Horror's Greatest Hits
Eric asked this question about How to Change Your Mind: The New Science of Psychedelics:
Would anyone care to share a comment on whether Pollan has gone off the deep end wit this one? I really enjoyed "The Omnivore's Dilemma," but this sounds from the dust jacket/publisher blurb to the reader being treated to an experience of the author's high without doing the drug.
Hank Perhaps the author has "gone off the deep end" because that is part of what his study is about. There is a reason that psychedelic substances are refe…morePerhaps the author has "gone off the deep end" because that is part of what his study is about. There is a reason that psychedelic substances are referred to as "mind-expanding" because they take the user "outside the box." That's the point. There are numerous similar books that describe a mystical, spiritual or ecstatic experience in which labels, stories, and prior assumptions are blown away, and therefore the person's perspective and life are changed forever. This might happen with or without a drug. Pollan goes through the history to arrive at the current state in which psychedelics might be used in respectful, therapeutic and healing ways with the aid of doctors, clinicians, therapists, and even clergy. Pollan describes three or four of his own trips, including his interviews with the guides who help him with his inner journeys. Pollan wrote an article in 2015 for the New Yorker that must have been written while he was working on the book. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...(less)
flag
More questions about How to Change Your Mind…
Image for How to Change Your Mind
How to Change Your Mind
by Michael Pollan (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more