Resources
Documentaries worth watching, books worth reading and podcast episodes worth hearing — curated so you can form your own understanding before you ever talk to anyone.
Watch first — the easiest way into the subject.
Netflix docuseries, based on Michael Pollan's book
A four-part series exploring the history and science of psilocybin, LSD, MDMA and mescaline — including their study for depression, addiction and end-of-life anxiety. A careful, mainstream-friendly starting point.
Visit sourceDocumentary film
Follows Navy SEAL veterans travelling for ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT treatment after conventional care fell short. A raw look at veteran trauma, treatment access, and why so many feel left behind by the current system.
Directed by Louie Schwartzberg
A visually stunning look at the fungal kingdom, with a segment on psilocybin research featuring Paul Stamets and clinical researchers. More about mushrooms as organisms than therapy, but a beautiful foundation.
Visit sourceDirected by Susan Hess Logeais
Explores the life's work of Stanislav Grof, a pioneer of psychedelic research and holotropic breathwork, and the therapeutic potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness.
Documentary film
Follows a woman's journey using psychedelics to address opioid addiction, depression and anxiety after conventional treatments failed her.
Long-form conversations with researchers and advocates.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The most widely shared introduction to Paul Stamets — mycologist, author and advocate — covering mushroom biology, psilocybin and his famous stack. A classic entry point.
The Joe Rogan Experience
Stamets returns to discuss microdosing, neurogenesis, lions mane and the state of psilocybin research.
Huberman Lab with Dr. Matthew Johnson
A deep science conversation with Johns Hopkins researcher Dr. Matthew Johnson on how psilocybin is studied clinically, what it does in the brain, and what the trials actually show.
Visit sourceLex Fridman Podcast #220
A long-form conversation on fungi, consciousness and healing — slower paced and more reflective than most.
The Tim Ferriss Show
The author of 'How to Change Your Mind' on the renaissance in psychedelic research and how to think critically about it.
Psychedelic Passage podcast
Focused on harm reduction, preparation and integration — practical listening for people seriously considering their own path.
Foundational and practical reading from journalists, scientists, and people who lived it.
Michael Pollan
The book that kicked off the current renaissance. Pollan, a careful journalist, traces the history of psychedelics and reports on his own experiences. The Netflix series adapts this — the book goes deeper.
Visit sourceDr. Andrew Gallimore
A neuroscientist's accessible breakdown of what psilocybin actually does in the brain — receptor pharmacology, neural networks, and the neuroscience of the experience, written for curious general readers.
Vex King & Rubia Karin
A practical, harm-reduction-oriented guide covering preparation, the experience itself, and integration. Useful for people thinking seriously about their own path and wanting to do it responsibly.
Paul Stamets
The mycologist's landmark work on fungi, mushroom cultivation, and the ecological and therapeutic potential of mushrooms. Dense and technical in places, but foundational for anyone interested in the fungal side.
Edited by Charles Hayes
A collection of first-person psychedelic experiences across many substances and settings — useful for understanding the range and unpredictability of these experiences before relying on any single story.
James Fadiman, PhD
Fadiman is a leading voice on microdosing. This covers safe, intentional use of psychedelics for problem-solving, creativity, and spiritual exploration, with a clear emphasis on set, setting, and integration.
Ayelet Waldman
A memoir of one woman's month-long microdosing experiment for severe mood disorder. Honest, personal, and a useful counterpoint to the more clinical literature.
Tom Shroder
A journalist's history of psychedelic therapy's resurgence, following Rick Doblin of MAPS and the early clinical work. Good context for where the field was a decade ago.
Small sample sizes, expectation effects, and publication bias are real in this field. A promising early trial is not proof — and a failed one is not the final word either. Look for replication, read the limitations section of every paper, and be wary of anyone (including us) summarising a study in one sentence. Our Research page lists findings and limitations side by side for exactly this reason.
