Good Chemistry: The Science of Connection, from Soul to Psychedelics

A psychiatrist and psychedelic researcher explores the science of connection-why we need it how we've lost it and how we might find it again. We are suffering from an epidemic of disconnection that antidepressants and social media can't fix. This state of isolation puts us in fight or flight mode deranging sleep metabolism and libido. What's worse we're paranoid of others. This kill-or-be-killed framework is not a way to live. But when we feel safe and loved we can rest digest and repair. We can heal. And it is only in this state of belonging that we can open up to connection with oth ers. In this powerful book Holland helps us to understand the science of connection as revealed in human experiences from the spiritual to the psychedelic. The key is oxytocin-a neurotransmitter and hormone produced in our bodies that allows us to trust and bond. It fosters attachment between mothers and infants romantic partners friends and even with our pets. There are many ways to reach this state of mental and physical wellbeing that modern medicine has overlooked. The implications for our happiness and health are profound. We can find oneness in meditation in community or in awe at the beauty around us. Another option: psychedelic medicines that can catalyze a connection with the self with nature or the cosmos. Good Chemistry points us on the right path to forging true and deeper attachments with our own souls to one another and even to our planet helping us heal ourselves and our world.