Radiohead guitarist Ed O\u2019Brien healed his mind through wilderness walks and alternative healing. (Photo: Gilick)\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe film, which is narrated by O\u2019Brien and set to the soundtrack of Blue Morpho, <\/i>follows the musician as he wanders through the woods, dips his hands in the cool water of a river, looks out at a lake, and gazes at the night sky. Most of the footage was shot on the grounds of his home or nearby. \u201cWhen you make something deeply emotional or multi-layered, it\u2019s often hard to explain it only in words,\u201d he said on the call. \u201cImages and references say one thousand things. The film was a way to share how the Welsh landscape played a very important role in shaping the music and me. When you are somewhere really wild and powerful energetically it has an enormous effect on you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The film was shot in winter, giving it a dark moodiness fitting of an album that came out of a dark place. But the music is far from dark. Songs feel introspective and soulful, blending elements of psych-folk, jazz-influenced textures, and ambient sound. O\u2019Brien recorded Blue Morpho <\/i>between London and the Welsh countryside with producer Paul Epworth, known for his work with acts like Paul McCartney and Adele, and collaborated with musical talents including flautist Shabaka Hutchings, guitarist Dave Okumu, Radiohead\u2019s drummer Philip Selway, and the Estonian composer T\u00f5nu K\u00f5rvits. The entire album was recorded at 432 Hz, which is known as a universal harmonic. \u201cWhen you listen to the music you feel calm, that\u2019s part of the magic of 432 Hz,\u201d he said. \u201cIt feels deeply whole. I\u2019m not going back to 444.\u201d<\/p>\nEmbracing Alternative Healing<\/h2>\n
O\u2019Brien has been on a healing journey for 30-some years. \u201cIronically, I come from a family of osteopaths who love prescribing drugs,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were horrified at the idea of me going to see a healer in Brazil because it wasn\u2019t scientific. But I\u2019ve always been interested in how people in other parts of the world approach medicine and healing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the years, O\u2019Brien has sought out natural remedies for chronic back pain and sinus issues but then started to go deeper. \u201cLike an onion, there are so many layers to the body, and I realized wellbeing starts in an emotional place,\u201d he said. \u201cI started to feel my way through things and experiment with Tibetan medicine, acupuncture, mushrooms. It\u2019s had a profound impact on me.\u201d<\/p>\n
While struggling with depression, O\u2019Brien embraced the practices of Wim Hof, the Dutch health guru known for his extreme cold tolerance. A cold shower is now part of his daily routine. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing what the cold does to the vagus nerve,\u201d he said, referring to the nerve that influences the body\u2019s parasympathetic nervous system. Meditation is another part of what he calls his healing \u201ctool kit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a mongrel meditator,\u201d he joked. \u201cI taught myself 20 years ago, but I still intend to find a teacher.\u201d Each morning he spends 25 minutes meditating and concludes the session with thoughts of gratitude.<\/p>\n
Growth Through Challenge<\/h2>\n O\u2019Brien tried to evoke the emotions and sensations he\u2019d felt on a psilocybin trip on Blue Morpho\u2019s <\/i>funky tune, \u201cTeachers\u201d. Each year, he and a handful of close friends spend three days camping in England\u2019s Dartmoor National Park and they bring mushrooms. \u201cIt\u2019s become a ritual,\u201d he said. \u201cThe amazing thing about mushrooms is it takes you out of your head and you feel the beauty of Mother Earth. It\u2019s plant medicine. I feel reconnected after those weekends.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Brien said his dark period turned out to be one of the most important chapters of his life. \u201cI\u2019m so thankful for that dark time,\u201d he said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have moved forward without it. Only when we suffer and face challenges do we evolve. Evolution doesn\u2019t happen when everything is in balance.\u201d<\/p>\nRadiohead guitarist Ed O\u2019Brien talks to Outside about how wilderness walks and alternative healing helped him overcome a deep depression. (Courtesy of Ed O\u2019Brien)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nO\u2019Brien said one of his favorite phrases is: \u201cYou got this.\u201d On the days when he didn\u2019t want to get out of bed, he\u2019d tell himself to just put one foot in front of the other. \u201cI really believe we have to be careful in modern society not to have such an aversion to pain,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople are so much more resilient and capable than they realize.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Power of Walking<\/h2>\n Walks through the countryside with his rescue dog Ziggy, a Collie Springer mix, helped pull O\u2019Brien out of his depression. \u201cI\u2019d get in my battered old Land Rover and drive to the foothills of Snowdonia National Park and go on long, glorious walks,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cZiggy and I would watch the sun go down over the Irish sea, then head back through the hills. It was right in the middle of winter and the sunsets at that time of year are beautiful. They hold the promise of warmer days to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Brien\u2019s walking routine remains a big part of his day, he said. \u201cIt helps me to recalibrate and reset my connection with my spirituality,\u201d the guitarist told Outside<\/em>. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible to think that people have been walking these trails for thousands of years. I marvel at how they carve through the landscape and follow the rivers and streams.\u201d<\/p>\nHis walking practice has also reconnected him to the rhythm of the seasons. \u201cI love the seasons,\u201d he said. \u201cIt stirs me in special ways. I think living in cities, it\u2019s easy to ignore the seasons. But I think there is something primal about living by the seasons. They help root us through change. Certain parts of the seasons are ingrained in my psyche like lighting a fire in the winter months and smelling the wood burning.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Brien is already strategizing how to maintain his connection to nature as he returns to the stage. He\u2019s still dreaming up how to present Blue Morpho <\/i>live. But Radiohead embarked on their first tour in seven years in late 2025. The band is performing a unique in-the-round\u00a0format, playing from a central stage.<\/p>\n
Starting in 2027, every year they will be traveling to a different continent and performing 20 shows each year. \u201cI try not to be a diva, but I do request a room with a balcony or outside space,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I seek out parks every chance I get. After my dark time, I feel increasingly drawn to the beauty that surrounds us in the natural world. It\u2019s become a lifeline.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jen Murphy is a regular contributor to Outside. She still has a CD of Radiohead\u2019s hit album, <\/i>OK Computer.<\/p>\n
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![\"Radiohead](\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ED-O-BRIEN-1025-Gullick-03_23-scaled.jpg?width=3840&auto=webp&quality=75&fit=cover\"\/)