The Altered Consciousness Collection (Hofmann’s Potion, FLicKeR, Hippie Masala) box set of award-winning documentaries explores the frontiers of human consciousness and the iconic pioneers who opened the doors of perception. From early LSD research and hypnotic “dream machines” to the transformational powers of Eastern spirituality, The Altered Consciousness Collection reveals the sub-culture of enlightenment seekers who influenced a generation.
 

For Screenings, Public Performance or Educational Orders please visit The Altered Consciousness Collection Education Page

Hofmann’s Potion
Long before Timothy Leary urged a generation to “tune in, turn on and drop out,” lysergic acid diethylamide (or LSD) was being used by researchers committed to understanding the workings of the human mind. Discovered in 1943 by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann, LSD was hailed as a powerful tool for the treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction and to provide a window into schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. Much of that pioneering research was done by the team of Humphry Osmond, Abram Hoffer and Duncan Blewett, all working in Saskatchewan. While researchers were establishing the medical benefits of LSD, others—like the friend of Humphry Osmond, author Aldous Huxley—promoted the drug as a powerful tool for mental exploration and self-understanding. At Harvard, Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner and Ram Dass became popular heroes after the university cancelled their research into psychedelics. With thoughtful interviews, beautiful music and stunning cinematography, Hofmann’s Potion is an invitation to look at LSD with a more open, compassionate mind.

FLicKeR
In 1960, poet, artist, and beatnik Brion Gysin invented the Dreammachine, a hypnotic light device with the power to induce hallucinations. The Dreammachine enthralled mystics and freethinkers everywhere, with William S. Burroughs claiming that it could “storm the citadels of enlightenment.” With interviews from some of the counterculture’s most eccentric icons - from Iggy Pop to singer Marianne Faithfull - FLicKeR is a riveting documentary that explores the life of Brion Gysin and his quest to transform human consciousness.

Hippie Masala
In the 1960s and 1970s thousands of hippies journeyed East in the search for enlightenment, free drugs or a ‘pure’ life. Indian peasants assumed that a severe drought in the West was the reason for their migration. India’s holy men saw it, more accurately, as a search for spirituality. Most moved back to their home countries after a few months or years. Some stayed for good. Hippie Masala shows aging flower children who, after fleeing Western civilization, found a new home in India.