The Dreamachine is a device built in 1959 to create hypnagogic hallucinations using just some paper and a turntable. Designed by Brion Gysin, painter, writer, and sound poet, and Ian Sommerville, engineer, The Dreamachine creates a mathematically-devised stroboscopic flicker that is said to “alters the brain’s electrical oscillations” and put one in a meditative, and even hallucinogenic, trace. In an attempt to shed the stress of 2020, I followed the steps:
So, did I “hallucinate?” No. The most meditative I felt was while cutting out the curved holes. But you might have more luck: here are building instructions and here is a group account of The Dreamachine’s effects.