Empire of the Mind
The Battle to Own the Future of Psychedelic Medicine
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Empire of the Mind
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Narrated by:
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By:
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Olivia Goldhill
When investigative journalist Olivia Goldhill started reporting on psychedelics a decade ago, the science suggested that the still-criminalized drugs would transform the mental health industry. Studies showed that psychedelics could alleviate depression and trauma and were set to be the first new mental health treatment in a generation. But as she kept reporting, she uncovered a far more complex story.
A battle was brewing behind the scenes—a fight not just for control, but for the very meaning of these drugs. Hippies and scientists believed that tripping was a gateway to a more holistic approach to mental health, relying heavily on therapy and community support. But billionaire-backed entrepreneurs also saw an opportunity and threatened to subsume this alternative approach with cutthroat pharmaceutical tactics, controlling psychedelics with patents and churning out pills for profit. Meanwhile, activists in Oregon began to build their own system, entirely outside of the medical sphere.
In Empire of the Mind, Goldhill dives into the world of corporate behemoths, nonprofits, and community activists, each fighting to control the future of these potentially transformative—and lucrative—psychedelic therapies.
Sitting at the intersection of business and mental health, Empire of the Mind sounds an urgent alarm about how one of the last vestiges of counterculture could end up tamed into a capitalist product. With gripping on-the-ground reporting, Goldhill unveils the power of the mental health industry to control not just treatments, but our understanding of our own minds.
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Critic reviews
“As psychedelics race toward acceptance as medications for our minds, Olivia Goldhill waves a much-needed and well-researched yellow flag. Empire of the Mind exposes the dark side of the gurus, research institutions, and industry players that have promoted psychedelics as nearly magical cures.”
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