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A review by katrod
How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I read almost half of this over a year ago, and while some parts were interesting, the majority of that second quarter really wasn’t keeping me engaged. I think Pollen could have done with a bit more editing in general.
However, I recently picked it back up and blew through the whole second half in just 2 or 3 days. The second half details his own personal experiences using psychedelic assisted therapy and then detailing the broader underground (and not so underground) therapeutic practices, which I found fascinating.
Overall, I wouldn’t say it’s a book about “how to change your mind” but rather an overview of the history of psychedelic use in western medicine (as most of these have been used in indigenous cultures for hundreds if not thousands of years) and the story of one man’s journey into altered consciousness.
However, I recently picked it back up and blew through the whole second half in just 2 or 3 days. The second half details his own personal experiences using psychedelic assisted therapy and then detailing the broader underground (and not so underground) therapeutic practices, which I found fascinating.
Overall, I wouldn’t say it’s a book about “how to change your mind” but rather an overview of the history of psychedelic use in western medicine (as most of these have been used in indigenous cultures for hundreds if not thousands of years) and the story of one man’s journey into altered consciousness.