Rael Cahn — USC Center for Mindfulness

Prof. Rael Cahn is currently studying the epigenetic changes underlying the clinical efficacy of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD in collaboration with MAPS.

“My lab works on mindfulness science, and the main target is the circuitry that supports the Default Mode Network in the brain. When we meditate or when we are in nature we enter a narrative-free awareness, where we can experience without studying what is going on. We spend too much time processing, being stuck in our minds, ruminating on what we might do in the future.”

“I study the mutual benefit of meditation and psychedelics. There was a lot of research in the 50’s and 60’s that showed quite a bit of potential for psychedelics to treat addiction, depression, PTSD, anxiety and autism. It is not a pharmacological treatment, it is a gateway to a mystical experience that is curative”

This reminds me of Michael Pollan’s analogy to an “anti-trauma”, a singular experience that can literally change your mind. Here is a great Tim Ferriss podcast interview on his latest book.