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    Videos

    Selected conversations, talks, and films on psychedelics and consciousness. Each one carries a considered summary and a full transcript, so you can watch, read, or return to a passage that mattered.

    44 videos


    Michael Pollan: Life Is Short (How to Spend It Wisely)
    1 hr 19 min

    Interviews

    Michael Pollan: Life Is Short (How to Spend It Wisely)

    Michael Pollan on consciousness, attention, and how meditation and psychedelics may soften the ego, not erase it.

    Jay Shetty Podcast

    The Race to Commercialize the World's Most Powerful Psychedelic
    15 min

    Documentaries

    The Race to Commercialize the World's Most Powerful Psychedelic

    A WSJ documentary on the biotech and federal race to turn 5-MeO-DMT, the toad-derived psychedelic, into an approved therapy.

    The Wall Street Journal

    Psilocybin and the brain: what the depression research shows
    33 min

    Talks & Lectures

    Psilocybin and the brain: what the depression research shows

    A neurophysiologist walks through the imaging, cellular, and clinical trial evidence on psilocybin for depression and addiction, including the limits.

    TNE with Louisa Nicola

    When did ancient humans start taking drugs?
    24 min

    Documentaries

    When did ancient humans start taking drugs?

    A survey of the archaeological evidence for ancient psychoactive plant use, from Bronze Age Spain to the Eleusinian Mysteries.

    Explain In Paint

    You Are the Universe Experiencing Itself: Spinoza's God
    49 min

    Documentaries

    You Are the Universe Experiencing Itself: Spinoza's God

    Aperture's documentary on Spinoza's claim that God and the universe are one, and what that means for the self.

    Aperture

    Psychoactive Plants in Ancient Civilizations
    17 min

    Documentaries

    Psychoactive Plants in Ancient Civilizations

    Professor Historian surveys five ancient psychoactive substances, from opium to the fungus behind LSD.

    Professor Historian

    The Push to Approve Psychedelics for Mental Illness
    10 min

    Documentaries

    The Push to Approve Psychedelics for Mental Illness

    CNBC reports on the FDA's fast-tracked review of psychedelic drugs for PTSD and depression under a new executive order.

    CNBC

    The Scientist Behind Psychedelic Receptor Research
    1 hr 3 min

    Documentaries

    The Scientist Behind Psychedelic Receptor Research

    Pharmacologist Bryan Roth explains the brain receptors behind psychedelics, ibogaine, and salvia in this long interview.

    Giant's Shoulder

    We Are Beginning to Understand the Power of Psychedelics
    27 min

    Documentaries

    We Are Beginning to Understand the Power of Psychedelics

    How Hofmann's accidental 1943 discovery led to CIA experiments and today's psychedelic neuroscience.

    Dr Ben Miles

    Psychedelics Reveal How Your Brain Constructs Reality
    1 hr 1 min

    Podcasts

    Psychedelics Reveal How Your Brain Constructs Reality

    A documentary essay on the neuroscience behind psychedelics, from free energy to the entropic brain hypothesis.

    Sam Harris

    The More You Study Consciousness, the Weirder It Gets
    1 hr 31 min

    Podcasts

    The More You Study Consciousness, the Weirder It Gets

    Michael Pollan talks with Ezra Klein about consciousness, from plant sentience to psychedelics, meditation, and idealism.

    The Ezra Klein Show

    Watching Psilocybin Repair the Brain: New Neuroscience
    12 min

    Documentaries

    Watching Psilocybin Repair the Brain: New Neuroscience

    A mouse study traces how psilocybin changes brain connections, neuron by neuron, using a modified rabies virus.

    Chase Hughes

    How One Psychedelic Trip Can Alter an Entire Lifetime
    2 hr 9 min

    Talks & Lectures

    How One Psychedelic Trip Can Alter an Entire Lifetime

    Matthew Johnson (Johns Hopkins) on how psychedelics affect the brain, what the trials show, and why one session can last.

    Big Think

    Psilocybin Therapy, Explained by a Doctor
    10 min

    Documentaries

    Psilocybin Therapy, Explained by a Doctor

    A physician explains how psilocybin quiets the brain's default mode network and may ease depression for up to a year.

