Who is the author of How to Change Your Mind?

Michael Pollan is the author of How to Change Your Mind.

Religion & Spirituality

How to Change Your Mind Book Summary - How to Change Your Mind Book explained in key points

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Name: How to Change Your Mind
Rating: 4.4 (346 reviews)
Author: Michael Pollan

Michael Pollan

What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence

4.4 (346 ratings)

24 mins

Brief summary

How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan explores the history and resurgence of psychedelic drugs, how they work, and their potential therapeutic benefits for mental health and addiction. A must-read for anyone curious about the therapeutic power of psychedelics.

Topics

Neuroscience Alternative Perspectives Mental Health Spirituality

Table of Contents

How to Change Your Mind
Summary of 8 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 8

What’s in it for me? Go on a mind-expanding trip through the world of psychedelic drugs.

Growing up, you probably heard oversimplified anti-drug messages like “Just say no,” “Users are losers,” or “Be smart, don’t start.” In all of these messages, any illegal drug was treated the same way, as dangerous, toxic and sure to lead you down a terrible path in life.

Finally, scientists and lawmakers are beginning to understand what some people have known all along, that not all drugs are the same. In the case of psychedelic drugs like LSD, “magic mushrooms” and the South American brew ayahuasca, they can even have genuine positive effects in helping people fight depression and break bad habits.

With these big changes happening in our attitudes toward certain drugs, author Michael Pollan decided to find out for himself what all the fuss was about. As you’ll see in the blinks ahead, Pollan had some revelatory experiences with psychedelic drugs, and he’s ready to tell you all about it.

In these blinks, you’ll find

which “healer” in Mexico first introduced Westerners to psychedelics;
what goes on in the brain during a mushroom trip; and
why taking psychedelics is like going to the moon.

Our perception of psychedelic drugs has changed as people understand that not all drugs are dangerous.

In 2006, the US Supreme Court made an important decision when it ruled in favor of a small religious sect known as UDV, short for União do Vegetal. The ruling allowed the group to import ayahuasca, a special tea-like brew that comes from South America and contains strong hallucinogenic properties. While some of the individual substances in ayahuasca are federally banned, the sect was given the legal right to import and use the brew as part of its sacred and traditional rituals.

We can now see this decision as part of a larger cultural shift in the United States’ attitude toward drugs.

The scientific perception of psychedelic drugs has also changed significantly, thanks in part to the neuroscientist Roland Griffiths, who is based out of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

In the summer of 2006, Griffiths published an eye-opening article that said psychedelic drugs could provide meaningful, mystical experiences that contribute to both spiritual and personal development.

Griffiths’ study was the first scientifically rigorous and placebo-controlled experiment to be conducted in the field since the 1960s. Griffiths focused primarily on psilocybin, the substance found in hallucinogenic mushrooms, and its beneficial effects on the human psyche.

Remarkably, the study received a warm reception by the press and was even endorsed by researchers like Herbert D. Kleber, who’d helped form the anti-drug policies of the first Bush administration. Kleber praised the study as promising and admired how thorough it had been.

This marked quite a dramatic shift in popular opinion. After all, psychedelic drugs had been considered dangerous and illegal since the late 1960s – even though this attitude was largely due to a relatively small amount of bad experiences people had after taking the drugs in uncontrolled environments.

But thanks in part to Griffiths’ published study, the public was starting to understand that there may be some drugs that aren’t necessarily dangerous or toxic.

Griffiths helped make a distinction between two types of drugs: the more widespread, hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, which are highly toxic and addictive; and the traditional psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin, LSD and mescaline. If taken correctly, these drugs are not only safe, but they can also be psychologically and spiritually beneficial.

In the blinks ahead, we’ll take a closer look at these psychedelics and how the author suggests they should be handled.

Psychedelic substances can be found organically in nature, but it takes a specialist to identify them.

With all the attention given to the negative aspects of psychedelic drugs, like criminality and shady drug dealers, it’s easy to forget the origins of psychedelics.

While certain cultures have known about them for quite some time, it wasn’t until the 1950s that Westerners discovered that psychedelic substances are a natural part of certain mushrooms.

