How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence
Anesthesia & Analgesia February 17, 2021 Peter G. Brindley 49 citations
A book review of Michael Pollan's "How to Change Your Mind" describes the work as a comprehensive and prescient exploration of whether psychedelic agents can revolutionize mental health. Pollan covers the natural history, pharmacology, and cultural history of LSD, psilocybin, and DMT, and describes his own supervised experiences with these substances. The review highlights Pollan's arguments that supervised use of psychedelics may help patients with dying, addiction, and depression by reconnecting them with awe, empathy, and equanimity, and that these drugs may offer a reboot when conventional therapies have failed. The review notes that psychedelic studies cannot be adequately blinded and their effects are influenced by set, setting, and expectation.