    Tracy Townsend MD

    Essentials: Psychedelics for Treating Mental Disorders
    35 min

    Podcasts

    Essentials: Psychedelics for Treating Mental Disorders

    Dr. Matthew Johnson explains psychedelic classes, clinical trial protocols, and the real risks with Andrew Huberman.

    Andrew Huberman

    Can Psychedelics Cure? (NOVA Documentary)
    54 min

    Documentaries

    Can Psychedelics Cure? (NOVA Documentary)

    PBS NOVA follows patients and researchers exploring psilocybin and MDMA therapy for addiction, depression, and PTSD.

    PBS America

    Psychedelics as edit mode: a psychiatrist's cautious reading of the evidence
    37 min

    Talks & Lectures

    Psychedelics as edit mode: a psychiatrist's cautious reading of the evidence

    Dr. Alok Kanojia walks through what the 5HT2A receptor does, what the trial data actually shows, and why he says most people should probably not do this alone.

    HealthyGamerGG

    Psychedelics and Other Unconventional Therapies
    53 min

    Documentaries

    Psychedelics and Other Unconventional Therapies

    60 Minutes follows veterans using psychedelic retreats, a nerve-block shot, ECT, and AI chatbots to treat PTSD and depression.

    60 Minutes

    Oprah and Michael Pollan on Psychedelics and Mental Health
    51 min

    Interviews

    Oprah and Michael Pollan on Psychedelics and Mental Health

    Michael Pollan and four guests describe guided psychedelic experiences for PTSD, OCD, anxiety, and grief on Oprah's podcast.

    Oprah

    Kary Mullis, LSD, and the invention of PCR
    34 min

    Documentaries

    Kary Mullis, LSD, and the invention of PCR

    How a Berkeley chemist who credited LSD with his way of thinking arrived at the polymerase chain reaction, and what the story leaves out.

    Veritasium

    Are Psychedelics as Effective as SSRIs for Depression?
    36 min

    Documentaries

    Are Psychedelics as Effective as SSRIs for Depression?

    Dr. Matthew Johnson explains why he sees psychedelics as a different approach than SSRIs for depression and addiction.

    Freethink

    What Happens to Your Body When You Take Mushrooms
    20 min

    Documentaries

    What Happens to Your Body When You Take Mushrooms

    An animated tour through psilocybin's effects on the body and brain, its history, and the science of its therapeutic use.

    The Infographics Show

    Try Psychedelics, Access Transcendence
    6 min

    Talks & Lectures

    Try Psychedelics, Access Transcendence

    Psychologist James Fadiman reflects on psychedelics, transpersonal psychology, risk, and expanding awareness.

    Big Think

    What LSD Does to the Brain
    16 min

    Talks & Lectures

    What LSD Does to the Brain

    The Institute of Human Anatomy breaks down how LSD moves through the body, binds serotonin receptors, and affects the brain.

    Institute of Human Anatomy

    The Truth About Psychedelics
    14 min

    Documentaries

    The Truth About Psychedelics

    Cleo Abram explains why psychedelics banned for decades are now in FDA trials for PTSD and depression, and where real risks remain.

    Cleo Abram

    The Science of Psychedelics for Mental Health
    2 hr 37 min

    Podcasts

    The Science of Psychedelics for Mental Health

    Robin Carhart-Harris tells Andrew Huberman how psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, and DMT are being studied to treat depression.

    Andrew Huberman

    Why Andrew Huberman Changed His Mind About Psychedelics
    11 min

    Interviews

    Why Andrew Huberman Changed His Mind About Psychedelics

    Andrew Huberman explains to Tim Ferriss how psilocybin and MDMA trial data, plus his own guided therapy, changed his views.

    Tim Ferriss

    Microdosing, Tested for 28 Days
    12 min

    Documentaries

    Microdosing, Tested for 28 Days

    One creator's 28-day, self-reported psilocybin microdosing experiment, alongside the survey research it's tested against.

    StoneAgeMan

    Psilocybin for Depression, Explained by a Doctor
    12 min

    Documentaries

    Psilocybin for Depression, Explained by a Doctor

    A doctor walks through the clinical trials behind psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression, and what remains unproven.

