Sources of information for psychedelic therapy

Self-studies is one of the few ways to acquire knowledge of psychedelics, but fortunately there is a lot to read out there. A lot is from the 60's, when both psychedelics-assisted therapy and research were in bloom, but there's also plenty from later years. Here is some of what I have read/consumed with comments. Favorites are marked in bold.

Books:

• How to change your mind - Michael Pollan
  • * Great writing, thorough overview of history and research, and analysis of personal experiences. One of the most influential books of recent time in terms of psychedelics.
• LSD - My problem child - Albert Hofmann
  • 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 was happening in ’67 and some interesting publications, mostly with a pharmacological focus. 
• LSD Psychotherapy (The Healing Potential of Psychedelic Medicine) - Stanislav Grof
  • Not a light read in the beginning, but once he starts digging into the practical experience, it’s probably the most scientific and useful book there is on psychedelic-assisted therapy.
• The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide - Jim Fadiman
  • A great practical guide and approach to psychedelic therapy.
• Sacred Knowledge - William Richards
  • Historic overview of psychedelics.
• Psychedelic Medicine: The Healing Powers of LSD, MDMA, Psilocybin, and Ayahuasca - Richard J. Miller
  • Transcript of Richard Miller’s top 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 by the starters of the counter-culture in the 60’s. Some interesting observations, but I believe there have been written better books in later years.
• Drugged: The Science and Culture Behind Psychotropic Drugs - Richard J. Miller
  • Interesting info about the history of different psychotropic drugs and some pharmacological input.
• The Transpersonal Vision - Stanislav Grof
  • An 8 hour long lecture series by Grof on transpersonal psychology. This gives a really great introduction to his theories behind psychedelic-assisted therapy. Easier to digest for me as he uses natural language and he’s not reading from a book. Available as audiobook.
• Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work - Steven Kotler, Jamie Wheal
  • In general about altered states of consciousness, from meditation and psychedelics to extreme sports and military training. Interesting look into 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 day-by-day self experiment of microdosing and some great background info about psychedelics in general and some interesting formulations and views of drugs.
• Realms of the Human Unconscious: Observations from LSD Research - Stanislav Grof
  • A great summary of results and conclusions about LSD research by the foremost expert on the topic. Very interesting but a slightly heavy read.
• Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices for Safe and Transformative Healing - David A. Treleaven
  • An expert on trauma and mindfullness. Interesting info about trauma and definitely parallells 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 to psychedelic integration. One of the few workbooks on the topic and a good place to start. One of the few workbooks on the subject and a good place to start.
• Consciousness Medicine - Françoise Bourzat
  
  • History, research and personal experience combined into a strong book about the cross section of western medicine and shamanistic traditions.
• Ayahuasca: Soul Medicine of the Amazon Jungle - Javier Regueiro
  
  • A decent book on the ayahuasca tradition and for sure a helpful preparation for a ayahuasca ceremony.
• The Doors of Perception - Aldous Huxley
  
  • A philosophical must read. The writing and observations are beautiful.
• Psychedelic Psychotherapy: A User-Friendly Guide to Psychedelic Drug-Assisted Psychotherapy - R. Coleman
  
  • A light read on psychedelic therapy by a very experienced underground guide. Very on-point and direct in terms of dosage tips, combinations, different uses etc. Based on one man’s extended experience, but a useful addition to other books on the topic.
• 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 especially well with psychedelic therapy and has been used as a foundation for study protocols by MAPS. 
• Trust Surrender Receive: How MDMA Can Release Us From Trauma and PTSD - Anne Other
  
  • A book with some explanation of how MDMA therapy works (based on underground guides) and stories from clients who have tried this kind of therapy. Written under a pseudonym by an experienced underground guide in the US. It shows the variation of the experiences people have and is one of very few books written specifically about MDMA therapy.
• Illegal Medicine - Andreas Wahl Blomkvist
  
  • A (Norwegian language book) scientifically focused, but accessible, book about the history, research and promise of cannabis, classic psychedelics, MDMA and ketamine. Concise, but always referring to bigger, significant studies and meta studies on the different subjects.
• 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 could experiment legally on each other for several years. She has an interactive approach rather than a passive one.

Courses:

• Psychedelics 101 & 102 for Clinicians Winter 2019, Center for Optimal Living, New York & #8211; Ingmar Gorman / Elizabeth Nielson
  • Focused on history and current status of psychedelics, some discussions and group work around harm reduction, preparation and integration.
• Navigating Psychedelics for Clinicians - Psychedelics Today
  • A really thorough introduction to psychedelics and integration. Course available online both for clinicians and aimed at journeyers as well.
• Internal Family Systems - IFS Institute
  • Training in IFS, one of the approaches commonly used in psychedelic therapy.
• Compassionate Inquiry (Short Course) - Gabor Maté
  
  • A course in Gabor Maté’s psychotherapeutic model which blends well with psychedelic therapy and Internal Family Systems.
• IFS and psychedelics - Robert Falconer
  • A course by one of the veterans within Internal Family Systems in how to use IFS in connection with psychedelic therapy.

Other recommended reading:

• 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 very often referred to in books and media.
• The Value of Experience: Psychedelics, phenomenology and contemporary perspectives on drug use - Anna Marie Høifødt
  • An interesting look into psychedelic communities in Norway.

Podcasts:

• Psychedelics Today
  • Maybe the biggest podcast on psychedelics.
• The Third Wave
  • Lots of great interviews on psychedelics.
• MAPS Podcast
  • MAPS’ own podcast. Some interesting interviews.
• The Joe Rogan Experience
  • Lots of long, great interviews with some very interesting people. Both scientific, philosophical and entertaining. The second episode with Hamilton Morris for example. And everything by Paul Stamets. 
• Mind, Body, Health & Politics
  • By Richard J. Miller. Lots of great interviews with all the psychedelic celebs. No longer posting new episodes.
• Adventures of the Mind
  
  • A great interviewer with deep knowledge of psychedelics and psychedelic therapy. He’s also interviewing several underground guides.
• The Aubrey Marcus Podcast
  
  • A young entrepeneur with a burning interest for psychedelics and great guests. Check out the episode with Duncan Trussel or Tim Ferris. Check out the episode with Duncan Threat or Tim Ferris.
• Voices of Esalen
  
  • The podcast from Esalen Institute, probably the world’s most important center for consciousness research. Talks by all the big ones from the 70’s and forward. Check out the episodes with Richard Schwartz, Ben Sessa and Ram Dass.
• Psychedelic Therapy Podcast
  
  • A decent podcast specifically on psychedelic therapy.

Videos:

• Gabor Maté - Inside the Psychedelic Experience
  • One of my favorite thinkers/explainers within the psychedelic community, here presenting his theory why/how psychedelics work.
• Psychedelic Science 2015 and 2017 (Presentation)
  • Tons of great presentations from the biggest names within psychedelic research.
• DMT - The Spirit Molecule (documentary)
  • Documentary about DMT based on Rick Strassman’s book by 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 of some of the biggest manufacturers of LSD in the 60’s.
• Hamilton's Pharmacopeia (TV series)
  • VICE show about different psychoactive drugs. A candid and open series from a hobby chemist. Season 2 has a higher production value.
• MDMA The Movie - Long Fundraising Trailer
  • * A 20 min documentary on PTSD and MDMA.
• Trip of Compassion
  • A full documentary following the journey of three PTSD sufferers through the Isreali MDMA trials. Available at Vimeo here for a low cost.
• 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 comedian's twist.
• Psychedelica (on Gaia Network)
  • A series of 14 episodes about psychedelics. The production quality is not top, I would argue, but still interesting.