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How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence

How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence

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  • Create Date：2022-08-06 06:54:33
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Michael Pollan
  • ISBN：1594204225
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Summary

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。

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Reviews

Zoë Maayan ，

Loved this book！！！

Scott Singer ，

Great history about how psychedelics have been used and how they can be used to treat modern mental illnesses and how they can be used to improve mental health。 Excellent read！

Tania ，

Assolutamente meno di una stella。

Rianne ，

Very interesting topic， but poorly written。 Liked the Netflix-docu about it much more。

Hassan AlHassan ，

I found the book to be enlightening and informative in many ways。 Firstly， I think the authors style and first person account was brilliant for this subject。 Secondly， the historical account of psychedelic research was very intriguing。 The way the book splits off that history into the first wave of psychedelic research （50s to 60s）， followed by the underground research phase and how characters are intertwined to reach the new age psychedelic research phase was comprehensive without being very cu I found the book to be enlightening and informative in many ways。 Firstly， I think the authors style and first person account was brilliant for this subject。 Secondly， the historical account of psychedelic research was very intriguing。 The way the book splits off that history into the first wave of psychedelic research （50s to 60s）， followed by the underground research phase and how characters are intertwined to reach the new age psychedelic research phase was comprehensive without being very cumbersome。 Thirdly， the ‘trips’ section was a bit of a disappointment as it reflects the messy state of mind during such trips。 Perhaps I didn’t heed the authors foreshadowing that such trips are ineffable。 。。。more

Signe ，

I'm dithering between 4 and 5 stars - the subject matter is fascinating and I did find the book entertaining and thought-provoking。 The only thing is that I listened to it in audiobook format and the author reads it in this uniformly chipper tone， which in my opinion sometimes detracted somewhat from the story and insights provided。 I'm dithering between 4 and 5 stars - the subject matter is fascinating and I did find the book entertaining and thought-provoking。 The only thing is that I listened to it in audiobook format and the author reads it in this uniformly chipper tone， which in my opinion sometimes detracted somewhat from the story and insights provided。 。。。more

Soon-Hee ，

A modern （re）exploration of psychedelics and detailing its potential-- via different fronts， from people both considered credible and less so （but nevertheless valuable）， and supplemented by his personal accounts and insights。 Well researched and well written， it provides a valuable introduction to psychedelics and more so the human consciousness （thereby， despite a publisher's warning， encouraging its use （at least for the cognitively curious））。 A modern （re）exploration of psychedelics and detailing its potential-- via different fronts， from people both considered credible and less so （but nevertheless valuable）， and supplemented by his personal accounts and insights。 Well researched and well written， it provides a valuable introduction to psychedelics and more so the human consciousness （thereby， despite a publisher's warning， encouraging its use （at least for the cognitively curious））。 。。。more

Madison Krumins ，

I really appreciated the side of this book that focused on an in-depth and engaging exploration of the history of psychedelics。 Was a little less interested in hearing the author's recollection of his own psychedelic trips， though they were an interesting complement to his argument that older people can benefit from psychedelic drugs and altered states of consciousness。 I definitely feel more enlightened about the history of cultural stigma and the general body of research surrounding psychedeli I really appreciated the side of this book that focused on an in-depth and engaging exploration of the history of psychedelics。 Was a little less interested in hearing the author's recollection of his own psychedelic trips， though they were an interesting complement to his argument that older people can benefit from psychedelic drugs and altered states of consciousness。 I definitely feel more enlightened about the history of cultural stigma and the general body of research surrounding psychedelics， as well as the sometimes-hidden influence of mind-altering substances in many religions （including the big ones） and spiritual groups。 I learned a lot from this read， and I'm eager to dive more into this topic。 。。。more

