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The Promise of Psychedelics: Science-Based Hope for Better Mental Health
A fresh, engaging, and easy-to-read
psychedelic therapy guide
with simple analogies that explain complex concepts. Learn about psychedelics and a promising new mental health therapy program.
Nearly forty years ago, Dr. Peter Silverstone was a young MD who took up a new position in psychopharmacology research at Oxford University. Since then, the field has bloomed into a spectrum of possibilities that includes the use of psychedelics as a treatment for depression, addiction, PTSD, grief, and anxiety.
And Dr. Silverstone has gone on to lead ground-breaking research into things like amphetamine interaction with the brain, mental health’s impact on physical health, psychedelic use in psychotherapy, and to lead award-winning treatment breakthroughs in mental health therapy programs.
The Promise of Psychedelics is for you—if you or someone you know has not received successful treatment despite trying several mental health therapy programs and medication. You are not one in five adults at any one time suffer mental health issues that impact their functioning.
Often, medication alone doesn’t work, especially for conditions like PTSD, grief, depression, anxiety, addictions, or personality issues. Despite the best efforts of clinicians, medications or other psychological treatments are usually only partially effective. Sometimes, treatments don’t help at all.
Psychedelics such as psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA, cannabinoids, and LSD can cause profound, intense changes—not only in what we experience but how we think, how we feel, and what we do.
In The Promise of Psychedelics you’ll learn how psychedelics can mimic psychiatric disorders—sometimes producing the same symptoms and sometimes providing an antidote. There’s a little on neuroscience and neurotransmitters, but Dr. Silverstone avoids scientific language whenever possible, so you won’t feel overwhelmed. You’ll also gain key insights into how the mind and brain differ, what’s normal versus abnormal, how psychiatric diagnoses are made and why that’s a problem.
You’ll be introduced to the most recent advances in our understanding of what they are, how they work, what the risks are, and which ones will transform mental health treatment for millions of patients. You’ll gain an understanding of the complexity of the regulatory approval process and why it takes so long for some of these psychedelics to become legal for therapeutic use.
These psychedelics are rated and ranked as contenders, wannabes, along with the bronze-, silver-, and gold-medal winners. Dr. Silverstone shares the science behind micro-dosing psychedelics, which ones hold the most promise for inclusion into mental health therapies, and why some psychedelics simply aren’t ready for prime time.
In this psychedelic therapy guide you’ll discover why psychedelics, including micro-dosing, are poised to become standard treatment in combination with appropriate therapy for many mental health conditions. They could become standard therapy for depression, for example.
And you’ll also learn about the new form of therapy Dr. Silverstone and his team at Zylorion Health have developed that incorporates psychedelics in a controlled environment. It’s intensive, with many components, or modes, that promise better mental health outcomes.
You’ll walk away from The Promise of Psychedelics with a big dose of hope, if you’ll pardon the pun.
And Dr. Silverstone has gone on to lead ground-breaking research into things like amphetamine interaction with the brain, mental health’s impact on physical health, psychedelic use in psychotherapy, and to lead award-winning treatment breakthroughs in mental health therapy programs.
The Promise of Psychedelics is for you—if you or someone you know has not received successful treatment despite trying several mental health therapy programs and medication. You are not one in five adults at any one time suffer mental health issues that impact their functioning.
Often, medication alone doesn’t work, especially for conditions like PTSD, grief, depression, anxiety, addictions, or personality issues. Despite the best efforts of clinicians, medications or other psychological treatments are usually only partially effective. Sometimes, treatments don’t help at all.
Psychedelics such as psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA, cannabinoids, and LSD can cause profound, intense changes—not only in what we experience but how we think, how we feel, and what we do.
In The Promise of Psychedelics you’ll learn how psychedelics can mimic psychiatric disorders—sometimes producing the same symptoms and sometimes providing an antidote. There’s a little on neuroscience and neurotransmitters, but Dr. Silverstone avoids scientific language whenever possible, so you won’t feel overwhelmed. You’ll also gain key insights into how the mind and brain differ, what’s normal versus abnormal, how psychiatric diagnoses are made and why that’s a problem.
