Vance dives into the intricacies of the human brain and how it creates and experiences memories, pain, healing, and life. He dives into many of the most challenging aspects of brain science and bio medicine, understanding how the brain/body work especially with placebos and our internal body chemistry but in a way that is clear and easy to follow. I enjoyed learning more about the challenges with placebos, why they are a frustration for drug companies, how different people are more or less susceptible to the placebo affect and why they might be better off for it. He cites dozens of experiments and studies and interviews dozens of practitioners and experts that either study or practice various forms of medicine. He also addresses the history of medicine and its evolution over the years, and he explores the world of religion, Chinese medicine, and other alternatives and why they do or don't work for people. The most interesting part is linked to placebos but is the power of expectation in shaping reality and how the subtle changes in how one perceives or expects an experience to play out has massive impact (for good or bad) in how they actually experience it, such as whether they expect pain from an surgical procedure, or expect benefit from a procedure or pill. In the end I found this massively helpful for better understanding the power of my brain and what is possible as a result.