How to Change Your Mind: The New Science of Psychedelics
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- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Michael Pollan
- ISBN：0141985135
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Summary
The No。1 New York Times Bestseller
'Reminds us that the mind is the greatest mystery in the universe' Yuval Noah Harari， Guardian， Books of the Year
Could psychedelic drugs change our worldview？ Join Michael Pollan on a journey to the frontiers of the human mind。
Diving deep into an extraordinary world - from shamans and magic mushroom hunts to the pioneering labs mapping our brains - and putting himself forward as a guinea-pig， Michael Pollan has written a remarkable history of psychedelics and a compelling portrait of the new generation of scientists fascinated by the implications of these drugs。 How to Change Your Mind is a report from what could very well be the future of consciousness。
'A sweeping and often thrilling chronicle of the history of psychedelics， all interwoven with Pollan's adventures as a psychedelic novice。 This is a serious work of history and science， but also one in which the author， under the influence of toad venom， becomes convinced he's giving birth to himself' Oliver Burkeman， Guardian
'A mind-altering book 。。。 full of transformations' Richard Godwin， Evening Standard
'An irresistible blend of history， research and personal experience。 In terms of the psychedelic wave， the book is the big kahuna， the Big Bang moment for a movement that is gathering force' John McKenna， Irish Times
'Entertaining and engrossing' Paul Laity， Financial Times
'Deeply absorbing， wise and beautifully written' Mick Brown， Literary Review
'An astounding book' Andrew Sullivan， New York Magazine
'Reminds us that the mind is the greatest mystery in the universe' Yuval Noah Harari， Guardian， Books of the Year
Could psychedelic drugs change our worldview？ Join Michael Pollan on a journey to the frontiers of the human mind。
Diving deep into an extraordinary world - from shamans and magic mushroom hunts to the pioneering labs mapping our brains - and putting himself forward as a guinea-pig， Michael Pollan has written a remarkable history of psychedelics and a compelling portrait of the new generation of scientists fascinated by the implications of these drugs。 How to Change Your Mind is a report from what could very well be the future of consciousness。
'A sweeping and often thrilling chronicle of the history of psychedelics， all interwoven with Pollan's adventures as a psychedelic novice。 This is a serious work of history and science， but also one in which the author， under the influence of toad venom， becomes convinced he's giving birth to himself' Oliver Burkeman， Guardian
'A mind-altering book 。。。 full of transformations' Richard Godwin， Evening Standard
'An irresistible blend of history， research and personal experience。 In terms of the psychedelic wave， the book is the big kahuna， the Big Bang moment for a movement that is gathering force' John McKenna， Irish Times
'Entertaining and engrossing' Paul Laity， Financial Times
'Deeply absorbing， wise and beautifully written' Mick Brown， Literary Review
'An astounding book' Andrew Sullivan， New York Magazine
Reviews
Philippe Cote
，
Malgré， la partie historique trop spécifique à mon goût， le livre est vraiment intéressant。 Pollan nous fait voyager， de la découverte du lysergic acid diethylamide jusqu'aux tréfonds du monde des champignons， en passant par les pionniers qui se sont battus et se battent encore pour utiliser les psychédéliques à des fins thérapeutiques。 How to change your mind a une base scientifique avec notamment son chapitre sur la neuroscience， mais s'intéresse aussi au côté mystique que les psychonautes peu Malgré， la partie historique trop spécifique à mon goût， le livre est vraiment intéressant。 Pollan nous fait voyager， de la découverte du lysergic acid diethylamide jusqu'aux tréfonds du monde des champignons， en passant par les pionniers qui se sont battus et se battent encore pour utiliser les psychédéliques à des fins thérapeutiques。 How to change your mind a une base scientifique avec notamment son chapitre sur la neuroscience， mais s'intéresse aussi au côté mystique que les psychonautes peuvent interpréter。 Il tente d'être objectif en expliquant que la grande majorité des études sont à petites échelles donc les gens sont choisis et que ceux qui dirigent ces études sont pro-psychédéliques。 。。。more
Diana
，
