This project started way back in 2011 while I was a student at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. At the time, I heard about a study using psilocybin to ease existential distress among people who were diagnosed with cancer and struggling with facing the end of life. As a self-taught student of the 1960s, reader of Timothy Leary, and fan of the Grateful Dead I was both mystified and intrigued by this institutional use of psychedelics.

From there I began the process of translating this vast and misunderstood story to the screen. I was fascinated to learn that before the 1960s counterculture, LSD and psilocybin were used by psychiatrists in controlled research settings and were considered a breakthrough discovery in the field. This promising research was eventually shut down and its history erased from medical school textbooks during the ensuing War on Drugs.

Today we are in the so-called “psychedelic renaissance,” much of which gained momentum while I was making this film. It was a far greater undertaking than I ever could’ve imagined, but all of these years later I’m thrilled to finally share it with the world, which now seems poised to listen. Peruse the website to learn more and find out how we can partner in bringing this story to your community, members, or students.