Tiny Blue Dot Foundation Awards $9M for Perception Box Neuroscience Exploring Youth Mental Health, Psychedelics, VR Therapy, Body Image, and Emotional Resilience
Spanning 11 studies across the U.S., Canada, Sweden, and Australia, the newly funded research explores interventions for young people dealing with anxiety, trauma, depression, and distorted body image including psilocybin therapy, heart-powered VR games, and school-based mental health programs.
LOS ANGELES, July 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- How do adolescents experience grief, anxiety, and perception and can gaming, psychedelics, or mindfulness help? A newly announced $9 million neuroscience initiative from the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation aims to find out, funding 11 research projects across the U.S., Canada, Sweden, and Australia that investigate innovative, low-cost interventions for youth mental health.
This year's cohort includes:
- 4 adolescent-focused mental health programs (New York University, Brown University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center)
- 2 VR-based interventions (Wayne State University, Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies)
- 2 psychedelics/grief studies (University of Virginia, Lund University)
- 2 body image or interoception studies (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, The Cairnmillar Institute)
- 1 dialogue-based civics intervention (University of California, Los Angeles)
These studies are part of a broader scientific initiative to investigate the Perception Box™ framework, developed by Elizabeth R. Koch, which posits that internal beliefs and lived experiences shape how individuals interpret reality. This marks the third round of major neuroscience funding from the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation, with nine of the eleven funded projects focused on children, adolescents and young adults. As the scientific research arm of this work, the Foundation supports empirical studies designed to measure, influence, and expand the perceptual frameworks that underlie human experience.
Following an open call for proposals in September 2024, the Foundation received close to three hundred innovative and forward-thinking submissions from scientists and clinicians worldwide. After a rigorous double-blind external review process, a select group of projects has been chosen to receive funding. Each project will be awarded up to $900,000 over three consecutive years to support empirical research aimed at expanding the walls of the Perception Box.
This third round of funding builds upon the success of the Foundation's previous two rounds:
- In 2023, the Foundation funded 11 projects investigating topics such as the effects of psychedelics, breathwork, mindfulness, heated yoga, and interventions aimed at reducing bias through compassionate relationships among police and Black community members
- In 2024, 12 projects were funded, exploring areas including the use of virtual reality to cope with death anxiety, dream induction for trauma recovery, teaching narrative skills to minority adolescents, and enhancing teenagers' awareness of their body signals
This year's projects include a wide range of empirical investigations studying innovative, low-cost approaches to improving adolescent mental health and well-being—spanning mindfulness-based video games, VR interventions for trauma, psilocybin-assisted grief therapy, school-based depression prevention, independence-focused anxiety treatment, and tools to enhance dialogue, emotional regulation, and body image perception. More details on the funded studies can be found below.
Details and the scope of the studies, which will be conducted by researchers from many corners of the world including the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Australia, were announced by Christof Koch, the Chief Scientist at Tiny Blue Dot Foundation.
"We are continually inspired by the depth and creativity of the research proposals we receive," said Christof Koch, Chief Scientist at Tiny Blue Dot Foundation. "This third round of funding represents our ongoing dedication to supporting rigorous scientific inquiry into the mechanisms of perception and consciousness. We look forward to the insights these new studies will bring."
Below is a brief summary of each of the funded projects along with the originating organization and Principal Investigator:
Title: Independence Focused Therapy (IFT): A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Novel, Low Cost, and Scalable Intervention for Child and Adolescent Anxiety
Institution: New York University
Principal Investigator: Amy Slep; Co-Investigator: Camilo Ortiz
Country: USA
Overview: Helicopter parenting undermines children's sense of agency and resilience, contributing to rising anxiety levels, while daily independence-building experiences can powerfully shift their perception of themselves and the world. Independence-Focused Therapy (IFT) offers a scalable, strengths-based solution, showing promising results in reducing anxiety in children, and this project will support a rigorous randomized controlled trial to further validate its effectiveness.
Title: Remediating Body Image Distortions In Adolescents With Anorexia Nervosa Using Visual Attention Modulation
Institution: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Principal Investigator: Jamie Feusner; Co-Investigators: Sarah Smith, Wei Wang
Country: Canada
Overview: This study will test a novel visual attention intervention in adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) to reduce rigid, distorted body image perceptions that contribute to severe illness. Through this research, investigators aim to better understand the neurobiology of AN and evaluate whether modifying visual attentional biases can help "unlock" adolescents from their perceptual distortion box and improve symptoms.
Title: Impact of Psilocybin-Induced Subjective Experiences on Prolonged Grief Disorder
Institution: The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
Principal Investigator: Jennifer K. Penberthy; Co-Investigators: Nassima Ait-Daoud, Patrick Finan
Country: USA
Overview: This study will investigate whether a single dose of psilocybin, combined with psychological support, can help individuals experiencing Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) process their loss and begin to heal. Through this research, investigators will explore both personal experiences and brain activity to assess psilocybin's potential to promote emotional integration, cognitive flexibility, and lasting relief from persistent grief.
Title: HEARTBEAM: Heart-Brain Engagement for Adolescent Meditation
Institution: Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies
Principal Investigator: Nicco Reggente; Co-Investigators: Sahib Khalsa, Matthew Sacchet
Country: USA
Overview: This study will test whether adolescents can build mindfulness and emotional regulation skills by playing virtual reality games powered by their own heart-brain connection. Through this research, investigators aim to harness immersive, biofeedback-based gameplay to induce meditative states and promote embodied awareness—offering a fun, scalable path to adolescent well-being without formal meditation training.