    Doctor Mike Hansen

    The Utility of Psychedelics
    20 min

    Interviews

    The Utility of Psychedelics

    Sam Harris explains to Andrew Huberman why psychedelics, and MDMA especially, opened his path into meditation.

    Huberman Lab Clips

    The Heroic Dose of Psychedelics, According to Johns Hopkins
    11 min

    Talks & Lectures

    The Heroic Dose of Psychedelics, According to Johns Hopkins

    Johns Hopkins psychiatrist Matthew Johnson unpacks the psilocybin heroic dose and what psychedelic therapy research shows.

    Big Think

    The Real Risks of Psychedelics
    5 min

    Talks & Lectures

    The Real Risks of Psychedelics

    Johns Hopkins researcher Dr. Matthew Johnson explains the real risks of psychedelics, and what most reduces them.

    Big Think

    How Psychedelics Work, in Under Six Minutes
    6 min

    Talks & Lectures

    How Psychedelics Work, in Under Six Minutes

    Dr. Matthew Johnson of Johns Hopkins explains the receptor mechanism and brain changes behind psychedelics in under six minutes.

    Big Think

    How Psychedelics Change the Brain
    4 min

    Documentaries

    How Psychedelics Change the Brain

    A NOVA explainer on how psychedelics quiet the brain's default mode network and boost cross-region communication.

    NOVA PBS Official

    Psychedelics: Chemicals, Consciousness, and Creativity
    1 hr 40 min

    Talks & Lectures

    Psychedelics: Chemicals, Consciousness, and Creativity

    Rick Doblin, Gül Dölen, and Reggie Watts join a World Science Festival panel on psychedelics, the brain, and creativity.

    World Science Festival

    Michael Pollan Answers Psychedelics Questions from Twitter
    15 min

    Interviews

    Michael Pollan Answers Psychedelics Questions from Twitter

    Michael Pollan answers rapid-fire Twitter questions on LSD, ego death, microdosing, and psychedelic therapy research.

    WIRED

    What a DMT Trip Is Like, and the Entities People Report
    9 min

    Interviews

    What a DMT Trip Is Like, and the Entities People Report

    Matthew Johnson tells Lex Fridman what a DMT breakthrough dose feels like and why so many users report meeting entities.

    Lex Clips

    Psychedelics and the Mental Health Research Boom
    12 min

    Documentaries

    Psychedelics and the Mental Health Research Boom

    Bloomberg Originals traces the history, brain science, and investment boom behind psychedelic mental health research.

    Bloomberg Originals

    Revealing the Mind: The Promise of Psychedelics
    1 hr 25 min

    Talks & Lectures

    Revealing the Mind: The Promise of Psychedelics

    Four researchers unpack the neuroscience, Amazonian traditions, and emerging clinical evidence behind psychedelics.

    World Science Festival

    Is the Stoned Ape Theory Real?
    8 min

    Podcasts

    Is the Stoned Ape Theory Real?

    Joe Rogan and a guest weigh McKenna's speculative theory that psilocybin sped up early human brain evolution.

    JRE Clips

    Your Brain on LSD and Acid
    4 min

    Documentaries

    Your Brain on LSD and Acid

    AsapSCIENCE's quick primer on how LSD affects serotonin receptors, brain activity, and what research says about its risks.

    AsapSCIENCE

    How LSD and Mushrooms Could Help Treat Anxiety, Addiction, and Depression
    5 min

    Documentaries

    How LSD and Mushrooms Could Help Treat Anxiety, Addiction, and Depression

    Vox surveys early clinical research on psilocybin and LSD as experimental treatments for anxiety, addiction, and depression.

    Vox

    Your Brain on Shrooms
    3 min

    Documentaries

    Your Brain on Shrooms

    AsapSCIENCE breaks down how psilocybin acts on serotonin and brain connectivity to produce hallucinations.

    AsapSCIENCE

    Psychosis or Spiritual Awakening?
    25 min

    Talks & Lectures

    Psychosis or Spiritual Awakening?

    Phil Borges asks whether some psychotic breaks are better understood as spiritual emergencies, drawing on shaman worldwide.

    TEDx Talks