All language subtitles for Psychedelica.Series.1.09of14.Engaging.the.Dream.1080p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org

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>> Every night when we lay down
our day and exit the familiar

world of waking consciousness,
we set sail for the other

shore.

The dream world comes alive.

How did our ancient
ancestors view this space?

Considered to be the
oldest continuous culture

on the planet, the
Aboriginals of what is now

called Australia believed
that all creation was birthed

from what the West termed as
the Dreaming, the creation

of the world, the
origins of knowledge.

The indigenous
tribes of Australia

would use shamanic
ceremonies and miming

dances to enter
this space, in which

all ancestors and all
information was attainable.

The Westerners, who
attempted to translate

the meaning of this space,
called it Dream Time.

Even in the Americas,
accessing the dreaming realm

was a known phenomenon
among the indigenous.

>> Indigenous people of this
continent are all from the same

DNA lineage.

It varies, of course.

But there is a common DNA thread
of all the indigenous people.

Basically, they're all related.

And all of them had access
to what we call Dream Time.

Now, Dream Time is
where the humans

have access to
information that exists

in interdimensional spheres.

And the way this was utilized
in pre-American times

and pre-Hispanic times,
before the colonization,

and the
Christianization, and all

this, where they viewed this
as diabolical or useless,

was that they would
find individuals

that had this ability
to remember their dreams

and to be aware in their dreams.

And they would group them
into dreamer societies.

And they would forge a physical
unity through certain dances,

through certain songs,
through drumming practices.

And then they would go
into the Dream Time, where

they could access visions of
the future, visions of the past,

visions of other places.

>> One anomaly of the
dream world is the ability

of the dreamer to engage with
their own subconscious mind.

The indigenous didn't use
psychological terminology.

So, they spoke not
of the subconscious,

but of ancestors, animal
guides, and spirits.

Psychedelic plants
have been known

in shamanic cultures
for thousands of years

to elicit the same effect.

However, these effects happen
not within times of slumber.

Rather, the dream state enters
this world of waking life.

Yet, in both methods, a great
deal of therapeutic healing

may occur, if the
journeyer understands

how to engage the
dream, like the world

of the psychedelic trip.

Out of 30 million
psychedelic-using Americans,

how many truly understand
that not only can one

actively guide their
own experience,

but speak with their
own subconscious,

ask questions directly
to it, and begin

a process of
self-discovery that is

at the core of all
psychological wellness?

Our dreams are known
to be easily influenced

by the events that happen
just beforehand, just

like psychedelic journeys.

This led to the conversation
of set and setting to emerge.

In the pre-prohibition
psychedelic studies,

the unpredictable nature of
their effects on each person

baffled them.

[LAUGH]

>> What's happening?

>> What-- I couldn't.

I couldn't possibly tell you.

It's here.

Can't you feel it?

This whole room, it's-- it's--

everything is in color.

And-- and I can feel the air.

>> Anthropologist and
psychedelic researcher Michael

Winkelman has studied
the peculiar ability

of psychedelics to amplify
the expectations of not only

the volunteer, but
also the researcher.

>> One of the interesting
things that emerged in the early

psychiatric research on
psychedelics was that very

different kinds of effects
could be elicited depending upon

the orientation
of the researcher.

So, in the beginning, it
looked like psychedelics

produced various kinds
of psychotic breakdowns.

And researchers, who
looked at psychotics

with this point of view,
got their participants

to have psychotic breakdowns.

Later, people
started to recognize

that some people had these
transcendent experiences,

mystical experiences.

And the researchers that
used these substances

with that point of view had
many of their participants

have various kinds of
mystical unfoldings.

So, what this led
to is a recognition

that there were very
important set and setting

influences in the unfolding
of the biological or

pharmacological effects.

>> How could set and setting
influence the outcome

of scientific studies
to this extent?

The phrase "set and setting"
was created by Timothy Leary

during the
pre-prohibition studies.

He noticed the stark contrast
between psychedelic sessions

in sterile or
clinical environments

and compared the results to
those done in safe surroundings

with the right people.

This accounts for the setting.

