Psychedelic Books

A Really Good Day by Ayelet Waldman dives into the author's month long experiment with microdosing LSD to combat her mood disorder.

Ergot Alkaloids brings English readers Albert Hofmann's seminal 1960s encyclopedia detailing his historic investigation into magical plants and their psychotropic potential.

How to Change Your Body by Saga Briggs explores the profound yet overlooked link between bodily awareness, social connection, and mental well-being. Briggs guides readers through rigorous research and moving personal stories to argue that symptoms of common afflictions like depression, anxiety, and addiction may originate from a disconnection between mind and body exacerbated by alienation. Techniques like psychedelic-assisted therapy, synchronous movement, and energy work can help restore presence and reconnect us to ourselves and others. For those facing mental health challenges or simply seeking a deeper sense of embodiment and community, this book insightfully examines interoception as an eighth sense fundamental to human flourishing.

The Nature of Drugs - Volume 2 - by Alexander 'Sasha' Shulgin gives you a deep dive into the excellent lecture series that Sasha gave in the late '80s. The lectures provide an overview of how the body works and how drugs (including psychedelics) influence it. Throughout the book, you are greeted with a positive attitude, an alchemic way of teaching, a joking demeanour of Sasha and poignant criticism of drug laws that would still apply today.

MindApps by Thomas Roberts explores the concept of creating and installing mental technologies, or mindapps, which can expand one's cognitive abilities and lead to new patterns of thinking and action. Roberts, discusses various mindapp practices, including psychedelics, meditation, hypnosis, lucid dreaming, biofeedback, and more, and shows how they can be used to intentionally redesign one's mind and generate new ideas.

Triumph Over Trauma by Randell Hansen is a collection of 23 inspirational and powerful stories from individuals across various walks of life who have experienced personal transformations through the use of psychedelic medicines. The book provides essential information on the history and functioning of psychedelics and guidance on intentional use, ultimately offering readers a potential path for their own healing and transformation.

King Acid by Peter ten Hoopen is a captivating narrative of a young writer in 1960s Amsterdam who, through his interest in mystic poets and mind-altering substances, encounters a group of "mental travellers." The book chronicles their experiences as psychonauts and pioneers of a new world, delving into an era characterized by freedom, intoxication, friendship, love, disappointment, and sorrow, all set against the backdrop of the swinging Amsterdam of the 1960s.

Acid Revival: The Psychedelic Renaissance and the Quest for Medical Legitimacy by Danielle Giffort delves into the resurgence of psychedelic drugs in contemporary scientific research, as a new generation of researchers seeks to explore their potential for treating various psychiatric conditions. The book not only offers insight into the so-called psychedelic renaissance but also examines the cultural work involved in revitalizing this dormant area of medical science, all while navigating the lingering legacy of Timothy Leary and addressing the dilemmas that threaten the legitimacy of this burgeoning field.

Changing Our Minds: Psychedelic Sacraments and the New Psychotherapy by Don Lattin is an exploration of the social, spiritual, and scientific revolution occurring via psychedelic substances. This book contains stories of the pioneering researchers and participants within the MDMA clinical trials.

High Priest by Timothy Leary is a reissued account from the dawn of the psychedelic era, documenting 16 LSD trips experienced before the substance was illegal. Featuring trip guides such as Aldous Huxley, Ram Dass, and Huston Smith, the book offers insights into the psychedelic gatherings at the Millbrook mansion in New York State during the 1960s and the influential figures who journeyed there to explore altered states of consciousness with Leary's group.

The Ketamine Papers: Science, Therapy, and Transformation edited by Phil Wolfson and Glenn Hartelius contains a wide-ranging discussion of the use of ketamine in therapy, the science behind its transformational capacities, and Wolfson's own experience researching the substance. This book serves as an introduction for both patients and clinicians interested in exploring the therapeutic use of ketamine.

The Manual for Psychedelic Support edited by Annie Oak, Jon Hanna, Kaya, Svea Nielson, Twilight, and Zevic Mishor is an extensive guide for establishing and operating compassionate care services for individuals experiencing challenging drug experiences at music festivals and similar events. Drawing from the expertise of over fifty contributors from diverse backgrounds, the manual covers all aspects of such projects, including preparation, training, logistics, and operations, and is freely available under a Creative Commons License for adaptation and non-commercial use.

Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs (Vol. 1 & 2): 50 Years of Research edited by Dennis McKenna is a collection of essays by specialists in the fields of ethnopharmacology, chemistry, botany, and anthropology to discuss their latest findings on the topic. These essays explore the healing properties of medicinal plants, the crossovers between western and indigenous medicine, and the latest research in the field.

The Rose Of Paracelsus by William Pickard is a fictional book that follows a Harvard graduate student as they explore a global entheogen system, uncovering practices that potentially lead to cognitive enhancement and the next stage of human evolution. The narrative documents the experiences and insights gained from encounters with a secretive organization possessing extraordinary mental abilities.

