I recommend How to Change Your Mind. https://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Mind-Consciousness-Transc...

The author has a great Joe Rogan interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz4CrWE_P0g

A worthy read on the subject of psychedelics: How To Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan:

https://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Mind-Consciousness-Transc...

Michael Pollan: How to Change Your Mind [1]

Not just about an utterly fascinating topic (psychadelic drugs), in terms of history (LSD turning from a scientific wonder drug to illegal), his personal experiences, and the neuroscience behind it, but also just extremely well-written -- a real page-turner. A crazy potent combination of science, spirituality (from a skeptic), and narrative. I expect his book will be a significant part of why psychadelic drugs will be legalized in the near future specifically for therapeutic purposes.

Also +1 for 2017's Why We Sleep [2]. After reading it, I couldn't believe how shockingly ignorant I'd been of how I spend a full third of my life, and how much it affects the other two-thirds -- and the degree to which a lack of sleep prevents us from perceiving the effects of lack of sleep, in a kind of vicious cycle.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Mind-Consciousness-Transc...

[2] https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501...

> As with anything, too much of a good thing can be detrimental: hyperactivity of the DMN has been linked with things like schizophrenia, anxiety, and ADHD. [...] It's interesting that things like meditation (and apparently psychedelics) can quiet the DMN and bring clarity and happiness in people by doing so.

The discovery of the default mode network (DMN) and the role it plays in our perception of reality are also mentioned in "How to Change Your Mind", a recent book by Michael Pollan [1], which examines in great depth all the issues you mention and more. I highly recommend it to those interested in the nature of consciousness.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Mind-Consciousness-Transc...

If you are interested in learning more about psychedelics, and their context in 2018, I'd recommend UC Berkeley Professor Michael Pollan's latest book "How to Change Your Mind". It is a really nice, easy to read primer on the topic, and his experience with psychedelics. He approaches the topic with a scientific yet accessible tone, and he asks and answers lots of good questions. Pollan interviews many of the people mentioned in this New York Times article.

Go put your name on the list at your local library!

https://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Mind-Consciousness-Transc...

I am just reading an incredible book on the subject:

"How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence"

Highly recommend it.

https://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Mind-Consciousness-Transc...

I’m really worried about the subset of the population with preexisting mental disorders such as manic depressive disorder, schizophrenia, and depression who will suffer a psychotic break from the use of these substances. Maybe I’m wrong, but from what I’ve heard and read it seems like there’s no way to know what will happen until you try it. A certain percentage of the population goes to hell in the most literal sense of the word possible. Anecdotally, the people I personally know who have tried psychedelics (maybe 6 or 7 people, all who did no know one another) seem to have a weird mental frailty to them, where because their ego disappeared(?) briefly and psychedelics were allowing mental connections that wouldn’t have arisen without psychedelics, they begin to question everything, almost like a rebuilding of their fundamental axioms from scratch. There’s also a strange fervor for others to try it, even from people who have had bad trips.

Joe Rogan had Michael Pollan on recently[0], who wrote The Omnivores Dilemma and a new book How To Change Your Mind[1] which talks about the benefits of hallucinogens. They also briefly talk about the psychotic breaks some people will experience as a result of widespread use and shrug it off like it’ll be fine. Aldous Huxley wrote a book about his use of mescaline called Doors of Perception[2] which felt almost unintelligible and very strange to me as a person who has not (and will not, as my mental health is great but I’m certain I’m at risk of a psychotic break from hallucinogens due to family history) done psychedelics.

[0] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tz4CrWE_P0g

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Mind-Consciousness-Transc...

[2] https://www.amazon.com/Doors-Perception-Heaven-Hell/dp/00617...