I’m giving this a qualified four stars。 I could not get interested in the first half of this book， even though I found the subject matter intriguing。 I had a very hard time getting through the history of psychedelics， which is the first part of the book。 At halfway through I considered returning it to the library because it didn’t appear I would ever finish it。 I was looking forward to moving on from the history to the author’s experience of taking psychedelics and that was more interesting but I’m giving this a qualified four stars。 I could not get interested in the first half of this book， even though I found the subject matter intriguing。 I had a very hard time getting through the history of psychedelics， which is the first part of the book。 At halfway through I considered returning it to the library because it didn’t appear I would ever finish it。 I was looking forward to moving on from the history to the author’s experience of taking psychedelics and that was more interesting but still not gripping。 But when he finally got to the theory of how psychedelics work on the brain this became the book I anticipated。 The stories of how it worked on people who were dying， or addicted， or severely depressed were fascinating。 The final 40% or so of the book made me very glad I read it。 The four stars is because I recommend the book， and for the analysis and very interesting anecdotal evidence in the second half。 Maybe the historical underpinnings will interest others more than me。 If so， you will likely like the book even more。 。。。more
Tapani Aulu
，
Vähän turhan pitkästi kirjoitettu tarinallinen tietokirja。 Varsinaisen otsikon aihetta oli ehkä 50 sivua ja loput oli omistettu trippikuvauksille ja henkilökuville。 Aihe olisi itseäni kiinnostanut enemmän。
Adam R
，
Tbh one of my favs of all time。 Read this during the start of the pandemic and was thinking a lot abt the general trauma of lockdown for both myself and everyone else experiencing the pandemic in both more and less privileged socio-economic conditions。That said the book is not remotely related to pandemics or class analysis。 I found Pollan's writing style to be incredibly enjoyable。 His blend of humor， healthy scepticism， and willingness to explore something as taboo as hallucinagens in a reflec Tbh one of my favs of all time。 Read this during the start of the pandemic and was thinking a lot abt the general trauma of lockdown for both myself and everyone else experiencing the pandemic in both more and less privileged socio-economic conditions。That said the book is not remotely related to pandemics or class analysis。 I found Pollan's writing style to be incredibly enjoyable。 His blend of humor， healthy scepticism， and willingness to explore something as taboo as hallucinagens in a reflective （I。 e critical of the war on drugs） capacity was nice。I love a lot of Pollan's other work but this really cemented my stanning。 I listened to the audiobook which he narrates， seriously recommend。Hearing the historical arc of mushroom， the scientist who created them， the authorities that banned them， the work of folks like MAPS to turning the tide and make shrooms available medicine again。 I think mushrooms are gonna be a big thing in the next few years。 Mexican Gothic is obsessed with mushrooms。 I think the mix of a newfound （if incomplete， superficial and messy at times） appreciation for indegineous ppls knowledge among liberals， the legalization of pot， the increase of mental illness， and the fact that there's a bunch of folks with mushroom tattoos that are sick as fuck， I think it's the decade of the mushroom。The contents of the book are great。 The mixture of historical research， interviews， and firsthand accounts of Pollan himself when he does different drugs， it's p great。 But I think just as important as the quality of the book is the way Pollan used his position as a culture writer and professor to legitimize what was before seen as anything but scientific。I also love all his hippy shit about being in sync with the world and maybe humans evolving with the help of mushrooms。 While this， just as a lot of the noetic experience stuff is not necessarily based in rigorous fact， I'm glad it was included。For me Pollan is doing in this work what I think academics do at their best。 He's organizing and uplifting popular knowledge to usher on science and push back on years of conservative status quo wrt drugs。I'll also say as someone with mental health issues this book made me very excited abt the future of mental health treatment。 。。。more
Montserrat Archbald
，
This book made me see psychedelics in a whole new light。 Michael Pollan has a way of examining something you THINK you know about--potatoes， coffee， LSD--and showing you its fascinating complexity。 Delightfully humbling。
Marek Canavan
，
