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Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens
- benbreen 8y agoSubmission note: the title is admittedly sort of click bait-y, but the content is not. I've been making my way through the book from which this is excerpted (Michael Pollan's How to Change Your Mind) and have been really enjoying it. Previous discussion of the book here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17087961 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17087961
- kyleblarson 8y agoThe recent Joe Rogan interview w Pollan is also quite interesting. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tz4CrWE_P0g https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tz4CrWE_P0g
- FrantaH 8y agoYaeh, it made me subscribe to audible and listen it for free: https://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoirs/How-to-Change-Your-Mind-Audiobook/B07B1J873J https://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoirs/How-to-Change-Your-M... I enjoyed the book, but the claim that quantum physics might suggest that matter can have mind (because of wave particle duality) kind of killed it for me. Also, I don't find opinions of proponents of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trepanning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trepanning very relevant. But it's a nice overview of history of psychedelics and introduced me to some fascinating figures, e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Matthew_Hubbard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Matthew_Hubbard N.b. Pollan presents his subjective experience. If you liked it, you will love reports on https://www.erowid.org/ https://www.erowid.org/ and there's a lot of information on https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Main_Page https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Main_Page if you decide for firsthand experience.
- xab9 8y agoErowid is I think is nearly as old as the internet, it's good to see that it's still around.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- amarant 8y agonothing clickbaity about it! The title describes the content well. the main body of the text is indeed what the title suggests (even if the the introduction was a bit long for my taste). I get what you mean though. before reading the content the title sets off some bait-alarms.
- asd 8y agoWonderful book. I enjoyed it so much, I used one of my Audible credits to purchase the audiobook version, narrated by Pollan himself. It was a delight to hear his experiences firsthand, retold in his pleasant tone.
- dang 8y agoWe changed the title above to something considerably less baity.
- calebegg 8y agoSorry to bikeshed, but I feel like the new title is much less clear; I don't know how many readers would know what "Psilocybe Azurescens" means. I sure didn't. If I may, I suggest: "Michael Pollan on Hallucinogenic Mushrooms"
- itomato 8y agoThey're more than "hallucinogenic", and the temporary changes to his perception aren't the thrust of the article.
- pmoriarty 8y agoI never really got what is so wrong with an interesting title, if the article itself is interesting. If an interesting title gets someone to read an interesting article, what's wrong with that? Conversely, a boring title on an interesting article is likely to make lots of people miss out on something they'd enjoy or learn from, and that is a loss. It's bad enough that there are so many interesting articles with boring titles out there, why do we have to make even those with interesting titles more boring?
- coldtea 8y agoIt's just cargo cult knee jerk reactions: "title is click-baity = bad". Half of great books, movies, articles etc titles pre-internet and pre-clicks would also have been censored under such thinking.
- olfactory 8y agoAnd significantly more opaque. I’d say the title went from a B to a B- due to the moderation action.
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- ada1981 8y agoI always liked McKennas theory that the mushrooms arrived from outer space via spores.
- stinos 8y agoInside a trip it's indeed a nice idea to tinker with. But even then, and especially when sober, it always occurred nothing more than a thought experiment to me.
- Synaesthesia 8y agoIt’s somewhat plausible considering their unique biology - radically different to plants and animals. His book on mushroom cultivation is a classic. But honestly later he had some crackpot theories.
- ada1981 8y agoI first encounters McKenna’s work when was 17, hiking though the woods on LSD in Erie, PA. A young hippy materialized out from behind a tree and told me he had spent time on McKennas farm in Hawaii. He recommended I read True Hallucinations & The Archaic Revival. A day later I walked out of my local coffee shop and saw the same kid sitting on the street, which reminded me to get the book. Some twenty years later, I was just interviewed on a podcast after Dennis McKenna about my experiences with psychedelics. https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-48-anthony-adams/ https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-48-anthony-adams/
- andai 8y agoThat synchronicity is wonderful, and for me, characteristic of the psychedelic experience. Also, I am commenting so my future self listens to your podcast!
- ada1981 8y agoLet me know what you think! I just got invited to speak at the “Working With Psychedelics” workshop in NYC this month. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/working-with-psychedelics-tools-for-growth-creativity-and-vision-tickets-46617898389 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/working-with-psychedelics-tools... If you are in town, it would be fun to meet you!
