TV Show Gives People With Opposing Views Psilocybin

Since time immemorial natural psychedelics (or entheogens) have been used by Indigenous civilizations in spiritual or medicinal contexts. These substances include magic mushrooms, ayahuasca (DMT), and peyote (mescaline). Psychedelics were formally introduced to the wider world in the 1960s. Their presence was felt to the extent that that period is often referred to as the Psychedelic Era. A time that ushered in civil rights, broke down old-fashioned barriers, and revolutionized music and art. It is this open-minded progressiveness that is still associated with psychedelics today.

The ill-advised ‘War on Drugs’ put paid to much of the research that was being carried out into the potential medicinal properties of these substances — the same properties that Indigenous people had known of for millenia. However, in the last decade or so psychedelic research has been re-ignited. It has been galvanized, and re-introduced to the world as a revolutionary healing tool for mental health conditions, and more. 

Psychedelic Use Associated with Social Connection

A recent study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, revealed that psychedelic use was associated with increased positive mood through feelings of social connection and emotional empathy to others, as well as the experience of personal transformation and growth. 

So, to put these findings to the test, Channel 4 (UK) commissioned a docuseries called Higher Ground. People with strongly opposing views were invited to discuss their opinions (inevitably ending in an argument), undergo a magic mushroom trip, and then have the debate over again. 

Two Deeply Opposing Points of View

In one episode Extinction Rebellion protester Duval was pitted against climate denier and soap actor Sean Ward. Unsurprisingly, the discussion quickly became a heated argument. After this the two men were given magic truffles. The aim was to see, when reunited for a second debate, if the psychedelic experience would bring them together, or further alienate them from one another. 

The two were picked expressly due to their potential to clash. Duval, as part of the global movement of Extinction Rebellion — who push for urgent action to fight the climate crisis — was outspoken in his feelings towards those that deny the very evident ravages of climate change. Prior to the magic truffle experience he shared his distaste towards “people, bigots, idiots out there that want to point the fingers at the government and whoever but won’t take responsibility”

On the opposing side, we were introduced to Sean Ward, a man who thinks that climate change is a ‘hoax’. Ward asserts it’s simply “extreme weather”, and that  “obviously it’s too hot, too wet, too dry, too cold.” When asked his feelings on the Extinction Rebellion he was emphatically negative. Surely the TV producers were rubbing their hands together with glee!

Shrooms Halt the Hostility

Their debate quickly disintegrates into pure argument — interrupting each other, yelling, basically preventing either from saying their piece. As insults begin to be thrown, a Channel 4 crew member arrives and delivers the magic mushroom truffles to each of them. They are then shown taking part in what looked like a magic mushroom/truffle ceremony. After this they return to the debate room, incandescent with laughter and giggles. The shift in energy is palpable. It is calmer, and the previous aggression has dissolved. Duval and Ward embrace each other.

When asked again how he felt about Extinction Rebellion, Ward replied composedly that “The only way out of all of this I think is family for me” and that “we’re all just getting distracted”.

In response Duval pondered that he was “worrying too much about trying to push out a message rather than going about it in a constructive way.”

Psilocybin Gives the Ability to Listen

Of course, their psilocybin experiences did not magically change either of the men’s opinions of the issues on the table. They both still strongly disagreed, in fact. However, their ability to actively listen to each other was improved. This caused the impulse to aggressively force their opinion on the other to dissipate, and helped them realize that the most important thing was listening to each other. 

The episode ended rather movingly, demonstrating that psilocybin truly does have the fabled powers of connection and empathy it has long been thought to have. Digesting his experience, Ward said “…we’re all the same and we’re all part of the giant whole cosmic energy. My heart beats the same as yours on the same magnetic frequency. It’s the same pulse of the human resonance of the whole Earth, and we all just need to come back to that and hold on to it.” 

The power of shrooms, eh?

Other Episodes Show the Same Transformation

This was not the only episode however, which showcased this transformative capability psilocybin can offer. Another episode showed a different carefully matched ‘odd couple’ — right wing commentator Dominique, and left wing commentator Benjamin. Their major point of contention was their opposing views on cancel culture.

Although their debate was less heated than that of Ward and Duval it was still fraught, and the two spoke over each other increasingly as time went on.  Dominique, initially very reticent to take the magic truffles, as they are “just not socially acceptable”, found her perspective was significantly shifted after her psilocybin experience. She later said that she “doesn’t see [herself] anymore as left, right, center.”

Benjamin, post psilocybin, mused “through the division, we understood the unity.” He continued  “It was the fact that we had different opinions that made me realize we were united. It was like I wasn’t a conscious being before, but afterwards I grew – you know, like a new plant.”

Both were taken aback by the transformative insights they had experienced during the magic truffle ceremony. 

Psychedelic TV: A Bright Future?

Of course, a heavily edited ten minute documentary episode is not unassailable scientific proof. But it sure says loudly the long whispered belief that the world would be a bit nicer if more people took psychedelics. It supports what many people with psychedelic experience have known and felt for a significant time. A longer documentary episode, that shows the full scale of the experience and transformation, would truly be revelatory viewing. In the meantime, the fact that this show was aired on a main terrestrial TV channel in the UK shows how far we have come in relation to psychedelic acceptance. 

So keep the psychedelic TV coming! We’ll be tuning in…

Pppssst… you can watch the episode starring Duval and Sean Ward right here ⬇️ (Warning: bad language! 🤐)