Neurons to Nirvana (2013)

A stylish, in depth look at the renaissance in psychedelic drug research in light of current scientific, medical and cultural knowledge.

Director:

Oliver Hockenhull

Stars:

William S. Burroughs, Wade Davis, Rick Doblin

Cast

Credited cast:
William S. Burroughs	...	(archive footage)
Wade Davis
Rick Doblin
Lesley Ewen	...	(voice)
Julie Holland
Aldous Huxley	...	(archive footage)
Gabor Mate
Dennis J. McKenna	...	(voice)
Ralph Metzner	...	(voice)
Jeremy Narby	...	(voice)

Storyline

A stylish, in depth look at the renaissance in psychedelic drug research in light of current scientific, medical and cultural knowledge. The film explores these socially taboo substances as adjuncts to psychotherapy, as crucial but neglected medicines, and as technologies of consciousness. From Neurons to Nirvana: The Great Medicines features interviews with some of the world's foremost researchers, writers, and pioneers in the growing field of psychedelic psychotherapy. These radical healers and dissenters are using everything from ancient concoctions to newly created designer molecules to the once demonized psychedelic drugs of the 1960s. They argue convincingly for the legal right to incorporate these substances into therapeutic practice.

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Plot Keywords:

research | drugs | psychedelic drug | mdma | lsd | 

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Genres:

Documentary | History | News

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Details

Official Sites:

Link to the longer version Link to the longer version Official Site

Country:

Canada UK USA Switzerland

Language:

English Slovak Czech

Release Date:

1 November 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

From Neurons to Nirvana: The Great Medicines

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mangusta Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Alternate Versions

At the Vancouver International Film Festival in 2013, the film screened in two different versions. This longer version is titled "FROM NEURONS TO NIRVANA: THE GREAT MEDICINES" and it is 108 minutes. The longer version was also selected to screen at the Montreal Nouveau Cinema Festival (2013) and at the Seattle International Film Festival (2014). The longer version was only released to the public in December of 2014 on DVD and Blu-ray from the Director's personal website. The alternate "popular release version" of the film, "Neurons to Nirvana: Understanding Psychedelic Medicines" co-directed by Mikki Willis, is 69 minutes and is distributed by Mangusta Productions.

User Reviews

Great documentary, except for their disparaging comments about antidepressants

This documentary had great insights into the realities of various drugs, and I liked how they made an effort to focus on facts as opposed to fear based opinions on psychedelics. Ironically, I feel like when they mentioned antidepressants the people interviewed gave an emotion based opinion as opposed to sticking to the facts ... because pharmaceutical antidepressants are produced by corporations, and the doctors and pundits in the documentary were more liberal leaning they talked about the antidepressants, 'dampening', and 'hindering' the 'true human' in the brain, whereas non corporate psychedelics or other non monetized drugs, they felt, helped people overcome depression through, 'true insight'. In reality, all plants or chemicals, whether corporate or non corporate are altering brain chemistry, dampening some parts of the brain, while allowing others to flourish. Its true that using antidepressants without talk therapy can lead to relapses in depression, but if one sticks to the facts, it is clear to see that antidepressants can modulate depression allowing one to do talk therapy they never would have had the strength to do if not for the antidepressants. Crippling depressions is just that ... crippling ... and antidepressants can help one come to deep insights, just like other psychedelics can. Overall it is infuriating when strong conservatives are hypocritical and say all illegal drugs have no redeeming qualities or benefits, but also equally hypocritical and infuriating when far leaning liberals spout generalizations that drugs produced by pharmaceutical are just there to make money and enslave the populace by treating symptoms and make the corporations money, and dampen the human spirit through numbing out the populace. Both generalizations are not true, and the path forward to truth would be better served if the doctors and people with knowledge are vigorous in analyzing whether they are speaking with emotion or facts. Overall though, a great documentary and thought provoking.