Michael Pollan’s psychedelics documentary is now playing on Netflix. There have been few people more responsible for psychedelics’ increasing acceptance by the mainstream than Michael Pollan, and the announcement of a new Netflix documentary on psychedelics should only further cement this reputation.
The acclaimed journalist and author is known for in-depth and accessible long-form that brings readers deep into an eclectic array of topics, often personally experiencing the subject matter firsthand.
Pollan’s most recent book was How To Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence, a very experiential deep dive into the world of psychedelics. The book and Pollan’s eloquent and impassioned media appearances have gone a long way in convincing the public that psychedelics are a legitimate option for mental health treatments.
Last week, Michael Pollan’s psychedelics documentary debuted on Netflix, a four-part series entitled How To Change Your Mind that gives an engaging look at the history, renaissance, and potential of psychedelics. Pollan went deep on this one, not only immersing himself in the history and science of psychedelic medicine but taking the drugs himself and getting an intensely personal experience of the powerful therapeutic potential.
The series is split into four parts, with each episode exploring a psychedelic substance (LSD, psilocybin, MDMA, mescaline). The first chapter was on LSD, taking viewers back to 1938 when LSD was first synthesized by Albert Hofmann
, an unofficial grandfather of modern psychedelics. We’re presented with interweaving stories of Hoffman’s labwork, his famous bicycle ride (a mega self-dose of LSD considered the world’s first acid trip), and other developments like the work of Aldus Huxley, Ken Kesey, and Timothy Leary.
Then comes the part of the story that many psychonauts know all too well, but will be news to most mainstream viewers. In the 1950s and 60s LSD was an extremely promising compound, with hundreds of trials and studies showing positive results in a variety of conditions (alcoholism was a primary focus at the time).
But then came the hippies and Vietnam and the culture wars, LSD had escaped the lab and conservative forces in America began a war on drugs that effectively ended research for over 3 decades.
There’s amazing footage of LSD research from the 50s and 60s, showing the early days of psychedelic therapy, along with interviews with pioneers and looks at the positive results from that too-short of a heyday. Pollan then meets with fellow author Ayelet Waldman, a mother who was cured from a lifelong battle with depression and mental health issues by introducing LSD microdosing into her life.
In all, the first chapter was an informative and beautifully-presented look at the history and potential of LSD. This Netflix series should go a long way in bringing psychedelics out from the shadows and further into mainstream acceptance.
