Michael Pollan's How To Change Your Mind was an impulse borrow from the library. I've liked everything I've read by Pollan so far so I was curious about this book. I listen to it on my walks and these days I often take them in the middle of the work-day so I can spend time in the sunlight for a couple of hours. The workday is endless and this pause keeps me from feeling worn out even after a long one. A sharp switch from my work mode to listening to Pollan talk about the mind and spirit altering effects of LSD and psilocybin is a dramatic shift and forces my mind to reconfigure itself entirely to engage with the book. This is so far and removed from anything that is part of my daily life.
A couple of hours later when I am back from work, I feel like I had a long mental holiday and feel more energized to pick up where I left off. The other thing the book is doing for me is making me think hard about stopping cold and restarting the next part of my life as no other way is likely to work. That which I am waiting for - the sign, the epiphany, the perfect opportunity and so on will likely not arrive. It will be a lot easier to roll along to the next thing that follows from where I am at right now. Its akin to the experiences Pollan describes in the book that people had after trying psychedelic substances except that in my case just hearing about it is inspiring me to consider a hard reset to force change. In any event, this is a fascinating book and the story is superbly told.
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