Psychedelic Psychotherapy: A User Friendly Guide to Psychedelic Drug-Assisted Psychotherapy

by R. Coleman

Psychedelic Psychotherapy is a comprehensive, easy-to-read resource for therapists and laypeople who need practical guidelines for psychedelic drug-assisted psychotherapy. This book contains valuable insiders' information for those using psychedelics for their own healing, and for practitioners who facilitate their sessions with a focus of healing trauma using MDMA, LSD, and psilocybin. It includes step-by-step guidance on how to safely and effectively navigate through the psychedelically-enhanced healing process.

Genres: Psychology

153 pages, Paperback

Published November 17, 2017

Reviews

[Derek Frasure · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has some accurate information in it, but it is mixed in with so much bullshit that it's impossible to extricate the good. I would actually go so far as to say this book is slightly dangerous and I'm ashamed Transform Press published this garbage, further I'm disappointed Ann Shulgin endorsed it.

Putting aside the fact that this book has grammatical errors like "insure" when "ensure" is meant, or that some sentences and phrases are repeated three or more times in a 150 page book that uses a huge font and wide line spacing, the real issue is that the information here largely ranges from inaccurate to wildly wrong.

I could probably go nearly page by page, but I'll stick to a few examples. Coleman limits the scope of drugs he's talking about to LSD, psilocybin, MDMA, and cannabis. He lists a range of side-effects, as though they're at all likely outcomes: "As your breathing softens muscular armor, your body may involuntarily tremble, spasm, or thrash about. You might belch, wretch, or vomit. Your legs might kick or run in place. Your hands may clench into fists that pound or punch. Your arms may make pushing-away movements or protective gestures. These are thwarted fight or flight impulses that were frozen with trauma. These spontaneous actions allow the body to discharge trauma" (11). What the hell is he talking about? None of the drugs he's discussing provoke these reactions as a matter of course. This is a closer description of a type of reaction to 5-MeO-DMT, but even then only about 10% of people are so-called "thrashers." Muscle spasms and trembling are possible on many drugs, but it's the result of overstimulating your serotonin pathway, not some pseudoscientific theory about trauma held in your muscle memory. His advice is simply bad for your health and wrong: "you might have the urge to urinate, defecate, vomit, or flee. If this happens you are right on the edge of accessing buried trauma that is ready to be felt and released" (10). Unless Coleman has a peer-reviewed paper about the connection of false bodily functions to trauma that I'm unaware of, this is cockamamie advice that is just going to make an embarrassing situation out of someone making a mess of themselves. It'a bad for you to ignore your body and assume everything is trauma.

Coleman has a similar problem in assuming a "bad trip," which for him always appears in scare quotes to ridicule the phenomenon, results from recreational misuse (93-4) or a patient resisting the therapeutic process. While he's correct that difficult trip material can be worked through productively with a qualified sitter in many instances, this is not always the case. The medical literature relates people having awful, unredeeming trips where they spent 8 hours being raped by demons and flayed alive. These occured under trained supervision.

He makes bizarre suggestions to amplify reactions the sitter deems insufficiently deep. For example, if a journeyer isn't getting into a primal expression of anger like punching a pillow, the sitter should "suggest [the journeyer] 'fake it 'til you make it'" (114). Similarly, he suggests playing melancholy music, even where a journeyer has expressed a general wish for silence, if the sitter thinks their memories merit tears.

It all contradicts his ethos of keeping the sitter's perspective out of things, but Coleman is clearly unable to separate his personal experience from his therapeutic practice. As other reviewers have noted, Coleman seems to think trauma comes in one variety, and it's sexual. Moreover, his emphasis on childhood regression, thrashing, screaming, crying, primal expressions of anger and power, etc. is omnipresent. These are all extremely rare reactions with these or any other psychedelic. The fact that all of his quoted clients have these reactions can be explained by the concept of set (any drug experience is made of set, setting, and dose). Whether it's his constant talking about how these things might happen (and to be clear these instances of "might" slip into "many," "most," and "often" throughout the book), or the fact that he suggests his clients arrive with children's toys and something to bite like a dog's bone, he creates a mindset that reliably reproduces his own therapeutic experiences and insights, which he relates in the last pages of the book. Coleman insists that memories of trauma are being uncovered, but some of these are clearly false memories like the man on 146-7 who claims to remember the abortionist's knife coming at him up his mother's vagina (as though any of this is an accurate portrait of an abortion, but it is the stereotype many people hold).

