All language subtitles for S02E04 - Psychedelic Frequencies.en

Many people who have
psychedelic experiences,

near-death experiences,
and mystical or out of body

experiences often report that
sound was a key in the journey.

Can the power of sound be
connected with the ability

to travel between different
worlds and dimensions

as ancient cultures
once believed?

The music, the
auditory sound,

and the psychedelic experience
are very closely related.

In February of 2018,
the publication PsyPost

reported on a new
brain study that

had been released only
two months earlier.

Dr. Selen Atasoy, computational
neuroscientist at Pompeu Fabra

University, explored how
the brain communicates

through harmonic vibrations.

Using a new math-based
method called

connectome-harmonic
decomposition,

her team was able to
analyze brain activity

and observe how LSD
affected consciousness.

With plant medicine
and sound, is it

possible to reliably
affect our brains

into harmonics or songs
that loosen our attachment

to consensus reality?

One could argue that there's
no form of expression

as impactful and far reaching
as the ancient art of music.

It is found within nearly every
culture on every continent.

It conjures memories
and emotions.

It forms bonds, connecting
people and communities.

It moves us.

We're a highly visual species,
but the ability to hear sound

is one of our core senses.

It is one of the primary
ways our brain makes sense

of the world around us, picking
up cues or frequencies even

on a subconscious level.

Sound and frequency are
fundamental to our perception

of reality, but
also the building

blocks of reality itself.

Frequency is a
vibrational state.

It's measured using
hertz, cycles per second.

The music can affect reality
in a very specific way.

We experience it in
a hearing threshold,

which is between 20
hertz and 20 kilohertz.

It affects us in a
very particular state.

And when we're subjected to it,
it does specific change in us

whether on the energetic,
physical, mental, emotional,

and spiritual level.

So there is a form
of entrainment.

Entrainment occurs
when music affects us.

It can be as simple as tapping
your foot or dancing to a beat.

This is how acoustics, the
part of physics that deals with

sound and vibration,
creates reality.

Our consciousness
is being affected

by something outside of us and
actually, just about anything

that our consciousness
is exposed to.

That's why entrainment is
huge in creating reality.

The human brain is often
described as a computer.

But to better
understand how it works,

Dr. Selen Atasoy
argues that it's

more like a
multi-scale resonance

system or an orchestra.

It's almost as if the
brain is playing music.

Dr. Selen Atasoy found
that the brain has certain

harmonics.

And these are in
multiples of nine.

And that created a predictable
state of consciousness.

Some of them greatly
expanded states.

Modern science refers to
the sections of our brain

responsible for generating our
sense of self as the default

mode network.

It's where memories
are created and where

we construct mental models
or simulated realities.

But the default mode
network can operate almost

like a program or a song
that runs in the brain,

hindering open-mindedness.

The human brain appears
to consistently fluctuate

through harmonic frequencies.

However, Dr. Atasoy observed
that the brains of those on LSD

displayed more complex brain
harmonics, which are associated

with higher level cognition.

Dr. Atasoy's research on
studying people's brains who

are on LSD, well, first of
all, when people take LSD,

the brain is lit
with activities.

All the different parts
of each hemisphere

are interacting with
each other, communicating

in both hemispheres, are
creating a state of coherence.

The research on brain
connectome-harmonics is

fascinating because it's using
fMRI and imagery over time

to map the brain in terms of
harmonics like music and then

allows us to deconstruct what's
happening in the brain down

to the musical notes.

So we're able to see the
brain in terms of resonance,

how it's affected by
outside input, what's

happening in its own
resonant organization within,

and how it responds to context.

Musical instruments
naturally resonate at certain

frequencies, changing only when
a musician manipulates a fret,

key, or reed.

Is it possible that
the human brain

works in a similar fashion?

Atasoy and her
research team concluded

that internal and
external stimuli,

such as psychedelics and music,
altered harmonic brain states.

And these changes
incited the brain

to reorganize its activity as
if to tune itself to resonate

with these altered frequencies.

Each brain signature
or song correlates

to a particular state
of consciousness.

Dr. Atasoy's method predicts
states of consciousness

based on brain
frequency patterns.

For instance, the 9th, 18th,
and 27th harmonics in the brain

are the signatures for
deep sleep and loss

of consciousness.

There is a
mathematical framework

central to the theories of
heat, light, sound, gravity,

magnetism, and even
fluid dynamics.

It can predict animal
patterns, the morphology

of biological systems,
heat diffusion,

electromagnetic behavior,
and quantum mechanics.

It's as if there is
a predictable pattern

inherent in the cosmos,
a kind of harmonic code.

