Psychedelic Explorer's Guide

James Fadiman, Ph.D., did his undergraduate work at Harvard and his graduate work at Stanford, doing research with the Harvard Group, the West Coast Research Group in Menlo Park, and Ken Kesey. A former president of the Institute of Noetic Sciences and a professor of psychology, he teaches at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, which he helped found in 1975. An international conference presenter, workshop leader, management consultant, and author of several books and textbooks, he lives in Menlo Park, California, with his filmmaker wife, Dorothy.

“James Fadiman, one of the foremost pioneers of scientific research of the potential of psychedelic substances for therapy, self-discovery, spiritual quests, and creative problem-solving, has written an invaluable guide for safe and productive sessions. Based on more than forty years of the author’s experience in the field and presented in a clear, easily understandable style, this book is a breath of fresh air, dispelling the mis-information that has been disseminated over many decades by sensation-hunting journalists and fear-based antidrug propaganda. The publication of The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide could not be more timely; it coincides with a major renaissance of interest in psychedelic research worldwide. The information that it provides will thus be useful not only for the hundreds of thousands of people involved in self-experimentation but also for the new generation of psychedelic researchers.”

• Acknowledgments Overview--Why This Book? And Frequently Asked Questions A Vision of a Whole Earth Stewart Brand Part One Transcendent Experience: Entheogenic Sessions Introduction to Part One 1 Meeting the Divine Within Part One: Guidelines for Voyagers and Guides The Guild of Guides 2 The Entheogenic Voyage Part Two: Guidelines for Voyagers and Guides The Guild of Guides 3 Qualities of Transcendent Experience Four Dominant Characteristics Alan Watts 4 Experiences of Psychedelic Pioneers In Their Own Words Albert Hofmann, Ph.D., Aldous Huxley, Stanislav Grof, M.D., Timothy Leary, Ph.D., Richard Alpert (Ram Dass), Ph.D., Alexander Shulgin, Ph.D., Ralph Metzner, Ph.D., Huston Smith, Ph.D., Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Ph.D., Charles Tart, Ph.D., Frances Vaughan, Ph.D., Bill Wilson, and Peter Coyote Part Two Personal Growth and Self-Exploration in Psychedelic Sessions Introduction to Part Two 5 Therapeutic Uses of Psychedelics Psychotherapy and Healing 6 Things Can Go Wrong What You Need to Know Neal Goldsmith, Ph.D. 7 Myths and Misperceptions David Presti, Ph.D., and Jerome Beck, Ph.D. 8 Therapeutic Effectiveness of Single Guided Sessions Part Three Enhanced Problem Solving in Focused Sessions Introduction to Part Three 9 Breakthrough Research Selective Enhancement of Creative Capacities Willis Harman, Ph.D., and James Fadiman, Ph.D. 10 Facilitation for Enhanced Problem Solving 11 Case Studies Two Architects and Six Professionals 12 Group Problem-Solving Sessions Willis Harman, Ph.D. 13 The Look Magazine Experiment Designing the California Issue George Leonard 14 Closing the Doors of Perception The Day the Research Ended Part Four New Horizons Introduction to Part Four 15 Can Sub-Perceptual Doses of Psychedelics Improve Normal Functioning? 16 Surveys of Current Users This Is Your Brain on Drugs 17 The Inadvertent Pioneer My Personal Account 18 Positive Possibilities for Psychedelics A Time of Tentative Celebration Part Five The Necessary, the Extraordinary, and Some Hard-Core Data Introduction to Part Five 19 Entheogenic Journeys A Checklist for Voyagers and Guides 20 Beyond LSD--Way Beyond Ayahuasca Sessions and a Darkness Retreat Michael Wiese, “Anatole,” and Lindsey Vona 21 Behavioral Changes After Psychedelic Therapy Lasting Results of High-Dose Single Sessions 22 A Questionnaire Study of Psychedelic Experiences Willis Harman, Ph.D., and James Fadiman, Ph.D. Last Words Notes Index