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Breaking Convention: Essays on Psychedelic Consciousness
A multidimensional trip into psychedelic consciousness, science and culture, covering topics ranging from Neolithic worldviews, prehistoric rituals and Amerindian epistemology to weaponised hallucinogens, religious freedoms, trip-lit and the death of the '60s dream. This collection of 22 original essays transects a wide range of disciplines to offer empirical, mystical, imaginal, hermeneutic, queer, phenomenological and parapsychological perspectives on the exploration of psychedelics, taking in scientific debates on MDMA, manifestos and policy challenges.
320 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 10, 2025
So, in September I started work part time for a myco (Mushroom) therapist, who runs consultation sessions with people who've been struggling with chronic health issues (such as cancer, MS, neurological problems, endometriosis, chronic depression, etc). She mixes blends from different medicinal Mushrooms to work alongside the pharmaceutical drugs or other conventional therapies (e.g. chemo) patients might be getting. Its actually mind blowing stuff and I'm learning so much from her; Mushrooms are incredible, and we're only just catching up with China who have trusted and prescribed functional Mushroom medicines for millennia.
Ironically, though I'm working for a mycotherapist, and live in a house with 7 people who have all ingested (or regularly take) psilocybin in various forms, I'm yet to try psychedelics. I have this really embedded innate fear of 'magic' Mushrooms stemming from the first time I ever smoked weed when I was 15 and having a fucking horrible experience. (not sure why I've associated that with mushrooms rather than weed itself but whatever, the brain does what it wants dunnit)
Enter: this book. Sitting patiently on the bookshelf in the bathroom at the Manor House waiting for me to pick it up. And it fucking did break convention, thats for sure. What a fascinating world, I am so eager to learn more from these essays - I loved all the stuff at the beginning about the ego death, about mushrooms having the ability to show us our own mortality, bring us back to how we were before we were conscious, and how that can be really scary but coming back can feel like being born again. I begged the question to my mycotherapist friend - 'but if a trip can create an ego death, why are there so many arrogant wankers who do mushrooms all the time and are still really unaware people?' to which she replied 'taking mushrooms recreationally, and not doing the work afterwards. They're sacred, they're not for 'fun' in the way society today sees them.'
Something I'm siting with, as I move closer on the path towards them. With a tiny weeny bit less fear than before.
Ironically, though I'm working for a mycotherapist, and live in a house with 7 people who have all ingested (or regularly take) psilocybin in various forms, I'm yet to try psychedelics. I have this really embedded innate fear of 'magic' Mushrooms stemming from the first time I ever smoked weed when I was 15 and having a fucking horrible experience. (not sure why I've associated that with mushrooms rather than weed itself but whatever, the brain does what it wants dunnit)
Enter: this book. Sitting patiently on the bookshelf in the bathroom at the Manor House waiting for me to pick it up. And it fucking did break convention, thats for sure. What a fascinating world, I am so eager to learn more from these essays - I loved all the stuff at the beginning about the ego death, about mushrooms having the ability to show us our own mortality, bring us back to how we were before we were conscious, and how that can be really scary but coming back can feel like being born again. I begged the question to my mycotherapist friend - 'but if a trip can create an ego death, why are there so many arrogant wankers who do mushrooms all the time and are still really unaware people?' to which she replied 'taking mushrooms recreationally, and not doing the work afterwards. They're sacred, they're not for 'fun' in the way society today sees them.'
Something I'm siting with, as I move closer on the path towards them. With a tiny weeny bit less fear than before.
June 26, 2020
The discussion of the difference between ecstasy and MDMA from the symposium is worth the whole book - also three last essays on biosemiotic, psychedelic and phenomenology are great.
November 16, 2015
Esoteric and wide-ranging collection of essays relating to this urgent and exciting field of study.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews