How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence (2018)

This stands for 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, a powerful psychedelic that is found in the venom of the Sonoran toad. The toad venom is gathered on a mirror, left to dry, vaporized, and then smoked. It was first synthesized in 1936 and became illegal in 2012 (417). Pollan describes his experiences with this drug in Chapter 4.

Ayahuasca is a psychedelic tea made from plants native to the Amazon. This tea was also used as a sacrament by cultures indigenous to the Amazon (415).

First described by Marcus Raichle in 2001, the DMN is a set of structures in your brain that are most active while the brain is in a resting state. This network links the cerebral cortex with brain structures that process emotion and memory. It is possible that the DMN is involved in processes like self-reflection, mental projection, and theory of the mind (416).

Hallucinogens are a class of drugs that induces hallucinations. The word is sometimes used interchangeably with psychedelics, although psychedelics don’t always induce full hallucinations (417).

Holotropic breathwork is a breathing exercise developed in the 1970s after LSD was made illegal. By utilizing rapid and deep breathing, a person can reach a higher state of consciousness without using drugs (418).

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, also known as acid, was synthesized in 1938 by Albert Hofmann. LDS was originally derived from alkaloids produced by ergot, a fungus used by midwives to treat postpartum bleeding (418).

Psilocin is another psychoactive compound found in psychedelic mushrooms. When the mushroom is bruised, psilocin causes the blueish tint to the bruised area (421).

Psilocybe is a genus of mushrooms, of which half produce psychoactive compounds. These mushrooms are found all over the world, and having them in your possession is illegal in many countries (421).

Psilocybin is the main psychoactive found in psychedelic mushrooms (421).

Psychedelics are a class of drugs that can induce hallucinations or encourage an expansion of consciousness. The word psychedelic is derived from the Greek phrase for “mind manifesting” (421).

Psycholytic drugs loosen the constraints on the mind, allowing the subconsciousness to come into awareness (421).

Psychotomimetics are drugs whose effects resemble psychosis (421).