Deepak Chopra On Psychedelics Doc Series ‘Open Minds,’ And His Own LSD Experiences: “It Had A Great Impact On My Mind”
deadline.comCount Deepak Chopra among the medical experts who see enormous promise in psychedelic substances like psilocybin or “magic mushrooms.” “I think psychedelics might wake us up,” Chopra says in the new documentary short series Open Minds. “And if they do, then maybe we can reengineer the world.” The six-part series, directed by Robert Schober, becomes available Tuesday on major VOD platforms through ALTRD.TV. “It is becoming obvious that psychedelics do decrease inflammation, do restore what we might call homeostasis or self-regulation, do alleviate the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and even suicidal ideation,” Chopra tells Deadline, “and do have a role, as we move into the future, of alleviating a lot of suffering in both chronic physical disease and chronic mental disease.” For decades, the U.S.
government has classified psilocybin, LSD, peyote, MDMA and other psychedelics as Schedule 1 drugs without any medical benefit.
That classification stymied research, but in the 2000s limited studies began to explore the efficacy of psychedelics in treating addiction, major depression, anxiety, PTSD and other psychological conditions.
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is among the major institutions actively investigating “how psychedelics affect behavior, brain function, learning and memory, the brain’s biology, and mood,” according to the university’s Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research. “What is not clear is the exact difference between these [substances] in their mechanism of action,” Chopra explains. “We do know that a lot of them work through receptors in the brain, particularly the serotonin receptor, but they may be affecting other receptors — dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, opiates.
Read more on deadline.com