Educational Media Reviews Online

The documentary film, Free the Mind, “profiles the pioneering work of renowned psychologist Richard Davidson, who, by studying the practices of Tibetan monks and others, found that it is possible to rewire the brain through meditation and mental training exercises.” This quote from the container captures the essence of the film which features three test subjects and their work with Dr. Davidson at the University of Wisconsin Center for Investigating Healthy Minds. Viewers meet 5 year old Will and two American veterans, Steve and Rich, as they practice meditative techniques under the guidance of Dr. Davidson and special instructors. Will suffers from attention deficit disorder and severe anxiety and the veterans have symptoms of post traumatic stress and continue to be haunted by painful memories of their military experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Viewers observe Will’s anxiety in refusing to ride on the elevator and his behavior in class which shows the attention deficit. A special teacher works with Will’s class to practice paying attention or mindfulness inside and outside the body to help calm and sustain better behavior. John Osborne from Project Welcome Home Troops works with the veterans on yoga stretching and the intensive program for breathing. The soldiers also open up and talk about some of the painful war experiences at various times during the exercises. The film alternates between the activities for Will’s class and the work with the veterans and gradually shows the success that is achieved as Will finally rides the elevator and the veterans feel calmer as they prepare to return home after the training.

Free the Mind uses music and animation as an effective technique to create sounds of war, marching, and breathing as well as harmonies and phrases to express a range of feelings from anxiety and fear to calmness and inner peace. The animation depicting the firing of cells in the brain to resemble the electricity of lightening with the energetic and mysterious music as accompaniment convey the appropriate expression as viewers learn the brain, a 3 pound organ, is still very much a mystery and is probably the most complicated thing in the universe. While scientists indicate that the brain has 10 billion connections, viewers learn there is success in calming brain disorders through meditative practices.

The film presents new research and provides important information on the effects of meditation, intensive breathing exercises, and yoga on the pre-frontal cortex region of the brain which controls emotion and intention. It also piques interest in scientific research on meditative practices and the brain. Bonus features with Director Phie Ambo allow viewers to listen to her views on specific areas of the film as well as her rationale for creating the documentary. Viewers also learn more about Dr. Davidson and observe his visit with the Dalai Lama as he discusses mental training and meditation.

Highly recommended for collections in psychology and education in universities and large public libraries.