All the books about psychedelics
Acid Hype: American News Media and the Psychedelic Experience by Stephen Siff explores the historic transformation of the media narrative surrounding LSD. It traces how the news media coverage had initially glorified its use in treatments for mental illness and hyped it as a mystical gateway for exploring the unconscious realm of the human mind.
Orange Sunshine: The Brotherhood of Eternal Love and Its Quest to Spread Peace, Love, and Acid to the World by Nicholas Schou explores the history surrounding the formation of the biggest group of LSD dealers in the United States. The brotherhood of Eternal Love was founded at the beginning of the 60s on a shared belief in LSD’s transformative effects and ended up producing ad distributing ‘Orange Sunshine’, the most popular brand of LSD in history.
The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the Mysteries by Robert Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann, and Carl Ruck explores the notion of natural psychedelic agents having been used in spiritual rituals across history and cultures.
Noumenautics: metaphysics – meta-ethics – psychedelics by Peter Sjösted-H is a collection of essays that delves into the foundation of the western theory of mind, metaphysics, and ethics and explores the historic relationship between western philosophy and psychoactive drug use. The first part contains a philosophical analysis of the psychedelic states produced by psilocybin mushrooms and LSD, while the latter section of the book presents a close analysis of neo-nihilism, with particular regard to Nietzsche and the reciprocity between his drug-use and philosophy.
Handbook for the Therapeutic Use of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-25: Individual and Group Procedures by Duncan Blewett and Nicholas Chwelos is the first widely circulated handbook on how to use LSD in the context of therapy. The handbook is surprisingly relevant (not outdated) and offers clear and structured (in stages) overview of psychedelic (LSD) therapy.
Xenolinguistics: Psychedelics, Language, and the Evolution of Consciousness by Diana Slattery explores the intersection of psychedelics and linguistics. It summarizes an eleven-year investigation that spans from psychedelic experience to anthropological discoveries. Linguistic artifacts from psychedelic experiences are tabulated and this includes the experiences of Terence and Dennis McKenna.
Ayahuasca Healing and Science by Beatriz Labate and Clancy Cavnar is an upcoming scientific book that presents the latest perspectives on the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca. It highlights the ritual and clinical use and how it can treat a variety of mental health disorders.
The Secret Chief Revealed by Myron Stolaroff was published as an account of ongoing underground psychedelic therapy. Under the threat of prosecution the name of the therapist was kept a secret, now years after his death, it is revealed that Leo Zeff is the secret chief.
The Antipodes of the Mind by Benny Shanon investigates ayahuasca from various perspectives. It uses the author’s experiences and interviews with other experts to looks at the psychological effects, insights the brew can bring, and philosophical implications that follow.
The Healing Journey: Pioneering Approaches to Psychedelic Therapy by Claudio Naranjo takes a closer look at a the potential of a class of psychedelics defined as emotion- or fantasy-enhancers. The substances studied are MDA, MMDA, harmaline (ayahuasca), and ibogaine.