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

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-- Prologue: A New Door -- A Renaissance -- Natural History : Bemushroomed ; Coda -- History : The First Wave. The Promise ; The Crack-up ; Coda -- Travelogue : Journeying Underground. Trip One : Lsd ; Trip Two : Psilocybin ; Trip Three : 5-meo-dmt (or, The Toad) -- The Neuroscience : Your Brain On Psychedelics -- The Trip Treatment : Psychedelics In Psychotherapy. One : Dying ; Two : Addiction ; Three : Depression ; Coda : Going To Meet My Default Mode Network -- Epilogue: In Praise Of Neural Diversity. Michael Pollan. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 439-446) And Index. Pollan keeps you turning the pages . . . cleareyed and assured. New York Times A #1#160; New York Times #160;Bestseller, New York Times Book Review #160;10 Best Books of 2018, and #160;New York Times Notable Book#160; A brilliant and brave investigation#160;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 “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. "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."-- Provided by publisher Psychological Aspects of Cancer: A Guide to Emotional and Psychological Consequences of Cancer, Their Causes and Their Management opens with two essays on the biological basis of emotion/mental-driven body processes and disease. The consequence of such considerations is that since thoughts and emotions can be modulated and changed by health care professionals, psychological counseling should be seen not only as a way to help patients cope, but possibly to influence the disease itself. A unique overview of a key area of cancer care, this important title then proceeds to offer a section on genetic predispositions to cancer and the psychological considerations involved in screening and pre-emptive therapies and decision-making in cancer therapy. A third section deals with the philosophical and religious underpinnings of psychological factors involved in coping with disease state stressors and the roles of hope in coping. The fourth section is an acknowledgement that patients with cancer live in a social context, which often includes a partner and/or caregiver. The fifth section includes several essays on aspects and modalities of care-giving that are designed to help patients coping with their cancer and its aftermath, which increasingly extends for years. An important title covering key aspects of one of the most troubling disorders of our time, Psychological Aspects of Cancer: A Guide to Emotional and Psychological Consequences of Cancer, Their Causes and Their Management will provide the busy practitioner with cutting edge knowledge as well as practical information that can translate into better care for patients with cancer. Psychological Aspects of Cancer opens with two essays on the biological basis of emotion/mental-driven body processes and disease. The consequence of such considerations is that since thoughts and emotions can be modulated and changed by health care professionals, psychological counseling should be seen not only as a way to help patients cope, but also to influence the disease itself.¡ A unique overview of a key area of cancer care, this important title then proceeds to offer a section on genetic predispositions to cancer and the psychological considerations involved in screening and pre-emptive therapies and decision-making in cancer therapy.¡ A third section deals with the philosophical and religious underpinnings of psychological factors involved in coping with disease state stressors and the roles of hope in coping. The fourth section is an acknowledgement that patients with cancer live in a social context, which often includes a partner and/or caregiver. The fifth section includes several essays on aspects and modalities of care-giving that are designed to help patients coping with their cancer and its aftermath, which increasingly extends for years. An important title covering key aspects of one of the most troubling disorders of our time, Psychological Aspects of Cancer will¡ provide the busy practitioner with cutting edge knowledge as well as practical information that can translate into better care for patients with cancer. ¡