Title: Expanding the Body Perception Box in Adolescents Using Computational Neuroscience and Embodiment Illusions
Institution: The Cairnmillar Institute
Principal Investigator: Paul Jenkinson; Co-Investigators: David Butler, Isabel Krug
Country: Australia
Overview: This study will use computer-based tasks and mathematical modeling to identify hidden thinking patterns that contribute to body image issues in teens, such as rigid beliefs or distorted self-perception. Through this research, investigators will develop a VR-based intervention that helps adolescents view and reflect on their bodies in flexible, supportive ways—offering an engaging, scalable tool to promote healthier self-image in schools, clinics, and community settings.
Title: Doing Dialogue Across Divides
Institution: The Regents of the University of California (Los Angeles campus)
Principal Investigator: Paul Macey; Co-Investigator: Prabha Siddarth
Country: USA
Overview: This study will test whether a brief, practice-based course called Doing Dialogue Across Divides helps college freshmen navigate tense conversations more calmly and constructively. Through this research, investigators aim to provide scientific evidence that hands-on dialogue training improves cooperation and reduces stress during disagreements, offering colleges a simple, effective tool to support student communication.
Title: Crafting Clarity: Transforming Adolescent Perception and Mental Health through Meditation and Cognitive Reappraisal. A Mixed Method Study.
Institution: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Principal Investigator: Sepideh Hariri; Co-investigators: Kestutis Kveraga, Manisha Nagpal, Balachundhar Subramaniam
Country: USA
Overview: This study will evaluate how a comprehensive meditation-based program, Inner Engineering, supports teens ages 15–18 in becoming more joyful, focused, resilient, and better equipped to manage stress and thrive. Through this study, researchers will examine whether practices like meditation, yoga, and cognitive reframing can expand adolescents' Perception Boxes—helping them view and respond to challenges with greater clarity and balance. The study will assess mental and physical impacts through self-report, physiological, and neuroimaging methods.
Title: Expanding Interoceptive Awareness And Neuroplasticity In At-Risk Adolescents As Assessed By Real-Time FMRI Neurofeedback
Institution: Massachusetts General Hospital
Principal Investigator: Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli; Co-Investigators: Karmel Choi, A. Eden Evins, Christian Webb
Country: USA
Overview: This study will test whether simple, low-cost activities—mindfulness and exercise—can improve mental health in teens at risk for anxiety or depression. Through this research, investigators aim to identify how these practices affect emotional well-being and brain function, and when they are most effective, offering scalable tools to support youth in schools and communities.
Title: Transforming School Environments to Prevent Adolescent Depression: Expanding Perception Boxes with CATCH-IT Community
Institution: Brown University
Principal Investigator: Tracy Gladstone; Co-Investigator: Michael Silverstein, Katherine Buchholz
Country: USA
Overview: CATCH-IT is an evidence-based intervention designed to prevent depression by helping teens build resilience and develop healthy coping skills.This study aims to test the benefits of delivering CATCH-IT within schools, using a community-based approach to support at-risk students by expanding mental health literacy and emotional support across entire classrooms.
Title: Phenotyping Adolescent Threat Reactivity: Integrating Neurodevelopmental Mechanisms to Create Ecologically Valid and Accessible Interventions
Institution: Wayne State University
Principal Investigator: Valerie Simon; Co-Investigators: Tanja Jovanovic, Seth Norrholm, Ty Partridge
Country: USA
Overview: This study will investigate how exposure to interpersonal violence affects adolescent threat reactivity and its impact on social functioning and mental health. Using innovative virtual reality (VR) methods, researchers will assess teens' physiological, mental, and emotional responses to social challenges in order to identify modifiable patterns of fear learning and threat perception. Findings will guide the development of a low cost VR-based intervention that can be implemented in community settings to help teens build social skills in safe, realistic environments.
Title: Development of a Data-Driven Taxonomy of Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness through Artificial Intelligence
Institution: Lund University (Department of Psychology)
Principal Investigator: Etzel Cardeña
Country: Sweden
Overview: This study will use artificial intelligence to analyze people's descriptions of non-ordinary states of consciousness (NOS) in order to elevate an expert taxonomy and develop a clear, experience-based classification system. Through this research, investigators aim to integrate AI-driven insights with existing expert frameworks and create validated online tools to advance scientific understanding and communication about NOS.
Preliminary findings from this third round of funding by the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation are expected to emerge by late 2026 and will be shared through peer reviewed publications and public reports. For more information, please visit www.tinybluedotfoundation.org.
About the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation
The Tiny Blue Dot Foundation supports empirical research at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, and the subjective construction of reality. As the scientific research arm of the Perception Box™ framework developed by Elizabeth R. Koch to examine how internal beliefs, cognitive schemas, and lived experience shape perception and meaning, the Foundation advances studies that investigate the mechanisms underlying consciousness, emotion, and mental health.
The Foundation is led by Chief Scientist Christof Koch (no relation to Elizabeth R. Koch), a pioneering neuroscientist in the field of consciousness research. Together, the Foundation and its research partners aim to produce rigorous, interdisciplinary insights into how individuals interpret and respond to their internal and external worlds and how these perceptual frameworks can be shifted to support greater psychological flexibility, well-being, and interpersonal connection.
Learn more at www.tinybluedotfoundation.org.
SOURCE Tiny Blue Dot Foundation
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