Michael Pollan Interview | The Tim Ferriss Show (Podcast)

A safety certification company that has certified Teeter inversion tables.

Where Michael Pollan teaches writing.

Inadvertently turned on Ken Kesey to LSD during mind-control experiments.

Magazine that named Michael Pollan one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010.

A benefit for which Tim Ferriss and Michael Pollan first met.

Organization headed by Rick Doblin, focused on psychedelic research and therapy.

Magazine that published Michael Pollan's article 'The Trip Treatment' on psychedelic psychotherapy.

Researchers at Yale studied meditators' brains, finding similar Default Mode Network quieting as seen with psychedelics.

Conducting a large study on psilocybin and alcohol addiction.

Founded by Bill W., who considered incorporating LSD into their program to help alcoholics.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has registered Teeter inversion tables as a Class 1 medical device.

A clinic in San Francisco where Dr. Andrew Weil volunteered in 1968, seeing many 'bad trips' from psychedelics.

Its past presidents have spoken positively about personal psychedelic use, indicating a cultural shift.

Part of the Justice Department, responsible for rescheduling drugs, and its future response to FDA approval of psychedelics is uncertain.

A publication Michael Pollan was a longtime contributor to.

A key research institution where work on imaging the brains of people on psychedelics, particularly by Robin Carhart-Harris, has revealed insights into the Default Mode Network.

Where Michael Pollan is the John S. and James L. Knight Professor of Science Journalism.

A university involved in psychedelic research, including early studies on mystical experiences and ongoing work on Alzheimer's and depression.

One of Michael Pollan's previous New York Times bestselling books.

A paper by Robin Carhart-Harris suggesting that psychedelics increase brain entropy, potentially breaking rigid thought patterns in mental illnesses like depression and addiction.

The diagnostic manual used in psychiatry, which categorizes mental illnesses, a process that Michael Pollan discusses as potentially too rigid given the overlapping nature of many conditions.

A New York Times bestselling book by Michael Pollan, discussing healthy eating.

A book by Michael Pollan that touches upon humanity's relationship with plants.

Another New York Times bestselling book by Michael Pollan.

Michael Pollan's book on the new science of psychedelics and their implications for consciousness, addiction, depression, dying, and transcendence.

A critically acclaimed book by Michael Pollan that explores the origins of food.

Michael Pollan's first book, about his garden and symbiotic relationships with nature.

English writer and philosopher known for his work with psychedelics and the concept of the 'reducing valve' of consciousness.

Neuroscientist at Imperial College London who published papers on how psychedelics affect brain activity, particularly depressing the Default Mode Network.

Co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, who in the 1950s explored LSD therapy for alcoholics after his own psychedelic-like experience.

An investor in psychedelic medicine.

English psychiatrist who coined the term 'psychedelic' in 1957, defining it as 'mind manifesting.'

Writer on the West Coast who was a psychedelic evangelist, turning on thousands of people in his 'acid tests.'

Donor to psychedelic research, specifically for PTSD work.

American neuroscientist at Washington University who discovered the Default Mode Network about 15 years prior to the interview.

Past president of the American Psychiatric Association, who has spoken about his own use of psychedelics.

U.S. Attorney General who is not content with cannabis legalization and whose stance on psychedelic approval is unknown but could pose a challenge.

Author of 'How to Change Your Mind' and other New York Times bestsellers, who explores the science and applications of psychedelics.

Influential American writer whose perspective on nature often involves a passive relationship, contrasted by Pollan's view.

Head of MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies), who believes the cultural climate has changed enough to prevent another psychedelic backlash.

Doctor who volunteered at the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic in 1968 and understood how to manage 'bad trips' by manipulating the experience.

A Czeck émigré psychiatrist who worked extensively with psychedelics and famously stated that psychedelics would be to the study of the mind what the telescope was for astronomy and the microscope for biology.

Owner of Time-Life, who successfully used psychedelics and actively promoted their coverage positively until 1965.

Past president of the American Psychiatric Association, who has spoken about his own use of psychedelics.

Has spoken out in favor of psychedelic research, particularly for PTSD work.

U.S. President who called Timothy Leary "the most dangerous man in America" during the 1960s psychedelic backlash.

Host of the event where Tim Ferriss and Michael Pollan first met.

American essayist and poet whose thinking about nature influenced the traditional passive American view, according to Pollan.

A researcher at Johns Hopkins whose lab conducted a 2006 study on psilocybin occasioning profound mystical experiences.

Psychologist at Johns Hopkins who directed a study on psilocybin for smoking cessation and coined the term 'dumb moments' for transformative realizations.

The first Westerner to try magic mushrooms in Mexico, whose account was published by Henry Luce.

A legendary figure in psychedelic history, a Mazatec curandera who introduced psilocybin mushrooms to Westerners like Gordon Wasson.

CEO of Automattic, who Tim Ferriss credits for introducing him to Michael Pollan.

Cellist whose recording of Bach's unaccompanied cello suites profoundly impacted Michael Pollan during a psychedelic experience.

Environmental philosopher whose view of nature as passive is contrasted by Pollan's active engagement perspective.

A central figure in the 1960s counterculture, criticized for his approach to psychedelic advocacy and research.

Composer of unaccompanied cello suites, which Michael Pollan experienced in a profound non-dual state during a psilocybin journey.

Author whose work, along with events like the Cuyahoga River fires, contributed to the birth of environmentalism, alongside psychedelic consciousness.

Well-known psychopharmacologist in England who conducted an analysis comparing the risks of various drugs and behaviors, controversially stating alcohol is more toxic than LSD.

A psychedelic derived from an African tree root, showing preliminary usefulness in treating opiate addiction by blunting withdrawal symptoms.

The active ingredient in magic mushrooms, researched for its therapeutic potential in treating cancer patients' anxiety and depression.

Granted breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA for expediting phase 3 trials for PTSD.

Antidepressants that work on the serotonin system, mentioned for their long history and limitations in mental health treatment compared to psychedelics.

A psychedelic compound discussed for its mind-manifesting effects and historical use in research.

A psychedelic brew from the Amazon, which Michael Pollan experienced in guided circles.

A classical psychedelic compound that Humphry Osmond and Aldous Huxley experimented with.

A drug that Bill W. was administered in the 1930s, which some consider psychedelic-like and influenced his sobriety.

An obscure psychedelic derived from the smoked venom of the Sonoran Desert toad, which Michael Pollan experienced.

An everyday substance that can significantly change the metabolism of many drugs and cause horrible side effects.

A major media empire that actively promoted psychedelics until 1965, due to its owner Henry Luce's positive personal experiences.

A company that provides personalized mattresses and adjustable pillows based on individual sleep preferences and body types.

The company whose CEO, Matt Mullenweg, organized an event where Tim Ferriss first met Michael Pollan.

A hypothetical pharmacy where one might pick up psilocybin in a future scenario of legal availability.

A company specializing in inversion tables and other fitness products, known for decompressing the spine and relieving pressure.

One of the classical psychedelic chemicals.

Legislation that contributed to the moral panic and legal restrictions on psychedelic research after the 1960s.

A network of brain structures discovered by Marcus Raichle, identified as the area where the brain goes when not busy, involved in self-reflection, rumination, and the autobiographical self. Psychedelics have been found to depress activity in this network.

A Canadian province where Humphry Osmond conducted his early research on mescaline and LSD due to its progressive Health Department.

A river that famously caught fire, symbolizing environmental crisis and contributing to the rise of environmentalism.

A study where high percentages of participants quit smoking after psilocybin treatment, showing promising efficacy.