Finding my right mind

When Vanessa Potter woke up one day to find herself blind and paralysed, she was stunned to discover that it was meditating, not drugs, that saved her mind.

Convinced she had more to learn, she embarked on her own consciousness road-trip, exploring the major schools of meditation, along with hypnotherapy and psychedelics. In order to objectively record her journey, Cambridge neuroscientists measured her brain activity, with their observations and results featured within the book. Offering a detailed snapshot of each practice, Vanessa provides an unusually voyeuristic glimpse into how powerful meditating can be.

After 300 hours of sitting still, the scientists and Vanessa reveal whether meditation lived up to the hype and provided the key to contentment. Funny and wry, this is a unique take on citizen science, delving beneath the surface of meditation to reveal the fascinating world of the mind and the possibilities within.

Books on meditation normally teach us how to meditate — not about what happens when we try.