This book offers a great mix between the history of psychedelics and the revival they are going through now。 What makes this book such a great read though is how Pollan's writing not just if the science and history but of his own experiences and the people he meets。 This book offers a great mix between the history of psychedelics and the revival they are going through now。 What makes this book such a great read though is how Pollan's writing not just if the science and history but of his own experiences and the people he meets。 。。。more
Ian McGaffey
，
This book got me thinking about the way we look at the brain。 I was intruiged by the idea that mental disorders are caused in many cases by a excess of order。 Made me wonder that it makes sense that well adjusted people are often playful and spontaneous etc。 It was an interesting look at the history of a subject I knew very little about。
Rumman Kalam
，
read this book。 tripped。10/10 would read again
Mark Bennett
，
Very bland。 However， if you are interested in psychedelics， you may find it fascinating。
Ian Quinlan
，
this book is amazing。 A must read for all interested in psychedelics and the powers that the human mind hold。
Adam Miller
，
This book Starts by covering the "renaissance" in psychedelics from a broad field perspective， covering from several angles and offering a 101 topic overview。 Starting with a detailing of the "third wave" happening due to remarkable research with several of these substances with conditions such as PTSD， depression， anxiety， and more， we then move on with a natural history of mushrooms and following several people most notably， Paul Stamets， we learn about the history of psychedelic mushrooms， th This book Starts by covering the "renaissance" in psychedelics from a broad field perspective， covering from several angles and offering a 101 topic overview。 Starting with a detailing of the "third wave" happening due to remarkable research with several of these substances with conditions such as PTSD， depression， anxiety， and more， we then move on with a natural history of mushrooms and following several people most notably， Paul Stamets， we learn about the history of psychedelic mushrooms， the effect and research behind these amazing fungi。 The main point of this chapter is to get you looking into the people mentioned in the chapter， looking them up， and diving deeper on the topics。 It will provide with so much more perspective and depth to the subject as you go。 The book moves into a history of the "first wave" and the promise it held until things got a little out of hand and changes happened that powerful people weren't ready for and so they shut everything down。 After the shutdown begins the underground "second wave" which evolved it's own rituals and practices。 The author schedules to experience several of these substances and details the interesting experience meeting the people and describes his own adventures with each one。 This is followed by a very good introduction to the neuroscience of what is happening while on these substances。 The book ends with a description of how the "trip treatment" is currently used and explains it in a way you could kind of know what to expect if you were to attempt to do it yourself。 More than any other book this one in my opinion has helped push psychedelics into a degree of acceptance that hopefully we can look at these substances rationally and allow them back into our lives to the degree they can help us develop and grow。 Again I'll add， this book is a brief introduction and if you take the time to look up each institution， person， or idea presented in each chapter you can dive deep into a really amazing subject。 。。。more
Timo
，
Hyvä perusteos psykedeelien historiasta， vaikutuksista ihmisiin ja kirjoittajan omista kokemuksista。 Jotkut kirjassa esitetyt teoriat ovat aika korkealentoisia ja osa kuulostaa uskottavimmilta。 Huomattavasti totuudenmukaisempi kuin hysteeriseen pelotteluun perustuva huumevalistus。 Sota huumeita vastaan on viime vuosikymmenien turhinta resurssien hukkaan heittämistä。 Miksi synteettisiin opiaatteihin， psyykelääkkeisiin， bentsodiatsepiinieihin jne。 saa helpommin reseptin kuin kasveihin， jotka eivät Hyvä perusteos psykedeelien historiasta， vaikutuksista ihmisiin ja kirjoittajan omista kokemuksista。 Jotkut kirjassa esitetyt teoriat ovat aika korkealentoisia ja osa kuulostaa uskottavimmilta。 Huomattavasti totuudenmukaisempi kuin hysteeriseen pelotteluun perustuva huumevalistus。 Sota huumeita vastaan on viime vuosikymmenien turhinta resurssien hukkaan heittämistä。 Miksi synteettisiin opiaatteihin， psyykelääkkeisiin， bentsodiatsepiinieihin jne。 saa helpommin reseptin kuin kasveihin， jotka eivät aiheuta fyysistä riippuvuutta ja joita on käytetty tuhansia vuosia？ 。。。more
Clewchuk
，
It was well researched but I didn’t learn a lot of new things。 A somewhat straight laced guy gets into psychedelics， an interesting journey for him， but apart from some of the research history， not that enlightening for me。
