Psychedelic Book Suggestions: Classics &

Beyond
Posted by David Wilder | Aug 5, 2017 | Articles, Psychedelic Media Reviews | 3

Image by Marketa, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Information about psychedelic history, science, and culture can be found in movies, podcasts,
and on various websites on the Internet (Erowid and MAPS are two excellent places to start),
but books remain among the best resources available for expanding one’s knowledge about
psychedelics. Over the past ten years, I have read many psychedelic-related books and have
amassed a list of favorites that I would like to share with the Psychedelic Times audience.

Some of these books may be familiar to you, while others may be brand new. The following
list is by no means an authoritative collection of the best psychedelic books, since I have not
yet read everything that has been published. However, my hope is that everyone who reads
this article will find at least one or two books that they find valuable for their own pursuits.
Without further ado, here are the books:

 
1. The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys
by James Fadiman, Ph.D.

Hands down, this is always the first book that I recommend to anyone who wants to know
more about psychedelics. Even after absorbing a ton of information about psychedelics over
the years, I feel like this book has many new things to teach me. It covers several topics of
which I was previously unaware, such as the concept of sub-perceptual microdosing and the
positive impact that listening to non-vocal music pieces during the beginning of a psychedelic
experience can have on one’s overall journey. My intention when reading the book was to
learn how to become a guide for others undergoing psychedelic experiences, and Fadiman’s
advice for “trip sitters” is very concise, helpful, and wise. The book also has plenty of advice
for those thinking of embarking on their own psychedelic voyages, like paying attention to
components like set, setting, substance, sitter, session, and support. The Psychedelic
Explorer’s Guide does a great job of dispelling some of the myths about psychedelics, offers a
practical and positive itinerary for a successful experience, introduces several important
people in this field, and does so in a way that is unbiased and helpful. In my opinion, this is a
must-read for psychonauts and guides alike.

 
2. True Hallucinations
by Terence McKenna

No list of psychedelic books would be complete without at least one of the bard Terence
McKenna’s books. Although Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of
Knowledge is McKenna’s best-known work, True Hallucinations is my favorite. After the
death of his mother in 1971, Terence, his brother Dennis, and three friends found themselves
in the Colombian Amazon in search of oo-koo-hé, a psychoactive plant concoction containing
DMT. At Dennis’ insistence, the group found themselves involved in a psychedelic
experiment with the goal of contacting the Logos. The experiment at La Chorrera involved the
use of psilocybin mushrooms and a vocal technique which Dennis developed to attempt actual
DNA alteration during a psychedelic experience. The experiment resulted in a shamanic
initiation for the two brothers, with Terence communicating with a divine voice and Dennis
undergoing a dramatic psychological breakdown of sorts. While the book The Invisible
Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens, and the I Ching goes into more detail about the experiment
that occurred five years prior at La Chorrera, I found True Hallucinations to have benefited
from twenty years of reflection. It is a more clearly-written and objective assessment of what
happened to the Amazonian travelers, and certainly worth checking out.
3. The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss: My Life with Terence Mckenna
by Dennis McKenna

While we’re on the topic of the McKenna brothers, it’s worth highlighting Dennis McKenna’s
account of the McKenna Brothers’ stories, The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss: My Life
with Terence McKenna. Although most people are familiar with Terence’s lectures, his gift of
gab had a tendency to anesthetize his listeners, causing some to blindly place faith in his wild
ideas. Dennis’ attention to detail and his ability to remain honest in his description of the
brothers’ lives (he is often quite blunt!) makes for an extremely interesting read. According to
Dennis, there are several things Terence presented to his audience that may have been only
partial truths. The stories contained in the book and the list of suggested reading material at
the end make for an excellent book that everyone interested in the history of psychedelics and
Terence McKenna should read.
4. PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story
by Alexander Shulgin and Ann Shulgin

Written by Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin and his wife Ann Shulgin, “PiHKAL” is an acronym
for “Phenethylamines I Have Known And Loved.” The book is broken up into two distinct
sections. The first is a compelling narrative that shares how the couple fell in love, their
interactions with friends and family, and their exploration of various phenethylamine
compounds. The latter part of the book is a chemist’s dream-come-true, complete with notes
on indole rings and molecule construction. Many people refer to this part of the book as the
“Recipes” section, as it can be used to synthesize a wide assortment of phenethylamine
compounds (not that we recommend this.)  If you like this book, you may also want to check
out its sequel, TiHKAL: The Continuation as well.

