The Acid Diaries: A Psychonaut's Guide to the History and Use of LSD

by Christopher Gray

An exploration of the personal and spiritual truths revealed through LSD

• Reveals that LSD visions weave an ongoing story from trip to trip

• Shows that trips progress through three personal issues and pre-birth consciousness, ego-loss, and on to the sacred

• Explores psychedelic use throughout history, including the mass hallucinations common in the Middle Ages and the early therapeutic use of LSD

Toward the end of his fifties, Christopher Gray took, for the first time in years, a 100-microgram acid trip. So extraordinary, and to his surprise so enjoyable, were the effects that he began to take the same dose in the same way--quietly and on his own--once every two to three weeks.

In The Acid Diaries , Gray details his experimentation with LSD over a period of three years and shares the startling realization that his visions were weaving an ongoing story from trip to trip, revealing an underlying reality of personal and spiritual truths. Following the theories of Stanislav Grof and offering quotes from others’ experiences that parallel his own--including those of Aldous Huxley, Albert Hofmann, and Gordon Wasson--he shows that trips progress through three the first dealing with personal issues and pre-birth consciousness; the second with ego-loss, often with supernatural overtones; and the third with sacred, spiritual, and even apocalyptic themes. Pairing his experiences with an exploration of psychedelic use throughout history, including the ergot-spawned mass hallucinations that were common through the Middle Ages and the early use of LSD for therapeutic purposes, Gray offers readers a greater understanding and appreciation for the potential value of LSD not merely for transpersonal growth but also for spiritual development.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Science, Memoir

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

(1942-2009) Christopher Gray was known for his involvement with Situationist International in the 1960s.

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Stevie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book took me a while to read... not because it was uninteresting but because it required so much thought to really understand what Gray was trying to say... and what he had to say was really eye-opening and even at times synchronized with my own undeveloped ideas. Everyone should read this, not just druggies or hippies... It's not even about the acid, but more the ideas behind it and the implications it might have on society.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The “history” part mentioned in the title is rather negligible; just a few short chapters at the onset of the book provide a short, very broad history of LSD’s creation and usage. The true gem here is the rest of the book, and Gray’s fearless exploration of the realms, both painful and transcendent, which LSD leads him to. An outstanding document of psychedelic experimentation.

[Nikki Berkebile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Serious implications that should not be ignored by the field of psychotherapy.

[gala · Rating 4 out of 5]

picked this up because it was 1 pound and it vaguely seemed like something i could be interested in. ended up enjoying it way more than i expected! i like how the author is older and thereby has more of a realistic and grounded perspective on the subject. i wish i could find out more about his biography. this was very easy to read and felt almost like reading somebody's personal journal. i didn't agree with all his points, but this book will stay with me.

[Nick Mather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gray states that his project here was inspired by Terrence McKenna's claim that before there can be a psychedelic philosophy, we need the accounts of psychonauts in order to sucessfully chart the terrain. Gray's diaries details his once monthy self-experimentation with LSD during his late fifties. He relies largely on the theories of Stan Groff, in particular the idea that LSD can help someone relive and work through the birth trauma. One can't help but wonder if Gray's experiences weren't overly influenced by his readings of Groff and whether his experiences would have been different if he had not relied on Groff so thoroughly. Gray also brings in some Gurdjieff, Jung, Huxley all accompanied by a soundtrack of classical music. There are other books about the history of LSD and psychedelics that are more thorough, though Gray's personal narrative is appreciated and a welcome additional to psychedelic literature.

[Littlevision · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was pretty good until he started ranting about politics that had little to do with acid, and I found my eyes getting glazed over every time the word "government" popped up.

Christopher Gray went on 40+ LSD trips and documents his adventure in this book. I wish I could find more information about the author, but there is no biography in the book and little information online. From what I can discern, he died in 2009, the same year his book was published.

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very in-depth book, can't that I agree with all of the author's conclusions but as the book itself says "it's too early for a science, what we need now are the diaries of explorer's." This is one such diary and it's a fantastic treatment of the LSD experience, demystifying many myths as well as tying the drug into both the personal narrative of author, and the political narrative of the 60s counterculture until the present day.

[DropOfOcean · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Overall I enjoyed the book, it’s a story about one man’s attempt to grasp what everything is about by using one the most powerful tool available - LSD. What I was not into were political sections and strong influence of Stanislav Grof. The book ended bit mysteriously considering that the author died the same year book was published. I don’t believe Christopher believed in death as an end though and neither do I.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really gives you something to think about....

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

1st Read: November 10, 2015 - November 19, 2015

Really interesting book. Enjoyed it immensely! Related a lot to his experiences and trips. I will read this one again. It's a keeper!