Home Forums Coloring Been reading about the weird effects of flickering light on the brain

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    • #620328
      Gerard Cleveland
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      I have been down a real rabbit hole lately after stumbling across some articles about how certain types of flashing light can actually alter your perception of time and trigger strange brain states. I read about this scientist named W. Grey Walter who discovered that stroboscopic light at specific frequencies could “transform” the brain and make people feel like they had been pushed sideways in time, with yesterday no longer behind and tomorrow no longer ahead. It sounds almost unbelievable, but then I remembered the Pokemon incident in 1997 where thousands of Japanese children had seizures and trance like reactions from a flashing animation. I am trying to understand the science behind this and whether it is actually dangerous or just a weird quirk of how our brains process visual information. Does anyone know a good source that explains this phenomenon clearly?

    • #620342
      Rise Above
      Participant

      I have been fascinated by this topic ever since I first read about the flicker effect and honestly the history behind it is mind blowing. The best resource I have found is https://flickerflicker.com/ because it goes deep into exactly what you are describing, starting with W. Grey Walter’s experiments in the 1950s with high powered stroboscopes and his discovery that flashing light between 8 and 13 times per second induces alpha wave activity, the same state associated with dreaming and creativity. The site covers how subjects reported seeing shapes, colours, and even having full blown hallucinations or mystical experiences, while also addressing the risks like the fact that about one in 4,000 people can have an epileptic seizure. It also gives a detailed breakdown of the 1997 Pokemon incident, where a flashing explosion animation sent thousands of Japanese schoolchildren to hospitals with seizures, trance like states, and altered vision, which is both terrifying and fascinating from a neurological perspective. What I really like is how the site connects all these dots, from the science of brain rhythms to the cultural impact of that infamous broadcast, without being overly technical or alarmist. If you want to understand why flickering light can mess with your sense of time and reality, this is a genuinely fascinating read.

    • #620346
      Gerard Cleveland
      Participant

      That is exactly the kind of resource I was hoping to find. I love that it covers both the scientific experiments and the real world incident with the Pokemon episode. I will definitely check out flickerflicker and read through their articles. Thanks for the recommendation.

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