Self-study is one of the few ways to acquire knowledge about psychedelics, but fortunately there is a lot to read out there. Much of it is from the 1960s, when both psychedelic-assisted therapy and research were in full swing, but also some from more recent years. Here are the main elements of what I have read and commented on (in English). My favorites are marked in bold .
Books:
- How to change your mind - Michael Pollan
- Beautifully written, a thorough overview of history and research, and analysis of personal experiences. One of the most influential books in recent times on psychedelics.
- LSD - My problem child - Albert Hofmann
- The history of LSD, some pharmacology and some interesting trip reports and stories.
- The Secret Chief Revealed - Myron J. Stolaroff
- Interview with Leo Zeff regarding his extensive work as an underground therapist, and trip reports. Useful experience-based input from one of the most experienced psychedelic therapists in history.
- Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs : 50 Years of Research (1967-2017), Published by Dennis McKenna
- Interesting to see what happened in '67 and some interesting publications, mostly with a pharmacological focus.
- LSD Psychotherapy (The Healing Potential of Psychedelic Medicine) – Stanislav Grof
- Not an easy read at first, but once he starts to dig into the practical experience, it is probably the most scientific and useful book available on psychedelic-assisted therapy.
- The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide - Jim Fadiman
- A great practical guide and unique approach to psychedelic therapy.
- Sacred Knowledge – William Richards
- Historical overview of psychedelics.
- Psychedelic Medicine: The Healing Powers of LSD, MDMA, Psilocybin, and Ayahuasca - Richard J. Miller
- Transcription of Richard Miller's best podcast episodes regarding psychedelics with all the big names.
- The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead – Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner, Richard Alpert, Daniel Pinchbec
- A legendary book of the counterculture of the 60s. Some interesting observations, but I think better books have been written in recent years.
- Drugged: The Science and Culture Behind Psychotropic Drugs - Richard J. Miller
- Interesting information about the history of various psychotropic drugs and some pharmacological input.
- The Transpersonal Vision – Stanislav Grof
- An 8 hour lecture series by Grof on transpersonal psychology. This provides a really good introduction to his theories behind psychedelic-assisted therapy. Easier for me to digest since he uses natural language and doesn't read from a book. Available as an audiobook.
- Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work - Steven Kotler, Jamie Wheal
- Generally about altered states of consciousness, from meditation and psychedelics to extreme sports and military training. Interesting look at the history of this and from a philosophical point of view.
- A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life - Ayelet Waldman
- A daily experiment with microdosing and some good background information about psychedelics specifically and some interesting formulations and views on drugs in general.
- Realms of the Human Unconscious: Observations from LSD Research - Stanislav Grof
- A great summary of results and conclusions on LSD research by the foremost expert on the subject. Very interesting, but a bit heavy reading.
- Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices for Safe and Transformative Healing - David A. Treleaven
- An expert on trauma and mindfulness. Interesting info on trauma and definitely parallels to psychedelic-assisted therapy.
- After the Ceremony Ends - Katherine Coder
- A thorough introduction to psychedelic integration with some specific examples.
- Integration Workbook – Joe Moore & Kyle Buller
- A practical workbook for psychedelic integration. One of the few workbooks on the subject and a good place to start.
- Consciousness Medicine – Françoise Bourzat
- History, research, and personal experience combined in a powerful book about the intersection of Western medicine and shamanic traditions.
- Ayahuasca: Soul Medicine of the Amazon Jungle - Javier Regueiro
- An OK book about the ayahuasca tradition and certainly a useful preparation for an ayahuasca ceremony.
- The Doors of Perception - Aldous Huxley
- A brilliant philosophical book. The writing and observations are beautiful.
- Psychedelic Psychotherapy: A User-friendly Guide for Psychedelic Drug-assisted Psychotherapy – R. Coleman
- An easy-to-read book on psychedelic therapy by a very experienced underground guide. Very concrete and direct when it comes to dosage tips, combinations, different uses, etc. Based on one man's long experience, but a useful addition to other books on the subject.
- Self-Therapy: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Wholeness and Healing Your Inner Child Using IFS, A New, Cutting-Edge Psychotherapy, 2nd Edition – Jay Early
- A great introduction to a psychotherapeutic approach called Internal Family Systems for both self-therapy and therapists. This approach pairs particularly well with psychedelic therapy and has been used as the basis for study protocols by MAPS.
- Trust Surrender Receive: How MDMA Can Release Us From Trauma and PTSD - Anne Other
- A book with some explanations of how MDMA therapy works (based on underground guides) and stories from clients who have tried this type of therapy. Written under a pseudonym by an experienced underground guide in the US. It shows the variation in the experiences people have and is one of the very few books written specifically about MDMA therapy.