5. The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge

by Carlos Castaneda

This was one of the first books that I read on the topic of psychedelics, and at the time it blew
my mind wide open. Carlos Castaneda was an American anthropologist and author who wrote
a series of books about his experiences with traditional Mesoamerican Shamanism. This is the
first in the series, and it offers a first-person account of Castaneda’s apprenticeship with a
Yaqui shaman named Don Juan Matus. The two met in 1960 while Castaneda was seeking
knowledge about peyote, and over the course of the book he experiences Mescalito (peyote),
Datura inoxia (Jimson weed), and Humito (a smoke-mixture comprised of various herbs and
Psilocybe mexicana). He claimed that these plants took him to a realm that he described as
“non-ordinary reality”, which he defined as being every bit as real as our ordinary reality.
Many people consider Castaneda to be a fraud and advise against reading his works, but I find
them to be valuable as long as they are approached with a healthy dose of skepticism.

 
6. DMT: The Spirit Molecule
by Rick Strassman, MD

Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a powerful psychedelic compound naturally produced by the

human brain and also found in many plants and animals. After a 40-year lull during which
there was no government-approved psychedelic research being conducted, Rick Strassman
conducted a series of biomedical assays on DMT during the early 1990’s at the University of
New Mexico. One of the things that may surprise you about this book is its impressive writing
quality. Even though Strassman has a scientific background, he also has a remarkable ability
to turn a phrase and keep his readers’ interest. Among other topics such as the history of
psychedelics and Strassman’s career, the book primarily focuses on the experiences of the
volunteers during their participation in the DMT studies. As a practicing Buddhist, Strassman
does incorporate a bit of spirituality into the book. However, it doesn’t take the front seat, so
there’s no need to avoid this one if you’re not into that. Overall, this is an insightful look at
the first studies that helped spark the recent psychedelic renaissance.
7.Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers
by Richard Evans Schultes, Albert Hofmann and Christian Rätsch

Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers is the definitive
photographic encyclopedia of psychedelic plants, compiled by ethnobotanist Richard Evans
Schultes, the Swiss scientist and creator of LSD Albert Hofmann, and world-renowned
anthropologist and ethnopharmacologist Christian Rätsch. It features rare color photographs
of psychedelic plants, explores their use in shamanic rituals, and details helpful information
regarding various aspects of each plant. The authors analyze the biochemistry of the plants as
well as the sacred contexts in which they are used. This book is visually impressive while
providing an investigation into a variety of unique plants, many of which are uncommon or
rare.

8.The Long Trip: A Prehistory of Psychedelia

by Paul Devereux

Focusing on the extensive history of human usage of psychedelic substances, this book asserts
that—contrary to mainstream opinion—we have been embarking on psychedelic journeys for
much longer than the 1960’s. Devereux offers evidence showing that psychedelics have been
used for millennia in every habitable part of the world for ritualistic and spiritual purposes. In
fact, our modern society is quite unique in its refusal to accept these substances and integrate
them into our civilization. This is not only a unique exploration into less-explored psychedelic
territory, but it is thoroughly researched and well-written. As such, it truly deserves our
community’s attention.
9. Psychedelic Healing: The Promise of Entheogens for Psychotherapy and Spiritual
Development
by Neal M. Goldsmith, Ph.D.

Neal Goldsmith is a psychotherapist and counselor with a private practice in New York who
takes a psychospiritual approach to personal development, healing, and change. This book
explores his entertaining personal history with psychedelics and focuses on the potential for
true healing to occur as a result of a psychedelic practice. The introduction proposes questions
such as, “Can psychedelic therapy trigger immediate transformative change in novel areas?”,
“How should psychedelics be rescheduled?”, and “Can psychedelics provide lasting change?”
Each question is examined later on in the book, as Goldsmith explores the plausibility of
fundamental personality change while giving a detailed history of psychedelic research,
providing lessons gained by psychedelic therapy, and discussing implications for the future.
He suggests ways that we can work to change drug laws, offers personal experiences of
difficult experiences at Burning Man, and provides guidelines for safe and effective
psychedelic journeys. If you or someone you know has an area of life that needs healing, this
could help tremendously.
10. Aya Awakenings: A Shamanic Odyssey
by Rak Razam

Rak Razam, a self-described experiential journalist, explores the mystery and ritual
surrounding ayahuasca in this book. While in South America he trains with many different
indigenous ayahuasqueros, each of which has a unique way of approaching the medicine.
Some of the common threads are icaros (the songs of the vine), brujeria (evil and threatening
forces that want to harm ayahuasqueros and their clients), and mapacho (a specific type of
tobacco used during ceremonies to cleanse and purify the ritual space and spirits inside). As
Razam undergoes one ceremony after another, The Vine of Souls seems to lead him deeper
into the Amazon. Each experience is different, but somehow all are connected to the web of
life. Overall, Aya Awakenings: A Shamanic Odyssey is an excellent account of 21st century
shamanism in the Amazon.

