SYNOPSIS
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney and New York Times best-selling author Michael Pollan present this documentary series event in four parts, each focused on a different mind-altering substance: LSD, psilocybin, MDMA, and mescaline. With Pollan as our guide, we journey to the frontiers of the new psychedelic renaissance – and look back at the almost-forgotten historical context – to explore the potential of these substances to heal and change minds as well as culture. How to Change Your Mind is directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Alison Ellwood and two-time Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker Lucy Walker.
Episode 1: LSD: From its 1943 origins to today’s microdosing trend, LSD has been expanding minds and changing lives with the help of counterculture gurus — and the CIA.
Episode 2: Psilocybin: Magic mushrooms, long considered sacred by the Indigenous Mazatec in Mexico, have recently become the subject of scientific studies exploring their potential to treat mental illness.
Episode 3: MDMA: Championed by both therapists and ravers, ecstasy stands out as the first psychedelic likely to be approved by the FDA as medicine, thanks to passionate advocates and its value as a treatment for PTSD.
Episode 4: Mescaline: Mescaline is the psychoactive molecule found in San Pedro and peyote cacti. Native Americans have had to fight for legal access to these traditional sacred medicines and take them in religious ceremonies, experiencing powerful healing from struggles like addictions and trauma.
