How to Change Your Mind is about expanding one's view of the world by getting to an ego-free state of consciousness. In this book, Michael Pollan explains what the new science of psychedelics teaches us about consciousness, dying, addiction, depression, and transcendence. Yes, this book is about mushrooms and LSD, but if you take a step back and forget about all the negative stigmas associated with these drugs, then you are able to see how useful they are in helping humans learn more about themselves and their connection with the world.
In 2006, John Hopkins University wrote a paper about a study they did that proved how Psilocybin (the psychoactive compound of mushroom) and LSD can cause mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance. 2/3 of the volunteers rated their "trip" as the top 5 most spiritually significant events to happen to them and 1/3 rated it as the #1 spiritual significant event in their life. 14 months later these volunteers were checked up with and they reported significant improvement in personal well being, positive attitude, and general outlook on life. This study was one of the main reasons why Michael Pollan decided to try these drugs.
One of my favorite quotes from the book so far is "the efficencies of the adult mind blinds us from the present moment." This really spoke to me because we have so many mental heuristcs that we fall a custom to using over and over for different everyday situations, but are these mental shortcuts maybe holding us back from a better reality? Another interesting topic Micheal Pollan talks about is how our everyday waking conscious, our default conscious is just one of the many conscious states we have, and what if this everyday conscious isnt the best way to live? This was another main reason why Michael Pollan decided to try these drugs because why would he close the doors to other aspects of reality prematurely?
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