Psychedelics as Mental Health Treatment

Ben, who has suffered with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) since childhood, describes how trying just one thing made it so that when intrusive thoughts would occur, he’d recognize them as “unimportant” and “unnecessary.”

What was that one thing? Using psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in what is colloquially referred to as “magic mushrooms.”

“I'm several months out,” Ben says of the time since he participated in a study to examine the effects of psilocybin on OCD. “My symptoms are zero. They do follow-up questionnaires, and I just don’t have OCD, clinically.”

As someone who works with individuals who live with OCD and other anxiety disorders, I was stunned. To be able to make the progress we facilitate using therapy and traditional psychotropic medications can take months, if not years. Sometimes there isn’t progress, not by anyone’s measure. By Ben’s account, he changed his mind, and his life, virtually overnight.

Based on Book by Michael Pollan

I learned Ben’s story as I watched the four-part Netflix documentary "How to Change Your Mind," based on Michael Pollan’s book.

When I read Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma in the late aughts, I took it in, but I put some of it back. I think I wasn’t entirely ready to take in his thesis—basically, that we’re living on corn. Now, many years later, from the lens of sustainability and on the heels of a global pandemic that forced all of us to recognize the fragility of the supply chain, I imagine I could re-read The Omnivore’s Dilemma and take a lot more from it.

When I prepared to take in "How to Change Your Mind" (or at least the Netflix version!), I approached it with some skepticism. As a child of the '80s raised on the “this is your brain on drugs” campaign, I was interested in the idea that substances that have been highly regulated by the U.S. government may have benefits that have not been fully understood and should be more accessible to the general population.

As it turned out, I was blown away by the stories told in "How to Change Your Mind." Some of my wonder comes from being right where we are—at a time of ongoing uncertainty, looking for ways to make life not so hard. "How to Change Your Mind" offers a chance for us to do just that—change our minds about what we may have thought could be possible to change about our minds.

Just as much as I was moved by Ben’s tremendous recovery, I was touched by Pollan’s social justice–grounded exploration of mescaline, the psychoactive molecule in San Pedro and peyote cacti. Pollan’s conclusion was that the masses should not use it; it is too precious and too meaningful to the Native Americans who cultivate it. We have taken enough—don’t take this, too.

Takeaways From the Documentary

What are the takeaways from "How to Change Your Mind," at least from where I sit (on my couch!)?

• Folks are turning to these psychedelic therapies when nothing else in the sometimes-insurance-covered realm of treatments has advanced their recovery. Deep suffering has often occurred before psychedelic therapies have been considered or explored.
• There are risks for some individuals, particularly those with a genetic risk for severe mental illness. Though “a bad trip” is perhaps not as common as we children of the '80s (or clean living folks of the '60s) were led to believe, it is possible that psychedelic therapies could have lasting negative effects. Just like with any drug, there are risks.
• As someone who makes mindfulness and meditation practice a part of my life and my therapeutic approach, some (but certainly not all) of the benefits of psychedelic therapies can be experienced through an ongoing meditation practice. If you’re thinking about changing your mind just a little bit, meditation or mindfulness may be a place to start.

Copyright 2022 Elana Premack Sandler, All Rights Reserved.