When a computer goes wrong, we are told to turn it off and on again. In Am I Dreaming?, science journalist James Kingsland reveals how the human brain is remarkably similar. By rebooting our hard-wired patterns of thinking - through so-called 'altered states of consciousness' - we can gain new perspectives on ourselves and the world around us.

From shamans in Peru to tech workers in Silicon Valley, Kingsland takes us on a dazzling tour of lucid dreams, mindfulness, hypnotic trances, virtual reality and drug-induced hallucinations. A startling exploration of perception and consciousness, this is also a provocative argument for using altered states to boost our mental health.