How to Change Your Mind
by Michael Pollan
Mentioned once across 1 show · first heard Feb 2026 on On Purpose with Jay Shetty.
The general take
Michael Pollan presents psychedelics and meditation as tools that disrupt our normal consciousness, making us aware that our perception isn't fixed but malleable—like realizing the "windshield" between us and the world could be cleaned or adjusted differently. He frames this as valuable because it reveals that how we see things "is subject to change," rather than being inevitable or permanent.
About
“Pollan keeps you turning the pages . . . cleareyed and assured.” — New York Times A #1 New York Times Bestseller, New York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of 2018, and New York Times Notable Book A brilliant and brave investigation into the medical and scientific revolution taking place around psychedelic drugs—and the spellbinding story of his own life-changing psychedelic experiences When Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book.
Who said what
Michael Pollan💬 Mentioned
…discussing how psychedelics influenced the development of his current book
“And psychedelics and meditation both have a way of kind of smudging the windshield of our consciousness, you know. And suddenly we, because normally we don't have to think about consciousness. It's just the water we swim in, you know. But when you smudge that pain, you realize, hey, there is something between me and the world. It's this way, but it could be that way. It's subject to change. What is that? And that, you know, that became the question that drove this new book. I had psychedelic experiences I had for my book, How to Change Your Mind.”
On Purpose with Jay Shetty — Michael Pollan: The Hidden Cost Of Constant Distraction (Use THIS Practice To Reclaim Your Attention, Clarity, And Inner Freedom)at 05:43
Listener reviews
Bought How to Change Your Mind after hearing about it? Tell everyone how it went.
