Books › How to Change Your Mind
How to Change Your Mind
674 pages
A grounded, deeply curious journey into the science and spirituality of altered states that will make you rethink the boundaries of your own mind.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like taking a long, fascinating walk with a brilliant, slightly skeptical friend who has just discovered something extraordinary. The pace is steady and deliberate, carefully laying down a foundation of history and neuroscience before plunging into the vivid, deeply personal waters of altered consciousness. The mood shifts from the brightly lit corridors of clinical research to the expansive, awe-struck atmosphere of mystical experience, yet it never loses its grounded, journalistic footing. Pollan's prose is lucid and inviting, making complex brain science and abstract spiritual concepts equally accessible. It is a profoundly illuminating read that delights curious skeptics, science enthusiasts, and anyone yearning to understand the hidden potential of the human mind.
- Mood
- expansive
- contemplative
- illuminating
- awe-struck
- Tone
- inquisitive
- journalistic
- open-minded
- reflective
- grounded
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- the nature of consciousness · healing and mental health · ego dissolution · science meeting spirituality · shifting paradigms
- The writing
- Lucid, engaging, and highly accessible, seamlessly weaving rigorous scientific reporting with vivid, vulnerable personal narrative.
- The arc
- Moves from skeptical, journalistic curiosity through historical fascination to profound personal revelation and a hopeful outlook on human healing.
- Who it's for
- Curious skeptics and lifelong learners who appreciate a grounded, intelligent approach to exploring the mysteries of the human mind.
Content notes
- drug use
- discussions of depression
- addiction
- death anxiety
About the book
When Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third. Thus began a singular adventure into various altered states of consciousness, along with a dive deep into both the latest brain science and the thriving underground community of psychedelic therapists. Pollan sifts the historical record to separate the truth about these mysterious drugs from the myths that have surrounded them since the 1960s, when a handful of psychedelic evangelists inadvertently catalyzed a powerful backlash against what was then a promising field of research.
Description from Open Library.
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