You’ll be introduced to the most recent advances in our understanding of what they are, how they work, what the risks are, and which ones will transform mental health treatment for millions of patients. You’ll gain an understanding of the complexity of the regulatory approval process and why it takes so long for some of these psychedelics to become legal for therapeutic use.
These psychedelics are rated and ranked as contenders, wannabes, along with the bronze-, silver-, and gold-medal winners. Dr. Silverstone shares the science behind micro-dosing psychedelics, which ones hold the most promise for inclusion into mental health therapies, and why some psychedelics simply aren’t ready for prime time.
In this psychedelic therapy guide you’ll discover why psychedelics, including micro-dosing, are poised to become standard treatment in combination with appropriate therapy for many mental health conditions. They could become standard therapy for depression, for example.
And you’ll also learn about the new form of therapy Dr. Silverstone and his team at Zylorion Health have developed that incorporates psychedelics in a controlled environment. It’s intensive, with many components, or modes, that promise better mental health outcomes.
You’ll walk away from The Promise of Psychedelics with a big dose of hope, if you’ll pardon the pun.
- GenresNonfictionScience
283 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 14, 2022
20 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 9, 2022
While the authors scientific analysis and putting the therapy technique in layman’s terms was appreciated I felt that the the ending of the book suffered in that it seemed to turn into a commercial for the authors own company. He sites the issues that psychedelics when used with therapy can help with but frames it in a way that his program, which he sells and even gives links to, is the “best” approach to using psychedelics in therapy. As a depression and anxiety sufferer I did find insight but the let down of the program being the authors own company he was selling seemed to make his arguments just a bit disingenuous.
January 16, 2023
An evidence-based overview of the various psychedelics potentially appropriate for use in treating mood disorders and trauma etc., the reasons they may be effective, and the potential futures of these therapies. I wish there was more specific info about what these experiences are like for patients (do they perceive themselves to be "tripping"? how emotional and difficult is the process of psychedelic-assisted therapy? etc.) but if you just want to understand the neuroscience and the studies that've been done on psychedelic-assisted therapy, this book is a great resource.
December 29, 2022
The Promise of Psychedelics: Science-Based Hope For Better Mental Health is described as a psychedelic therapy guide by Dr. Peter Silverstone, however, if you ask me I would classify it as a crucial academic work that is of high value in the field of psychiatry. Ever since his first day as a young psychiatrist. Dr. Silverstone was faced with patients who were suffering from depression and had tried to commit suicide at one point or another. From that day on Silverstone made it his life mission to find new ways to help people dealing with all sorts of mental health issues.
Studies show that two out of ten adults suffer from some kind of mental health problem, and due to the lack of professionals who can cater to the needs of all patients, a high percentage of patients are given medication. Sadly the medication isn’t always effective, especially in cases such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, addictions, or personality issues. However, thanks to our extended knowledge of the brain and neuroscience our approach to a lot of these issues has changed and will continue to further change and evolve in the future. Here is where Dr. Silverstone comes in with psychedelics such as psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA, cannabinoids, and LSD. In his illuminating book he explains the existing forms of therapy and treatment as well as some brand new ones that he discovered in his decades dedicated to this subject.
Inside the book, readers will get to read about different intertwined topics from the diagnosis of a mental health issue, to the plasticity of the brain, different psychedelics and where they can be used and so much more, including biographical details about Dr. Silverstone himself, and how he chose his career path.
Even though I’ve described this book as an important academic work, Dr. Silverstone purposefully made sure to write this book in a language that is easily understood by anyone. It does not matter if you have a background in the fields of neuroscience and psychiatry or not. A perfect example of this is his comparison of the brain to a pizza sliced into four parts. It may sound funny, but every good teacher is able to explain complex ideas in relatable terms and Dr. Silverstone is an exceptional educator.
