The Friday Focus is a weekly newsletter where we highlight:
1) An interesting read/listen/watch we love so you don’t have to scroll to find content
2) A quote that has us thinking
3) Weekend activity brainstorm - take these as a challenge!
To view all our blog posts go to getpresentapp.com/blog.
If you like these posts or have some recommendations of your own, feel free to reach out to us at contact@getpresentapp.com
Documentary We Love 🎥
How to Change Your Mind - Michael Pollan I’ve been following Michael Pollan for a while and until recently he seemed like one of the last people that would delve into the long-taboo subject of psychedelics. During his prolific career as a journalist, author, and Harvard professor he explored many facets of the relationship between humans and plants, originally focusing on food. But over the last few years, he’s explored plants’ remarkable power to alter human consciousness. Now I want to be clear: I am not recommending or endorsing ANYTHING! This is merely an intellectual discussion. I almost didn’t write about this because of the taboo, but now it’s almost impossible to ignore the movement that many believe is the future of psychiatry. Ok, now that we got that over with… Based on his best-selling book of the same name, this documentary is a thought-provoking look at the emerging renaissance of medical research into psychedelics. After more than 50 years of “dark ages,” when discussing psychedelics was not only extremely taboo but illegal to even study in the United States (and many places around the world), new research is finally beginning to happen again.
The doc explores the potential of psychedelic compounds to treat severe mental health conditions like depression, PTSD, OCD, and addiction - and even help terminally ill patients accept their mortality and live the rest of their life free from the anxiety of death. Woah.
Some research has shown that just a single psychedelic session (with trained medical professionals) can alleviate conditions better than years of daily doses of typical psychiatric drugs. With the current mental health crisis, and prescription drugs like Adderall and SSRIs at all time highs, many believe this new research could be revolutionary.
It also touches on the history of psychedelics in indigenous cultures for thousands of years, as well as the role of psychedelics in technological and societal revolutions that have completely shaped our culture - like the personal computer, experimental music, and even the environmental movement.
So what’s the takeaway here? Again, don’t do drugs kids! This is real, medical research happening. If you want to learn about the potential of new drugs to shape the future of mental health treatment, How to Change Your Mind is the perfect place to start.
Quote That Has Us Thinking 🧠
“Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify, simplify! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail.”
- Henry David Thoreau, Walden Always remember, KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid!
Weekend Activity Brainstorm 💪
Meditate outside in public 🧘♀️
Challenge a friend to a round of pool 🎱
Channel your creativity - write a poem, play an instrument, or paint something! 🎨
If you end up doing one of these challenges, send us pictures at contact@geptresentapp.com and you can be featured in a future newsletter!