What Oprah Got Wrong and Right—A breakdown of her lovely conversation with Michael Pollan

A pretty groovy thing happened in the psychedelic world last week. None other than American tastemaker Oprah Winfrey sat down with author Michael Pollan to talk about magic mushrooms for an hour in front of the world on the Oprah podcast. (Here’s a link to the video).

Their conversation—which included testimonials from psychedelic evangelists joining via video call—was both profound and superficial, inspiring and incomplete, so I thought I’d jump in with my tie-dyed crayon and color outside the lines.

Oprah, Mental Illness and Psilocybin Therapy

There’s a moment at the beginning of the conversation where Winfrey warns us that folks with mental illness shouldn’t mess with psilocybin and that certainly isn’t true. Pollan attempts to clarify and dispel this myth, but the conversation sorta meanders away before a clear verdict is given. 

Fundamentally, I think it’s an incidental mischaracterization of mental illness that causes this snafu, but here’s how I’ll approach this—I believe (along with a lot of the world) anxiety, depression, OCD, addiction disorders, anorexia and PTSD are mental illnesses. Studies have shown that psilocybin therapy can help alleviate (in varying, yet revolutionary capacities)  ALL these conditions. However, due to the intense nature of the experience, psilocybin therapy is NOT recommended for folks with certain mental illnesses—bipolar disorder, a family history of schizophrenia or those who have suffered a previous psychotic break. 

Of course, this issue is never black and white. Someone with depression who is currently in the throes of suicidal ideation should never take psilocybin. A person who suffers from any of the conditions mentioned above who has no support network and a very unstable living situation should also avoid psilocybin therapy. A thorough and comprehensive intake is always required. 

Even so, I wish Winfrey hadn’t been so cavalier with her assumptions in the first 5 minutes of this talk.

Michael Pollan and the Lightbulb Moment

Speaking of mental illnesses, Pollan later forwards a theory that Winfrey regards as a lightbulb moment. As studies continue to reveal the efficacy of this therapy on a whole suite of different conditions, Pollan wonders aloud if these different disorders—OCD, PTSD etc—are just different manifestations of the same root cause. Perhaps, he muses, that all these mental afflictions derive from a rigidity of thought or what my former teacher Dr. Erica Zefland calls the suppression of “the vital force.”

It’s an interesting theory and may reveal one of the simpler often overlooked truths regarding psilocybin’s effect on the mind. It tends to shush the noisy part of our brains and light up dormant neural pathways that allow us to consider our entire lives—habits, afflictions, relationships, past traumas—in a whole new light. 

Religious vs. Spirituality in Psilocybin Therapy

Near the end of their conversation, the topic of religion and spirituality is breached when Winfrey outlines a distinction between a sober religious experience and a spiritual awakening induced by a drug. Pollan responds via anecdote, but I’d like to throw my mushroom hat into the ring here too.

When this topic emerges, there tends to be a subtle insinuation that psychedelics are not for folks with traditional religious beliefs. Or that a spiritual psilocybin journey may just plain eviscerate one’s belief system once and for all. For me, that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Psychedelics deliver a profound thud of connection. Often the messaging is so visceral that we come away with a newfound or renewed faith in the universe. That said, this “thud” doesn’t negate any system of belief; instead, it often adds another profound layer to our belief systems. If our deities preach love, kindness and connection—and most of them do—psilocybin therapy is often a gorgeous confirmation of our faith no matter what shape it takes. 

Legal Psilocybin Therapy in Oregon 

The last guest on the podcast asks Michael about where one can go to legally explore psilocybin therapy, and I think Pollan’s answer is a bit cautious and potentially evasive. He first mentions potential participation in clinical trials, which is a pretty prohibitive and circuitous route to psilocybin therapy. You’ll often have to uproot your life, wade through a few stages of placebos and adapt to a stuttering timeline. Not to mention that screening for these trials is very specific (which is a good thing, of course). 

He then suggests the prospect of traveling to Oregon or Colorado as almost an afterthought while reminding the listener that psilocybin is still illegal at the federal level. While this distinction is true, (and maybe I’m just a paranoid denmother) but his characterization seemed to paint our efforts in Oregon in an amateurish and fringy light. 

Just like marijuana is legal in 24 states but illegal at the federal level, psilocybin therapy is a robust, legal industry in Oregon. Facilitators like me are required to go to school, and we are subject to the Oregon Health Authority just like every other health care program throughout the state. In the last two years,  thousands of people have come from out of state to receive professional, safe and effective therapy. 

The Monster Under the Bed

Finally, I want to embellish Pollan’s comments about the role of the facilitator. Speaking of the importance of guides, Pollan explains to Winfrey that guides are instrumental during the journey to help shepherd the psilocybin patient through the more turbulent phases of the journey. He uses the metaphor of the monster and explains that guides encourage their clients to face this scary being and try to learn from it.

It’s true; we’re equipped with a lot of psychedelic clichés. If you see a door, open it. If you encounter stairs, go on up. You’re not spiraling; you’re floating.  However, I think Pollan loses the plot a little bit here. In my estimation, a guide’s primary role resides in preparation and integration. By encouraging clients to look inward and bubble up trauma, we are preparing them to face those monsters. By teaching them how to drop into the medicine, we anticipate major turbulence before it manifests. 

After the journey, we make rigorous plans for integration where we help clients connect the dots of the experience, so folks can make changes in their daily routines. This is not to say we don’t do anything during the actual journey. We hold space with fierce determination. We confront and move stuck energies. We offer solace and encouragement. We witness both the sacred and profane.

But the truly magical thing is that we listen and empower our clients from the beginning, and we don’t disappear when the medicine wears off.