- Illegal Medicine – Andreas Wahl Blomkvist
- A scientifically focused, yet accessible, book on the history, research, and future prospects of cannabis, classic psychedelics, MDMA, and ketamine. Concise, but always referring to larger, important studies and meta-studies on the various topics.
- Therapy with Substance: Psycholytic psychotherapy in the twenty first century – Friederike Meckel Fisher
- A book by one of the more experienced underground guides. Friederike was part of a small group of therapists who were able to experiment legally on each other for several years. She has an interactive approach rather than a passive one.
Course:
- Psychedelics 101 & 102 for Clinicians Winter 2019 , Center for Optimal Living, New York - Ingmar Gorman/Elizabeth Nielson
- Focused on the history and current status of psychedelics, some discussions and group work around harm reduction, preparation and integration.
- Navigating Psychedelics for Clinicians – Psychedelics Today
- A truly in-depth introduction to psychedelics and integration. Courses available online for both healthcare professionals and also aimed at trippers.
- Internal Family Systems – IFS Institute
- Training in IFS, one of the approaches often used in psychedelic therapy.
- Compassionate Inquiry (Short Course) – Gabor Maté
- A course in Gabor Maté's psychotherapeutic model that fits well with psychedelic therapy and Internal Family Systems.
- IFS and psychedelics – Robert Falconer
- A course by one of the veterans of Internal Family Systems on how to use IFS in conjunction with psychedelic therapy.
Other recommended reading material:
- Psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experience in combination with meditation and other spiritual practices produces enduring positive changes in psychological functioning and in trait measures of prosocial attitudes and behaviors – Roland R Griffiths
- One of the top names in leading current psychedelic science and frequently referenced in books and media.
- The Value of Experience: Psychedelics, phenomenology and contemporary perspectives on drug use – Anna Marie Høifødt
- An interesting look at psychedelic communities in Norway.
Podcasts:
- Psychedelics Today
- Perhaps the greatest podcast about psychedelics.
- The Third Wave
- Lots of great interviews about psychedelics.
- MAPS Podcast
- MAPS' own podcast. Some interesting interviews.
- The Joe Rogan Experience
- Many long, great interviews with some very interesting people. Both scientific, philosophical and entertaining. The second episode with Hamilton Morris for example. And all by Paul Stamets.
- Mind, Body, Health & Politics
- By Richard J. Miller. Lots of great interviews with all the psychedelic celebrities. No longer posting new episodes.
- Adventures of the Mind
- A great interviewer with deep knowledge of psychedelics and psychedelic therapy. He also interviews several underground guides.
- The Aubrey Marcus Podcast
- A young entrepreneur with a burning interest in psychedelics and great guests. Check out the episode with Duncan Trussel or Tim Ferris.
- Voices of Esalen
- The podcast from the Esalen Institute, probably the world's most important center for consciousness research. Lectures by all the greats from the 70s onwards. Check out the episodes with Richard Schwartz, Ben Sessa and Ram Dass.
- Psychedelic Therapy Podcast
- A decent podcast, especially in the field of psychedelic therapy.
Videos:
- Gabor Maté – Inside the Psychedelic Experience
- One of my favorite thinkers within the psychedelic community who presents here his theory on why/how psychedelics work.
- Psychedelic Science 2015 and 2017 (presentations)
- Lots of great presentations from the biggest names in psychedelic research.
- DMT – The Spirit Molecule (documentary)
- Documentary about DMT based on Rick Strassman's book of the same name.
- From Shock to Awe (documentary)
- About war veterans with PTSD and their ayahuasca experience.
- Neurons to Nirvana (documentary)
- One of the earlier documentaries on the science and history of psychedelics.
- The Sunshine Makers (documentary)
- Interesting story about some of the biggest producers of LSD in the 60s.
- Hamilton's Pharmacopeia (TV series)
- VICE show about various psychoactive substances. An honest and open series from a hobby chemist. Season 2 has higher production values.
- MDMA The Movie – Long Fundraising Trailer
- A 20 min documentary about PTSD and MDMA.
- Trip of Compassion
- A full documentary following the journey of three PTSD sufferers through the Israeli MDMA trials. Available on Vimeo here for a low price.
- A New Understanding: The Science of Psilocybin
- A solid introduction to the research on psilocybin.
- Psychonautics: A Comic's Exploration Of Psychedelics
- A documentary with a comedic twist.
- Psychedelica (on Gaia Network)
- A 14-episode series about psychedelics. The production quality is not top notch, I would argue, but interesting nonetheless.