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

Michael Pollan

May 2018 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

“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.

Ratings and reviews

The world is so troubled. I've believed for a long time that widespread psychedelics for psychotherapy could help every person live with more love and compassion. At the very least, it would get people to think and realize most of what keeps us divided and preoccupied is irrelevant. This book is incredibly well researched and written in such a way that nothing can be doubted. I'm so grateful for the effort Michael put into this book and have already suggested to friends and am gifting to family. Ego is the enemy. We are all from the same life source and that source exists in all of us. The closer we can be to the spirit, the more humanity will thrive. The answers to genuine happiness and well-being can be found through this objectively written book. The knowledge in here is something every person needs to know. After that, semi-annual psychedelic use should become the norm for any responsible individual. It's arguably the only hope for humanity as a whole. Huge thank you to the author!

What Pollan is doing by putting this book out is a HUGE leap for the further study and research of psychedelics! A flawlessly verbose piece of psychedelic history and literature. Very very big step in the right direction to be sure.

A clear headed look at the psychedelic experience and the history of psychedelic therapy. Wildly entertaining and exhaustively researched account of the events and characters that lead to the current wave of serious medical reasearch.

About the author

Michael Pollan is the author of eight books, including How to Change Your Mind, Cooked, Food Rules, In Defense of Food, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and The Botany of Desire, all of which were New York Times bestsellers. He is also the author of the audiobook Caffeine: How Coffee and Tea Made the Modern World. A longtime contributor to The New York Times Magazine, Pollan teaches writing at Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley. In 2010, Time magazine named him one of the one hundred most influential people in the world.