In humans, the more
complex the harmonic song

is, the greater access the
individual has to their brain's

higher potential.

Dr. Atasoy found
psychedelics reliably

give human beings more access.

Why does a psychedelic
compound like LSD

bring consciousness to a
more sophisticated level

of brain harmonics?

When people take LSD,
both hemispheres are creating

a state of coherence.

And naturally,
when that happens,

then the effect of sound and
music would be far greater.

Cymatics in the way the brain
is being exposed to the harmony.

But also we need to be careful
with what kind of harmony

are we using here, an
equal tempered harmony

or a nonequal temperament.

Equal temperament
is a system that we

created that quantized the 12
half steps in the octave, which

means we're no longer following
the blueprint of sound

that nature gave us.

Ethnomusicologists like
Tannous believe that humans are

attracted to creating
instruments like singing bowls,

gongs, bells, rattles,
instruments that create

a buzzing sound.

Why?

To connect with the
harmonies of nature.

Harmonic vibrations are
several compatible vibrations

playing at once.

And this is where the
body is recalibrating itself,

reinstating the state of
harmony within the self affected

by the sympathetic resonance of
music with nonequal temperament

impacting the brain and
the connective harmonic.

There's so much to learn
about music and sound.

It's so exciting but also
frightening of the enormity

of how much we still don't know.

Imagine walking alone
along a forest trail,

isolated from the noise
pollution of the city.

Silence.

But as you go further,
you begin to register

the symphony of
sounds around you,

the rustle of leaves in
the wind, the birdsongs,

and the chattering squirrels.

Nature constantly
generates its own music.

The sounds of nature are
so integral to our healing

experience on a day to day basis
and so much more so in moments

of ceremony.

We regulate to those sounds.

Our nervous systems, especially
our parasympathetic nervous

systems, are in
balance when we are

in the presence of all the
different sounds of nature.

Nowhere is this more
evident than in the Amazonian

rainforest where Ayahuasca
traditions were developed long

ago.

It should come as no surprise
that jungle noises have always

been an integral part of
the traditional ceremonies.

So I find that jungle noises
are impactful if there are

jungle noises if you're
in that environment.

This is an aspect of bringing
the background forward.

Your hearing seems quite acute.

Your hearing seems much
more acute than normal.

So you're aware of
these background noises

very much in that
jungle setting.

Also playing a role in these
ceremonies is the human voice.

[NON-ENGLISH SINGING]

The song being sung by these
shamans is called an icaro.

These are traditional
songs and chants

used in healing ceremonies.

They originate with
the indigenous tribes

in the Amazon.

It is believed that they
are direct connection

with the spirits of ancestors,
plants, and animals.

In conjunction with
plant medicine,

this can facilitate healing
and open new realms of reality.

These icaros create a unique
resonance within the song

and within those who are
simply listening to it.

In the Ayahuasca setting,
the singing of icaros,

the magical songs if you
will, that's also a big part

of the setting component,
because to set up these

resonances is, I think, very
important to the way that we

process the information.

For example, everyone who
has taken Ayahuasca probably

understands that the icaros,
or whatever oral stimulation

you have in the experience,
drives the hallucinations.

It can trigger synesthesia.

And shamans become
very adept at directing

the experience for the entire
group through the icaros.

So the importance of
the sonic environment,

the auditory
environment, can't really

be underemphasized at all.

It's very important.

So then there's the
synergy of the two.

There's something about
ingesting the substance.

There's a pharmacology to that.

And yes, that's a
real material thing.

But there's also the
person's direct experience

of the Ayahuasca.

Somebody who's very
familiar with the culture,

familiar with the energetics
and open that way,

maybe they can get all
the same from the song.

But somebody who's
totally close,

they don't believe in anything,
then you give them Ayahuasca

and then they hear the song.

It's a lot different.

To be able to receive
those songs requires being

in a receptive place and being
in a sacred feminine energy,

which doesn't have to do
with being a man, or a woman,

or any gender, but simply
being in that place of yin,

of receiving, that we all
need so badly to bring back

into balance within each
of us and within the world.

For some adepts and shamans,
the icaro is an interactive

tool capable of receiving
and sending information.

My particular tradition,
Shipibo tradition,

the icaro is what we use to
look and see with the person.

So I'm trying to have visions
about what's wrong with them.

And the song will help that
open up for me, the song I sing.

And I can see more when I sing.

Something like echolocation,
or sonar, or whatever,

it's like, I'm pinging
out to the world.

And then I'm interacting
with something over there.

