A new documentary focusing on the history and science behind psychedelics titled Psychedelia is on the verge of being released soon. Sporting a compact 58-minute run-time, this film clocks in at just under an hour and it provides an easily-digestible, high-level overview of psychedelics for a wide audience, from the uninitiated square all the way to the most seasoned psychonaut.
The film opens with a moving quote that properly sets the tone:
The most beautiful and profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science.
-Albert Einstein
The introduction consists of a series of beautiful scenes featuring natural landscapes and voice-overs from people who healed themselves by working with psychedelics. It’s only about a minute long but it’s just enough to give the viewer a glimpse of how transformational these medicines can be when used wisely.
Following the introduction, the documentary launches into the history of psychedelics, from Albert Hofmann’s first intentional acid trip all the way up to the new wave of psychedelic research being conducted in respectable institutions like NYU and Johns Hopkins. Along the way it touches on several monumental psychedelic events, including the coining of the term “psychedelic,” R. Gordon Wasson’s encounters with Maria Sabina, the CIA’s MKUltra experiments, Tim Leary’s impact on the scene, LSD leaking out of the lab and onto the streets, and the re-emergence of psychedelic research with Rick Strassman’s DMT study.
Several experts are featured in the film, including Charles Grob, Julie Holland, Rick Doblin, Katherine MacLean, Matthew Johnson, and Ingmar Gorman. Together, their interviews help paint a complete picture of psychedelics for the audience.
In addition to talking about the psychedelics themselves, the film also gives the viewer a chance to learn more about the people working in the psychedelic field, which often turns out to be both entertaining and enlightening. One good example is Charles Grob’s story about calling his father in the middle of the night to tell him he finally knew what he wanted to do for a career—he wanted to study psychedelics. His father was supportive of Charles’ decision but also cautioned that no one would take him seriously unless he got his credentials. So he did.
Psychedelia also features interviews with a handful of participants from a psilocybin for end-of-life anxiety study that was conducted at NYU. Their personal anecdotes about how psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy helped them are moving and inspirational, and if you’re anything like me then you might shed a tear or two while listening to their stories.
Several threads are sewed together to form a coherent film: a narrative detailing the history and science of psychedelics, explanations and insights from the experts, and the moving stories from the study participants. Like any good documentary, it has a beginning, a middle, and an end, and during the final credits an epilogue provides updates on what happened to some of the people in the film, which ties things up quite nicely.
After watching the whole thing, it’s crystal clear that Psychedelia was created by an adept filmmaker—someone who has obviously put in their 10,000 hours in order to learn the skills needed to create a masterpiece of this magnitude.
That man is Pat Murphy. He started working on the documentary in 2011, when he first heard about the psilocybin for end-of-life anxiety research study at NYU. At the time he was a student at NYU Tisch School of the Arts and so, coupled with an interest in the Grateful Dead (shoutout to all the fellow Deadheads out there!), Timothy Leary, and the 1960s, he decided to begin working on the film.
I liked Psychedelia quite a bit. For one thing, it features a ton of new footage that I hadn’t seen before—and I’ve seen a lot of movies about psychedelics.
Somehow Pat was able to make grainy old footage from way back in the day (for example: scenes from a 1955 CIA film) look fresh and new. And some of the audio recordings are a delight, featuring psychedelic elders like Albert Hofmann, Allen Ginsberg, and Ralph Metzner.
One of the funniest moments in the film (which will likely be overlooked by most viewers, as it is very subtle) occurs when Rick Doblin walks upstairs to a room with lots of paperwork strewn about on a desk where a big green bong is sitting upright, ready for a nice toke.
The documentary is so well-done that it comes across as incredibly professional, which goes a long way if you’re trying to convince a skeptic in your life about the value of psychedelics. In fact, I think this is the best film to introduce people to psychedelics that will give them solid overview of psychedelic history and science. It’s a perfect documentary to show your parents, your friends, or even your therapist if you’d like them to learn more about psychedelics without inundating them with too much information all at once. It’s nicely-paced, covering a lot of ground without rushing through. All in all, it’s a solid film.
Psychedelia is definitely worth a watch whether you are completely psychedelically-naïve or you’re a highly-experienced psychonaut, and while it’s not publicly available for streaming at the time that this blog post is going live, you can sign up for the film’s newsletter to find out how to attend a virtual screening event in the near future.
Pat is partnering up with psychedelic organizations and universities to hold these online events, which include Q&A sessions with the director after the film is screened. There are two events currently on the schedule—one on February 6th with the Psychedelic Society of Minnesota and another on February 11th with the Psychedelia Integration Community that will include Katherine MacLean on the Q&A panel. There’s also an option for universities and colleges to license the film for use in the classroom.
Regardless of when you are able to get a chance to watch Psychedelia, you should definitely put it on your radar and check it out as soon as you have the opportunity. It’s rare to find a documentary that encapsulates the history and science of psychedelics this well.
Disclaimer: I received a free screening copy of this film in exchange for an honest review. However, this is not a sponsored post—all thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.