Adam ，

I might be biased for this book as I’m a firm believer in the possibilities of psychedelics being used to treat certain conditions and also as an experience that has the potential to broaden minds。All hail our new overlord， the toad！！ But seriously…Pollan discusses history， case studies， anecdotes， and the important figures mainly related to psilocybin （magic mushrooms）， LSD （acid）， and DMT。 Despite being criminalized and stigmatized in modern culture there is an increasing openness to the poten I might be biased for this book as I’m a firm believer in the possibilities of psychedelics being used to treat certain conditions and also as an experience that has the potential to broaden minds。All hail our new overlord， the toad！！ But seriously…Pollan discusses history， case studies， anecdotes， and the important figures mainly related to psilocybin （magic mushrooms）， LSD （acid）， and DMT。 Despite being criminalized and stigmatized in modern culture there is an increasing openness to the potential for these drugs to help people。 Sounds a lot like the recent history of marijuana right？ I know it’s false equivalency but as long as alcohol is legal and accepted it’s ridiculous to demonize substances such as marijuana or psychedelics。 Alcohol is undoubtedly more destructive and more addictive。 Plenty of data and attention is spent in this book on how psychedelics are not addictive， not destructive， and actually hold tremendous potential as therapeutic tools for those who suffer from depression， anxiety， PTSD， and other conditions。The drugs are also treated maturely， with focus on set and setting。 As someone who has experienced many of these substances I wholeheartedly agree。So， if these drugs have the potential to treat illnesses that run rampant in the US then why aren’t they being explored more fervently？ Hmmm。 It’s almost as if big pharma has no interest in peddling compounds they don’t create and control， imagine that。Overall， this is an excellent foray into the world of psychedelics and spirituality by Michael Pollan。Story-7， Language-8， Ideas-9， Characters-8， Enjoyment-8， Overall-8 。。。more

Circa Girl ，

While I'm loving the documentary series of the same name， in the companion text， Pollan seems more interested in adding filler and padding page count （too many references to relations between professors and scientists， source bios， date back tracking， as well as excessive clothing and expression descriptions） than in centering on the impact of psychedelics。 I have read textbooks that read smoother and held my attention better than this。 While I'm loving the documentary series of the same name， in the companion text， Pollan seems more interested in adding filler and padding page count （too many references to relations between professors and scientists， source bios， date back tracking， as well as excessive clothing and expression descriptions） than in centering on the impact of psychedelics。 I have read textbooks that read smoother and held my attention better than this。 。。。more

morgan ，

4。5！ wonderfully insightful :-） minus 0。5 stars because i think it could've been a little more condensed。 4。5！ wonderfully insightful :-） minus 0。5 stars because i think it could've been a little more condensed。 。。。more

CeCe G ，

Not for everyone but fascinating look at the brain and how non/addictive mushrooms can help many medical conditions。 One day…。

Erica ，

Excellent book！ It took me a while to listen to this。 I felt this would be a great primer before I embark on my own journey with ketamine that’s not mentioned in this book。 The Netflix documentary is now homework from my therapist。 At times， this felt a bit long-winded。 It felt like it got stuck in the weeds with the history of the psychedelics with Timothy Leary。Overall an excellent book！

Daniel ，

Do drugs kids？？

Laura Jordan ，

My first experience listening to a full-length audiobook （via the public library and the Libby app） and I’m not convinced it’s the best format for me to use to read books， as I was often doing something else （getting groceries， walking around） and then got distracted and had to rewind。 As for the book， it was pretty interesting and I like that Pollan narrates the audiobook， mostly because it would be weird to listen to someone else talk about the experience of his psychedelic trips。 It left a lo My first experience listening to a full-length audiobook （via the public library and the Libby app） and I’m not convinced it’s the best format for me to use to read books， as I was often doing something else （getting groceries， walking around） and then got distracted and had to rewind。 As for the book， it was pretty interesting and I like that Pollan narrates the audiobook， mostly because it would be weird to listen to someone else talk about the experience of his psychedelic trips。 It left a lot of tantalizing questions about the nature of consciousness and the ego and whether we’re more interconnected than we may have otherwise thought。 。。。more

Alex Stevens ，

This one felt very important to me and also gave me lots of LSD flashbacks （in a good way）。

Callan Alexander ，

2。5

Andy McGovern ，

Interesting back story on the history but I think a little too much of the book is spent on this。 More information on the current research would have been more interesting to me。 Still a worthwhile read。