Of course, one doesn't need
to participate in one of these

ceremonies to experience the
psychadelic potential created

by the frequencies
of the human voice.

One third of the somatosensory
cortex area of the brain

is fully devoted to
the oral cavity--

tongue, lips, and speech.

By speaking,
singing, or chanting,

can we further stimulate
these areas of the brain?

Using the voice is very
important whether through

singing, vocalization, or
toning because of what it does

to the body.

When we sing, when we talk,
we experience our voice

in two different ways,
the auditory aspect,

which comes out of
the mouth and bounces

on the walls and ceilings,
and comes back to our ear.

The second one is through
bone and tissue conduction.

And that's the reason
why when people

hear their voice on the
recording for the first time,

they say, oh, this
doesn't sound like me.

No.

That's you through the
auditory sense alone.

And that's how people hear you.

And you hear your voice through
bone and tissue conduction

40% to 50%.

So when we are toning and
moaning with lips closed,

we're focusing on the
vibrational aspect traveling

through the lips, the
jaws, the cheeks, the head.

When we're vocalizing,
there is some sort of that.

It's not as great as the
toning, but that causes

several things to happen.

The entire body
is being vibrated.

So there's a frequency
that is affecting

the water in our
body, the liquid,

and enhancing the
cymatics effect,

and changing the neurochemistry,
affecting the vagus nerve that

starts at the brainstem
and goes through our neck.

And this, the neck
area is probably

the best area to get the
closest to the vagus nerve.

There's a phenomenon
called cymatics,

which is where you
have a metal plate,

and you put some powder on it,
and then you hold a tuning fork

or expose it to an
auditory signal.

And you'll see how it
organizes itself into patterns.

Well, the same thing is
going on in your body.

These resonances have
that organizing effect.

The vagus nerve extends
through the throat,

between the lungs, and
attaches to every major organ.

Stimulating it sends a
relaxation message to the body.

So when we
vocalize and we tone,

we are causing some
sort of massaging.

Also, diaphragmatic
breathwork-- belly breathing,

what people call--

is some sort of massage
to the vagus nerve that

goes through the diaphragm
that relaxes the body.

[HUMMING LOW TONE]

So this is very
important to enhance

the psychedelic experience,
to bring the awareness inward.

Holotropic
breathwork pioneer Dr.

Stanislav Grof has used music
and breath work within his

sessions with profound
results that seem to mimic

a psychedelic experience.

We have many people who
have done psychedelics coming

to holotropic
breathwork sessions.

And I do, before the
sessions, relaxation

before they start
breathing faster.

And there are
always a few people

who start going before we
even tell them to breathe

because they have
been holding it down,

sometimes for months or years.

And so we started
experimenting just

with music and the breathing.

And we found out that the
breathing itself with the music

would take people to
very similar places.

People are reliving birth,
having prenatal experiences,

past life experiences,
archetypal experiences.

And I became very
fascinated by how much you

can do with such simple means.

I always thought
about psychedelics

as these exotic substances.

Since the brain generates
harmonic signatures,

what effect could the
proliferation of frequency

disruptors like Wi-Fi
have on the world?

Radio fans are all earphones,
listening to a pioneer station

WH--

If history has taught us
anything about technology,

it's that humans are quick
to expand the new one's reach

before fully understanding
how it will impact society.

First British wireless
station to receive American

voice.

5G, a new
generation of Wi-Fi,

has begun rolling
out across the world.

China and South Korea
have already adopted it

in major cities, and
the global rollout

is moving even faster than
most experts predicted.

But could this wave
of new technology

be disruptive to the natural
evolution of consciousness

to higher and more
sophisticated harmonic patterns?

Concerns over the
disruptive effects

of technology-based frequencies
date back over 100 years.

As far back as 1917,
Rudolf Steiner said that

electromagnetic frequencies
were making it harder for people

to connect to the
spiritual realms.

But he did not say that
we should avoid or reject

the technology.

He said we need to illuminate
the dragon from within.

What this implies is that
these frequencies are

meant to be worked
with and transmuted

and that they have
a purpose, but we

have to turn them
into something that

is at least non-harmful or
maybe even beneficial to humans.

At this time, they
seem to be accelerating

some of the crisis we
face on the planet.

So this might indicate
that sometimes we

need a kind of crisis to
accelerate a spiritual

or an evolutionary leap.

And that is what
seems to be happening.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Can mankind,
using technology,

harness the power of frequencies
to create something more

therapeutic?

The therapeutic
properties of music

have been widely
accepted for many years.

When used in conjunction
with medicinal plants,

could more potential
be unlocked?

