Tuning In: Experiencing Music in Psychedelic States

by Steven J Gelberg, William A Richards (foreword)

The first authoritative study of the important role of music in psychedelic use and the ways in which psychedelics provide unprecedented access to the deeper mysteries of music.

Tuning In is the first authoritative study of a subject that is of wide and growing importance within the current psychedelic the role and experience of music in personal growth and healing via psychedelics. The book brings together the best insights and creative musings on the subject from respected figures within the psychedelic community. Going back several decades (and beyond), this book includes first-hand testimony from numerous "trip reports," along with relevant insights from psychologists, scientists, philosophers, scholars of religion, musicologists, musicians, and mystics. Tuning In takes an experiential approach to understanding the unique synergy between psychedelic states and how music profoundly supports and enhances psychedelic sessions while psychedelic states provide a unique doorway into the inner mysteries of music. Author Steven J. Gelberg includes helpful guidance in assessing and choosing music appropriate for psychedelic sessions, along with links to curated music playlists.

Genres: Music

326 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2025

Reviews

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alas I didn't get to finish this book as lost it at my Dr's ofc a few days ago and it was never found so glad it wasn't a library book. I had hoped to find more information regarding music....and more than classical music tho his many playlists on Spotify should satisfy that craving. However, people's written experiences of the profound trips they took on psychedelics was really good...tho I have zero interest in Ayahuasca myself. The combination of really good drugs and music is indeed out of this world and Mr Gelberg is an amazing scholar that dedicated many years of his life to deeply write about a topic that very little had been written about. So he has provided an excellent service. Im sorry I couldn't finish it but won't buy it again and of course the library wouldn't have a book like this.

[Quentin Kemna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book. Well-researched and lots of interesting perspective(s) shared. The link between experiencing music and psychedelic states seems obvious. What's novel is a direct examination of their relationship and what in turn that can reveal about consciousness and ontology. When we experience music, something peculiar and mysterious is at work. This book undergoes the search for that mystery.