The other component is the set
or mindset of the individual

about to have the experience.

Those in safer and warmer
feeling environments

reflected that quality in the
unfolding of their journey.

Others, that were
without that comfort,

typically in
interrogation-style rooms,

across from analytical witnesses
writing notes and remaining

emotionally detached,
experienced more anxiety

and overall difficulty.

As these plants are far older
than the '60s, and their use

can be traced back to
40,000-year-old cave paintings,

how were our shamanic ancestors
dealing with set and setting

in their psychedelic
experiences?

>> When you're dealing with
a powerful psychedelic,

there are a number
of elements at play.

One of them is your
own internal state,

your own mental state at the
time you take the psychedelic.

Another is the
psychedelic itself

and how it acts on your brain.

But much more
important, in a way,

is your intention when
you go into that ceremony

and the setting that
surrounds you, that context.

And what shamanism
done properly does,

is it pays great attention
to the setting in which

the psychedelic experience
unfolds, to make sure

that that setting is one that
will allow the experience

to emerge freely and of
itself, rather than being

purely a result of the setting.

And as to set,
it's very important

with shamanistic work.

And I believe it's
very important--

I mean, I suppose I've drunk
ayahuasca approaching 70--

60 or 70 times over the
last dozen years or so.

It's very important, as well,
what your own intention is

when you go into that ceremony.

It's not a good idea to just
go into it as a blank slate

and say, throw me whatever
you've got to throw at me.

It's a good idea to
have an intention.

So, that is part of
the set that you have.

Now, it doesn't mean that
you'll get what you intended.

It's rightly said that what
the psychedelics ultimately

give you is what you
need, not what you want.

But it's a good
idea to start out

with a clear plan, that
I'm undertaking a journey,

and this is my purpose
in this journey.

>> Just like entering the
unpredictable landscape

of a dream, the psychedelic
state is a journey

into the unknown.

And purpose or intention
may guide or direct

what could be an extremely
intense experience.

Astronauts, enduring the
physical and mental training

before journeying
into worlds unknown,

were also clear
about why they were

going into such
unpredictable territory.

Having such an intention makes
the intensity of the unknown

seem purposeful
and worth the risk.

However, ethnobotanist
Dennis McKenna

adds a caveat to
having an intention.

>> People say you
should have an intent.

You should have an intent
when you take psychedelics.

I think that you can have one.

If there's a specific
reason why you are doing it,

then an intention is good.

But it's also
perfectly legitimate

to say my intention is open.

My intention is to let
the medicine teach me

what it wants me to see.

That's an intent too.

There is no right way to do it.

The right way to
do it is develop

a system that works for you,
that optimizes the experience

and doesn't get in the
way of it, I would say.

>> The value of an intention
is to give a guiding force

and a vessel for consciousness
to perform within.

Not having an intention
on the surface

doesn't mean that the ingestion
of a psychedelic plant,

and the initiation of
a mind-bending journey,

isn't directed by some
inner question or purpose.

Just the decision to
venture into the unknown

comes from a place
deeper than the level

we make day-to-day
decisions from.

It is likely that the
quickest and most reliable way

to know what those drivers
are is to take the leap

and enter into the
mystery of our own mind.

Whether through psychedelics,
shamanic rituals, or dreams,

the experiences can range
from brilliant and beautiful,

to dark and frightening.

>> When many people enter
into a psychedelic experience,

it's not just pretty colors
and exciting feelings.

It can also be at
times very difficult.

And I think that this is in
large part due to the fact

that the psychedelics
release the unconscious.

And they seem to force
us towards an engagement

with the conflicts that
we have in our life

and the repressed memories
that we have about trauma.

And so, psychedelics
can often bring up

a variety of different
kinds of material

that's very difficult for people
to accept and to figure out

how to move forward with.

But that's also the gift
of the psychedelics,

is that they force us to
deal with these issues

that we were otherwise able
to bury into our unconscious.

>> As the psychedelic
plant begins shifting

the neurochemicals in the brain
and influencing the hormonal

balance of the body,
transforming the perspective

of the mind and entering
you into a realm of unknowns

and unpredictability, it becomes
increasingly important to know

how to intelligently
navigate these spaces.

