How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan

What if changing your mind could change the way you see yourself, your experiences and the world around you?

In this episode, Dave and Poppy explore How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan, a fascinating investigation into the history, science and potential of psychedelic experiences. 

Pollan examines how substances such as LSD and psilocybin have moved from the margins of scientific research into renewed interest within modern medicine and psychology.

The book explores the experiences of people who have taken psychedelics and the researchers working to understand what happens in the brain and mind during these experiences. 

Pollan considers how these substances may temporarily alter deeply established patterns of thought and perception, raising intriguing questions about consciousness, identity and our understanding of reality.

Dave and Poppy unpack the idea that the mind is not always as fixed as we might assume. The episode explores how our habitual ways of thinking can shape the way we experience life, while also considering the importance of context, intention and guidance when discussing psychedelic experiences.

How to Change Your Mind also takes a wider look at the history of psychedelic research, including its early scientific promise, its suppression during the drug wars and the renewed research that has emerged in recent decades. 

Rather than presenting psychedelics as a simple answer to life's challenges, Pollan takes a more investigative approach, exploring both their potential and the questions that remain.

This episode invites us to think more deeply about consciousness, perception and the possibility of seeing familiar things differently.

What if the mind isn't something we simply have, but something that can change, adapt and be experienced in entirely new ways?