Psychedelic Class Playlist
Spring 2026
Gotta' be a dead-head chemistry
In the third incantation of the psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy course at Alliant we journeyed to the unknown. Gold rushing through fingers melted like dreams melt away. We followed the æmerald star through the æmerald gate & read from the æmerald tablet... and we threw the first ever class-end partea! In one of the only cultures to ever pathologize holotropic states, we contemplated the wholeness of consciousness with reverence & humility. We recognized & honored that these bodies holding us are impermanence reminders on the endless search for the cosmic eternal. We celebrated this chance to be alive & breathing. What emerged was a beautiful, co-created kaleidoscope of experience, wisdom, heart, & community - A memory as resistant to time's blur as one can manifest. Below is a final reflection of our collective vision, the key to our door of perception. Because many selections are intentional & specific versions of songs not available on streaming platforms, links are provided to proper iterations. The cost of culling the perfectly tailored reflection is commercial interruptions, where yin meets yang, our sacred's profane (but if you pay the greedy google empire they will dramatically reduce the tainting of our collective consciousness, sounds like quality self-care to me). Click on underlined words to enjoy wandering through the strange trails we carved together. Travel well. See you on the other side. May you live until you die ∞ SPIR@L OUT..................................
Spring 2026 Psychedelic Class Playlist
The purpose of knowledge, that we may know - that we may not know
Shine On You Crazy Diamond pts. I-V – Pink Floyd (Camlin) – Reach for the secret...
New Person, Same Old Mistakes – Tame Impala (Robin) – Tame Impala's sound is subjectively psychedelic, marked by dense, multi-layered instrumentation and richly treated vocals. Parker frequently employs production techniques such as phasing, delay, reverb, and fuzz distortion to create depth and a sense of altered perception within the music. Rather than relying solely on traditional verse-chorus structures, many songs develop gradually, allowing instrumental passages to evolve over extended durations. Tame Impala’s music often exceeds the average length of mainstream songs. Within these longer structures, Parker integrates stretches of indistinct or heavily processed lyrics with complex instrumental sections. In some pieces, extended passages are entirely instrumental, emphasizing groove, texture, and mood over lyrical narrative.
Parabola – TOOL (Camlin) – Recognize this as a holy gift & celebrate this chance to be alive & breathing...
The Trip - Still Corners (Aubrey) - I laid down in the sand and started drawing, felt the flow of creativity, one of my favorite songs started playing, everything was vibrant. I saw a little girl making sand castles with her parents, thought of myself as kid, always so creative, tapping into a part of myself that I don't really tap into anymore. I felt waves of sadness and contentment drawing and being connected to that part of myself. I checked phone, a wave of darkness came over me, panic, all consuming. Fearful, I turned back to drawing, it helped me relax. I felt like a cartoon with a rain cloud only above me, then I started drawing and the rain went away. I saw something and can't look at it the same again, can't look at myself in the same way. Kind of unsettling. Is there a way to keep those two things balanced???
Dark Thoughts - East Forest & Ram Dass (Katie) - East Forest (Trevor Oswalt) is a soulful artist from Oregon who makes ambient, electronic music, often performing live using a mix of instruments, his voice, and sounds from nature. East Forest’s 2019 album was made in collaboration with the psychologist turned psychedelic pioneer turned spiritual leader, Ram Dass, shortly before his passing. The album is a rhythmic and emotionally evocative meditation on presence, surrender, love, the soul, the state of the world, and existence itself. Not only are both “artists” on this album influential in the psychedelic space in obvious ways, given their histories and projects, but the music, with its peaceful, ambient spoken pearls of wisdom, reflects insights often gleaned from psychedelic experiences. Ram Dass’ soothing voice guides listeners toward ego softening, acceptance of suffering, impermanence, and loving awareness.
L$D - A$AP Rocky (Meg) - The "L$D" music video immerses listeners in dreamy production, saturated visual, and themes of love, longing, and altered perceptions. The song mirrors psychological concepts associated with psychedelic states - heightened emotions, feelings absorbed in the moment, and experiencing love or desire in an intense way. A$AP Rocky has openly talked in interviews about his experiences with LSD and how it influenced his creativity.