We know that the experience
of listening to certain musical

tracks, certain frequencies,
can help us to expand

our consciousness and
reach mystical states.

We also know that plant
medicines can do this, as well.

And when, in the
right combination,

these are used
together, they can

be like the golden
key that opens up

the gateway of our consciousness
to the higher worlds.

I feel like when you work
with these psychoactive plants,

the music really
helps you to relax.

It helps you to
let go of the mind.

And it really helps
you to start to lose

your presence of the body.

And so what that does
is that carries you off

into those other realms.

So it really assists in kind of
being the river that you travel

on into the spirit realm.

Is there a difference between
prerecorded music and music

played live during a ceremony?

Prerecorded music sometimes
has its own intelligence,

and that can be a profoundly
healing experience.

And I also think there's
something profound

about an artist
or musician who's

in the frequency
of the medicine.

Usually, the
musicians in ceremony

have taken a small
amount of medicine

so that they're tapped in.

And they're playing
that music that

is really connected to the
group and what the group needs.

So I do feel that that has
some incredible power to it,

but it doesn't necessarily mean
that recorded music doesn't

have that potential.

The sounds of
nature align us, also,

to the cycles of nature--

day and night, monthly,
and even to the seasons,

whereas man-made sounds are
always going, going, going,

going, and do not connect us
to that deep, ancient part

of ourselves.

You may have experienced
being at a concert,

and the music is so loud it
comes up through your body.

You can feel it taking over
your natural biorhythms.

And when music is
really fast and it

has a beat that's
faster than your heart,

that can promote
feelings of anxiety.

So I like the idea
of using music

that is harmonious
with the human body

to keep us in a calm state.

Through listening to music,
I'm able to mentally take

myself to a place where I never
thought that I could without

being on drugs.

And that's the power of music.

That's something
that I discovered

doing a sound therapy.

And I'm just like,
man, I'm really

having almost like a psychedelic
experience with just sound.

And when I did the ayahuasca
here in the icaros,

that in itself was enough to
make me go into a trip alone.

The role of music in
psychedelic experience

and shamans is something to
be taken extremely seriously.

And especially with
this current interest

in Western science and Western
medical system and using these

compounds to help humans
to heal from debilitating

mental, emotional disorders
and diseases because they're

a state of going out of tune.

And we've also
seen how much music

can be a rehabilitative force.

Take, for example,
music therapy.

Perhaps inspired by
this kind of research,

some engineers are hopeful
that psychedelic states

of consciousness could
actually be induced using

frequency-emitting technology.

If it is possible to
synthesize or replicate

consciousness-expanding
frequencies,

could we also retrofit modern
communication technologies

to emit beneficial, or at
least neutral, frequencies?

In our modern era, we've
really gotten away from

the sound frequencies in music
and how those sound frequencies

could be used for healing.

In ancient Egypt,
there were temples

dedicated to sound
and sound therapy.

So when we observe
the monuments,

the archaeological sites,
that the Mayans, the Aztecs,

the Incas, the
ancient Egyptians,

and many other
civilizations left us,

we realize that these are
buildings that we still now

cannot reproduce them when
it comes to the mathematical

constants that they involve,
to the effect of music that we

experience in the space.

That means they were
built with sound in mind.

Could psychedelics be
ancient chemical factories that

stimulate our higher
chakras when consumed?

Can they help our minds
open to new realities

that were previously hidden?

Plant medicines-- sometimes
combinations of different

plants--

seem to have an effect
on the human energy

field and the endocrine
system in the human body,

similar to the
alchemists as they

looked at the alembic
of the human body

and the transmutation
of the lead into gold.

This could be seen
as another experience

of a psychedelic awakening
where the right combination

and intention and
container of the use

of these sacred
sacramentals can help

to open up the chakras, which
are our endocrine glands,

and stimulate certain
secretions that

help to facilitate higher
and expanded states

of consciousness.

Art indicates and addresses
the invisible realms of our own

hearts that people can't
see, but then they hear it,

or what we experience or the
story of our life or the story

of our ancestors.

And we hear it in the
song, and it touches us.

And we learn and we
grow and we emote.

So I think music
is a sacred thing.

It is my hope that,
at this time in history,

we can remember the power of
music and frequency and these

plant medicines and
the synergy of these.

They can be like the golden
key that unlocks the gateway

to higher consciousness.

[WHOOSH]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

In the next episode, our
exploration into the medicinal

relationships humans have with
nature takes another step as we

transition from plants to some
of the lesser-known creatures

shamanic groups have used
to heal the body and mind.

[RATTLING]

[WHOOSH]