Giving Compass' Take:

• Michael Pollan discusses new research that suggests that psychedelic substances may help mental health patients to change the brain chemistry that is negatively impacting them. 

• How can philanthropy support further research into treatment for mental illnesses? What social, political, and practical barriers does this type of research face? 

• Learn how Scotland is approaching mental health issues in rural areas.


Recent research suggests that certain psychedelic substances can help relieve anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction and the fear surrounding a terminal diagnosis.

Michael Pollan, author of the new book How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence, talked with TIME about the therapeutic promise of the drugs.

What do scientists believe that psychedelics can offer people?

The feeling among the scientists is that these chemicals allow us to essentially reboot the brain. If the brain is stuck in these narrow grooves of thought — whether it’s an obsession or a fear or the story you tell yourself — all those deep grooves that lock us into patterns of both thought and behavior are dissolved and temporarily suspended in a way that allows us to break those patterns.

What psychedelics do you think show some therapeutic potential?

There are two drugs that show the most potential and will probably be legalized for medical use soon. One is a drug that isn’t always considered a psychedelic: MDMA, also known as Ecstasy or Molly, which has been shown to be incredibly useful in the treatment of trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in soldiers or in rape victims. A study recently came out that showed great effectiveness at treating those problems. That’s very encouraging, and that may be the first of these drugs to get approved.

The second is psilocybin. It appears to be very useful in the treatment of anxiety, depression, and addiction in both smoking and alcohol.

Read the full interview with Micheal Pollan about psychedelic drugs and mental health by Mandy Oaklander at TIME.