Understanding UCLA’s Ecological Medicine & Psychedelic Studies Initiative

The UCLA Ecological Medicine & Psychedelic Studies Initiative, part of the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, is investigating scientifically validated treatments for mental health. Project Reconnect will link the care and health of the natural world to the improved well-being of individuals and communities.

A monthly affinity group offers lectures and other activities such as forest bathing, rooted in the Japanese practice of “shinrin-yoku” — immersing oneself in the natural environment using all five senses.

The UCLA Newsroom spoke with initiative co-founder and director Dr. Helena Hansen, the interim chair of psychiatry and interim director of the Semel Institute; and executive director and co-founder Landon Pollack to learn more about the initiative’s progress, goals and how people can reconnect to the natural world and all its inhabitants.