Review: How To Change Your Mind-- with Michael Pollan (Directed by Lucy Walker and Alison Ellwood)
How To Change Your Mind is a 2022 documentary produced by Netflix. It is based on a book published in 2018 by the same title, written by Michael Pollan. Pollan-- a writer and journalist-- is an expert on the sociopolitical interpretation of nature. Throughout the course of the series, he explores the legacy of psychedelic substances and how they first became subject to controversy. Each episode is dedicated to a particular psychedelic and its nature. As each episode unfolds, Michael speaks with historians, scientists, and activists about the substance to learn more about them. With the exception of one of them, each episode leads up to the author sharing his own insights as he ingests the drug.
The documentary first opens with Pollan interacting with his friend-- a Native American woman and ceremonial leader by the name of Ericka Gagnon. As the author tries tobacco in a spiritual context as opposed to the typical means of ingestion via cigarettes, he sets the stage for the premise of the show. Certain psychedelic substances have evidence-based premises in helping people psychologically. They also have little evidence to suggest that they are as devastating on human health as certain chemically manufactured drugs that are produced by pharmaceutical companies. Yet despite their track-record of success, these substances are still illegal. To find out more, he interviews experts to understand why. What he finds is that a lot of the controversy around certain substances lies not in the drug itself, but the sociopolitical meaning behind them.
The results of this exploration culminate into an insightful revelation into the political nature of drug policy and regulation. What we encounter is a tug-of-war between institutions and their desire to maintain control of a population. The series features archival news footage, documentary film, and beautifully crafted graphics to tell a story of the legacy for the control of human consciousness, and how it has been a push and pull for power. Pollan's look into the legacy of psychedelic drugs takes him across the globe and gives him the opportunity to interview experts and activists from different disciplines, traditions, and tongues. We even get to meet those who have successfully used psychedelics as a means of alleviating illnesses such as addiction, suicidal thoughts, depression, disorders, and more.
How To Change Your Mind gives us a doorway to explore the legacy of the War on Drugs and how it has disproportionately impacted certain communities. We also learn how experts and activists are working together to move the needle on the conversation surrounding psychedelic use for mental health treatment. Pollan approaches the legacy of each substance and their users with respect and dignity. His approach is to understand and to respect the treatments as medicine and as a tool that can be used either positively or negatively.
What I enjoy about this documentary is that Pollan does not shy away from exploring the intimate struggles that people endure and how they are connected to the sociopolitical. Those of us who are interested in knowing the connections would do well to see and watch this film. Especially now as mental health has entered the foreground of public discourse, the discussion of psychedelic use is also at play. While these treatments have been vilified and misunderstood, we cannot shy away from learning the responsible use of the substances or respecting a greater and deeper appreciation for the communities and individuals that dedicate themselves to their responsible distribution and utilization. We also can not shy away from acknowledging the damage done by the criminalization of the substance and their users. We also need to look at how the legacy of the War on Drugs is rooted in colonialism, empire, and conquest.
One of my favorite quotes from the series goes:
True science probes the very frontiers of human knowledge.
After watching this documentary, I know I am excited to see and learn more about how the evolution around the use of psychedelics will evolve. There is so much conversation to be had about psychedelic use and the legacy of imperialism on medicinal use.
You can watch a trailer for the series here.
