Southern New Mexico Psychedelic Medicine Film Festival addresses mental health

As the mental health crisis continues to surge in the United States, the question of how best to address it has become a hot button topic. With the release in July of Mental Health America’s annual “State of Mental Health in America Report” showing that nearly 60 million adults have experienced mental illness in the past year, and a staggering 13 million have reported serious thoughts of suicide, the need for solutions has never been so dire.

But what if there were a possible solution, albeit one that has been demonized for half a century? Would it be worth our time to study it? The people behind Sol Tryp – a nonprofit organization located in Las Cruces whose mission has been for equitable mental health care using psychedelic medicines – would like to weigh in on the argument.

To do so, they have put together a three-day event at the Fountain Theatre they’re calling the Southern New Mexico Psychedelic Medicine Film Festival. Consisting of three independently produced documentaries that demonstrate how plant medicines are changing lives – “Dosed: The Movie,” “Dosed: The Trip of a Lifetime,” and “Fantastic Fungi” – the festival is a mind-opening journey through the world of psychedelics.

Mat Martins, a volunteer at Sol Tryp and a former scientist working for Pfizer, believes these are films that should be seen by anybody with an interest in mental health: specifically, how the topic can be addressed in today’s tumultuous political sphere.

“Each of these films has its own narrative about why these medicines are important, what kind of patient populations they serve, why they have been scheduled the way they have in the United States and internationally, where they come from and the science behind them,” he said. “They’re all pretty fascinating and valuable films. They’re interesting even if you’re not willing to try psychedelics, because it’s a topic that hasn’t been very public for quite a long while.”

The reason for that is simple, albeit controversial. In the 1970s the federal government classified psychedelics as Schedule 1 substances, making them illegal to possess  even for research. But with evolving norms concerning nontraditional healing practices, including the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, the way has been opened for reconsideration of psychedelics.

“We’ve sort of reached a tipping point with our mental health crisis,” Martins said. “A lot of people are in need and suddenly we’re being perceived in a positive light. People are calling it a kind of renaissance. It’s interesting to see how many people have been waiting on the sidelines for things to change, and now that the rules that punish people who step outside the boundaries are relaxing a little, it’s like they’re coming out of the closet, so to speak. These films will, we hope, foster that change.”

In keeping with the scientific approach to the subject, each of the film screenings will be followed by a discussion moderated by Sol Tryp.

“We’re hoping to get a feel for how people react to the information that has been given, but also whether or not they feel this is something that should be made accessible to New Mexicans,” he said. “These discussions are really meant to set the stage, because we’re working with legislators to write bills and we want to understand where people stand on the topic, and who are willing to speak up and share their own stories.

“I will say, however, that this isn’t for everybody,” he cautions. “If you’re not willing to see the hard truth about what people are going through in terms of mental health, don’t see these movies. ‘Fantastic Fungii’ is an awesome movie to just chill out and enjoy, but the other two are really difficult. The subject matter affects all of us. Watching them, you’ll realize just how much our government has been suppressing possible solutions. It’s very eye-opening.”

“Dosed: The Movie” will screen at 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 12. “Dosed: The Trip of a Lifetime” will screen at 2 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 13. “Fantastic Fungi” will screen at 2 p.m., Monday, Oct. 14. All three will be followed by an open discussion until 5 p.m. The Fountain Theatre is located at 2469 Calle de Guadalupe, in Mesilla.