How to Change Your Mind
Mindfulness
Preparing for a Psychedelic Therapy Journey
from How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan
How to Apply This
- Familiarize yourself with the difficulties of psychedelic therapy.
Investigate the difficulty of blinding trials, and the difficulty of distinguishing the effects of the drug from the environment in which it is administered, the presence of the therapists, or the volunteer's expectations. - Understand the concept of "applied mysticism."
Study Charles Grob's description of psychedelic therapy as a form of "applied mysticism," and the idea that elements of shamanism may have a role to play in psychedelic therapy. - Be aware of the potential advantages of psychedelic therapy.
Read about the potential benefits of psychedelics to reduce existential distress in cancer patients, alleviate depression, and break addictions. - Prepare for the experience.
Talk to a therapist or scientist about the use of psychedelics to reduce existential distress in cancer patients. - Take the dosages.
Take two dosages - one of an active placebo and one of psilocybin - and lie on the couch wearing eye shades and listening to a playlist of carefully selected music. - Utilize a mantra.
Utilize the phrase “Trust and let go” as a kind of mantra for the journey. - Move towards anything intimidating.
Move towards, rather than try to escape, anything truly intimidating or monstrous encountered. Look it straight in the eyes and ask, “What are you doing in my mind?” or, “What can I learn from you?”
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