How consciousness changes

People's perceptions of hallucinogenic substances are torn between idealisation, as if they were a panacea, and demonisation, as if they were a deadly danger. Yet as recently as the 1960s, they were considered very promising medications for treating mental illness, addiction, and for opening up to spiritual experiences. How and why did it happen that in 1970, psychedelics were placed on the USA's list of Schedule 1 controlled substances, where they remain to this day? Michael Pollan guides the reader through the history of psychedelics and their use in medical and scientific contexts, as well as their influence on social development. He also touches upon the personalities who played a crucial role in this development, whether it's the discoverer of LSD, Albert Hofmann, Timothy Leary, Alexander von Humboldt, or the writer Aldous Huxley, author of the groundbreaking book The Doors of Perception. The author also adds his subjective contribution by sharing the personal experiences he had as a "psychonaut" on his own psychedelic journeys.   Pollan's narrative is not just about psychedelic substances, but about the eternal mystery of human consciousness and how to find meaning in one's existence amidst the joys and sufferings of the world.   Did you know that: - guru Timothy Leary actually did more harm than good to psychedelic research in his time? - the original idea of the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous also included treating addiction with psychedelics? - the very first war on drugs in history was waged by the Spanish conquistadors? - one of the names for psychotropic substances was "psychotomimetics" because scientists believed they caused psychosis, and by taking them, they could understand madness? - nations can be divided according to whether they love mushrooms (like Slavs, for example) or are rather wary of them (Celts)? - mycelial networks in the soil are nicknamed Earth's natural internet and, in a sense, are conscious organisms to which we as humans are genetically closer than to the plant kingdom? A #1 New York Times Bestseller, one of the 10 Best Books of 2018 according to the New York Times Book Review, and a New York Times Notable Book. In the 2022 Netflix documentary series of the same name, Michael Pollan guides the viewer through the history and uses of LSD, psilocybin, ecstasy, mescaline, and other psychedelics.