My favorite chapter in this educational book, as a reader and as a psychology student, was where he talked about the plasticity of the brain (brain plasticity refers to how the brain can change, how it is flexible and can be molded) because it is a topic I had learned in developmental psychology and it was fascinating to read some new information on that topic.
I believe that The Promise of Psychedelics is an academic work that will become significant in psychiatry as our knowledge of the brain continues to broaden. I highly recommend this enlightening book to any professionals or students in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, and medicine as well as anyone interested in mental health.
Studies show that two out of ten adults suffer from some kind of mental health problem, and due to the lack of professionals who can cater to the needs of all patients, a high percentage of patients are given medication. Sadly the medication isn’t always effective, especially in cases such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, addictions, or personality issues. However, thanks to our extended knowledge of the brain and neuroscience our approach to a lot of these issues has changed and will continue to further change and evolve in the future. Here is where Dr. Silverstone comes in with psychedelics such as psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA, cannabinoids, and LSD. In his illuminating book he explains the existing forms of therapy and treatment as well as some brand new ones that he discovered in his decades dedicated to this subject.
Inside the book, readers will get to read about different intertwined topics from the diagnosis of a mental health issue, to the plasticity of the brain, different psychedelics and where they can be used and so much more, including biographical details about Dr. Silverstone himself, and how he chose his career path.
Even though I’ve described this book as an important academic work, Dr. Silverstone purposefully made sure to write this book in a language that is easily understood by anyone. It does not matter if you have a background in the fields of neuroscience and psychiatry or not. A perfect example of this is his comparison of the brain to a pizza sliced into four parts. It may sound funny, but every good teacher is able to explain complex ideas in relatable terms and Dr. Silverstone is an exceptional educator.
My favorite chapter in this educational book, as a reader and as a psychology student, was where he talked about the plasticity of the brain (brain plasticity refers to how the brain can change, how it is flexible and can be molded) because it is a topic I had learned in developmental psychology and it was fascinating to read some new information on that topic.
I believe that The Promise of Psychedelics is an academic work that will become significant in psychiatry as our knowledge of the brain continues to broaden. I highly recommend this enlightening book to any professionals or students in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, and medicine as well as anyone interested in mental health.
April 18, 2022
A Must Read to Understand Psychedelics in Mental Health
Dr. Silverstone has presented very comprehensive information in an easy to understand language for everyday readers. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey he takes the reader on while he weaves personal anecdotes and life experiences into his teaching content to help illustrate a subject that is often viewed as taboo. This is a must read for anyone searching for greater understanding of the subject of psychedelics used in the field of mental health. I very much enjoyed the learning and recommend this book to those in search of knowledge in a frequently misunderstood subject. Bravo!
Dr. Silverstone has presented very comprehensive information in an easy to understand language for everyday readers. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey he takes the reader on while he weaves personal anecdotes and life experiences into his teaching content to help illustrate a subject that is often viewed as taboo. This is a must read for anyone searching for greater understanding of the subject of psychedelics used in the field of mental health. I very much enjoyed the learning and recommend this book to those in search of knowledge in a frequently misunderstood subject. Bravo!
June 22, 2022
Dr. Silverstone gives a comphrensive and intriguing look into the benefits of psychedelics as mental health treatments. Mental health plays a big role in my family tree so this was a really interesting topic for me. It was cool to read about how the diagnosis aspect has changed so much over time and I like how the author went in depth about the other types of techniques, in combination with psychedelics, could create the best outcome. He also ranks the different psychedelics based on his professional opnions, noting the potential side-effects of each. Silverstone wraps the book up detailing his personal therapy company and I loved to hear of the multi-faceted techniques used on a very individual basis. Within the mental health system (as I have experienced it personally in the U.S.) so many people slip between the cracks. So many people are resistant to your typical medications and approaches so I really enjoyed hearing about the work the author is doing. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
January 23, 2023
A must read for those who are struggling with mental illness
for anyone who is dealing with or has a loved one who is dealing with mental health issues, you need to read this and know there is real, tangible help that is available now that is a supplement and or alternative to traditional therapy and meds. Not enough is being said about psychedelics yet, and there's an urgent need for broad awareness. read this and pass it on to others. Pursue these alternatives NOW if you or someone you love needs help.
for anyone who is dealing with or has a loved one who is dealing with mental health issues, you need to read this and know there is real, tangible help that is available now that is a supplement and or alternative to traditional therapy and meds. Not enough is being said about psychedelics yet, and there's an urgent need for broad awareness. read this and pass it on to others. Pursue these alternatives NOW if you or someone you love needs help.