Brian Gluckman
，
This book could have been an email。
Remi
，
A very good overview of the history of psychedelic research， how these chemicals interact with us， and the force which caused the ruin， reputation， and resurgence。
Kerem
，
Pollan deep dives into the world of psychedelics， not only himself experimenting with it but also providing a lot of history （50s and 60s research that was cut off abruptly with the war on drugs， many civilizations that used these drugs， etc。） and some of the science （especially the growing research on their use on addictions， terminal illnesses， and mental health problems but also on perfectly healthy people）。 Though he himself does not necessarily experience the spiritual peak he so much heard Pollan deep dives into the world of psychedelics， not only himself experimenting with it but also providing a lot of history （50s and 60s research that was cut off abruptly with the war on drugs， many civilizations that used these drugs， etc。） and some of the science （especially the growing research on their use on addictions， terminal illnesses， and mental health problems but also on perfectly healthy people）。 Though he himself does not necessarily experience the spiritual peak he so much heard about from others， his life changes for good， and he certainly makes an intriguing and appealing case for psychedelics。 It's certainly a book worth reading， at least giving you an interesting perspective which you very likely not considered before。 。。。more
Holly
，
I really， really love books on brain psychology， so this was a gem for me。 I found the whole idea of psychedelic healing fascinating and the exploration of what they do to the brain was riveting。 I don’t think that I agree that it’s a beneficial treatment， and I found many， many flaws in the research and the whole idea that it could be used successfully。 But the whole concept was really， really interesting to read about。
Melissa Mangano
，
Truly one of the most interesting， fascinating， wonderful books I have ever read。 What Pollan shares is so important， and the power that this potential holds for the betterment of humanity just blows my mind。 Can't recommend people read this enough。 Pollan， if you ever read this， and you want to write a sequel and do more market research， please let me know。 Truly one of the most interesting， fascinating， wonderful books I have ever read。 What Pollan shares is so important， and the power that this potential holds for the betterment of humanity just blows my mind。 Can't recommend people read this enough。 Pollan， if you ever read this， and you want to write a sequel and do more market research， please let me know。 。。。more
Antonia
，
Pretty good。 I really like Michael pollan。 Very interesting conversation about our minds， and just how far out can they go。 Got me thinking about my relationships with psychedelics and mystical experiences I’ve had in the past， and hope to have in the future。 Really interesting。 Good party conversation book 👌
Anne Donohoe Wexler
，
Read this for work - but I really enjoyed it。 There is so much potential in these molecules to help people who are suffering。 We need to get over the stigma and change drug policy。 If you like Pollan’s other work （on food， etc） - you’ll like this - although reading about someone’s trips is about as interesting as reading about someone’s dreams 😐🙊。 But the rest of it works。#HowToChangeYourMind#MichaelPollan#QuarantineReading#Books #WhatImReading #Booksatgram#ReadingBook #4
Kevin
，
Like most people， my view of psychedelics was that they are dangerous and to be avoided。 However， that opinion was formed rather ignorantly， and over the course of the book， I got to be quite intrigued by their potential。Regardless， through hearing about all the non-religious people who developed decisive faith in god during just one egoless spiritual trip， I grew concerned that maybe these drugs really were too strong。 However， I was quite reassured through the recounting of Pollan's experience Like most people， my view of psychedelics was that they are dangerous and to be avoided。 However， that opinion was formed rather ignorantly， and over the course of the book， I got to be quite intrigued by their potential。Regardless， through hearing about all the non-religious people who developed decisive faith in god during just one egoless spiritual trip， I grew concerned that maybe these drugs really were too strong。 However， I was quite reassured through the recounting of Pollan's experiences， from which he stemmed a greater appreciation for spirituality， but which did not involve instant conversion to devout faith in religion。 It was definitely a cool touch for the author to recount his personal experience and I think I would say that was my favorite part of the book。I read this book while in the middle of reading The Power of Now， which clarified many concepts that I was confused about from before， like how you are not your mind and how you can be in an egoless mental state。Overall， I thought it was a very insightful book into a topic about which I knew little， though at times it felt a bit repetitive and I could have done with it being a couple hundred pages shorter。 。。。more