- wafflesraccoon 8y agoGenuine question for people that have taken mushrooms, would you recommend it?
- Synaesthesia 8y agoYes definitely. Non-addictive, pretty harmless (physically) and it can be very therapeutic and insight-giving, albeit a bit frightening when it kicks in. It’s an introspective, spiritual trip, it very much clears your mind of distractions and running thoughts and alters your perception to the point where it seems like you’re examining yourself. It’s also largely side-effect free unlike say MDMA. That’s what’s nice about psychedelics. Certainly worthwhile but do your research first so you know what to expect (Erowid) and have some friends to look after you until you’re a bit more experienced.
- klenwell 8y agoFor those not familiar with Erowid, it is a great old-school independent website that serves as a hub for information on psychoactives: https://www.erowid.org/ https://www.erowid.org/ The New Yorker article that first introduced it to me: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/23/the-trip-planners https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/23/the-trip-plann... Personally I would never touch psychedelics in anything but a carefully controlled clinical settings. Reading the field reports suffices for me for the time being.
- skipthemeat 8y agoAbsolutely, yes. Don't be around assholes when you do.
- havemylife 8y agoI can't talk about mushrooms but I wouldn't recommend LSD and I think similar reasoning could apply to mushrooms as well. I wouldn't recommend LSD not because I had a bad experience but because I felt why someone could. It's a scary drug that you really don't have a lot of control over until its effects start to wear off. With something like alcohol or marijuana you mostly have control, you can kind of regulate how much of their effects you want to experience by consuming more or less, their effects wear off relatively quickly, and you can sleep them off. For the most part. Anyways, the main reason why I wouldn't recommend LSD is because I think an individual that's interested should research it themselves and decide if they want to themselves. They shouldn't try it because someone said it was good or that others are doing it.
- Synaesthesia 8y agoInteresting, I’ve also experienced the temporary paralysis mentioned here on shrooms, feeling unable to move for almost 2 hours.
- kacy 8y agoI recently just finished Michael Pollan's (author of this article) new book about psychedelics, and I absolutely recommend it. I've always been somewhat skeptical about the science, but the book eloquently explains the history and its exciting future. "How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence" by Michael Pollan
- orthecreedence 8y agoJust want to mention for people interested in mushrooms or hallucinogens/drugs in general, check out Erowid: https://www.erowid.org/plants/mushrooms/mushrooms.shtml https://www.erowid.org/plants/mushrooms/mushrooms.shtml This has always been my go-to for objective information on drugs and experiences people have while using them.
- exelius 8y agoThat site is as old as the Internet... I remember reading it when I was a kid looking to learn about drugs. I’m in my mid 30s now. Looks like it hasn’t changed a lot since the 90s.
- joejerryronnie 8y agoJust like Craigslist, they got it right the first time.
- TY 8y agoApparently, Paul Stamets of "Star Trek Discovery" is named after Paul Stamets in this article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/paul-stamets-star-trek-mushroom-expert-mycology-1.4454204 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/paul-stamets-...
- freeloop10 8y ago> “Plants and mushrooms have intelligence, and they want us to take care of the environment, and so they communicate that to us in a way we can understand.” Why us? “We humans are the most populous bipedal organisms walking around, so some plants and fungi are especially interested in enlisting our support. I think they have a consciousness and are constantly trying to direct our evolution by speaking out to us biochemically. We just need to be better listeners.” That statement just killed my enthusiasm to ever try mushrooms. If using them results in this sort of thinking process, I think that I would be better off steering clear.
- embwbam 8y agoMushrooms definitely give you the feeling that everything around you has purpose and motive. The tree to your left isn't just a tree any more, it reminds you of a dragon, and you can determine its character, etc. You feel connected to things and can sense the "life" in everything. It doesn't mean you have to update your physical worldview. But the feeling is powerful, and is accompanied by some strong insights into your own life. Highly recommended, even without any spiritual inclinations.