Elsi ，

Todella mielenkiintoinen kirja， joka kuitenkin poukkoili vähän liian moneen suuntaan。 Pollan osaa kirjoittaa hyvin， mutta jättää osasta väitteistään perustelut ja lähteet kokonaan pois， ja toistaa myös samaa tietoa useissa paikoissa kirjaa。 Tavallaan tätä kirjaa yritettiin samaan aikaan tarjota objektiivisena tietoteoksena， mutta myös agendan omaavana manifestina paremmasta psykedeelien värittämästä tulevaisuudesta。 Jotkut sanat toistuivat kirjassa häiritsevän paljon， mutta tämä saattoi johtua m Todella mielenkiintoinen kirja， joka kuitenkin poukkoili vähän liian moneen suuntaan。 Pollan osaa kirjoittaa hyvin， mutta jättää osasta väitteistään perustelut ja lähteet kokonaan pois， ja toistaa myös samaa tietoa useissa paikoissa kirjaa。 Tavallaan tätä kirjaa yritettiin samaan aikaan tarjota objektiivisena tietoteoksena， mutta myös agendan omaavana manifestina paremmasta psykedeelien värittämästä tulevaisuudesta。 Jotkut sanat toistuivat kirjassa häiritsevän paljon， mutta tämä saattoi johtua myös käännöstyöstä。 Eri ihmisten ja kirjoittajan itsensä kokemukset psykedeeleistä olivat mielenkiintoisia， mutta toiston välttämiseksi niistä olisi voinut koota selkeämmin yhteen eroja ja yhteneväisyyksiä。 Mua häiritsi myös tapa， jolla Pollan tuntui väheksyvän välillä psykedeelien uskonnollista ja rituaalista ulottuvuutta ja leimaavan sen hölynpölyksi samaan aikaan， kun itse sai omiin kokeiluihinsa johdatusta juuri uskonnollisilta ja henkisiltä tietäjiltä ja guruilta。Kirjassa oli paljon pieniä seikkoja， joista en pitänyt， mutta toisaalta se avasi myös aihettaan kattavasti ja tarjosi lukijalle runsaasti pohdittavaa。 Siis ihan passeli teos。 。。。more

John ，

A friend recommended this to me my junior year of college， but I just got around to reading it。 I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 It is entertaining and informative， and it does an excellent job of removing the stigma surrounding a subject that is mired in stigma。 In doing so， Pollan toes a line between anecdotal insights and hard science， never losing balance and leaning too far in either direction。 I think anyone who reads this book will be pleasantly surprised with what they find。 I also think A friend recommended this to me my junior year of college， but I just got around to reading it。 I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 It is entertaining and informative， and it does an excellent job of removing the stigma surrounding a subject that is mired in stigma。 In doing so， Pollan toes a line between anecdotal insights and hard science， never losing balance and leaning too far in either direction。 I think anyone who reads this book will be pleasantly surprised with what they find。 I also think that it might just change your mind about some things。 。。。more

Emily Barton ，

3。5 stars。 A book about Pollan’s research on and subsequent pursuit for consciousness expansion through psychedelics （aka entheogens， iykyk）。 I love Pollan’s writing though I usually gravitate toward his books about food and food systems， so this was an interesting departure。 For the most part， I enjoyed this book。 The way Pollan describes his own and others’ trips was hilarious and horrifying and beautiful and thoughtful all at once。 My main complaint with the book was the long history section 3。5 stars。 A book about Pollan’s research on and subsequent pursuit for consciousness expansion through psychedelics （aka entheogens， iykyk）。 I love Pollan’s writing though I usually gravitate toward his books about food and food systems， so this was an interesting departure。 For the most part， I enjoyed this book。 The way Pollan describes his own and others’ trips was hilarious and horrifying and beautiful and thoughtful all at once。 My main complaint with the book was the long history section towards the beginning。 It was an important bit of context for understanding why a promising field of research became an underground subculture， but it lacked the excitement and curiosity that made the other sections so special。 I will certainly be reading more books on consciousness in the future。 。。。more

Jack Haseltine ，

dope book。 highly recommend if interested in psychedelics。 history part is half the book and boring but his personal experiences and neuroscience is awesome

Amber Lemons ，

We could probably all benefit from an ego dissolution every now and again。

Rachel Shields Ebersole ，

Interesting enough but not as good as I expected。 Definitely one-sided。 There were some good tidbits about the brain and about the "counter-culture。" Interesting enough but not as good as I expected。 Definitely one-sided。 There were some good tidbits about the brain and about the "counter-culture。" 。。。more

Anastasiia ，

a great introduction to the history of psychedelics （it’s extremely amusing！）， short capture of the neurobiology behind it （scientists know almost nothing） and a summary of how psychedelics may be useful for the treatment of different mental illnesses （really impressive: depression， ptsd， ocd and others）。the author writes in a very pleasant journalistic manner （the book includes descriptions of his own psychedelic experiences）， however， i don’t quite understand the choice of the name of the book a great introduction to the history of psychedelics （it’s extremely amusing！）， short capture of the neurobiology behind it （scientists know almost nothing） and a summary of how psychedelics may be useful for the treatment of different mental illnesses （really impressive: depression， ptsd， ocd and others）。the author writes in a very pleasant journalistic manner （the book includes descriptions of his own psychedelic experiences）， however， i don’t quite understand the choice of the name of the book as well of some chapters， they do not always reflect the actual insides and sometimes it feels chaotic during the reading。overall it’s a good and enjoyable read about the promising drug。p。s。: will humanity ever understand how actually brain and mind work together？ 。。。more

