Cornfield Chase – Hans Zimmer (Priscilla)

 

Shine On You Crazy Diamond – Pink Floyd (Camlin) – Reach for the secret

 

Only Skin & Emily – Joanna Newsom (Audrey) – Only Skin - The line from which the title "Only Skin" is drawn is "Scrape your knee: It is only skin / Makes the sound of violins". This particular phrase reminds me of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's assertion that "We're not human beings having a spiritual experience. We're spiritual beings having a human experience." Ultimately, we are spirits inhabiting bodies, and our spirits transcend the pain and suffering our bodies may endure. This seems especially relevant to working through chronic pain, whether physical or emotional

 

Parabola – TOOL (Camlin) – Recognize this as a holy gift & celebrate this chance to be alive & breathing

 

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds – Beatles (Sophía) - Although John Lennon famously denied that Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was directly about LSD, the song's surreal imagery and dreamlike atmosphere are heavily associated with psychedelic experiences. The late 1960s was a peak period for psychedelic culture, with LSD being widely used for creative, spiritual, and exploratory purposes. The Beatles themselves were influenced by psychedelic drugs, Eastern philosophy, and avant-garde artistic movements, all of which shaped their musical experimentation during this period. Musically, the song features unusual chord progressions, shifting tempos, and a hypnotic melody that mirrors the altered states of consciousness induced by psychedelics

 

The lyrical artistry of the song hits on several psychological themes. The vivid and surreal imagery captures the essence of how psychedelics can dramatically alter sensory perception, intensifying colors, patterns, and imaginative landscapes. The song evokes a sense of childlike wonder, playfulness, and expanded imagination, which aligns with enhanced creativity and the breakdown of rigid thought patterns. Finally, the floating, dreamlike quality of the lyrics and music parallels the experience of ego dissolution, where the self feels detached from normal reality

 

This song stands out as an iconic representation of the psychedelic era, blending music, poetry, and altered consciousness in a way that is both mysterious and evocative. While its meaning is open to interpretation, it captures the sense of boundless imagination and curiosity that psychedelics often unlock. Even outside of a psychedelic context, the song invites listeners to view the world through a more colorful, open-minded perspective—a key takeaway that is meaningful to me

 

Way Out There – Lord Huron (Camlin) – Wander out there & see what we’re worth

 

Past Life - Tame Impala (Izán) – Now I see my life as the banal slog it instantly became and I don’t know if I can go on the same, but I don’t wanna dig up old bones

 

Everything Stays – Olivia Olson (Jackie) – Let’s go in the garden, you’ll find something waiting right where you left it lying upside down. When you finally find it, you’ll see how it’s faded, the underside is lighter when you turn it around

 

Angel Dust – Mac Miller (Jackie) - Mac Miller’s mixtape Faces was released in 2014 and is a prominent psychedelic-inspired project in modern hip-hop. Faces reflects times when Mac was deeply immersed in his drug use and explores existential themes of self-destruction and inevitable mortality. This album was heavily influenced by his experimentation with psychedelics and other substances, which led to its jazz-infused musical production. In addition to the music, Faces released accompanying videos to each song which further enhanced its psychedelic feel through distorted, vibrant, and fluid animated imagery repeated on a loop

 

Symptom of Life – Willow (Katie S) – Pushing & peeling the layers that cover my mind. Looking into the shadow now I notice the light. Magic is real when you see it inside you decide

 

Wet Sand – Red Hot Chili Peppers (Laura) – Helped me process the paradox of fragility and connection. The metaphor of wet sand and its ability to hold shape while remaining malleable mirrored my own internal dance between doubt and clarity. This aligns with the role of music in psychedelic therapy, where carefully chosen songs provide a structure for meaning-making and emotional scaffolding, allowing patients to navigate the shifting landscape of self-perception (Jerotic et al., 2023)

 

Rhiannon – Fleetwood Mac (Sarah) – In relation to human psychology, themes of power, self-identity, and the search for personal freedom are often central in our clinical work. Laced throughout “Rhiannon” are related themes of connection to nature, freedom, spirituality, and transformation. For integrated use in PAP, I imagine these central themes would provide some benefit when exploring themes of transformation, self-empowerment, and feminine energy. The song’s mystical qualities align with the introspective nature of the psychedelic experience, as well as the feminine archetypes of strength, mystery, and fluidity

