Educational Media Reviews Online

The documentary Psychedelia: The History of Science and Mystical Experience introduces the viewer to the world of mysticism and its relationship with psychedelic drugs and their place in modern world, with emphasis on the developments in the 20th century.

The hour-long film can essentially be divided into three segments. The beginning is about the history of mysticism and discovering the use of psilocybin mushrooms in religious ceremonies in Mexico and parts of South America by the European world. A large portion of the film is devoted to the synthesis (and ingestion) of LSD by Albert Hoffman in 1938 and the subsequent use of psychedelics in research. Many experts talk about experiments with psilocybins/psychedelics at research institutions, some of which interestingly involve scientists and graduate students taking the drugs under “controlled settings.” Some intriguing references are made to the impact of politics on research. For instance, in the 1960s any researcher could write to Sandoz and get a supply of LSD for their studies. But once it made its way into society and got associated with anti-war movements, federal efforts were undertaken to “demonize the drugs” and terminate all studies.

The last part brings us to present day, circling back to how the researchers we’ve been hearing from throughout the film got into their fields, and the current direction of research. We also get to watch interviews from several cancer patients and hear how the psilocybin and drugs, under mentors, could help alleviate depression and PTSD conditions in recovering patients.

There are a lot of images, video footage and voice recordings depicting related historical events. Hearing the voices makes the story more vivid, although some of the images and background music could be done without. On the whole Psychedelia: The History of Science and Mystical Experience is recommended for people interested in learning about the development of psychedelics and their integration with present day research.

Awards:

Winner of Best Documentary at New Jersey International Film Festival

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