Hallucinogens: A Reader

by Charles S. Grob

It's been forty years since Timothy Leary sat beside a swimming pool in Cuernavaca, Mexico, ingested several grams of the genus Stropharia cubensis, and experienced a dazzling display of visions that led him to herald the dawning of a New Age. And yet, from the counterculture movement of the 1960s, through the War on Drugs, to this very day, the world at large has viewed hallucinogens not as a gift but as a threat to society.

In Hallucinogens, Charles Grob surveys recent writings from such important thinkers as Terence McKenna, Huston Smith, and Andrew Weil, illustrating that a reevaluation of the social worth of hallucinogens-used intelligently-is greatly in order.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Psychology

320 pages, Paperback

First published July 8, 2002

About the author

Charles S. Grob, M.D., is a professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine.

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enlightening tour through the psychiactric, scientific, and religious use of hallucinogens from big names like Hoffman, McKenna, and others. Though now a bit dated (it was published in the late 1990s, so it focuses hugely on MDMA), I found it a good resource for the research and social fear surrounding hallucinogens. It has definitely pointed out to me the importance of continuing some sort of meditative practice after hallucinogen use, to better incorporate insights into daily life.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent collection of articles relating to spiritual and therapeutic uses for psychedelics. Some are more interesting then others.

[Seeing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. A trip into a what-Might-have-been, if people were smarter with entheogens.