Taking LSD is best done with a guide, and the experience is not necessarily what one expects.

If you’ve taken a psychedelic drug once but didn’t enjoy it, there’s a good chance that your unpleasant experience was due to the environment. Things like loud music, alcohol and unruly strangers can make the experience scary or even traumatic.

But there are some simple precautions you can take to ensure that the drugs have a therapeutic effect and not a distressing one.

The mysticism surrounding psychedelics may seem hokey at first, but the experience can be truly powerful for some.

Believe it or not, Pollan felt somewhat underwhelmed after his first LSD experience. While the trip had encouraged him to be emotionally open to others, it wasn’t as transformative as he’d hoped.

So now he found himself ready to move on to another substance and to try a more mystical guide. This time it was psilocybin mushrooms, and the guide was a woman named Mary who lived on the East Coast.

Psychedelics make the brain more interconnected, which contributes to the hallucinatory experience.

Hearing someone describe unusual lights and changing faces is one thing, but you may be wondering: What’s really going on in the brain during a hallucinatory psychedelic trip? Are we seeing things we can’t normally see, or just plain seeing things.

Neuroscientists have recently looked into the effects of psychedelics and have found that they do cause the brain to be more interconnected.

Psychedelics are also being introduced to hospitals as a treatment for terminally ill patients.

Not all hospitals are the same. Certainly, they aren’t all equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, sterile white rooms and rows of patients recovering in beds. At the New York City Hospital, you’ll find a very different kind of hospital room – one that’s furnished like a cozy living room, complete with recliners and couches.

This room is a special one, reserved for terminal patients looking to receive a treatment of psychedelic drugs in comfort.

Evidence shows that taking psychedelics can change people’s perspective on life and help cure addiction.

Here’s a question for you: What do astronauts and someone taking a psychedelic drug have in common? No, it doesn’t have anything to do with getting “high”; it’s about getting a new perspective on life.

During the era of NASA’s famous Apollo missions, over a dozen astronauts traveled to the moon, and many of them have spoken of the radically transformative experience that occurs when you’re able to see earth from a new perspective. It suddenly seems so fragile when seen as nothing more than a small blue orb surrounded by the infinite vastness of space.

Psychedelics can potentially alleviate depression by creating a new sense of connection in depressive patients.

If you need more proof of just how mainstream psychedelics are becoming, consider this: in 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested a study to see how effective psychedelics are at curing depression. After all, clinical depression remains a widespread illness despite the efforts of prescription pharmaceuticals.

So far, the studies show that psychedelics are indeed effective at alleviating depression.

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What is How to Change Your Mind about?

How to Change Your Mind (2018) is a fascinating account of one man’s exploration of the psychedelic drug world. Author Michael Pollan takes readers along for the ride as he learns first-hand about the positive aspects of psychedelic drugs, including the healing and restorative effects they can have on people suffering from depression and addiction. Readers will also hear from neuroscientists to learn exactly what is happening in the brain during a psychedelic trip.

How to Change Your Mind Review

How to Change Your Mind (2018) is a thought-provoking exploration of the potential benefits and risks of psychedelic substances for mental health and personal growth. Here's why this book is worth reading:

With meticulous research and scientific evidence, it challenges the negative stigma surrounding psychedelics and offers a new perspective on their therapeutic potential.
By blending personal experiences, historical context, and interviews with experts, the book provides a well-rounded understanding of the subject, making it both informative and engaging.
The author's balanced approach and insightful analysis ensure that the book is never dull, offering a captivating exploration of the mind and our potential for transformation.

Best quote from How to Change Your Mind

The psychedelic, LSD, was also first found in the mushroom known as Claviceps purpurea, a type of ergot fungus.

—Michael Pollan

Who should read How to Change Your Mind?

Psychologists and therapists
Depressive people and addicts
Spiritual seekers

About the Author

Michael Pollan is an author and journalist who was considered one of the hundred most influential contemporary minds by Time magazine in 2010. His other books include In Defense of Food (2008), Food Rules (2009), and The Botany of Desire (2001). He is also a professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley.

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