>> We have grown a lot
in the last 50, 60 years.

And I realize that set and
setting had an almost dogmatic

energy to it.

That was all there is.

And set and setting
is not enough.

That we have to incorporate
skillful use of these medicines

to really achieve what
we want to do with them.

And so, I like to think
of set and setting

as, like, somebody has a
strong intention and desire

to be an artist.

They have a beautiful canvas,
perfect brushes, and paints.

But they don't
know how to paint.

And so, something is missing.

And certain skill sets,
like the ability to focus,

the ability to
allow and surrender,

the ability to
perceive inner states,

the ability to navigate
these inner states,

the ability to heal
from particular traumas

or explore particular
concepts or problems,

these are all things
that aren't static.

That they can be developed
over time, using mindfulness,

using psychological skill sets.

And then also, in the
experience themselves,

when you know how to use them.

In the psychedelic community,
it's one of the one communities

that doesn't acknowledge this
need for skill explicitly.

So, what happens is
people take a passive role

in the experience.

>> A passive role is typically
what most people take towards

their initial
psychedelic journeys.

And the same is seen
for the set and setting

that most have before sleep.

So even our dreams are
guided by our passive mindset

and environmental settings.

Those new to
psychedelic experiences

typically must acclimate
to the new environment

and deal with their own
fears and desires first.

However, once this space is
not so new and overwhelming,

it must be navigated
actively and intentionally.

Otherwise, the visions
and the entities

encountered therein begin
to steer the experience

in their own direction.

The implications of how deep
these experiences can go,

how endless the
psychedelic universe is,

and how intense it can be
to relive forgotten moments,

are mindboggling and
not quite accepted

by conventional
science or medicine.

Czech psychiatrist
Stanislav Grof

discovered that volunteers using
psychedelics, or even breathing

exercises, were entering
memories that go as far

back as the womb and beyond.

>> And I don't understand
why, for example,

the fact that birth is
such a significant trauma,

cycle trauma,
doesn't get through.

I read it the other day
that it was 50 years ago

when I first talked about it in
an LSD conference in Amsterdam.

And I created the four stages,
the four Perinatal Matrices,

as I call it, the
experiences that people have

when they relive these
consecutive stages of birth.

And it didn't make a dent
in the official thinking.

I now have the
feeling that science,

current materialistic science,
no matter how sophisticated,

is naive if it does not
include these hidden dimensions

of reality.

The psyche is much, much
larger than the model,

the current model, of
mainstream psychiatry,

which is limited to
post-natal biography.

There's no recognition
that the hours of birth

are a psychotrauma.

It's bizarre thinking,
if you imagine.

Because we now have
a lot of research

showing that prenatal
experiences are very important.

So, actually we
have many people who

have done psychedelics,
reliving birth, having

prenatal experiences,
past life experiences,

archetypal experiences.

And I became very
fascinated by how much you

can do with such simple means.

>> Trauma is defined as injury
or stress to someone's physical

tissues or
psychological balance.

PTSD in veterans is one
example of a drastic rise

in reported
psychological trauma,

that psychedelic plants,
with proper set and setting,

can help with.

Imagine how many
cases go unreported

in people who will never
know that one of the latest

treatment discoveries
in science is also

one of the oldest psychological
medicines known to culture.

>> I never really understood
why I suffered from PTSD.

And it's only been discovered
the past year or two.

Prior to that, I'd gone
the Western medicine route,

and gone to psychotherapists,
and done a Western medicine

model of taking a lot
of synthetic drugs.

And I was on opiates for
pain for about five years.

And it's really controversial.

And I don't condone
this for anybody.

But it was my way
to quit cold turkey.

I started with mushrooms.

The cannabis use helped.

I think that
psychedelics are going

to help with all these
issues going forward.

My heart just goes out
to all these veterans.

That some of them, their only
resource is to go to the VA.

And these doctors are
just prescribing them,

like big bottles of pills.

And it used to be 32 guys
a day killing themselves.

Now, it's like 52.

And, like, it kills my soul
because these are my brothers.

There is a better way.