This book is nothing but a projection of R. Coleman's idiosyncratic experiences with psychedelics. How else can you understand a man who can write: "LSD has no inherent feel-good properties" (21)? This is contravened by all available evidence. Unlike many psychedelics, LSD acts strongly on both serotonin and dopamine systems. Go to psychonautwiki and look at the subjective effects, you'll find euphoria among them. It's a weird blend of science, pseudoscience, mysticism, wikiquote-level Jungian psychoanalysis, and memoir that's done poorly throughout.

Instead of reading this, check out Dr. Fadiman's Psychedelic Explorer's Guide.

[Paradox Assembler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall it has a lot of interesting information on a subject that isn’t very well documented. Personally I found the persistent theme of childhood regression and abuse (stemming from the author’s own childhood trauma) troubling.

While I don’t have any experience on either side of this kind of therapy, the methods described leave open the potential for accidental memory implantation. Revelations of trauma you didn’t know you had can just as easily be false memories, and if the sitter has a known predilection for treating this kind of trauma, they could inadvertently end up reinforcing something that did not actually occur. This is touched on in the chapter Embracing the Shadow (so the author is aware of this potential) but worryingly he advises that “a sitter should assume that all memories are based on truth, even if the journeyer doubts them.”

I’d say it’s worth accepting the practical advice on things like dosage and environment, but since the author also mentions cases of revealing “past lives” and similar overtly pseudoscientific concepts, I’d take some of his more esoteric ideas about subconscious manifestations with several pinches of salt.

[Henrik · Rating 1 out of 5]

Del 1 av 2. Del 2 i kommentarer

Som psykolog er hovedinteressene mine, kanskje ikke overraskende, hva som gjør at behandling virker og hvilken behandling som virker for hvem. Hva er egenlig velære, livskvalitet og helbredelse? Og ikke minst, kan psykoterapi være skadelig? I et forsøk på å nærme meg svar på disse spørsmålene har jeg også forsøkt å legge all forkunnskap, fordommer og moral til siden og møte ny kunnskap med et åpent sinn. Dette på tross av (eller kanskje på grunn av) en oppvekst i et pietistisk miljø i bibelbeltet. Jeg har også lenge vært interessert i skjæringspunktet mellom sykdom og helse, og skjæringspunktet mellom psykiatri, spiritualitet og religion. Disse brede interessene har ført meg, til min store glede, til mange interessante diskusjoner med fantastiske mennesker, samtidig som jeg forsøker å lese et bredt spekter av bøker. Det har også gjort at jeg en periode engasjerte meg i ruspolitikken, samt fått meg til å følge tett med på den nye bølgen av psykedelikaforskning som har kommet de siste årene. I lys av dette kjøpte jeg for en liten stund siden en knippe bøker som tar for seg det praktiske rundt psykedeliske “turer” og psykedelisk terapi. Etter saumfaring av ulike blogger, nettsider og andre lister med bøker plukket jeg 3 stk som nådde høyt opp på de aller fleste topp 10 lister. “Psychedelic psychotherapy” av R.Coleman var en av disse.

