Exposure to rapid and bright stroboscopic light has long been reported to induce vivid visual hallucinations of colour and geometric formations. This phenomenon was first documented by Purkinje over 200 years ago. Since then, significant progress has been made in understanding the effects of stroboscopic light and the experiences it induces through multiple waves of interest from the scientific, therapeutic, and broader cultural communities. Despite these advances, fundamental questions remain unanswered, including comprehensive characterizations of its phenomenology, its precise physiological origins, under which conditions it may lead to altered states of consciousness phenomena, and potential clinical or therapeutic applications. This narrative review provides a historical summary of research into stroboscopic light stimulation (SLS) alongside its use in recreation and lay-therapeutic contexts. It also discusses the phenomenology of these experiences, current perspectives on the potential neural mechanisms of stroboscopically induced experiences, and provides an outlook for future research in this field. Abstract Exposure to rapid and bright stroboscopic light has long been reported to induce vivid visual hallucinations of colour and geometric formations. This phenomenon was first documented by Purkinje over 200 years ago. Since then, significant progress has been made in understanding the effects of stroboscopic light and the experiences it induces through multiple waves of interest from the scientific, therapeutic, and broader cultural communities. We also avoid the term ‘phosphenes’: this term is usually used to refer to visual experiences in the absence of stimulation with light ( Cervetto et al., 2009 ; de Graaf et al., 2018 ; Grüsser and Hagner, 1990 ), which is distinct from the VHs induced by SLS. Box 1: Safety Considerations for Human Exposure to Stroboscopic Light The primary risk factor for serious adverse effects from SLS is photosensitive epilepsy, although not all individuals with epilepsy are susceptible. While photophobia is common in epilepsy, photosensitive epilepsy represents only a small subset of cases ( Quirk et al., 1995 ). (G) One of Gorges’ ‘Mind Gyms’, where members of the general public could use SLS goggles for their posited therapeutic benefits (Ressmeyer, 1987). Photograph by Floris Leeuwenberg. (H) fMRI data of neural activations during SIVHs gathered by Dr Dominic ffytche, showing a correlation between thalamocortical activity and SIVHs ( ffytche, 2008 ). Reprinted from Influenced by both scientific and creative explorations of SIVHs during this period, structuralist filmmaker Tony Conrad experimented with using film projectors to induce SIVH experiences ( Hubby 2016 ; Phelan 2015 ). His 1966 film ‘The Flicker’ may have been the first artistic work to vary the frequency and duty cycle of stroboscopic light over time in synchrony with music and sound in an attempt to produce a more structured and engaging hallucinatory experience ( Conrad 1966 ; Fig. 1F ). In cultural contexts, SLS often involves variations in frequency, duty cycle, ambient light, and light colours, which combine to create a more dynamic experience. Furthermore, these events typically pair SLS with music, which may enhance the emotional impact of the experience ( Montgomery et al. 2024 ). Together these elements may contribute to the increased reports of ASCs at such cultural events, though no study has yet tested if such elements may induce ASCs where static strobe frequencies do not. Other factors may contribute to experiences and reports of ASC phenomena. This model was later developed to incorporate additional anatomical features of the visual cortex, such as the diameter of cortical hypercolumns and their orientation selectivity ( Bressloff et al. 2002 ; Cowan 2015 ). In 2011, Rule, Stoffregen, and Ermentrout applied these ideas specifically to SIVHs, demonstrating how a neural field simulation, when stimulated with a simulation of strobe light, could also produce geometric patterns which resemble some of Klüver’s form constants ( Rule et al. 2011 ). Such studies could investigate the effects of adjusting the less-explored aspects of the stroboscopic light or the use of more dynamic strobe sessions from recreational SLS, alongside investigations into the contribution of psychological factors, such as expectancy and PC, which may play a significant role in shaping the subjective outcomes of SLS experiences. There is currently a renaissance of interest in SLS research. There is considerable untapped potential to explore. Stroboscopic and neuroimaging technologies are advancing, and applications and exhibitions that provide hallucination-inducing SLS are becoming increasingly successful and creatively developed. Flicker Fusion: The frequency at which stroboscopic light stimulation is perceived as a steady, constant light by the human eye. Neural Field Equations: Mathematical models that describe the dynamics of neural activity across the cortex, helping to simulate and understand patterns of brain activity underlying perception. Phenomenological Control (PC): The capacity of an individual to intentionally influence or alter their subjective experiences according to their expectations, intentions, or goals. Phenomenology: The study of subjective experiences and consciousness from the first-person perspective. Stroboscopically Induced Visual Hallucinations (SIVHs) : Non-veridical visual experiences, primarily consisting of colours and geometric patterns, which can be rapidly induced in healthy individuals through exposure to bright flashing light at periodic intervals between ~ 5 and 50 Hz. Stroboscopic Light Stimulation (SLS) : Exposure to bright flashing light which may produce SIVHs. Turing Patterns: Spatially periodic patterns that emerge from reaction–diffusion systems, used in neural field models to explain the formation of geometric visual hallucinations in the brain.