I first encountered The PSiO at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last January. CES attendees were lined up in the aisles waiting to try out the futuristic, fun-looking eyewear-like device.

The PSiO is equipped with ear phones and high-tech electronics, plays synchronized sound and light stimulation programs to which music and voice guidance are sometimes added. The PSiO's technology is based on a simple principle: distracting attention which is the source of stress and rumination, to lead users on what the company describes as "a kaleidoscopic journey at the edge of sleep." Users are gently propelled into a state of consciousness similar to dreaming which is beneficial for memorization and information processing, according to Psychomed, the company that developed The PSiO.

Judging from the contented smiles and occasional "ahhs" coming from those experiencing the product demo, I decided to give it a go myself (see photo, top right). No sooner had I eased myself onto a stool and slipped on the opaque specs and earbuds than I saw an array of lights in pastel tones. The lightshow and the soft music that accompanied it felt great. Almost immediately, I had a private relaxation zone, far from the noisy, crowded exhibit hall. I let myself drift happily for a minute or two. It was only with some effort that I finally removed The PSiO and relinquished it to the next person in line.

Psychomed says the technology used in its eyewear is a combination of colored stimulation and pulsating beats at very precise frequencies, sometimes combined with binaural beats and with relaxing music and suggestive voices that at times enter sequentially and at other times in multi-evocation (that is, simultaneously) using the method developed by Dr. Milton Erickson, the psychiatrist who developed behind indirect suggestion. The texts of the recorded messages are written by doctors specialized in psychosomatic medicine. The speakers are professionals experienced in sophrology and suggestion. The music is developed in collaboration with musicology and relaxation specialists.

The PSiO is one of 12 companies that will be showcasing their products at Vision Monday's Eye2 Zone, an experiential and informative exhibition of new eyewear and vision technologies at International Vision Expo West in Las Vegas in Vision Monday's Eye2 Zone (Booth 16115). Click here to see a video demonstration of The PSiO.