Sober Baseline Protocol
Compound: None
Status: research
The control arm. Observe the same beam, same surface, no substance, and record what is already there.
Safety
Monitoring: No substance is involved, so the only hazard is optical. Keep the module at or below Class 3R, under 5 mW. Never look into the beam. Never aim at a face, an eye, a window, a mirror or any polished surface. A green module at the same rated milliwatts is perceived brighter and carries a higher retinal hazard than a red one, so check each module's own label rather than assuming.
Side effects
- Afterimages from prolonged beam observation
- Eye strain in a dim room
Abort criteria
- Any afterimage that does not fade within a few minutes
- Any eye discomfort
- Any module whose class rating cannot be confirmed from its label
Contraindications
- Photosensitive epilepsy or photosensitive conditions
- Any laser above Class 3R
Related
Why: DMT + 650nm Laser Protocol is the protocol this arm controls for.
Slug: dmt-laser
Title: DMT + 650nm Laser Protocol
Why: Wavelength Comparison Test needs a sober baseline at each wavelength, so this page is its first step.
Slug: wavelength-comparison
Title: Wavelength Comparison Test
Why: Apple Vision Pro Passthrough Protocol applies the same sober control discipline to a displayed image.
Slug: avp-passthrough
Title: Apple Vision Pro Passthrough Protocol
Overview
Mechanism: A coherent light source on a matte surface produces a speckle pattern from interference, and that pattern is partly a function of the observer's own eye. It moves when the observer moves. It has grain, contrast and drift before anything else is introduced. Recording what a specific person sees in that pattern, sober, on a specific surface, is the only way to know what any later report added.
Indications
- Control arm for every laser session
- Speckle characterisation
- Priming control
- Contribution without any substance
Evidence level: This is a control procedure, not a claim. Its value does not depend on the phenomenon being real. Two things in the public record make it load bearing. First, the leading prosaic explanation is that structure is elaborated from laser speckle, and speckle is present sober, so any report that does not establish a sober baseline on the same surface cannot separate the two. Second, self-reported logs at Project Veilbreak claim the forms have been seen with no substance at 650 nm and at 520 nm, and a preprint titled Detecting Code of Reality with No Lasers and No Dimethyltryptamine is listed on ResearchGate. The preprint title is confirmed. Its authors, date and abstract could not be retrieved as of 21 August 2026 and are not cited here. If sober observers do reliably report the same forms with the same apparatus, that is a substantial result and it can be produced by anyone, with no substance and no risk.
Contraindications
- Photosensitive epilepsy or any photosensitive condition
- Do not perform this or any beam observation with a laser above Class 3R
Citations
Year: 2025
Title: On the DMT Laser Code of Reality Effect, skeptical analysis, sober speckle observation
Year: 2012
Title: Objective and subjective speckle contrast (Optics Express 20:8770)
Doi: 10.59973/ipil.158
Year: 2025
Title: Detailing a Pilot Study: The Code of Reality Protocol
Integration
Prompts
- Describe the speckle: grain, contrast, movement, how it responds to your head moving
- Is there any structure in it? Describe it without naming it
- Does anything persist when the beam is covered?
- Does it change on a second surface?
- How long did you look before anything appeared, if it did?
- If nothing structured appeared, say so plainly. That is the result and it is worth submitting
Homework
- Photograph the surface with the beam on and the room light off, camera position recorded
- Note the exact laser wavelength and rated power from the module's own label
Framework: The sober record is submitted to the registry in the same way and to the same place as any other record, and it is not marked as lesser. Every later session by the same observer on the same surface should reference it. An observer who never runs a substance session can still contribute the control half of every comparison on this site.
Follow up structure
- Submit the sober baseline before any other record from the same apparatus
- Re-run the sober baseline on any new surface or new laser module before using that setup for anything else
- Submit a null report if the sober session produced nothing structured, using the same route as any other submission
Preparation
Screening
- No photosensitive epilepsy or photosensitive condition
- Do not browse the registry or any symbol report before your first sober baseline. This is the single most valuable thing a new observer can protect, because priming is the strongest skeptical explanation and once you have seen the registry you cannot unsee it
- Documentation tools ready and tested: voice recorder, paper, pen, camera
- No substance of any kind, including alcohol and cannabis, for this arm
Set setting: Dark or dim room. A Class 3R or lower laser, under 5 mW, aimed at a matte, neutral surface such as a wall or ceiling. A diffraction grating sits in the beam path. Never aim at faces, eyes, windows or reflective surfaces. Observer seated or reclined at a comfortable distance. The room, the surface, the distance and the ambient light are all recorded, because a later session is only comparable if they match.
Consent template: A written protocol document for this arm is published as a free PDF and is linked from the downloads section of the site. It is available in English, Spanish and German. Nothing on this page requires a kit or a purchase.
Legal status: No controlled substance is involved in this protocol. It requires only a low power laser, a diffraction grating and a matte surface. Nothing here is medical advice.
Controls and rigor
Why: A sober baseline is the cheapest experimental control in this entire field and the most frequently skipped. A session without one cannot distinguish a new observation from the speckle that was already present.
Practices
- Two full minutes minimum of continuous observation before recording anything
- Describe the speckle itself before describing any structure in it: grain size, contrast, drift, how it moves with your head
- Draw what you see, sober, before you have seen any other person's drawing
- Repeat on a second surface. Speckle is surface dependent, so a form that survives a surface change is a different kind of observation from one that does not
- Have a second person cover and uncover the beam at unannounced moments and note whether anything persists
- Submit the sober record whether or not it contains anything. A blank sober baseline is a useful row
Reference material only. Nothing on this page is medical advice or a personal recommendation.
Adults 18 and older only.
First reported by Danny Goler in August 2020; the written protocol grew out of that observation. He has no part in Meridian Optics Lab, this store, or this site, is not a founder and holds no editorial role, and has not reviewed or endorsed any kit, page, or claim published here.