Jeg trodde aldri jeg skulle tenke at en bok jeg holdt i hendene var farlig. At mer kunnskap kan bli negativt. Men dessverre, Etter min mening er denne boken nettopp dette, farlig. Det første illevarslende tegnet er at boken mangler kilder. Det andre er forfatteren selv. Han står ikke fram med fult navn, bare under pseudonymet R.Coleman. Jeg har forsøkt å google ham, men det er vanskelig å finne noe informasjon om ham. Bokens omslag er ladet med symbolikk som gjenspeiler psykedelisk nyreligiøsitet: Den er prydet av et storslått bilde av en glødende, ansiktsløs kjerub (engleskikkelse; menneske med vinger) dekket av mandalamønstre. Dette gir en viss føring på hvor boken kommer fra og hvordan forfatteren mener at psykedelika og psykedeliske opplevelser skal tolkes. Dette er på ingen måte et stort problem, og jeg kommer tilbake til dette senere i anmeldelsen. Innholdet derimot er høyst problematisk. Det bygger på utdaterte og tvilsomme teorier om den mennesklige psyke, psykologiske troper som i verste fall kan være skadelige. Dette er synd av to grunner. Det første er det viktigste og det mest åpenbare, forekomsten av skadelig terapi (eller høyrisikoterapi som har stor sjanse til å skade) må minimeres. Vi bør ha et ideal om en nullvisjon for at pasienter blir verre av terapi. Det andre er at bøker som dette vil kunne videreføre gammelt tankegods, og ikke bare psykologisk tankegods som er problematisk jamfør grunn 1, men tankegods som kan hindre at psykedeliske stofer og opplevelsene de fremprovoserer blir grundig forsket på. Her tenker jeg både på vitenskaplighet og på hvilke (fenomenologiske) føringer boken legger for opplevelsene. Dette er synd, personlig tror jeg disse opplevelsene har stort potensiale.

Allerede i innledningen rakner det. Her skriver Coleman:

Psychedelic drugs can be used to explore the depths of the psyche like submarines are used to explore the depths of the ocean. Effective transformational therapy requires that we dive into the unconscious thoughts and emotions that lie deeply submerged beneath the surface of our ordinary awareness. Because the unconscious psyche is seldom accessible to our normal, everyday waking consciousness, we need to alter our consciousness to access this realm experientially. Therapists use dreams and altered state-inducing techniques such as free association, hypnosis, special breathing and body work to access the unconscious. Rarely can these nondrug modalities reach the unconscious as deeply, directly and profoundly as do psychedelic drugs used in controlled therapeutic settings. Without the help of these drugs, the adventure of self-exploration may be limited to relatively shallow waters. (s.6)

Dette er et tema som går igjen, at psykedeliske stoffer hjelper “turisten” på en oppdagelsesferd inn i det ubevisste for å finne godt bortgjemt, undertrykte og fortrengte minner - ofte traumer fra barndommen. Han definerer ikke hva et traume er, og det virker som om han i utgangspunktet mener vanskelige eller vonde opplevelser i bred forstand, men det blir brukt i overkant mye tid på seksuelle overgrep, som nevner mange ganger gjennom hele boken. I hans beskrivelse av LSD sin nytteverdi skriver han:

In psychotherapy, LSD’s most salient quality is to greatly amplify whatever is hidden in one’s unconscious. It cuts right through trance and denial. LSD allows vivid access to buried memories like being in mother’s womb, birth trauma, infantile trauma, and early childhood physical and sexual abuse memories that are difficult or impossible to retrieve through other means. (s.20)
[...]
At higher doses, LSD opens doors to transcendent dimensions of reality, transgenerational memories, and unresolved trauma from previous lifetimes. (s.21)

Disse avsnittene burde oppleves problematiske for de fleste.. De bygger på forkastede ideer om den mennesklig psyke. Den første er at all psykisk lidelse kommer av vansker/traumer i barndommen. Det andre er at vi fortrenger disse minnene. Den tredje er at de ligger i “underbevisstheten vår”, som har et tilsynelatende uendelig potensiale og at alt som kommer fra underbevisstheten er pålitlig, nei til og med sannere enn det bevisste.
Naturligvis har vi en underbevissthet, jeg tror bare ikke på (den gnostiske) ideen om at det underbevisste har en like stor makt som Coleman foreslår. Psykologisk forskning har også vist at hukommelsen vår er høyst feilbarlig og formelig, og at det er mulig å konstruere minner om kriminelle handlinger og overgrep som aldri har skjedd. Et kjent sensasjonalisert eksempel på dette er den tragiske historien til Sture Bergwall, eller “thomas quick”( https://www.wikiwand.com/no/Sture_Ber... https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4857574/). Problemet med falske minner er ikke bare at man lager traumer der det ikke er noen, man lager også gjerningsmenn. Jeg er heller ikke enig i at Underbevisstheten vet MER enn vår bevissthet. Tross den spennende mystikken denne ideer tilfører den mennesklige psyke har jeg alltid funnet denne tanken som snodig.

