Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
In this masterpiece of participatory journalism, Michael Pollan, author of five New York Times bestsellers, overturns decades of misinformation and misunderstanding about psychedelic drugs, tracing their spectacular contemporary renaissance via firsthand experimentation When LSD was first discovered in the 1940s, it seemed to certain researchers, scientists, and doctors, as if the world might be on the cusp of psychological revolution. This startling drug, along with its close relative psilocybin (a.k.a. magic mushrooms), promised to shed light on the deep mysteries of consciousness and perception, as well as offer relief to addicts, alcoholics, and the mentally-ill. But then the Sixties arrived, and with them an array of rebellious characters, such as Timothy Leary, who Richard Nixon would famously call "the most dangerous man in America" for proselytizing psychedelics to young people. Soon overexuberance produced a vicious backlash against everything associated with the counterculture, and LSD was banned, snuffing out a fascinating and encouraging line of intellectual inquiry almost overnight. But, in recent years, the work to understand the startling medical and scientific potential of LSD, psilocybin, and DMT has resumed, along with exploration of the once disquieting notion that these drugs might actually be able to improve the everyday lives of healthy people.
Diving deep into this world, and exploring both sanctioned research as well as the well-developed underground scene, Pollan elegantly brings together in a single narrative this unruly history, the story of the current resurgence in psychedelic research, and his own fantastic personal adventure with these substances. This is a brand new story about these incredible drugs, which today are demonstrating a remarkable usefulness in treating mental conditions such as PTSD, depression, and end-of-life anxiety. Pollan's most personal book to date, How to Change Your Mind brings us the latest scientific research into these drugs, and offers an incisive portrait of the new generation of scientists devoting their careers to plumbing the depths of their chemistry. Pollan puts himself forward as a guinea pig, immersing us in the social, spiritual, and medical implications of this fascinating underground culture and the experience of the drugs themselves--an experience which might very well present a new frontier in how we understand the mind, the self, and our place in the world.
Synopsis
A brilliant and brave investigation by Michael Pollan, author of five New York Times best sellers, into the medical and scientific revolution taking place around psychedelic drugs--and the spellbinding story of his own life-changing psychedelic experiences 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 the experience of 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 catalyzed a powerful backlash against what was then a promising field of research.
A unique and elegant blend of science, memoir, travel writing, history, and medicine, How to Change Your Mind is a triumph of participatory journalism. By turns dazzling and edifying, it is the gripping account of a journey to an exciting and unexpected new frontier in our understanding of the mind, the self, and our place in the world. The true subject of Pollan's "mental travelogue" is not just psychedelic drugs but also the eternal puzzle of human consciousness and how, in a world that offers us both struggle and beauty, we can do our best to be fully present and find meaning in our lives.
Synopsis
New York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of 2018 A New York Times Notable Book
The #1 New York Times bestseller.
A brilliant and brave investigation into the medical and scientific revolution taking place around psychedelic drugs--and the spellbinding story of his own life-changing psychedelic experiences
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.
A unique and elegant blend of science, memoir, travel writing, history, and medicine, How to Change Your Mind is a triumph of participatory journalism. By turns dazzling and edifying, it is the gripping account of a journey to an exciting and unexpected new frontier in our understanding of the mind, the self, and our place in the world. The true subject of Pollan's "mental travelogue" is not just psychedelic drugs but also the eternal puzzle of human consciousness and how, in a world that offers us both suffering and joy, we can do our best to be fully present and find meaning in our lives.
Synopsis
"Pollan keeps you turning the pages . . . cleareyed and assured." --
New York Times A #1 New York Times Bestseller, New York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of 2018, and New York Times Notable Book
A brilliant and brave investigation into the medical and scientific revolution taking place around psychedelic drugs--and the spellbinding story of his own life-changing psychedelic experiences
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.
A unique and elegant blend of science, memoir, travel writing, history, and medicine, How to Change Your Mind is a triumph of participatory journalism. By turns dazzling and edifying, it is the gripping account of a journey to an exciting and unexpected new frontier in our understanding of the mind, the self, and our place in the world. The true subject of Pollan's mental travelogue is not just psychedelic drugs but also the eternal puzzle of human consciousness and how, in a world that offers us both suffering and joy, we can do our best to be fully present and find meaning in our lives.