Psychedelics and Movement with Dmitry Repin, PhD
In this episode, Dmitry Repin, PhD joins to discuss the intersection of bodily movement and psychedelics. Dr. Repin is the co-founder of the Institute for Psychedelic Research at Tel Aviv University, holds a PhD in cognitive neuroscience, and is the producer and creative force behind the Everything Else Matters documentary.
In this conversation, Dr. Repin explores how psychedelics may influence movement, proprioception, and motor learning, drawing from his background in neuroscience and his transformative experiences with dance practices like Gaga. He describes his team’s innovative clinical study pairing psilocybin with guided movement training to investigate whether altered states can open temporary windows of enhanced plasticity for learning new movement patterns. Throughout the discussion, Dr. Repin reflects on why so many people feel inhibited in their bodies, how psychedelics might soften these constraints, and what traditional movement-based ceremonies can teach modern clinical research about embodiment, healing, and the relationship between perception and action.
In this episode, you'll hear:
How dance and Gaga inspired Dr. Repin’s scientific interest in movement during psychedelic states
Kinesiophobia and why many people experience fear, shame, or inhibition around movement
Why Dr. Repin chose psilocybin for his study on psychedelics and movement
How Dr. Repin’s study measures movement changes using optical tracking and multi-dimensional metrics
What makes Gaga movement practices unique compared to other approaches to dance and movement
The structure of the psilocybin-plus-movement protocol developed at Tel Aviv University
How psychedelics may temporarily enhance motor learning through shifts in proprioception and neuroplasticity
What ritual and communal dance contexts reveal about the embodied dimensions of psychedelic experiences
Quotes:
“If we understand those [neurological] mechanisms, we can try to influence certain situations where people have deficits related to movement.” [4:47]
“For example, when I go to a dance training session [after a recent psychedelic experience], I find that I actually internalize movement patterns much faster than I do otherwise—and it's noticeable to my dance teacher.” [8:56]
“Part of the hypothesis that we have is that certain qualities or dimensions of movement might be affected more or less by psychedelics than others and that potentially, will give us some insights into the specific brain mechanisms because certain different types of movement sometimes require different circuits to engage in different parts of the body.” [19:47]
“Some initial wisdom, some anecdotes, or some best practices that have been developed within those non-clinical settings may be very useful to inform clinical—and maybe other—areas that use psychedelics.” [27:03]
Links:
Everything Else Matters documentary
The Institute for Psychedelic Research at Tel Aviv University