Addiction is often thought about in terms of cause, be that brain chemistry, attachment patterns or cognitive schemas. But this does not allow an understanding of what addiction "is". It does not illuminate how addiction is lived. A phenomenology of addiction reveals that addiction is characterised by an intolerance of pain, a pursuit of pleasure, immediacy, technocratic solutions, alienation, ambiguity and is drenched in deception. These are its individual clinical manifestations, but this is also the way life, in this century, is lived. The addict is thus the ultimate 21st century subject, consuming without end, intolerant of emotion and unable to grasp their own limitations. Rather than embraced, these subjects act as a denied symptom, haunting late capitalism and exposing the vampire-like nature of our culture. As such, these subjects need to be treated not just as individuals who have "gone too far", but as victims of the political agenda shaping our lives. Thus the heart of the book is a description of addiction deepened by existential-phenomenological theory. This description is then used to understand the historical emergence of addiction, its socio-political manifestation and also the crucial issue of how to clinically treat the addict-subject.

A new cutting edge experiential approach to the science and spirituality of recovery . An enlightened approach to transcending the pitfalls and conditioning of trauma, addiction, codependency and life in general.

This volume sheds new light on addiction and other ailments, detailing a recipe for transcendence. The author describes pattern addiction as the root of a variety of psychologicl and physical afflictions including what is traditionally called addiction. Drug addiction offers one of the most tangible examples of patterning and some of the most tangible evidence that addiction to a pattern can be transcended. Pattern addiction is part of the human condition. It frequently manifests itself in explicit symptoms such as drug addiction, physical pain, chronic ailments including ulcers, and even cancer. Implicit pattern addictions are built over a long period of time because most neurological programming takes place over time. This patterning becomes detrimental when the pattern is harmful to the emotional, physical, and/or spiritual well-being of the individual (or his family or community). All too often, medicine treats the explicit symptoms of an affliction without correcting the underlying and more implicit pattern addictions. This is due, in part, to the inability of current medical theory to do more.

Long term recovery from alcoholism and addiction isn't easy. While many find initial success in sobriety, securing ongoing happiness, peace of mind, and a meaningful life often seems maddeningly illusive. Transcending Hell offers an approach to sustained recovery that incorporates a Zen sitting practice with more traditional avenues of sobriety.

Now on Netflix as a 4-part documentary series! “Pollan keeps you turning the pages . . . cleareyed and assured.” —New York Times A #1 New York Times Bestseller, New York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of 2018, and New York Times Notable Book A brilliant and brave investigation into the medical and scientific revolution taking place around psychedelic drugs--and the spellbinding story of his own life-changing psychedelic experiences When Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third. Thus began a singular adventure into various altered states of consciousness, along with a dive deep into both the latest brain science and the thriving underground community of psychedelic therapists. Pollan sifts the historical record to separate the truth about these mysterious drugs from the myths that have surrounded them since the 1960s, when a handful of psychedelic evangelists inadvertently catalyzed a powerful backlash against what was then a promising field of research. A unique and elegant blend of science, memoir, travel writing, history, and medicine, How to Change Your Mind is a triumph of participatory journalism. By turns dazzling and edifying, it is the gripping account of a journey to an exciting and unexpected new frontier in our understanding of the mind, the self, and our place in the world. The true subject of Pollan's "mental travelogue" is not just psychedelic drugs but also the eternal puzzle of human consciousness and how, in a world that offers us both suffering and joy, we can do our best to be fully present and find meaning in our lives.

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK! • Finalist for the WOMEN'S PRIZE Yaa Gyasi's stunning follow-up to her acclaimed national best seller Homegoing is a powerful, raw, intimate, deeply layered novel about a Ghanaian family in Alabama. Gifty is a sixth-year PhD candidate in neuroscience at the Stanford University School of Medicine studying reward-seeking behavior in mice and the neural circuits of depression and addiction. Her brother, Nana, was a gifted high school athlete who died of a heroin overdose after an ankle injury left him hooked on OxyContin. Her suicidal mother is living in her bed. Gifty is determined to discover the scientific basis for the suffering she sees all around her. But even as she turns to the hard sciences to unlock the mystery of her family's loss, she finds herself hungering for her childhood faith and grappling with the evangelical church in which she was raised, whose promise of salvation remains as tantalizing as it is elusive. Transcendent Kingdom is a deeply moving portrait of a family of Ghanaian immigrants ravaged by depression and addiction and grief—a novel about faith, science, religion, love. Exquisitely written, emotionally searing, this is an exceptionally powerful follow-up to Gyasi's phenomenal debut.

This book offers new empirical research and policy-relevant care practices from across the globe to understand the interrelation of care, emotion, and flourishing in the context of acute and persistent crises. From COVID-19 responses around the world to the opioid epidemic in the United States, this volume investigates collective and individual crises as symptoms of underlying systemic pathologies. Crises require deep engagement with both structure and culture, drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives from sociology, nursing, social work, and psychology. Addressing the multi-level challenges of caregiving in families, schools, organizations, and communities, this book presents examples of research and practice that demonstrate compassion, resilience, productive collaboration, and flourishing. It documents the social conditions and processes that spawn effective solutions and positive emotional and health outcomes, which often occur amid chaos, rapid social change, and substantial suffering. The first section focuses on care, emotions, and flourishing in healthcare and educational contexts to examine nurses, students, and teachers as they respond to enduring and acute crises. Section two turns to community and family contexts to understand how emotions and care intertwine in the flourishing practices of women and communities facing isolation during COVID-19, parents of opioid users, and international efforts to address child abuse and healthy aging. Geographically, the book covers experiences in Canada, Ghana, India, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Each chapter discusses how we can move from managing emotions and coping with crisis to transcending crisis and promoting flourishing. The book includes case studies that illustrate hopeful and successful practices that might help us meet the challenges we face in this moment and move through them with compassion and enhanced flourishing. Examining care across a range of professional contexts, including healthcare, education, community, and family settings, the authors explore similarities and differences in how these contexts shape care practices in light of collective threats and crises. This book is also a valuable contribution to the literatures on health and illness, the sociology of emotions, and the interdisciplinary field of well-being and flourishing.