Jamie is ，

"So much of human suffering stems from having this self that needs to be psychologically defended at all times。 We're trapped in a story that sees ourselves as independent， isolated agents acting in the world。 But that self is an illusion。 It can be a useful illusion， when you're swinging through the trees or escaping a cheetah or trying to do your taxes。 But at the systems level， there is no truth to it。 You can take any number of more accurate perspectives: that we're a swarm of genes， vehicle "So much of human suffering stems from having this self that needs to be psychologically defended at all times。 We're trapped in a story that sees ourselves as independent， isolated agents acting in the world。 But that self is an illusion。 It can be a useful illusion， when you're swinging through the trees or escaping a cheetah or trying to do your taxes。 But at the systems level， there is no truth to it。 You can take any number of more accurate perspectives: that we're a swarm of genes， vehicles for passing o DNA; that we're social creatures through and through， unable to survive alone; that we're organisms in an ecosystem， linked together on this planet floating in the middle of nowhere。 Wherever you look， you see that the level of interconnectedness is truly amazing， and yet we insist on thinking of ourselves as individual agents。"-researcher Matt Johnson"By temporarily disabling the ego， psilocybin seems to open a new field of psychological possibility， symbolized by death and rebirth reported by many of the patients I interviewed。 At first， the falling away of self seems threatening， but if one can let go and surrender， powerful and usually positive emotions flow in - along with formerly inaccessible memories and sense impressions and meanings。 No longer defended by the ego， the gate between self and other - Huxley's reducing valve - is thrown wide open。 And what comes through that opening for many people， in a great flood， is love。 Love for specific individuals， yes， but also， as Patrick Mettes came to feel， love for everyone and everything - love as the meaning and purpose of life， the key to the universe， and the ultimate truth。"The author Pollan underscores many times that having a positive experience is also heavily dependent on setting and guidance。 Using psychedelics and other drugs for nefarious purposes （such as loading up suicide bombers at a party the night before） isn't discussed much if at all in the book， because the point is how therapeutic it can be given positive intentions and forethought。 。。。more

Kanwarpal Singh ，

This book talk about the 4 plants that can help people relief from mental health issues like addiction， depression， transcendence ， suicidal tendencies and consciousness。The author talk of 4 plants 1 Ergot （ Claviceps paspali） aka LSD2 Psilocybin mushroom （psilocybe）3 sassafras （ sassafras albidum） MDMA aka ecstasy4 peyote （ lophophora Williamsii） When LSD was first discovered in the 1940s， it seemed to researchers， scientists and doctors as if the world might be on the cusp of psychological rev This book talk about the 4 plants that can help people relief from mental health issues like addiction， depression， transcendence ， suicidal tendencies and consciousness。The author talk of 4 plants 1 Ergot （ Claviceps paspali） aka LSD2 Psilocybin mushroom （psilocybe）3 sassafras （ sassafras albidum） MDMA aka ecstasy4 peyote （ lophophora Williamsii） When LSD was first discovered in the 1940s， it seemed to researchers， scientists and doctors as if the world might be on the cusp of psychological revolution。 It promised to shed light on the deep mysteries of consciousness， as well as offer relief to addicts and the mentally ill。 But in the 1960s， with the vicious backlash against the counter-culture， all further research was banned。 In recent years， however， work has quietly begun again on the amazing potential of LSD， psilocybin and DMT。 These drugs can in fact improve the lives of many people。 Diving deep into this extraordinary world 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 about how natural growing medical herbs should be ban when they can be treated as many diseases like cancers ， other mental health issues and other health issues。 Voting has been done and other protest going on in America for legalise them and native and religious beliefs of the people should be restored and nature can be protected rather than harming it。 Proper research and in what proportion it should be used and not for abuse of it by people should be controlled。 。。。more

Lghamilton ，

My mind has been changed by listening to this book。 Timely， as Oregon just voted to make a path for psilocybin therapy。 Narrated by the author， who has a very nice reading voice。 Also， I was expecting to hear about Timothy Leary， but had no idea Alduous Huxley figured prominently in psychadelics。 Of course Brave New World now takes on a different dimension。

GLENN HARDY ，

Fascinating insights

McKanie McNamara ，

A bit too long and dense for me。 Love Pollan’s perspective and ability to communicate both complicated and indescribable things！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0