5 Must-Watch Documentaries in Psychedelics

Watching documentaries about psychedelics can give you a first educational glimpse into these substances’ history, science, and culture, increasing awareness and understanding. However, it’s important to approach these documentaries with an open and critical mindset and to use them as a starting point for further research and exploration.

There are several documentaries about psychedelics that have gained widespread popularity and viewership. Here we introduce five of the most well-known and widely watched documentaries on this topic (trailers included and links to where the films are streamed).

Enjoy movie time and safe travels!

#1 Magic Medicine (2018)

In 2012, medical researchers explored the effects of psilocybin (magic mushrooms) on people with severe depression. After getting the necessary permissions, they conducted the first-ever medical trial for psilocybin on a group of volunteers with clinical depression.

Filmmaker Monty Wates documented the trial, following three volunteers, their families, and the staff running it. The film shows the patients’ emotional experiences and highlights the potential of this controversial treatment to transform many lives. Overall, this touching and inspiring film portrays the human cost of depression and the groundbreaking research on psychedelics.

Streaming on Netflix

#2 Fantastic Fungi (2019)

Fantastic Fungi is a documentary film exploring fungi’s biology and environmental roles and uses time-lapse cinematography, CGI, and interviews.

Through the eyes of renowned scientists and mycologists like Paul Stamets, and best-selling authors like Michael Pollan, Eugenia Bone, Andrew Weil and others, we become aware of the beauty, intelligence, and solutions that the fungi kingdom offers in response to pressing medical, therapeutic, and environmental challenges.

Streaming on Fantastic Fungi

#3 How to Change Your Mind (2020)

How to Change Your Mind is an American docuseries based on the book of the same name by Michael Pollan.

It consists of four episodes, released on July 12, 2022, on Netflix. The series provides insights into the psychedelic drugs LSD, psilocybin, MDMA, and mescaline, as well as their uses in psychedelic therapy.

Streaming on Netflix

#4 Psychedelia (2020)

Psychedelia is an hour-long documentary film about psychedelic drugs and their ability to induce mystical or religious experiences.

The film explores this relationship by chronicling their use in controlled research studies before the cultural upheaval of the 1960s when LSD was regarded as one of the most promising discoveries in psychiatry.

Streaming on Vimeo

#5 DMT: The Spirit Molecule (2010)

This is one of the most watched documentaries in the space and explores the experiences of individuals who have used the powerful psychedelic substance DMT and features interviews with researchers, philosophers, and spiritual leaders who discuss the potential therapeutic and spiritual benefits of these substances.

Streaming on WatchDocumentaries

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