{"id":1210,"date":"2019-04-03T12:35:16","date_gmt":"2019-04-03T12:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bcl.bowdoin.edu\/bowdoin-reads\/?p=1210"},"modified":"2019-04-03T12:35:42","modified_gmt":"2019-04-03T12:35:42","slug":"sofia-trogu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bcl.bowdoin.edu\/bowdoin-reads\/2019\/04\/03\/sofia-trogu\/","title":{"rendered":"Sofia Trogu"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Despite the brain\u2019s ability to map out function and behavior in an organized way, the mind transcends this fundamental capacity, and functions in many diverging directions based on a variety of environmental influences. Michael Pollan explores this complex interaction between nature and nurture \u2013 the neurological debate of the century \u2013 in his most recent book that I\u2019m reading, <em>How to Change Your Mind. <\/em>Pollan brilliantly explores this interaction through a comprehensive discussion of the contemporary clinical research and understanding of psychedelic drugs, such as LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms). Using a journalistic approach, the book provides both first and third-person accounts of the mind\u2019s journey into foreign and dynamic states of consciousness after exposure to these psychedelics. Pollan seeks to dismantle the stigma surrounding the recreational use of these chemicals by demonstrating their potential therapeutic properties, particularly for patients suffering from mentally and physically disabling conditions like anxiety, depression, and addiction. The efficacy of these drugs, he warns however, are context-dependent. Without the correct environment and mindset, the user might experience a negative psychological response. In addition to their clinical application, Pollan reveals these drugs\u2019 universality in enabling a better understanding of one\u2019s surrounding environment and the hidden crevices of one\u2019s mind. While I\u2019m skeptical about some of Pollan\u2019s methodologies and generalized claims about the drugs\u2019 effects, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is curious about cognitive neuroscience, spirituality, and the history and future of medicine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Despite the brain\u2019s ability to map out function and behavior in an organized way, the mind transcends this fundamental capacity, and functions in many diverging directions based on a variety of environmental influences. Michael Pollan explores this complex interaction between nature and nurture \u2013 the neurological debate of the century \u2013 in his most recent &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bcl.bowdoin.edu\/bowdoin-reads\/2019\/04\/03\/sofia-trogu\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Sofia Trogu&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-readers"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bcl.bowdoin.edu\/bowdoin-reads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bcl.bowdoin.edu\/bowdoin-reads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bcl.bowdoin.edu\/bowdoin-reads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bcl.bowdoin.edu\/bowdoin-reads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bcl.bowdoin.edu\/bowdoin-reads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1210"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/bcl.bowdoin.edu\/bowdoin-reads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1210\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1218,"href":"https:\/\/bcl.bowdoin.edu\/bowdoin-reads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1210\/revisions\/1218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bcl.bowdoin.edu\/bowdoin-reads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bcl.bowdoin.edu\/bowdoin-reads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bcl.bowdoin.edu\/bowdoin-reads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}