And you don't have to
use synthetic drugs.

And if it helps just five
guys out of those 52 not

kill themselves,
please consider that.

Because you're
talking to a guy who--

I lived it.

And, I mean, I did everything
they said to the letter.

And it drove me in a
negative feedback cycle,

where I'm lucky to be
sitting here with my life.

>> Psychedelics allow us to
stay with those memories,

with the physical sensations,
without being fully overwhelmed

by them.

And it allows us to
process deep traumas

that we wouldn't
otherwise have access

to because we wouldn't
be able to remember them

in a normal waking state.

>> Like remembering a dream,
the insights of psychedelic

journeys can be fleeting.

And the moments when
traumas resurface

are opportunities to heal
and process the unique gift

and lesson that every hardship
has inherent within it.

If there is no room
for engagement,

the whole event would
be more like a dream,

in which any decisions that are
made are subconsciously driven.

Actively engaging with
a psychedelic experience

is turning the dreamlike
state into a lucid dream,

in which an aspect
of the awakened mind

gets to make decisions and
play with the new rules

in this flexible territory.

Psychedelic researcher
and author David Jay Brown

wrote the book,
"Dreaming Wide Awake,"

where he compares and unites
the psychedelic experience

with lucid dreams.

>> Lucid dreaming is very much
associated with psychedelics

because people often have
lucid dreams spontaneously,

right after doing a psychedelic.

And there's a lot of similarity
between lucid dreaming states

and psychedelics.

I think that I started having
the lucid dreams because

of my experience with ayahuasca.

What was probably most
interesting about doing

the ayahuasca and doing
the lucid dreaming

was the ability to communicate
with this higher intelligence

or higher part of myself.

>> Ayahuasca isn't the only
plant medicine acclaimed

for its abilities to
induce lucid dreaming.

Psychedelic researcher
and author Chris Bennett

has found particular methods
for inducing lucid dreams

using cannabis.

>> You know, one of the things
that a lot of regular smokers

of cannabis, what they
call chronic smokers,

report is they don't
dream very much.

They have a real-- and this
is, like, widely known.

And scientists trying to
explain this phenomena

have suggested that this may
be due to a spike in melatonin,

which is suggested
by some reports

to spike as much as 4,000 times
the amount of normal waking

melatonin levels.

Now, using the
imperial method, just

testing substances
on yourself, I've

noticed, if I wake up at
about 4:00 in the morning

and smoke some cannabis
and go back to bed,

I have the most intense dreams.

They're super
vivid, lucid dreams.

And I attribute this to this
same spike in melatonin.

I'm already into that
deeper levels of sleep.

Because I've been
asleep for a few hours

and just getting up
for a few minutes.

Go back to sleep.

And bam, I have the most
intense lucid dreams.

The type of dreams where
you wake up and then

go back to sleep.

And you go back into the same
dream, continuous, very vivid.

>> Most people don't realize
that in a lucid dream,

you could ignore all the
characters in the dream,

ignore the environment, and
simply talk to the dream

itself.

You just raise your head to the
sky, ask the dream questions.

And it will respond to you.

It responds to you in English.

Or it'll change the
environment in some kind of way

or show you some kind of
answer to your question.

And remarkably, it knows you
better than you know yourself.

It really shows
you amazing things.

So, that was one of
the major similarities

I saw in working with these
two spirits, the ayahuasca

spirit and the
lucid dream spirit,

is these two spirits knew me
better than I knew myself.

And I can ask them
any question I want.

And they would have answers.

It was like dealing
with an oracle.

>> An oracle, from antiquity,
is typically a person to whom

the commoners would travel, in
order to ask questions about

their future.

Just like ancient
shamans, the oracle

would do the work
for the commoners.

Shamans would imbibe the
psychedelic plant and journey

into the next world,
seeking remedies and answers

for the tribe.

Similarly, the
oracle would often

inhale vapor that would
alter their perception,

or throw tea leaves, or
stare into a polished crystal

in order to see
the coming events.

Nowadays, the trend is turning
towards interdependence,

in which the
commoners are taking

the shamanic quest themselves.