- Nav_Panel 8y ago> If using them results in this sort of thinking process, I think that I would be better off steering clear. This is a normal sort of thinking process, psychedelic or not. Let's look at this sentence: > ...so some plants and fungi are especially interested in enlisting our support. I think they have a consciousness... Pollan is exploring a metaphor. The metaphor in question is "plants as people": plants are "interested" parties, plants "have a consciousness." He's using the metaphor to better understand how plants work. Anthropomorphization is a major feature of how humans understand their environments. You'll note we use similar mental constructs with software, if you look closely at the language... Metaphor is the root of all abstract understanding.
- empath75 8y agofwiw, i've done a bunch of LSD and mushrooms and I think it sounds as stupid as you do. That said the experience of a psychedelic trip feels completely impossible and indescribable on every level so I can understand how people reach for absurd metaphors to come to terms with the experience. It's a very difficult experience to integrate.
- tw1010 8y agoI have such a hard time reading articles that I know are marketing a book. I just feel like I'm reading an ad the whole time. I'm not sure what authors can do about it though.
- tptacek 8y agoIt's not an "article marketing a book"; it's an excerpt from the book. They're giving you part of the book for free, like a song played on the radio.
- tptacek 8y agoQuestion: if one of the potential side effects of this particular mushroom is muscle paralysis, is going for a 30 minute walk after ingesting them a great idea?
- lakechfoma 8y agoDepends on where you're walking and who you are with, and of course dose but that can be hard to control. In the right setting, it can be a great idea. I would argue that such an effect is seen more at high doses and rarely at that. If your setting is a nice woodsie stroll then you can probably safely lay on the ground and watch the leaves until the moment passes. What's interesting is you'll suddenly realize your ability to move and have striking appreciation and respect for that, and that can stay with you forever. You'll also have just spent 20 minutes with the bugs and watching the trees and have strong feelings about all of that. All sorts of thoughts and perspectives you've built up over decades of life shattered. It's a great idea to see where the experience leads you. That said, if you are dosing high enough that you expect wild effects in general, you probably shouldn't be in a setting where temporary paralysis is going to be an issue. Yeah it would be an issue to have to lay down on a sidewalk in a populated area, but so would heavy visuals and associated strange thought processes and perspectives in that setting. You don't want to talk to a stranger on high doses, and definitely not the police or an EMT. edit: At doses that could cause paralysis, there will likely be debilitating sensory perception and cognitive processes in general, like synesthesia and your vision turning into a recursive zoom tunnel of over saturated hues, not understanding or abiding by some social constructs and speaking in metaphors that make a lot of sense to you and no one else.
- tptacek 8y agoAre you talking about psilocybin mushrooms in general, or the particular species of mushroom discussed in the article? In the article, the mycologist who identified the species and picked mushrooms with Pollan told him not to consume them on their camping trip because paralysis was not unlikely at normal doses. I'm not asking the general question of whether taking walks while on mushrooms is a good idea. I'm sure it is!
- sarcasm_heals 8y agoWhen I was a teenager, I tried psilocibin but nowhere near the amount that is administered in a clinical setting today. Despite not taking as much, I vividly recall how confident I was that I could jump from the window of a second story and land without experiencing any discomfort. I felt not just good but superhuman. Fortunately, I had some mental bearings left that kept me from performing this stunt. I never had that urge to jump from a window again, but I also never tried shrooms again either. Instead, I took a walk at night in the pouring rain to venture somewhere that I would never go to in daylight and to do something I would have supremely regretted had I actually accomplished my goal. Because of this experience, I agree with Pollan and others that Psilocybin ought to only be used under clinical supervision.
- ozten 8y agoIt's great to see a new subject from this author. I've read several of his books, which just seemed like re-writes of the same topic in more concise formats each time. Omnivore's Dilemma (450 pages) -> In Defense of Food (256 pages) -> Food Rules (140 pages)
- spodek 8y agoI guess the "mostly plants" part of "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants" was to leave room for fungi.
- tasty_freeze 8y agoOn Amazon, Pollan's "How to Change Your Mind" is $16.80 in hardcover form, and $27.00 in paperback. Is this some attempt at gaming bestsellers lists or something?
- Luc 8y agoThat's because it's the Large Print edition paperback. Those usually are around $30.