Magic mushrooms ‘bend’ the mind. Could they also treat mental illness?

The mind-bending effects of “magic mushrooms” could help treat mental illness. A new Washington University School of Medicine study offers an explanation for how psilocybin, the active drug in magic mushrooms, distorts the brain’s networks, and why that could alleviate post-traumatic stress disorders and other illnesses. Dr. Joshua Siegel and Dr. Ginger Nicol talk about what their research participants experienced while on a trip and how their findings could accelerate the development of psilocybin-based therapies.