PT449 – Louie Schwartzberg – "Fantastic Fungi" and "Gratitude Revealed": How Psychedelics Inspired a Cinematic Exploration of the Invisible
Oct 10, 2023
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Louie Schwartzberg, renowned filmmaker known for the award-winning documentary 'Fantastic Fungi' and director of 'Gratitude Revealed,' discusses how psychedelics inspired his cinematic exploration of the invisible. He talks about his techniques to capture the unseen aspects of reality, the premiere of 'Fantastic Fungi,' his new streaming channel, and a clinical trial on using imagery and music on psilocybin. He also explores the power of gratitude, resilience, and the blessing of being a photographer.
Psychedelics can inspire filmmakers to create visually stunning content that captures the invisible aspects of reality.
Clinical trials using psilocybin and nature's imagery have shown positive effects on patients' cardiovascular responses and blood pressure.
Gratitude, when practiced daily and integrated post-psychedelic experiences, can foster resilience and stop rumination spirals.
Deep dives
The Rise of Psychedelic Mushrooms and Functional Mushrooms
Psychedelic mushrooms and non-psychadelic functional mushrooms are gaining popularity for their medical benefits. They are being explored as natural alternatives for mental health treatment, addressing issues like depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Patients are seeking natural ingredients and practitioners are turning to holistic and sustainable solutions that incorporate medicinal mushrooms and adaptogens.
Brilliant Blends: Dual Supplement Line for Mental Health and Performance
Brilliant Blends is a dual supplement line developed by Dr. Joquita Handy. The supplements, Adapt and Enrich, include carefully selected premium quality adaptogens designed to enhance memory, support the immune system, aid in sleep, protect the body from stress, elevate mood, increase energy levels, and promote deep concentration and peak performance.
The Transformative Potential of Psychedelic Wellness
Psychedelics are being recognized for their transformative potential in mental health and well-being. Fantastic Fungi, the documentary film, has had a global impact in spreading awareness about the clinical trials and therapeutic benefits of psychedelics. The combination of nature's imagery and psilocybin in clinical trials has shown positive effects on patients, especially in areas such as cardiovascular responses and lowering blood pressure. Art and science intersect in the exploration of psychedelics and gratitude, offering new perspectives and opportunities for healing and personal growth.
The Power of Visuals and Psychedelics
The podcast episode discusses the powerful impact of high-quality visual experiences, such as watching HD or 4K videos while under the influence of psychedelics. The speaker explains how these visuals can greatly amplify the psychedelic experience and create a sense of wonder and openness. They also highlight the importance of creating visually stunning content that goes beyond the typical cop shows and reality TV, aiming to provide content that is like 'junk visuals'. The speaker mentions their own platform that offers a variety of visually captivating films, including underwater footage and films for children's hospitals. Overall, the episode emphasizes the potential of visuals and psychedelics in transforming consciousness and creating positive experiences.
The podcast episode introduces the film 'Gratitude Revealed' and explores the concept of gratitude as a practice. The speaker explains that the film delves into various values and themes such as courage, focus, creativity, wonder, connection, and love, highlighting how these values contribute to gratitude. They mention the importance of integrating psychedelic insights and aha moments into one's life and relationships. The speaker talks about the significance of taking the wisdom gained from psychedelics and applying it to everyday life, emphasizing the importance of integration. The episode also touches upon the role of gratitude in building resilience and bouncing back from life's challenges. Overall, the episode promotes gratitude as a powerful tool for personal growth and positive change.
In this episode, Joe interviews Louie Schwartzberg: renowned filmmaker known for the award-winning documentary, “Fantastic Fungi”; and now, director of the new film, “Gratitude Revealed.”
He talks about his path to photography and filmmaking and how psychedelics were a huge inspiration – how his techniques of slowing down, speeding up, and zooming in were ways to capture the invisible aspects of reality – that which is “too slow, too fast, too small, and too vast for the human eye,” but is always there. He discusses the premiere of “Fantastic Fungi” and the waves it spread through the psychedelic space; The Louie Channel, his new streaming channel that will feature all his work in 4k and the work of other curated artists and friends; and the clinical trial he’s involved in to see if participants have better results in the treatment of their alcohol use disorder by watching his imagery set to music on an 80-inch screen while on psilocybin – research that hopefully leads to the concept of being able to prescribe images and music to people based on specific criteria.
He discusses his new film, “Gratitude Revealed,” which explores the power of gratitude: making it a daily practice (and especially a post-psychedelic integration practice), how resilience is one of the best benefits from practicing gratitude, and how easy it is to stop a rumination spiral by simply finding something to be grateful for. He also talks about the blessing of being a photographer and always thinking of beauty; how psychedelics make people more environmentally conscious; tripping with parents; how a shared love of nature could be the bridge between opposing sides; and how the best way to deal with the climate crisis is to start in your own yard.
