Last night, we watched the first of four parts in the series "How to Change Your Mind", based on the beautifully written book by Michael Pollan called the same thing: "How to Change Your Mind". If you have read the book, you may be surprised at how much the series is a good extension of the book, rather than a repetition. The book is about the use of psychedelics, especially in the US from the 1950's on.
Normally, I might be much in the mood for that subject. But, my younger daughter sank deeper and deeper into mental illness and died after 20 years of suffering from brain problems. You may have heard of the impressive advances being made with some forms of mental illness employing guided, situated uses of psychedelics.
A second, and more current side of psychedelic use is the possible application in people's lives, understanding of life and themselves and the possibilities of joy. The best book I have found on the subject is "Joy on Demand" by Chade-Meng Tan, a Google software engineer who has conducted internal courses on meditation for Google employees. You can find his TED talk and several presentations he has on YouTube. https://sites.google.com/view/kirbyvariety1/joy-on-demand-by-chade-meng-tan-highlights
Michael Pollan's "How to Change Your Mind" is the most beautifully written of the several excellent books of his that I have read. The Netflix series first episode begins with the lovely reminder that tobacco was a sacred substance for native Americans for centuries, not an addictive lung destroyer.
You can see how little we tend to understand of ourselves and other people when you hear comments about joy and happiness. Just as we don't want to be angry all the time, in the same way, we probably simply cannot be joyful all the time. However, it is probably satisfying and beneficial to be deeply joyful some part of each day. It is possible, it is easy, it is allowed and we are equipped to do that.