Katherine Glogowski
，
If you have any interest in psychology and the brain this book is incredible。 Pollan presents convincing evidence that psychedelic drugs might be the safest and effective treatment for mental illnesses and overall mental well-being across the board。 Pollan dives into the history， neuroscience， clinical studies， and， even his own personal experiences with each drug to tell vivid stories about the benefits of the brain in this altered state of consciousness。 Don't let the social stigma keep you fr If you have any interest in psychology and the brain this book is incredible。 Pollan presents convincing evidence that psychedelic drugs might be the safest and effective treatment for mental illnesses and overall mental well-being across the board。 Pollan dives into the history， neuroscience， clinical studies， and， even his own personal experiences with each drug to tell vivid stories about the benefits of the brain in this altered state of consciousness。 Don't let the social stigma keep you from learning about these fascinating substances 。。。more
Geoff Holmes
，
Comes across at the start as a， predictably， “ooh， aren’t we naughty taking psychedelic drugs” sort of book。 20 somethings would really dig it。 Interesting how even some early researchers actually thought that psychedelics could revolutionise the human condition rather than just as a treatment for “sick” people。 The really interesting stuff， for me， was towards the end where it talked about the resumption of trials for addictions and terminal cancer patients。 I think the author was WAY out of hi Comes across at the start as a， predictably， “ooh， aren’t we naughty taking psychedelic drugs” sort of book。 20 somethings would really dig it。 Interesting how even some early researchers actually thought that psychedelics could revolutionise the human condition rather than just as a treatment for “sick” people。 The really interesting stuff， for me， was towards the end where it talked about the resumption of trials for addictions and terminal cancer patients。 I think the author was WAY out of his depth discussing quantum implications of consciousness and at that point （and others） it stayed into New Age pseudoscience。 Heavily advocates GUIDED trips which is sensible。“Turn off the old mind， relax， and float downstream”。 。。。more
Alice Hazdun
，
Pollan is a spectacular narrator as he takes you through the cultural and scientific history of psychedelics using very humanising and engaging prose。 The autobiographical， mixed with a great depth of scientific inquiry， leaves us with deep insight into the kind of important questions the psychedelic reinassance is raising。 His balanced and careful view makes the book palatable to a wide audience， as he attempts to avoid the usual sticky truisms about psychedelics that added to their stigmatisat Pollan is a spectacular narrator as he takes you through the cultural and scientific history of psychedelics using very humanising and engaging prose。 The autobiographical， mixed with a great depth of scientific inquiry， leaves us with deep insight into the kind of important questions the psychedelic reinassance is raising。 His balanced and careful view makes the book palatable to a wide audience， as he attempts to avoid the usual sticky truisms about psychedelics that added to their stigmatisation for so many years。 。。。more
John Gurney
，
This book was a surprise。 I happened upon this title， tried it， and was pleasantly surprised。 Michael Pollan， author of "Botany of Desire"， wrote about his recent personal adventure with psychedelic drugs。 He admirably takes us through the history of LSD and similar drugs， many of which have been used by indigenous groups for millennia。 Timothy Leary looms very large in psychedelic history; he single-handedly turned the public against LSD with his wild antics， crazy public proclamations， and unp This book was a surprise。 I happened upon this title， tried it， and was pleasantly surprised。 Michael Pollan， author of "Botany of Desire"， wrote about his recent personal adventure with psychedelic drugs。 He admirably takes us through the history of LSD and similar drugs， many of which have been used by indigenous groups for millennia。 Timothy Leary looms very large in psychedelic history; he single-handedly turned the public against LSD with his wild antics， crazy public proclamations， and unprofessional studies （e。g。 he would sit with clinical test subjects trying LSD and do the drug with them！）。 He ruined the science because the US government banned the entire class of drugs。But， psychedelics are non-addictive， unlike most drugs。 There was serious psychological research into psychedelic drugs before Leary and， with baby steps， emerging again now。 I think it's reasonable to be open to the possibility psychedelics help some patients in controlled， clinical settings。 Pollan tells his own strange path to psychedelics and his experiences。 。。。more
