masters degree programme offered by Alef Trust and has been granted ethical approval by Liverpool John Moores University.