A phenomenological analysis of Fellini's films to understand the effect of LSD therapy on his creativity
Antonio Metastasio, Silvio Mignogna, Riccardo Paci, Milena Mancini, Fabio Melelli, Enrico Lando, Ornella Corazza, Giovanni Stanghellini
Drug Science, Policy and Law 2023 DOI: 10.1177/20503245231186723 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | LSD |
| Topics | LSD |
| Keywords | Creativity Filmmaking Dream Adjective Perception Aesthetics Psychoanalysis Literature Epistemology Movie theater Psychotherapist Linguistics |
| Key points | Proposes that LSD use in controlled therapeutic settings enhanced Fellini's filmmaking and creativity, leading to distinctive stylistic features such as irregular time, brilliant detached colors, and blurred dream-reality boundaries. |
Abstract
Since its discovery in 1943, LSD has been used by artists, scientists, and intellectuals, amongst others, to stimulate their creative insights. Federico Fellini, one of the most important film directors in the XX century, used LSD when it was still legal under the guidance of his psychoanalyst during a phase of personal and creative crisis. This article proposes a phenomenological analysis of how his filmmaking and his creativity was enhanced after using LSD in such controlled therapeutic settings, according to four main domains: (a) time, (b) space, (c) body and others and (d) perception of the self. In particular, time flows irregularly and is punctuated by disorienting flashbacks, colours become supernaturally brilliant and detached from objects, sounds pop up independently from any visible source, and human bodies become often deformed, grotesque and caricatural. The boundaries between dream- and reality-worlds also collapses. His films became so distinctive and original that an adjective was coined felliniesque.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on LSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Experimental Use of Psychedelic (LSD) Psychotherapy | 1970 | Historical analysis | |
| LSD: My Problem Child | 1981 | Historical analysis | |
| On the Use and Abuse of LSD | 1968 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Use of Music in Psychedelic (LSD) Psychotherapy | 1972 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Flashbacks: Recurrent Intrusive Images After the Use of LSD | 1969 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- Ego-Dissolution and Psychedelics: Validation of the Ego-Dissolution Inventory (EDI) Frontiers in Human Neuroscience June 14, 2016
- Phenomenology, Structure, and Dynamic of Psychedelic States Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences 2016
- Updating the dynamic framework of thought: Creativity and psychedelics. Neuroimage March 8, 2020
- Is it time to revisit the role of psychedelic drugs in enhancing human creativity? Journal of Psychopharmacology February 28, 2008
- Dreams and Psychedelics: Neurophenomenological Comparison and Therapeutic Implications Current Neuropharmacology June 19, 2017
and 2 more in the library