Description
Good Chemistry is a book that talks about various aspects of feeling connected: with the world and other people, but also (and perhaps most importantly?) with oneself. The author - a practicing American psychiatrist, researcher and expert in the field of psychoactive substances - tries to find an answer to the question of why so many people these days face mental crises and loneliness. Instead of feeling fulfillment in deep, harmonious and satisfying relationships, why do we so often experience a "fight or flight" state? What happens in us when we begin to feel safe and loved? What is the effect of oxytocin, a neurotransmitter present in our brains, which accompanies us every day and plays an important role in the formation of bonds between partners, between friends, between parents and their children, but also between humans and their companion animals?
Julie Holland does not skip over difficult and controversial topics, leaning into psychedelics with a carefulness backed by years of experience: an extremely intriguing group of psychoactive substances that have been impossible to research for almost half a century, but are now experiencing a real renaissance. The author looks at the subject of the sense of connection from different perspectives, combining the penetrating mind of a researcher with a great sense of humor and distance from herself.