Modes of Sentience: Psychedelics, Metaphysics, Panpsychism by Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes is a collection of philosophical essays exploring the connections between philosophy and psychedelic experiences. These essays cover panpsychism, questions of space and time, as well as other metaphysical concepts relating to the psychedelic experience.

Confrontation with the Unconscious: Jungian Depth Psychology and Psychedelic Experience by Scott J. Hill looks at how Jungian psychology might help us understand the psychedelic experience. Jung's own bias against psychedelics has prevented many Jungians from considering both the benefits and risks associated with psychedelic use. This book shows how the confrontation with the unconscious occurring within the psychedelic experience shows the relevance of Jung's insights into the mind.

In Otherworlds, scientist and psychonaut David Luke weaves personal experience and scientific research in this comprehensive exploration of chemically mediated extraordinary human experiences.

Thanatos to Eros: 35 Years of Psychedelic Exploration Ethnomedicine and the Study of Consciousness by Myron J. Stolaroff details Stolaroff's experience as a psychedelic researcher. It gives guidelines to future researchers for the proper and safe use of psychedelics for therapy and personal growth.

Psychedelic Psychotherapy: A User Friendly Guide to Psychedelic Drug-Assisted Psychotherapy by R. Coleman is a resource for practitioners and lay-users needing guidelines for psychedelic psychotherapy. The book contains guides and information to help individuals with their healing process and for those helping others with their healing.

Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics edited by Allen Badiner and Alex Grey is an exploration of the commonalities between psychedelics and Buddhism. This book explores the intersection of the moral, ethical, doctrinal, and transcendental facets of psychedelic exploration and the Buddhist religion. Zig Zag Zen is a book full of insights into various methods of inner exploration.

Supernatural: Meetings with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind by Graham Hancock explores the dramatic shift in human history that led to the development of art, religion, symbolism, and innovative thinking. Hancock's journey takes him from prehistoric painted caves to the Amazon rainforest, where he investigates the possible influence of hallucinogens and other dimensions on the evolution of the human mind and its connection to ancient teachers and a more purposeful understanding of human development.

This is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollan challenges conventional thinking about drugs and delves into the human attraction to psychoactive plants and the surrounding taboos. Through examining opium, caffeine, and mescaline, Pollan explores the cultural, historical, and scientific aspects of these substances, shedding new light on the complex relationship between humans, plants, and the mind-altering experiences they provide.

In The Dream Drugstore: Chemically Altered States of Consciousness by J. Allan Hobson the questions of how our brain chemistry is balanced when we are awake vs. asleep and dreaming is explored. This book looks at how psychedelics and different disorders of the mind influence that balance. It explores the differences between legitimate and illegitimate drug use and how the mind is an agent of change, not merely the mediator.

Psychedelic Medicine: New Evidence for Hallucinogenic Substances as Treatment by Thomas Roberts and Michael Winkelman delves into the history of psychedelic substances and their use in altering human thought, mood, and perception. The book highlights the resurgence of research on the therapeutic applications of psychedelics, such as LSD and mescaline, and their potential to improve mental and physical health under the guidance of trained providers.

Bicycle Day and other Psychedelic Essays by Alan Piper explores the roots of psychedelic culture, how the past work was influenced by the events of the surrounding world, and the connections between the literary and social drug history of the West.

Coming Full Circle by Shannon Duncan combines an informative guide on using psychedelics for healing with a personal memoir of the author's healing journey. The book aims to educate readers on the potential, limitations, and risks of using psychedelics to treat conditions like anxiety, depression, and PTSD while dispelling dangerous misinformation propagated by opportunists and unqualified individuals.

God on Psychedelics: Tripping Across the Rubble of Old-Time Religion by Don Lattin explores the questions of why psychedelics are being used outside of particular religious frameworks, the history of psychedelics within religion, and how they might help us understand the revelatory experience. Psychedelics are being used to treat those with mental illness at the same time as people are leaving the divisive doctrine of older religions.

Psychedelic Integration: Psychotherapy for Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness by Marc Aixala is promising to be the guidebook for integrating psychedelic experiences. The book captures the work from the 1960s until the present on how to best integrate psychedelic experiences. The book is written for practitioners and the wider audience looking to learn about integration.

The Psychedelic Handbook by Rick Strassman gives a high-level and expert overview of what psychedelics are, how they work (and for whom we think they can help), and provides practical tips to those who want to use them. Possibly the best intro to psychedelics out there in book form.

DMT: The Spirit Molecule by Rick Strassman offers his account of a large scale study on the effects of DMT on the human brain and psyche. The book gives a detailed account of the research, how it came to be, the difficulties in getting it started, and the outcomes. It describes both the scientific process, and the novel outcomes (and theories).