September 17, 2024
This guy has clearly NEVER done psychedelics in his life.
and his new “therapy” is several chapters worth of mansplaining other therapy’s that already exist and saying “… on mushies” at the end.
AND he can’t help but repetitively tell you that he’s gonna use “AI and virtual reality”.
at the end of the day this book is just a pitch from a business man, trying to cash in on hype he knows nothing about.
disappointed.
and his new “therapy” is several chapters worth of mansplaining other therapy’s that already exist and saying “… on mushies” at the end.
AND he can’t help but repetitively tell you that he’s gonna use “AI and virtual reality”.
at the end of the day this book is just a pitch from a business man, trying to cash in on hype he knows nothing about.
disappointed.
December 15, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. I am not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much if I didn’t have a medical background. But having both the medical background and mental health history I Loved it.
April 26, 2024
If you’re reading this book because you’re hoping psychedelics could help your mental health then you’ll be disappointed. The feeling I got from this book is the psychiatrist being threatened by psychedelics, like it’d steal his job and everything he worked for.
Also, the book has 169 pages of written text. I had a highlighter ready to highlight my favourite passages which I do all the time when I read a book but I didn’t highlight anything at all. The book has little substance.
He’s trying to sell his therapy that uses techniques that don’t address most of people’s issues (listening to music, being positive, gratitude, CBT, Building motivation, etc). And basically the message of his book is advertising that he’ll be looking to add psychedelics to his therapy. And by the way, he says he’s never tried psychedelics and never will. How can you write a book about something you know nothing about?
What I also find unfortunate is that I’ve read many books on the subject and watched videos and he seems to see psychedelics as being okay but not enough. And that it takes a long time to get better (contrary at what I’ve been reading on psychedelics) and that psychedelics don’t lead to long term improvements (which is not what I’ve read or watched from various sources).
Update: so I tried psychedelics and it works a lot better than he says he does. He just doesn’t want to lose his practice I think.
Also, the book has 169 pages of written text. I had a highlighter ready to highlight my favourite passages which I do all the time when I read a book but I didn’t highlight anything at all. The book has little substance.
He’s trying to sell his therapy that uses techniques that don’t address most of people’s issues (listening to music, being positive, gratitude, CBT, Building motivation, etc). And basically the message of his book is advertising that he’ll be looking to add psychedelics to his therapy. And by the way, he says he’s never tried psychedelics and never will. How can you write a book about something you know nothing about?
What I also find unfortunate is that I’ve read many books on the subject and watched videos and he seems to see psychedelics as being okay but not enough. And that it takes a long time to get better (contrary at what I’ve been reading on psychedelics) and that psychedelics don’t lead to long term improvements (which is not what I’ve read or watched from various sources).
Update: so I tried psychedelics and it works a lot better than he says he does. He just doesn’t want to lose his practice I think.
June 18, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for this arc.
This book was an engaging, scientific read that was also easy to understand.
I have always been interested in learning more about the science of psychedelics and how they impact mental health. This was an excellent starting point for me to continue growing my knowledge.
I really liked how this book focused on the evidence and didn’t make grand claims.
Overall, this read is great for those interested in psychedelics, their effects, and their relation to mental health.
This book was an engaging, scientific read that was also easy to understand.
I have always been interested in learning more about the science of psychedelics and how they impact mental health. This was an excellent starting point for me to continue growing my knowledge.
I really liked how this book focused on the evidence and didn’t make grand claims.
Overall, this read is great for those interested in psychedelics, their effects, and their relation to mental health.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews