Higher Wisdom: Eminent Elders Explore the Continuing Impact of Psychedelics

by Roger Walsh, Charles S. Grob (Editor)

For half a century psychedelics have rumbled through the Western world, seeding a subculture, titillating the media, fascinating youth, terrifying parents, enraging politicians, and intriguing researchers. Not surprisingly, these curious chemicals fascinated some of the foremost thinkers of the twentieth century, fourteen of whom were interviewed for this book. Because no further human research can be done, these researchers constitute an irreplaceable resource. Higher Wisdom offers their fascinating anecdotes, invaluable knowledge, and hard-won wisdom--the culmination of fifty years of research and reflection on one of the most intriguing and challenging topics of our time.

Genres: Spirituality, Psychology, Drugs

280 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2005

About the author

Dr. Roger N. Walsh, MD, Ph.D., is an Australian professor of Psychiatry, Philosophy and Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine, in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, within UCI's College of Medicine. Walsh is respected for his views on psychoactive drugs and altered states of consciousness in relation with the religious/spiritual experience, and has been quoted in the media regarding psychology, spirituality, and the medical effects of meditation.

Reviews

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, brilliant book, hard to put down but at the same time wanted to digest its content slowly.

[Joseph Knecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interviews with the pioneers of the psychedelic renaissance in the 60's. It contains personal accounts with many interesting experiences.

One common thing that binds all these people mentioned in the book is that they were all highly educated, intelligent, and well-off people. It seems that part of the "set and setting" of taking psychedelics is to have the ability to place the "mystical" experience in the right context. My guess is that precisely of their intellectual background, their psychedelic experience was overwhelmingly positive and led to a lot of personal growth.

What would happen if someone who didn't go to Harvard took LSD? Would they get scared of will they embrace the view of alternative reality?

I enjoyed this book. I liked the interview of Graf, Ram Dass, and the last person.

[robleestvanalles · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the elders (titans) in one book! There’s something for everybody here, interested in psychedelics. The book is structured in thematic chapters, treating in chronological order psychedelics and 1) eminent researchers and their views, 2) psychotherapeutic application, 3) culture, and 4) religion. It’s not a book to read from front to cover as it invites you to be led by your interests in different matters. Personally, I very much enjoyed the subchapters by the intriguing Shulgins (great information on MDMA therapy and lovely to see how these people compliment and react to each other), Dr Eisner, Dr Grof and Ms Huxley. Since it is an collection of articles/interviews the book contains introduction chapters and a conclusion by Walsh and Grob, which is also worthwhile reading. For anyone interested in psychedelics, whether it’s their application in therapy, historical information on research and societal reactions to new substances, or for instance the personal experiences of these elders, this is a must read!

[Emilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

just wow