Og Coleman stopper ikke der. Han fortsetter med å foreslå at bare man ønsker å forsøke psykedelisk terapi er det sannsynlig at du har opplevd traumer i barndommen. Dette skriver han inne i en advarsel rundt stoffenes potens i terapeutiske settinger samt viktigheter rund å bruke en “turguide”:

Therapeutic journeywork will and should be very different from recreational trips you may have experienced. Any thought that you are experienced enough to embark on this kind of journey without assistance is naive. The fact that you are contemplating journeywork for healing is a strong indicator that there are hidden, unexplored places in your psyche, filled with things you've been avoiding because you couldn’t handle seeing them. It's foolish to imagine you'll know what to do when you face your own unconscious and long-hidden material for the first time in journeyspace. If disturbing feelings and memories surface, an experienced sitter will help you move safely through them. (s32).

I en slags skrudd logikk overføres denne sansynligheten for å ha opplevd barndomstraumer seg over til de psykedeliske terapeutene, eller guidene, når han ikke bare oppfordrer til, men også konstanterer at å ha prøvd stoffene selv er en nødvendighet:

You know that a psychotherapist, to be any good, must go through his or her own therapy first. Similarly, your client deserves a sitter who is personally familiar with psychedelic work. The way to understand what is and is not needed in a journey is to have been a journeyer yourself numerous times, assisted by an experienced sitter. Only in that way will you attain a sense of what is and is not constructive in the work of a sitter (s68).

Om du har lyst til å utøve psykedelisk terapi som funker, må du prøve stoffene selv. Ettersom du nå har lyst til å prøve stoffene er det stor sjanse for at det er ubearbeidede traumer i barndommen din i underbevisstheten vi må grave fram og behandle. Dette blir enda mer problematisk når han hevder at desto vondere det er å gå inn i disse glemte (potensielt konstruerte) minnene jo bedre:

Those who are willing to feel their deepest pain are rewarded with the greatest life-changing transformation (s98).

Om det blir for smertefult har han løsning som ikke kan gå galt:

As new layers of unhealed material surface, you may encounter new layers of defenses. To surmount these defenses you may need to increase dosages or change which meds you use. Including MDMA in your protocol always helps soften stubborn defenses. (s121)

Når du er i tvil kan du alltids høyne dosen, eller spe på med andre rusmidler.

Her må jeg kanskje komme med et forbehold. Dette betyr naturligvis ikke at jeg mener fortrengte minner ikke finnes, heller ikke at det ikke skjer seksuelle overgrep mot barn, på ingen måte, bare at det også går an å konstruere minner om det. Man har sett at såkalte fortrengte minner om overgrep eller neglekt faktisk finnes, altså minner som dukker spontant opp, plutselig, uten at personen tdligere har vært dem bevisst. Det later derimot til at disse ofte er spontane minner som dukker opp når personen ikke er i terapi, eller når personen (hvis personen er i et terapiforløp) ikke er i terapirommet og snakker med terapeuten. Det er gjennom samtale med en annen, ofte en med autoritet, som oppfordrer til og foreslår fortolkning og fabulering av vage følelser og tanker som har fare for å lage falske minner. Det rare med boken er at Coleman later til å være delvis klar over dette selv, men likevel tenker at en guide sin oppgave er å peile inn på det essensielle: traumene. Her på dette området skriver etter min mening flere selvmotsigelser:

A sitter should assume that all memories are based on truth, even if the journeyer doubts them. It is important that these discoveries be acknowledged and validated. New memories of trauma can be shocking and must be allowed to come up at an organic pace that allows them to be gradually accepted and digested. A sitter must NEVER lead this process by prematurely filling in the blanks or creating a story before journeyers are ready to discover the truth for themselves.
For example, a psychologically savvy sitter may detect convincing clues of childhood sexual abuse as the journeyer talks about sexual issues, fears, fantasies, and phobias. When repressed abuse material begins to surface, the journeyer may start having glimpses and vague memories of events. This process often begins with memories of feeling uncomfortable, scared, or “icky” around certain people. The journeyer’s body may involuntarily assume positions that appear to be body memories that replicate sexual abuse. If the journeyer is unable to make sense of these feelings and involuntary behaviors in journey after journey, the sitter can help them connect the dots of emerging phenomena by reporting observable clues and introducing the possibility of sexual abuse. “Many people who have experienced what you are experiencing now were sexually abused as children,” might be appropriate to say, but only if the journeyer is ready and resourced enough to deal with this information. The sitter should NEVER authoritatively declare anything like, “You were sexually abused by your father,” before the journeyer has recovered convincing memories for him or herself (102-103).


Etter disse skjellsettende gjennopplevelsene av tidligere barndomstraumene later det til at ikke alle har det like bra som man skulle tilsi, mange blir irritable og sinte på andre og sine omgivelser, ikke bare dager, men også uker etter terapien. Det samme med nedstemthet, det er mange som kan opplevel ikke redusert, men økt nedstemthet og fortvilelse etter terapien, en fortvilielse som ogsp kan vare i flere uker. Men ta det med ro, her bortforklarer Coleman det med en kjent trope:

Shadow work is like psychological detoxing. As toxic trauma is being cleared, you will most likely feel worse before you feel better. You are being remodeled. Your old structure is being torn down in order for a healthy new structure to be built. It's going to be messy and take a while. At the end of the process, your willingness to feel your deepest pain opens your heart to love and joy again. (s119-120)

“Det kommer til å bli verre før det blir bedre”. Dette er en setning som ikke nødvendigvis er feil. Den er 100% sann i eksponeringsterapi, den vanligste og mest effektive behandlingen av en rekke angstlidelser, hvor målet er og utsette seg for det man er mest redd for, uten å rømme eller prøve å håndtere frykten. På den måten fjernes angsten for angsten som kjennetegner mange angstlidelser. Men ideen kan også være problematisk. Om man har dette som mantra kan man rettferdiggjøre en hvilken som helst smerte i terapi med løfte om at det blir bedre på et senere tidspunkt. Det blir også problematisk ettersom man aldri kan hevde at terapien ikke fungerte. Jaja, du har kanskje vondt nå, men det blir bedre senere. Det kan til og med være at det som gjør det hele bedre senere ikke har noe som helst med den psykedeliske terapien å gjøre, men siden denne har forutsett bedringen på forhånd vil denne fremdeles kunne ta æren. Det hele begynner å høres ut som en kult. Vitenskap er det vertfall ikke.

Det er imidlertid ikke alle innsikter Coleman mener er sanne i LSDrus:

WARNING: On LSD you may look hideous. Don’t panic. It’s just the drug! (s.139)

