what the new science of psychedelics teaches us about consciousness, dying, addiction, depression, and transcendence
Michael Pollan: How to change your mind (2018)
[sound recording] :, 13 pages
English language
Published July 29, 2018
Presents an investigation into the medical and scientific revolution currently taking place in the field of psychedelic drugs, tracing the criminalization of such substances as LSD and psychedelic mushrooms and how they may offer treatment options for difficult health challenges.
This is a very interesting book, though perhaps a bit too verbose in places. I could easily have skipped the whole history of psychelics, as I was primarily interested in the neurological and psychological aspects.
How can you write about psychedelics without having experienced them? You’d run the risk of coming off dry, clinical, and, not fully understanding them, as not really credible. But then again, how can you write about them after having tried? There’s no language, no way to communicate the experience to those on the other shore. Fortunately, Michael Pollan is up to the task, or at least I think so—I can’t be sure, because I’m on the same shore he’s on, and his book makes perfect sense to the me of today but I can never know if it would’ve to the pre-psilocybin me of ten years ago. His reporting—the majority of the book—is certainly objective and accurate. His personal experiences ring true, but I’m extremely eager to know if they make sense to someone on the not-yet side of psychedelics. If you are such, and you read this, would you …
How can you write about psychedelics without having experienced them? You’d run the risk of coming off dry, clinical, and, not fully understanding them, as not really credible. But then again, how can you write about them after having tried? There’s no language, no way to communicate the experience to those on the other shore. Fortunately, Michael Pollan is up to the task, or at least I think so—I can’t be sure, because I’m on the same shore he’s on, and his book makes perfect sense to the me of today but I can never know if it would’ve to the pre-psilocybin me of ten years ago. His reporting—the majority of the book—is certainly objective and accurate. His personal experiences ring true, but I’m extremely eager to know if they make sense to someone on the not-yet side of psychedelics. If you are such, and you read this, would you let me know?
Anyhow, I’ve been struggling to review this book and am giving up. There’s no point. If you’re a Michael Pollan fan (which you should be!) you’re probably going to read this. If you’re curious about the state of the art in psychedelic-assisted therapy research, you’re going to read this. If you’re a policymaker, not that I know any of those, you should almost certainly read this because it’s informative while also refraining from the (dangerous) exuberance that can follow discovery: Pollan’s tone is enthusiastic but guardedly so, nobody wants another situation like the 70s. What can I add to the conversation? Go read it.
