Am I Dreaming? The Science of Altered States, from Psychedelics to Virtual Reality, and Beyond

When a computer goes wrong, we are told to turn it off and on again. In Am I Dreaming?, science journalist James Kingsland reveals how the human brain is remarkably similar. By rebooting our hard-wired patterns of thinking—through so-called "altered states of consciousness"—we can gain new perspectives into ourselves and the world around us. From shamans in Peru to tech workers in Silicon Valley, Kingsland provides a fascinating tour through lucid dreams, mindfulness, hypnotic trances, virtual reality and drug-induced hallucinations. An eye-opening insight into perception and consciousness, this is also a provocative argument for how altered states can significantly boost our mental health.

James Kingsland is a science journalist with more than 25 years' experience working for publications including New Scientist and Nature. Most recently he was a commissioning editor and Science Production Editor for the Guardian. He is the author of Siddhartha's Brain: Unlocking the Ancient Science of Enlightenment.

1: Magical Thinking
2: Dream On
3: Holidays from Reality
4: Puppets on a String
5: Wonder Child
6: Mother Ayahuasca
7: Death of the Ego
8: The Wonderful Lightness of Being
9: The Void Between Dreams