 

The Balancer’s Eye – Lord Huron (Camlin) – Here tomorrow, gone today

 

Star Crossed – Kacy Musgraves (Katy M) – This example of art influenced by psychedelic use, and an artist who openly speaks about the ways she benefitted from psychedelics, speaks to the reciprocal impact art can have on a person both in and out of a psychedelic state. The imagery Kacey Musgraves portrays allows her to be vulnerable, heal from her past hurts, and offer kindness and compassion to herself, which in turn can inspire her listeners to do the same

 

Across the Universe Movie – The Beatles Covers (Megan) - This movie represents so much of what psychedelics can do for us. This movie is a whirlwind experience just like psychedelics. This movie to me, represents so much of who I am as this is 1. my ultimate favorite movie, and 2. I feel like I myself have gone through 9 lives since I first discovered it. This movie also feels like a home base to me because it is iconic and representative of love, pain, transformation, and the human capacity to go to hell and back but try to come back to yourself with a new sense of growth, wisdom, and strength. It's hard and strange to explain what this movie means to me

 

Guapparìa – La Niña (Laura) — A song that once wore the mask of pride and now, through La Niña’s raw voice and fierce presence, strips itself bare in the weathered language of Naples. This new version no longer speaks of victory, but of survival. Not of being untouched, but of standing up anyway, despite life’s beatings, with a soul that’s been battered but still whole. Psychedelic healing asks for the same: to surrender the stories we used to shield ourselves, to sit with the wreckage without numbing, and to find, beneath it all, the stubborn pulse of life that refuses to die

​

Acid Rain – Chance the Rapper (Izán)  - What I find interesting about the presence of LSD throughout this project is the focus not only on the positive aspects of the trip experience but also the darkness. Many of the songs on the project which mention the use of LSD have a somber or even unsettling ambience with songs such as “Paranoia” and “Acid Rain” speaking to the important but often emotionally challenging truths conceived while the artist was tripping. This is, again, in stark contrast to the way other substances are usually portrayed in rap-music as being a symbol of diversion and social status. Chance’s depiction of his experience with LSD on Acid Rap hints at this being a rewarding but challenging and possibly disturbing experience. I am choosing the song “Acid Rain” from this project specifically because I think it exemplifies this dichotomy of the emotional power of Chance’s experiences with LSD as well as the challenges he grapples with such as confronting themes such as gun violence, death, addiction and social inequality

​

Pneuma – TOOL (Camlin) – We are a will & a wonder. Release the light

 

The Great Gig in the Sky – Pink Floyd (Camlin) – Any time will do, I don’t mind

 

Vide Noir – Lord Huron (Camlin) – So what if I’m living out past the edge?

 

Neon Jungle – CloZee (Kylie) - CloZee’s music features ambient textures, hypnotic beats, and layered melodies that resemble the expansive, surreal, and introspective states of a psychedelic trip. Many of her songs incorporate ancient instruments, world percussion, and ritualistic beats, evoking shamanic ceremonies associated with ayahuasca and psilocybin use. CloZee has expressed that she is deeply inspired by nature and mystical experiences, aligning with the psychedelic ethos. As you can see in the video, the visuals accompanying her music incorporate kaleidoscopic visuals, flowing mandalas, and sacred geometry, all of which are common visuals during psychedelic experiences. Her music is commonly featured in conscious movement spaces, yoga sessions, and psychedelic therapy playlists, highlighting her connection to altered states of mind

 

In The End – Röyksopp (Allie) – Remember how you’d shiver at the thought long ago, to lose all inhibitions & control. One more time, you know that this endeavor is your own. Walk the line

 

Yellow Submarine Movie – The Beatles (Erin) - I was exposed to this piece of art as a child completely unaware of anything related to these compounds. The psychedelic elements of this film and its soundtrack captivated, excited, soothed, and frightened me all at once as a child; this mirrors the ways in which psychedelic substances can make us feel, connecting adults to what we refer to as our "inner child." I think of how open, creative, and curious my mind was when I first encountered Yellow Submarine and cannot help but think that ingesting the compounds we discuss in class could "bring me back" to that place of openness