 
11. Breaking Open the Head: A Psychedelic Journey into the Heart of Contemporary
Shamanism
by Daniel Pinchbeck

In this book, Daniel Pinchbeck, American author and co-founder of the web magazine Reality
Sandwich and the transformative online community Evolver.net, mixes his personal history
with a fresh analysis of the spiritual sacraments used by tribal cultures around the world. One
of the engaging personal tales he shares focuses on a thirty-hour iboga ceremony with the
Bwiti in Gabon, where the participants have their heads “broken open” by insufflating a
potentially fatal dose of iboga. Pinchbeck also explores the merging of modern Western
consciousness with psychedelics, taking a look at influential thinkers like Allen Ginsberg,
Antonin Artaud, and Terence McKenna. This is a fascinating look at psychedelia, and the
author brings us along for the ride in his personal transformation from a jaded Manhattan
journalist to shamanic initiate and grateful citizen of the cosmos.

12. Acid Test: LSD, Ecstasy and the Power to Heal

by Tom Shroder

Tom Shroder is an editor at The Washington Post Magazine, an acclaimed journalist, and the
author of Old Souls: Compelling Evidence from Children Who Remember Past Lives. His
book Acid Test: LSD, Ecstasy and the Power to Heal weaves several non-fiction narratives
together into a captivating story that includes an in-depth history of psychedelic research,
explores various characters in the psychedelic community, and describes the current state of
psychedelic research (with a focus on MDMA-assisted psychotherapeutic treatment of Post-
Traumatic Stress Disorder). One of the most compelling stories in the book is that of former
Marine Nicholas Blackston, who witnessed horrors in war that most of us cannot even
fathom. When he returned stateside he was internally tortured by recurring nightmares,
uncontrollable flashback hallucinations, a temper with an increasingly short fuse, and physical
pain from shrapnel wounds. Blackston was fortunate to seek and receive help from MDMA-
assisted psychotherapy and has experienced a significant diminishing of his PTSD symptoms.
Shroder uses this man’s experience to argue that our veterans deserve the right to receive
reliable and effective treatment, rather than the dangerous and fruitless hodgepodge of
pharmaceutical drugs that they typically receive. MDMA is on track to be legalized for
therapy by 2021, and books like this one go a long way toward supporting that effort.

13. Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics

Edited by Allan Badiner and Alex Grey

This is a compilation of articles and interviews written and conducted by several respected
luminaries in both the Buddhist and psychedelic communities. The pieces explore the overlap
between Buddhism and psychedelics, together conducting a dialogue concerning whether
psychedelics have a place in sincere Buddhist practice, and vice-versa. Exploring topics such
as The Tibetan Book of the Dead, spiritually-influenced artwork, the potential of psychedelics
in spiritual traditions, psychoactivism, and the use of cannabis in harm reduction, this book is
an extremely well-written and edited exploration of psychedelics in the context of Buddhist
practice.

 
14. The Genesis Generation: A Psychedelic Novel
by Lorenzo Hagerty

Originally published in audiobook form, The Genesis Generation: A Psychedelic Novel is a

semi-fictional autobiography of Psychedelic Salon host Lorenzo Hagerty’s emergence into the
psychedelic community. The protagonist of the story, William, is stuck between two worlds:
the world of corporate America and the psychedelic community. As the events of the narrative
unfold, the reader is shown his transformation from a 29-year-old “yuppie-geek” into a
valuable member of the psychedelic community. The characters in the novel visit places such
as Palenque, Mexico, Texas, Amsterdam, Vietnam, and Burning Man before reaching an
unexpected climax. This is the only fictional book on this list, and for good reason—it
chronicles the tale of one of the most influential psychedelic luminaries of our time.

Note: Regarding the process of acquiring this book, the Kindle edition is available by clicking
the above link, and Lorenzo has been known to send paperback copies of the book (which are
no longer in print) individually to fans. To get in touch with him and ask for a copy, you can
go to psychedelicsalon.com and click the “Contact” link in the navigational bar at the top of
the site.

 
15. Lysergic
by Krystle Cole

Rounding out the list is NeuroSoup founder Krystle Cole’s book Lysergic, which details her
involvement with the LSD manufacturers for the Brotherhood of Eternal Love back in the late
1990’s and early 2000’s. Starting out as a small town girl from Kansas, Cole met Todd
Skinner, one of the chemists involved with manufacturing LSD, at a strip club where she was
temporarily employed. She had no experience with psychedelics when he insisted that she try
MDMA, which turned out to be a life-changing journey for her and led her onto a psychedelic
path. In the book, she sheds light on many of her personal experiences with a wide array of
psychedelic compounds and explains the complicated and confusing legal cases that this
group of people were wrapped up in during that time. It’s a one-of-a-kind perspective on the
topic, and definitely worth checking out.

Whether you’re an experienced psychonaut or brand new to the subject of psychedelics, I

hope this list offers something new for you to check out. If you have any book suggestions
that you would like to share with me, I welcome you to find my contact information in my bio
or contact me via my Goodreads profile.