Turtles All The Way Down - Sturgill Simpson (Dee) - The song's title Turtles All The Way Down, references the idea that reality can go infinitely deep in a way suggesting that psychedelics helped him question what is real and how belief systems are formed. The song itself also touches on common themes that often come up in psychedelic experiences such as questioning long-held beliefs, letting go of rigidity and feeling more connected to everything. Sturgill Simpson in a way talks about moving away from strict religious ideas and instead focusing on love as something universal, which fits with how people often describe gaining new perspective after psychedelic experiences. The calm and steady sound of music and the overall relaxed pace of the song makes it feel reflective and grounded instead of overwhelming, highlighting that someone can have mind-expanding experiences and still come back to everyday lives with a calmer and more open outlook. Overall, the song highlights how psychedelics can lead to curiosity and openness.
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - The Beatles (Wes) – Various studio effects were incorporated to create the effect this song has on the listener. The song alternates between 3 major keys (A, B-flat, G) that produces an ephemeral, dream-like vibe that is pleasing to the ear. Harrison uses a tambura (an Indian string instrument that creates a harmonizing droning effect with the melody) as the underlying base that characterizes the song's disjunctive song structure. The changes between the 3 major keys also contributes to the dynamization (when familiar forms dissolve into more fluidity) effect the song has, matching the lyrics as the song moves into the pre-chorus and main chorus, where the song reaches its peak and dwindles back to the following verse. Songs in the psychedelic style often incorporate Eastern instrumentation, key and time signature changes in order to create this musical effect.
A Scale, A Mirror, And Those Indifferent Clocks - Bright Eyes (Derek) - This song is very important to me because it is about the task of making meaning from a seemingly meaningless and chaotic universe we have all been thrown into without a choice, alone and without a creator. We struggle on this journey to be the people we want to be, constantly being reminded of our imperfections. The only constant is that time continues unabated. With all of this, we are cursed with a language that is insufficient to describe the situation we have found ourselves in. I think these are the types of experiences that psychedelics can bring on, full awareness of the absolute horror of existence. Sad songs like this give me joy because I feel something like an elephant in every room in the universe that is somehow taboo to talk about is finally being acknowledged.
Way Out There – Lord Huron (Camlin) – The time has come to wander out there & see what we’re worth. Cheers Tubbs!
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi - Radiohead (Shira) - I loved the entire unpredictable voyage. It elicited a constant hum of curiosity and excitement, an experiential process filled with hidden cues, like solving a riddle in an escape room. Invited to plunge into the depths of a vast ocean of knowledge and walk barefoot across magical, unfamiliar terrain, finding a profound beauty in this familiar & unfamiliar weirdness. It was exhilarating to observe the edges of human consciousness and desire, and to gently touch the forbidden tree, to find that satisfying the hunger only created a deeper, more vital thirst.
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun - Pink Floyd (Camlin) - Witness the man who raves at the wall, making the shape of his question to heaven. Love is the shadow that ripens the wine. Will we remember the lesson of giving???
Trilha de Sumé / Culto à Terra / Bailado das Muscarias - Lula Côrtes & Zé Ramalho (Shira) - Paêbirú is often called the Holy Grail of Brazilian psychedelia. Beira Mar (Seaside), from this album, was widely described in later accounts as being shaped by psychedelic experience. In late 1974, the artists Lula Côrtes and Zé Ramalho made a pilgrimage to Pedra do Ingá – an archaeological site in the backlands of Paraíba covered in enigmatic prehistoric carvings. According to the album's mythology, their encounter with the site's atmosphere and local psychoactive mushrooms helped inspire this concept album mapping the four elements: Earth, Air, Fire, & Water.
Pneuma – TOOL (Camlin) – We are a will & a wonder. Release the light...
Like Taking Off An Old Shoe - East Forest & Ram Dass (Katie) - Death is a ceremony In which one takes off one pair of clothes and adopts a new one... that's from the soul perspective. From the ego, death is a stopping point, it's the end of the ego. The ego sees death as suffering, and the soul sees death as the awakening of a new world. A new perception. So you should identify with your soul in life; that will be the best thing for you to do... ...to anticipate death. It's your Sādhanā in life. Your Sādhanā prepares you; prepares you for an upbeat dying. Death is a ceremony...
The Great Gig in the Sky – Pink Floyd (Camlin) – Any time will do, I don’t mind...
Vide Noir – Lord Huron (Camlin) – I am only an aimless soul heading into a pure black void...
Shine On You Crazy Diamond pts. VI-IX – Pink Floyd (Camlin) – Cry for the Moon...
Reach out beyond...
CIP welcomes writing from anyone about how music helps navigate the mystery of existence.