Men Fra spøk til alvor. En annen selvmotisigelse rundt passiviteten til guiden er at bokeh ikke bare er laget for guider, men også turister som ønsker å forsøke psydekelisk terapi. Ettersom boken forteller om skjulte, underbevisste barnetraumer og viktigheten rundt å igjenoppdage disse, som er oppgaven til guiden, vil dette også være implisitt i turistens oppgave, tross all åpenheten og nøytraliteten Coleman anbefaler at turisten sitt sinnelag skal være fylt med før terapien. Å tro at de som ønsker å gjennomgå psykedelisk terapi selv ikke kommer til å gløtte over på kapitlene som inneholder kunnskapen reservert for de vise guidene er naivt. Når turistene har lest viktigheten av å avdekke disse traumene, vil dette også i verste fall være rollen de spiller ut i terapien. Psykedeliske turer er veldig påvirkbare. Turisten er også veldig påvirkelig (suggestibel) under turen. Om dette er kunnskapen man tar med inn i turen, samt man har en guide som mer eller mindre bevisst peker en i en viss retning, vil dette øke sjansen til å oppleve nettopp det som står i boken, og igjen være med på å bekrefte troen på at det som står i boken er sant. Denne boken er farlig, om psykedeliske stoffer og deres bruk blir mer populært, parallelt med økt forskning på effekten av opplevelsene de frembringer, ønsker jeg ikke at dette skal være en del av det nye folkeminnet som former folks turer, som er, som de sier, sterkt avhengig av “set” og “setting”.

Som psykolog har møtt mange pasienter og sett de fleste psykiske lidelser. Hvis vi ser på tvers av diagnoser har de alle hvertfall én ting til felles: Rigiditet. Man er fastlåst i ulike tankemønstre. En følelse dominerer og gjennomsyrer hverdagen og fører til funksjonsfall (glede/irritabilitet/mani; tristhet/anhedoni/depresjon; frykt/angst). Eller en lite fleksibilitet i personlighetsstruktur fører til at man ikke klarer å mestre forhandlingene som skjer i alle medmennesklige relasjoner. Det hjelper ikke si “jo, du er verdt noe” til den alvorlig deperimerte. Han eller hun kommer rett og slett ikke til å tro deg. De kommer ikke til å ta deg alvorlig. Du han tvinge dem til å tenke tanken, igjen og igjen og igjen, men de kommer ikke til å ta den alvorlig. Hvis det er en ting psykedeliske stoffer for en til å gjøre så er det det motsatte, all rigiditet forsvinner. Man tar den minste ting alvorlig. Evigheten i skolissene dine. Enkle tanker som “kjærlighet er alt” og “hvorfor ikke bare møte folk med omsorg i stedet for hat?” kan gi skjellsettende åpenbaringer. Psykedeliske stoffer kan dermed kanskje føre til at den deperimerte, når han eller henne får tanken “jeg er verdt noe” til å ta denne tanken på alvor tanken og la dem kjenne hvordan det kjennes om den skulle være sant. Etterpå vil personen huske dette og vite at det finnes noe annet, hvis det finnes et alternativ, så er det også en mulighet for at de tar feil - kanskje depresjonens skylapper er borte.

Det er 3 ting jeg er veldig enig med Coleman i. Det ene er at dette er sterke stoffer som må behandles med respekt. Det andre er påstanden om at disse stoffene har stort potensiale som medisin, ikke i kraft av sin virkning, men i kraft av opplevelsen og tolkningen av denne virkningen, altså de mystiske opplevelsene stoffene fremprovoserer. Men, vi må huske dette, at de er tolkninger, som fører oss til den tredje tingen jeg er enig med Coleman om: Det andre er at ikke alt vi opplever i denne rusen er Sannheten. Du er ikke stygg selv om det ser slik ut (det er bare LSD’en som snakker!!). Men du vil oppleve deg som stygg og ta opplevelsen med det største alvor. Fylla har skylda, sier vi om vi ringte ekskjæresten vår kl 0330 en søndagsmorgen etter en lang våt kveld på byen. Dette uttrykker ser ikke ut til å eksistere med psykedelika. Når man ser engler, entiteter eller blir født på ny, slik mange kan oppleve, ser det ikke ut til at folk klarer å si det samme. Jeg hørte en gang en ung mann si at engler må finnes siden det er så mange som ser dem når de tar psykedelika. Dette betyr imidlertid ikke at engler finnes, bare at psykedelika finnes. Om en turist tror at guiden hans har blitt til en gnom, betyr ikke dette at gnomer finnes, bare at han fikk ideen om det og deretter opplevde dette gjennom at han blir tvunget til å ta denne tanken med det største alvor. Etter turen vil han kunne si til seg selv at det føltes helt sant og ekte, men at det var LSD-en som fremprovoserte opplevelsen. Guiden er ikke egentlig en gnom. Dette virker selvsagt, men det er vanskelig i praksis, noe antallet psykedeliske vekkelsespredikanter og oppslutningen rundt psykedelisk nyreligiøsitet viser.

