Higher Wisdom: Eminent Elders Explore The Continuing Impact Of Psychedelics

by Walsh, Roger N.

• ISBN13: 9780791465172
• ISBN10: 0791465179
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-08-01
• Publisher: STATE UNIV OF NEW YORK PRESS

Summary

For half a century psychedelics have rumbled through the Western world, seeding a subculture, titillating the media, fascinating youth, terrifying parents, enraging politicians, and intriguing researchers. Not surprisingly, these curious chemicals fascinated some of the foremost thinkers of the twentieth century, fourteen of whom were interviewed for this book. Because no further human research can be done, these researchers constitute an irreplaceable resource. Higher Wisdom offers their fascinating anecdotes, invaluable knowledge, and hard-won wisdom-the culmination of fifty years of research and reflection on one of the most intriguing and challenging topics of our time.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Psychedelics and the Western World: A Fateful Marriage	p. 1
The High Road: History and Hysteria	p. 7
Research: Consciousness, Creativity, and Chemistry
Transpersonal Transitions: The Higher Reaches of Psyche and Psychology	p. 21
From Molecules to Mystery: Psychedelic Science, the Natural World, and Beyond	p. 47
How Much Can People Change?	p. 55
Frontiers of Pharmacology: Chemistry and Consciousness	p. 69
Psychotherapy: Personal and Transpersonal
The Birth and Death of Psychedelic Therapy	p. 91
Treating the Untreatable	p. 103
The Great Awakening: Psychology, Philosophy, and Spirituality in LSD Psychotherapy	p. 119
Culture and Consciousness
Ancient Altered States	p. 151
Tribal Wisdom: The Shamanic Path	p. 159
More Recipes for Living and Loving	p. 179
Religious Implications: Psyche, Soul, and Spirit
Transcending Religious Boundaries	p. 195
Walking the Path: Psychedelics and Beyond	p. 207
Do Drugs Have Religious Import? A Forty Year Follow-Up	p. 223
Conclusion: What Did These Elders Learn, and What Can We Learn from Them?	p. 241
List of Contributors	p. 259
On-line Resources	p. 261
Name Index	p. 263
Subject Index	p. 265
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