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 Sixties, 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 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.