Del 2 i kommentarer

[Jonathan W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has solid information, but there are definitely lots of stretches / personal experience leaking through. The author focuses mainly on the extremes for highly traumatized individuals. There is not much scientific evidence referenced, but within this field it’s hard to come by.

That being said, overall, it’s useful information that I wouldn’t follow to a tee. Take what resonates and makes sense, and don’t go overboard. I liked how he broke down the role of a sitter or caretaker. But his recommendations for cocktails or combinations of substances I didn’t quite care for.

As psychedelic therapy for mental illness continues to become more mainstream spearheaded by programs at Johns Hopkins and NYU, I think this is a solid read for those wishing to explore.

[Laurens]

2,5

Unfortunately, this was a disappointment, even though there were enormously useful parts.

~

Four stars for the experiences, (practical) advice and tips surrounding the safety and benefits of psychedelic drug-assisted psychotherapy.

~

One star for all the pseudoscientific and New Agey filler. The "wonders" of psychedelics, and their incredible worth for future psychiatry and modern culture do not need nonsense to make it significant. Why are there so many people interested in directly connecting subjective experience, however mindboggling it can be, to objective (metaphysical) reality? ...The experience of past lives, trauma's of our ancestors, direct control over or influence on our genetic information, supernatural communication, healing multiple pathophysiological diseases with psychedelic compounds, etc.

This psychedelic community is obsessed with and restricted by pseudoscientific explanations and prescriptions. All this magical thinking is harmful to the future of psychedelic science and psychedelics-assisted psychotherapy in my opinion. After reading this my wish for more reasonable psychotherapists, psychiatrists, guides and scientific researchers to move this community in the right direction has increased significantly.

[James Melton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book on working with psychedelic medicines in therapy. I’m a psychiatrist with a strong interest in the field and am a psychedelic therapy patient as well. I’ve read most of the popular books on psychedelics as therapy tools and this book definitely stands out as the best. The author’s own therapy journey and his work as a therapist over decades become clear as you encounter the depth of his wisdom. However, the book stays clear and concise all the way through. Wonderful book!

[Eduardo Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent reference, also readable in its own right. Written with sensitivity and compassion. I blanched a little at his suggestion of 3 grams dried mushrooms for "most beginners", but in the right therapeutic setting I could see that being appropriate - and that's really what the whole book is about, ensuring the right environment for a rewarding experience. I will be reading this again.

[James Jesso · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very concise and straight forward. Highly recommended it for anyone interested in the potential of psychedelic psychotherapy, including a desire to know the skills needed to supper each other as friends in these types of experiences. (sitting for each other)

[Hollowaxis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some useful insights.
Lots of repetition.
A very strong focus on sexual trauma and assuming last trauma hides somewhere in the body as physical sensation.

Not sure I agree with all of it, but much of it matches with life experiences.

A good read overall.

[Riley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author has some perspectives and advice that range from questionable to concerning. I question the advice given about mixing substances. I found it strange how he specified survivors of "satanic ritual abuse" as an inappropriate population for psychedelic assisted psychotherapy. To my knowledge that is not a common experience and is more based in Christian fear mongering than real phenomena. Another reviewer also mentioned the danger of implanting false trauma memories using the authors advice. I share this concern. It is also worth noting the authors perspective is generally limited to trauma and seems to be influenced mainly by psychodynamic and somatic theories. All that being said, many of the guidelines regarding boundaries and communication between the therapist and client seem solid.

