#114 The most radical psychedelic book of the decade

#114 The most radical psychedelic book of the decade

Thank you to Daniel at Sociedelic.com for being the first person to review my book. I suspected that I might have been onto something. It pleased me to read Daniel’s feedback, writing it is “the most radical psychedelic book of the decade.” You never know how someone will react to what you created. You can’t control that. The only thing you can do is put your ideas to paper and hope that others find value in what you think is going on. I studied anthropology for my bachelor’s degree. I learned how to observe, record, question, and analyze human interaction. The views I wrote down in Rise of the Psychonaut is what I had been witnessing in the psychedelic community for nearly a decade. We need to do better, think differently, if we are to make sense of these extraordinary experiences.

I also appreciate Daniel’s critiques. They are:

(i) The science and technology approach I propose for the study of altered states might be too rational, “an almost clinical detachment”

That’s exactly what I argue we need more of. Daniel says my approach might “sterilize” the experience. At present, psychedelics enchant us because they are so mysterious. I believe there is nothing magical or enchanting about these experiences once we figure out more about them. These experiences are merely another layer of reality that we can explore and demystify. Ask yourself: How many things in our world were mysterious but now we know more about them through thorough scientific investigation? That’s what my project is all about.

(ii) The ethical and psychological risks tied to what I’m proposing

There are inherent risks in taking some psychoactive drugs because little research has been done on them. Things will go wrong for some people. At the end of the day, no one is forcing people to take these drugs. It is a choice. Amateur drug users have started the process of documenting what they know from firsthand experience on online drug fora. Some people among us, however, will take a chance that is too risky. If, but most likely when, they come back, they can tell the rest of us what they learned.

(iii) The limits of the space exploration metaphor I use at the end of the book

Daniel says, “Human consciousness is not a clean, mappable frontier.” What if it is? We won’t know unless, first, we change our metaphor and identity into that of exploration and explorer, respectively. Then, once the approach for many of us change, only then can people begin to make bigger and better discoveries about these experiences. I believe that nothing is impossible given enough time and ingenuity.

I look forward to more people playing with my ideas. Readers will agree with some and disregard others. I encourage everyone who reads my book to leave a review on Amazon or Apple Books to inform potential readers what this book is about. If you have more to say, produce something longer like a blog post, podcast episode, journal article or book review. Or write your own book telling me why I’m right or wrong. Sometimes we don’t know where we stand on an issue until someone crystallizes their views on said topic.

Thanks again Daniel for the review. I’m glad you liked my book.

Rise of the Psychonaut: The Book That Redefines Psychedelics as Technology, Not Therapy