Descending the Mountain

A scientific test in Swiss nature draws on previous psychiatric and laic experiments with hallucinogens and examines how, combined with meditation, they can help us understand our own consciousness. A zen master and a psychiatrist connected elements of meditation and scientific study to investigate the essence of human consciousness. Psilocybin was known already by native Mexican tribes and used in psychiatry, until it was banned. Switzerland is one of the few countries where this research remains legal, so the researchers settle at the foot of Mount Rigi. Using original and archival footage and animation depicting the experience of group seances, the film opens a question of how to come to terms with one’s existence. (Academia Film Olomouc)