Katherine MacLean, Ph.D.

Katherine MacLean, Ph.D. is a neuroscientist, teacher, mother, and adventure-seeker. In her academic research, she studied how psychedelics and mindfulness meditation can promote beneficial, long-lasting changes in personality, well-being, and brain function. Following her younger sister's untimely death from breast cancer, Katherine left academia and embarked on a decade-long journey to understand the meaning of birth and death, and how to help others live and die with intention and purpose.

http://www.katherinemaclean.org

Katherine MacLean, Ph.D. is a neuroscientist, teacher, mother, and adventure-seeker. In her academic research, she studied how psychedelics and mindfulness meditation can promote beneficial, long-lasting changes in personality, well-being, and brain function. As a postdoctoral research fellow and faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, she conducted clinical trials of psilocybin, the primary chemical found in “magic mushrooms,” and other psychedelic compounds. Her groundbreaking research on psilocybin and personality change suggests that psychedelic medicines can enhance openness to new experiences and promote mental health and emotional well-being throughout the lifespan. Dr. MacLean co-founded and directed the first center for psychedelic education and training in New York, was featured in "How to Change Your Mind" by Michael Pollan, and her TED Talk has been viewed nearly 50K times. Midnight Water, a psychedelic memoir about death, grief and forgiveness, is her first book.