They imbibe their
own plant medicine.

They use their own oracle
decks or scrying bowls

and translate the
messages themselves.

And this fits well with the
similarities of psychedelics

and lucid dreams.

If you can ask your
own subconscious

mind questions in the
midst of a deep sleep,

who or what is the
one responding?

Is it possible that
psychedelics, oracles,

meditation, and all other
modalities of self-development

are merely tools to engage
the self that we do know of,

with the parts of
ourselves we've never

been able to imagine?

>> So, the subconscious mind,
when it trusts and it feels

safe, can open up big.

It can open up childhood
trauma because this is

the place where it can happen.

This whole psychedelic
structure that you may see,

and the colors, it seems like
the neurons of the universe,

they are outside,
the same as inside.

And you feel it.

You feel connected.

It's allowing.

And it's opening up.

And that's what
makes it so deep.

And then at a certain moment
you realize, this is all me.

It's just myself.

So, in this connection of
reality that is universe,

it's me.

It's you.

It's there.

There's no judgment.

So, you're confronted
with what you're doing,

with what you didn't do, with
what you could have done.

And you come more
and more to yourself.

>> What exactly is the self?

How would it show itself in
psychedelic journeys or dreams?

And how does it communicate?

Religious, philosophical,
and even scientific circles

have been attempting
to explain this concept

since time immemorial.

Many of them seem convinced that
their way is the one and only.

But is it possible to
catch a glimpse of the self

through each of these
methods, and realize

that all roads lead
not to Rome, but home,

the home of the true self?

One of the benefits of
psychedelic experiences

is in how they cause,
for moments of humility,

a re-evaluation of the
choices and actions that

led us to our traumas or
illness in the first place.

But a look into our past is not
the only thing that comes about

from these mind-bending plants.

There are accounts from the Old
World of psychedelic journeys,

rendering people comatose
or perceivably dead.

And upon returning, visions of
hellish or heavenly dimensions

were recounted, even
visions of the future.

>> And a large amount of the
ancient world references are

involved in ingested
amounts of cannabis,

which were potent enough to
knock over a couple of days.

So, you would appear comatose
to anybody that observed you.

But at the same time,
there's obviously

a lot of mental stimulation
going on from the substance

as well because the
people that returned

after such experiences gave
their reports of where they'd

been.

And in the Zoroastrian
religion, a large part

of the religious
cosmology is derived

from people ingesting bonga,
a potent cannabis extract,

infused into wine.

And we see this in the
stories of both Arda Wiraz

and a king known as Vishtaspa.

In Arda Wiraz's case,
he drinks the seven cups

of the cannabis-infused wine.

And then he lies down.

And he comes back.

And he said that he had been
to see both heaven and hell.

And Arda Wiraz's visions,
these Zoroastrian visions

of heaven and hell, that's where
we get the concepts of heaven

and hell from.

There was no heaven
and hell in Judaism.

In the Old Testament, Samuel
is raised by the Witch of Endor

from the pit of Sheol.

It's kind of a land of shadows.

So, this is like a direct
experience this guy had,

ingesting the
substances, went to see

the lands of the dead, where
the evil were persecuted

and the righteous were rewarded.

In Vishtaspa's experience,
he saw the end of time.

And the Oracle of
Hystaspes, which

is a Greek version of
the name Vishtaspa,

was the prototype of what became
the Book of Revelation, written

along the same sort
of lines, predicting

the downfall of Rome, and
these types of things.

So, here we see people using
very, very potent cannabis

things, with lasting visions
that effected history

from ever since they happened.

>> The expanded states
of consciousness brought

on by these few plants might
seem exciting when the focus

remains on the
visionary, creative,

and maybe even the prophetic
qualities that they produce.

But it should be
remembered that to reach

these states, large amounts of
these substances are consumed,

which increase the intensity
and unpredictability

of the journey.

Few seekers are equipped
to take on such experiences

without trauma.

In fact, many psychonauts
express their reservations on

whether or not
just anyone should

be using these substances.

>> There's also a lot of people
that these psychedelic things

were probably not
appropriate for them.

And even Terence McKenna
said, most people

are better off just
leaving all this alone.