Samir Bouarab
，
An enlightening read into the history and science behind psychedelics amidst a recent renaissance; depicting a personal experience as well as the scientific research excellently。
Bella Joiner
，
I've never finished a book， let alone a non-fiction book， with such a feeling of movement and content。 Michael Pollan does an incredible job of explaining the history， studies， stigmas， benefits， and experiences regarding psychedelics。 He writes in a conversational style， making even the most scientifically termed sections of the book engaging。 The experts he interviewed and studies he sited come together perfectly， as does his ability to rope in his first hand encounters and those of study volu I've never finished a book， let alone a non-fiction book， with such a feeling of movement and content。 Michael Pollan does an incredible job of explaining the history， studies， stigmas， benefits， and experiences regarding psychedelics。 He writes in a conversational style， making even the most scientifically termed sections of the book engaging。 The experts he interviewed and studies he sited come together perfectly， as does his ability to rope in his first hand encounters and those of study volunteers。 This book will shine a new light in your life。 The overwhelming pathos behind reading the stories of those with terminal illnesses， addiction， and mental disorders like depression moved me in a way I never thought possible。 Before reading How to Change Your Mind I had a majorly open view to psychedelics， but yet it still gave me a new look。 As someone about to dive into the professional and educational world of psychiatry， this book inspired me and ignited a passion。 。。。more
Brian
，
After watching a “60 minutes” segment on psychedelics research a couple years earlier， I became mildly intrigued by the topic。 This led me to Pollen’s book。 Sadly， it might have taken a couple magic mushrooms for me to wade through the tome without becoming a bit restless。 I realized a third of the way through the book that a 15-minute report on the topic is one thing， and a 480-page narrative is a different fungus。 There’s no disputing that the author meticulously traces the history of this phe After watching a “60 minutes” segment on psychedelics research a couple years earlier， I became mildly intrigued by the topic。 This led me to Pollen’s book。 Sadly， it might have taken a couple magic mushrooms for me to wade through the tome without becoming a bit restless。 I realized a third of the way through the book that a 15-minute report on the topic is one thing， and a 480-page narrative is a different fungus。 There’s no disputing that the author meticulously traces the history of this phenomenon。 But as I hit the one-third mark， the material felt repetitive or too "in the weeds" in numerous spots。 I don’t fault the author。 Anyone who is looking for a deep-dive into this field will likely be sated。 For me， it was a bit much。 On the positive side， the final third of the book is the most powerful and fascinating section。 Pollen provides a series of vivid anecdotes demonstrating how psychedelics can change behaviors can change and shift outlooks on even the most weighty subjects such as death。 Pollen cites experts who are convinced that psychedelics have the potential to “dope – slap“ people into changing destructive or unproductive habits， whether they be addictions or fear of death。 The experts hypothesize that these drugs are a “Biological reboot“ of the system – our natural version of control-alt-delete。 Psychedelics afford us “mental flexibility“ in which we can let go of the mental models we employ to define our individual realities。 。。。more
Matthew
，
Interesting deep dive into psychedelics covering their history， current research， first-hand experience of the author， underlying neuroscience， and future prospects。 As the author is a hard materialist and atheist， the book did not trespass into the world of superstition or mysticism and yet allowed room for discussing psychedelics within spiritual， contemplative， and therapeutic contexts。
Madeline
，