The Medicine reveals the hidden mysteries of one of nature’s most powerful and controversial healing remedies- Ayahuasca. It is a documentary about Amazonian shamanism, introducing Taita Juanito Guerillmo Chindoy Chindoy, both a teacher and student of the sacred plant medicine. As Ayahuasca gains popularity in the West, the film explores the science as well as the lore behind the plant and why it is used to heal. It follows former NFL Safety, Kerry Rhodes, and actress, AnnaLynne McCord, as they drink with the Taita experiencing Ayahuasca for the first time- in its true tradition.
Humanity faces an unprecedented rise in addiction, insecurity and disease- perhaps the cure does lie within the arms of Mother Nature.
Ayahausca is a traditional plant medicine from the Amazon used to treat a variety of physical and psychology illnesses and conditions. This documentary explores the use of the Ayahausca as a holistic medicine, challenging stigmas around its use and helping people become more conscious and ethical consumers of the plant if that’s the path they choose.
A stylish, in depth look at the renaissance in psychedelic drug research in light of current scientific, medical and cultural knowledge. The film explores these socially taboo substances as adjuncts to psychotherapy, as crucial but neglected medicines, and as technologies of consciousness. From Neurons to Nirvana: The Great Medicines features interviews with some of the world’s foremost researchers, writers, and pioneers in the growing field of psychedelic psychotherapy. These radical healers and dissenters are using everything from ancient concoctions to newly created designer molecules to the once demonized psychedelic drugs of the 1960s. They argue convincingly for the legal right to incorporate these substances into therapeutic practice.
PSYCHEDELIA is an hour-long documentary film about psychedelic drugs and their ability to induce mystical and religious experiences. The film chronicles their use in controlled research studies prior to the cultural upheaval of the 1960s, when LSD was regarded as a promising medical breakthrough, as well as their recent re-emergence in psychiatry.
Featuring leading experts in the field of psychedelic research, the film tells the story of medical professionals who have re-introduced these compounds into a legal and growing field of study. First-person accounts from a study on end-of-life anxiety explore the profound, life-altering insights psychedelics induce in participants and what these insights might mean for society at large.
Nearly every culture throughout history has used chemicals that alter consciousness for spiritual exploration. In the 20th century these drugs caught the attention of scientists. Psychedelics, as they were named, proved effective at treating intractable illnesses like depression and addiction. And they became a tool for studying the mind, opening “the doors of perception,” as Aldous Huxley wrote. But those doors slammed shut when President Nixon declared psychedelics dangerous and medically useless. Join scientists and “psychonauts” who are now picking up where research left off 50 years ago, experimenting with LSD, psilocybin, DMT and other psychedelics to heal—and reveal—the mind.
The Big Ideas Series is supported in part by the John Templeton Foundation.
On a quest for spiritual awakening and healing, a naturopathic doctor and an accountant join others in the Amazon to drink a hallucinogenic brew called ayahuasca or ‘Vine of the Soul’. Their dramatic encounters with the sacred medicine offer new insights into the nature of faith and self-healing through a heightened state of consciousness.
The Spirit Molecule explores the enigmatic dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a psychedelic molecule found throughout nature, including humans, and potentially every living organism. Based on the book written by Rick Strassman.
From Shock to Awe asks, ‘how do we heal our deepest wounds?’ An intimate and raw look at the transformational journey of two combat veterans suffering from severe trauma as they abandon pharmaceuticals to seek relief through the mind-expanding world of psychedelics. Recent scientific research coupled with a psychedelic renaissance reveals that these substances can be used to heal PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) for individuals and their families. Beyond the personal stories, From Shock to Awe also raises fundamental questions about war, the pharmaceutical industry, and the US legal system.
What happens when you administer psilocybin to experienced zen meditators? A neuroscientist and a zen master carry out a double-blind experiment on a sphinxlike mountain in Switzerland. Their goal: to examine the nature of consciousness.
“These substances are not for the sick only, they belong in the hands of meditation”
Albert Hofmann
Exactly fifty years after the ban on psychedelics a group of Zen meditators – who have never used any psychedelic substances before – are given psilocybin on the last day of a 5-day retreat. Half the group receives a placebo.
Mystical experiences are induced through a combination of deep meditation and psilocybin, a psychoactive compound found in magic mushrooms.
This scientific experiment, which was published in Nature magazine in 2020, may lift the controversy that has clouded the realm of psychedelics for far too long.
Scientist Franz Vollenweider and zen master Vanja Palmers descend from the mountain of bliss to teach us how we can integrate mysticism into our day-to-day life.
‘Descending the Mountain’ is a mesmerising testimony of inner climate change that shows us how psilocybin could create a revolution in improving mental health and strengthen our connection with our environment.
Meet Your Psychedelic Godparents: If it weren’t for the hypocrisy of drug prohibition, everyone would know these names: Sasha Shulgin (1925 – 2014) was a chemist who discovered nearly 200 psychedelic substances. His wife and co-author, Ann Shulgin (1931 – 2022), was a lay therapist and a pioneer in the field of psychedelic psychotherapy. They lived near Berkeley, California, on a few acres known as ‘the Shulgin farm.’
Right around the time that Sasha died, ‘Scientific American’ called for further inquiries into psychedelic drugs. It also criticized American drug regulators for limiting access to LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide), ecstasy (MDMA), and psilocybin. A few months later, ‘Science’ described how scientists were rediscovering psychedelics – both as objects of basic research and as therapeutic applications. The basic thrust was that “more and more researchers are turning back to psychedelics” to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, various addictions, and other categories of mental illness.
Now, a plan to legalize psychedelic drugs is taking hold around the world. With the psychedelic industry booming, investors, bankers, lawyers, scientists, marketers, and ambitious entrepreneurs are joining in the legalization effort. They’re calling it the biggest advancement in mental health since Prozac. Many have christened this moment a ’psychedelic renaissance.’
In addition to healing the sick, psychedelics may contribute to what has been called “the betterment of well people.” By telling the story of this extraordinary couple, this film is an exploration of that potential.