It's not for everybody.

People need to
work on themselves.

It's not a substitute
for therapy,

or family counseling, or
Feng Shuiing your house,

or finding a right livelihood.

All those things
are important too.

>> And this isn't for everyone.

These experiences are very
powerful, very transformative.

And they stretch
your consciousness.

And they're an initiation.

But without the
cultural container

of how we hold people
before, during,

and after these
experiences, people

aren't getting the most from it.

And they've not having a
long-term transformational

change.

>> The cultural container
is more than just

the environmental setting,
more than the mindset going

into the experience.

It's even more than having
the skill sets to navigate

these deeply unfamiliar spaces.

At the heart of
community-based healing,

through generations of plant
medicine work, is the shaman.

This role is
dedicated to those who

have had significant amount of
experience with the medicine

and is familiar with
how to handle crises.

Similar roles to
the shaman are now

being identified for various
purposes, as the guide, sitter,

or facilitator.

In the Johns Hopkins
psilocybin studies,

Mary Cosimano holds specific
guidelines for her role

in facilitating other people's
psychedelic therapy sessions.

>> The guide's responsibility
is to have a relationship with

the participant,
with a volunteer.

It's really about them
feeling safe, and comfortable,

and not judged.

And just being able to
allow whatever experiences,

whatever comes up, whatever
feelings, to express them

and to allow them.

>> This type of role
responsibility is not new.

From shamans, to
guides, to facilitators,

the overarching theme is
that unnecessary interference

in the psychedelic
journey of another

may complicate the
intelligent nature

of the psychedelic experience.

The guide must keep quiet.

And only interject for
safety or logistical reasons,

to allow for the
journeyer to listen

to the message of the
subconscious mind.

>> And it seems to
be a better approach,

from both learning from
studying shamans and from

the psychotherapy approach
that people have been studying,

to just let the person kind
of have their own experience.

And be there with them, be
there in case they need you.

Be there for support, if
they want to hold your hand,

if they have an experience
they want to share with you.

But don't try to guide the trip.

Don't try to navigate for them.

Let them navigate themselves
has been the more common wisdom

that's emerged from
MAPS, and from some

of the other psychedelic
schools of thought.

>> The emergence of new
psychedelic research groups,

like MAPS, ICEERS,
Heffter, Beckley, and more,

are focused on the approach
of empowering the individual

having the experience with the
skills and tools and knowledge

of how to use them in order
to have a meaningful and safe

journey.

This empowerment is
leading many aspirants

to realize that psychedelic
plants, lucid dreaming,

meditation, dance, and
many other modalities

are merely tools to access the
deeper layers of reality that

lie beyond form and
appearance, and contain

all the events in the past,
present, and even future.

This is considered to be
possible in the same way

the Aboriginals of
Australia believe

the realm of the dreaming to
exist beyond time and space.

So, no event, whether in the
distant past or far-off future,

is truly inaccessible.

The Aboriginals believed
in continuity, rather than

progress.

They believed in the way
that relationships integrate

into a greater
whole, rather than

isolated roles and functions.

They also believed
that the land is not

to be owned because the land
is what connects us all.

It is the reason we are all
able to travel and explore,

to nest and find shelter,
and to enjoy life's gifts.

This very land is also home
to the numerous creatures

we live amongst, as well as
the abundance of plant life.

And among these plants
live a specific variety

that usher in visions of
animal guides, ancestors,

other worldly beings, and
a glimpse at the future

we are creating right
now on this planet.

What can we learn from
these visions that

emerge from the
subconscious mind,

from the space beyond space
and the time beyond time?

What can we learn from
the shamanic traditions

of antiquity, and their
modern revisions today?

What skills can we
learn by entering

these deep layers of the self
and navigating with intention?

And what lessons can we
bring back to this world,

to balance the unsustainable
changes happening here?

Perhaps with the support of
highly informed communities,

with the highest
intentions, we can

empower the masses to
take responsibility

for their own healing, their
own transformation, and once

and for all engage the dream.

Up next, join us as we
explore the importance

and art of integrating
psychedelic experiences.

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