Psychedelics have helped facilitate journeys across many walks of life, from Indigenous tribes to curious college students. While the groups impacted can vary immensely, many who consume psychedelics include one thing: music. The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) noticed and created a new offering to facilitate the auditory experience of informed psychedelic trips.
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Music is the Bridge, a fresh educational contribution from the nonprofit, features playlists made by beloved musicians like Incubus’s Brandon Boyd.
“Music and psychedelics have a partnership, a commingling that stretches back into prehistory,” said Boyd in a press release. “I know with great certainty that psychedelics, predominantly psilocybin, have been deeply impactful to me in my experience as a younger man but also as I continue my creative pursuits as an adult.”
Each playlist is built to accompany a trip, integration, or everyday listening.
“This campaign unites the medical, mystical, mainstream, and marginalized through the power of music, offering individuals transformative tools for self-discovery,” said MAPS community and partnership officer Devon Phillips.
Playlists will be updated monthly and presented alongside free education to help psychonauts, new and old. Psychedelic Fundamentals, an introductory class built to guide beginners, is available for free as a part of this campaign. This course teaches psychedelic history, science, clinical research, therapeutic uses, harm reduction, and more in easy-to-follow lessons.
Those who take advantage of the completely free offering will also have access to the MAPS Integration Station. The workbook helps people through the post-trip process as they process and decipher their experience. These educational tools generally cost more than $20 but are free as part of this campaign.
With music as the harbinger and education as the fuel, this campaign seeks to inspire a new age of intentional psychedelic exploration.
“The songs on my playlist resonate with moments of beauty and peace, opening the way to experiences of insight and freedom,” Melissa Etheridge, award-winning musician and cannabis entrepreneur, added.
Lil Yachty chose songs that center on integrating the experience, something he has long valued.
“Whenever I take a trip, I often spend the end of it reflecting and integrating my experiences—trying to understand why certain things are happening, what I’m doing well, and whether there’s anything I could be doing differently or whatever else comes up,” Yachty shared.
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Boyd, Etheridge, and Yachty are joined by a bounty of other artists, including CloZee, Reggie Watts, East Forest, and MAPS president Rick Doblin himself on the list of playlist composers. The nonprofit invites everyone to join in the fun by posting their favorite psychedelic-oriented playlists on social media. Just tag #MusicIsTheBridge. There is also official merch available in the MAPS store for those who are super down for the cause.
“Music is a universal bridge, fostering curiosity and a deeper understanding of psychedelics while encouraging responsible and intentional exploration. This initiative reflects MAPS’ mission to create impactful, accessible change by blending cultural connection with purposeful education,” Phillips concluded.