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not impressed. I was really hoping to glean some insight from someone with 30 years experience. Nope. It reads like an undergrad smashed together a 'pulled outta my butt at the last minute' term paper. Good grief. 153 widely double spaced pages with large text of pseudoscience, quotes from jesus, and constant repetition. This book is garbage and a complete waste of time for anyone with a VERY basic understanding of psychedelics and psychotherapy. I hold zero advanced degrees and have a better knowledge and understanding of the subject. The author should feel embarrassed as should the publisher. Good night, what a joke.

[Lukas Compton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having journeyed enough times, I’d say some of this information was really good. A lot of it. Not that good. Dosing was generally too much. 1.75g of mushrooms will get you where you need to go. I never recommend taking 10g. A sitter should also never direct a trip. Asking questions that possibly implant memories are a no go. Let the tripper go and be there if need be. I also wouldn’t not recommend taking all of these substances at once. It’s unreasonable. Uncontrollable. There was good and bad info. There are other books I’d recommend first

[Jyllean Sloan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great guide for journeyers and sitters. Wish there was a bit more info on how to help if things get darker, how to match a sitter to your needs, how to handle nausea with psilocybin, and some infonon what makes some people more sensitive to the drugs.

[Anita Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay.

The explanation of what to lean into while tripping helped. Would not trust the dosing information given (for example, I'm no expert but the minimum time between MDMA sessions should be far more then 2 weeks) or the stuff about personality disorders.

[Michael Zeller · Rating 5 out of 5]

great guide for leading sessions…

Got so much wisdom on how to lead more effective sessions and the beauty and power of different substances. Wasn’t familiar with how mixing substances can enhance the effects of healing.

[John Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guide has very practical advice for guides and people taking a psychedelic journey. Not heavy on theory, the guide is very approachable and succinct and will be useful for people who want to explore this and those willing to guide them.

[Andrew Gagne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good starting book on the therapeutic use of psychedelics. The author does a great job of detailing the methods and procedures of using psychedelics to heal from trauma and cautions the readers of the risks of using them.

[Tomáš Hrčka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great field manual for people interested in this topic. Provides scrupulous walkthrough the substances
and tools that author has used in his therapeutic work.

[Branan Dubh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wealth of information expressed very simply. I will re-read this a number of times so that it sinks in.

[Jade · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn’t the best guide I’ve read. Some areas make some unsafe assumptions. But does give a general overview and some good suggestions.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because my friend is doing psilocybin work for depression. She’s doing it in the company of her sister who is a nurse, informed by this book. It’s been great for their purposes, my friend loves this book.

I thought it would be a good read too to help me learn to integrate meditation experiences. It didn’t help much on that front but I did find parts of it useful and interesting.
A rough read though, -needs a structural edit.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Psychedelic psychotherapy has been a shadowy practice living on in the rubble of the "second wave" of psychedelics otherwise known as the 60s. The psychedelics became illegal substances in the early 70s but the power of these interventions to transform human consciousness and support the healing of deep wounds could not be denied. As Michael Pollan's best seller "How to Change Your Mind" recently revealed, many have been quietly practicing psychedelic assisted psychotherapy under the radar for those brave of desperate enough to seek out such interventions. Currently various psychedelic interventions are on the cusp of FDA approval and Coleman's book provides much needed wisdom based on years of experience, both personal and professional in guiding patients through the psychedelic experience safely and successfully. Coleman provides his experience in supporting work with MDMA, LSD and Psylocibin. He provides very practical advice for dosing, combining and supporting the work with chapters such as "guidelines for the sitter", "preparation for the journey" and "after the journey". Most importantly Coleman has a good understanding of the basic architecture of the psyche preparing the sitter and journeyer well for moving beyond the ego and understanding the nature of "peak experiences" and most critically the challenges of "shadow" work. This has been hard earned wisdom, without which the "second wave" of psychedelics crashed hard onto the shore of western consciousness. I am a believer in the power of these interventions and feel that all of this accumulated experience means that the current "third wave" will have a deeper and more pervasive impact in transforming human consciousness. These legitimate and skilled interventions are arriving at a critical time, as we face national and global problems that require cooperation on a scale we have yet to achieve.