Main description:

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.

Contents:

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