The "new science" of psychedelics (NPR)

Michael Pollan, Terry Gross (NPR); Ananda M., Dhr. Seven, Jen B. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

"Reluctant psychonaut" Michael Pollan embraces the "new science" of psychedelics

Host Terry Gross

Author Michael Pollan had always been curious about psychoactive plants, but his interest skyrocketed when he heard about a research study in which people with terminal cancer were given a psychedelic called psilocybin -- the active ingredient in "magic mushrooms" -- to help them deal with their distress.

• Waking Up with Psychedelics (May 31, 2018)

"This seemed like such a crazy idea that I began looking into it," Pollan says.

"Why should a drug from a mushroom help people deal with their mortality?"

 

Pollan, whose previous books include The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food, started researching different experimental therapeutic uses of psychedelics, and found that the drugs were being used to treat depression, addiction and the fear of death.

• Long-term effects of psychotropic drugs are "cloaked in mystery"
• Science: The '60s are gone, but psychedelic research trip continues

Then he decided to go one step further: A self-described "reluctant psychonaut," Pollan enlisted guides to help him experiment with LSD, psilocybin, and 5-MeO-DMT, a substance in the venom of the Sonoran Desert toad.

 

Each of Pollan's experiences with psychedelics was proceeded by worry and self-doubt. But, he says, "I realized later that was my ego trying to convince me not to do this thing that was going to challenge my ego."

 

How to Change Your Mind

Pollan's new book, How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence, recounts his experiences with the drugs and also examines the history of psychedelics as well as their possible therapeutic uses. More + AUDIO

• Author Michael Pollan (465 pages, purchase hardback)
• MORE: Consciousness on Psychedelic "Medicines"