Consciousness in a Nutshell: A Psychonautical Odyssey

With a feverish pace and a candid eye for story, Consciousness in a Nutshell delivers an unforgettable account of what it means to be alive while, at the very same time, answering the question of all questions, once and for all: What is consciousness?

Consciousness in a Nutshell is a work of psychological mastery. A 21st century portrait of Nature, Nirvana, and what it means to be a human being. Written in the style of creative non-fiction, this multi-layered conversation spans the fields of neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, cosmology, and evolutionary biology, all in the pursuit of explaining 'what' consciousness is.

Set inside a psychological thriller, this semi-autobiographical tale follows two young neuropsychopharmacologists on the verge of publishing a major breakthrough, when one of them (only identified by the name "Ava") winds up missing, and the other finds himself trapped in a room without doors or windows. Faced with impending doom, James decides to write a letter to a total stranger explaining everything he knows about the subject of consciousness in exchange for one little favor.

Essentially, this is everything worth knowing about the subject of consciousness, rendered in easy-to-read prose, and with frequent dips into story. A fully satisfying theory of consciousness that hits all five domains of explanation (physical, mental, environmental, cosmological, and metaphysical).