Binding: Paperback
Pub Date: November 21, 2017
Physical Info: 1.78 cms H x 22.61 cms L x 14.99 cms W (0.42 kgs) 256 pages
Brief Description:
"Explores the potential of psychedelics as medicine and the intersections of politics, science, and psychedelics. Explores the tumultuous history of psychedelic research, the efforts to restore psychedelic therapies, and the links between psychiatric drugs and mental illness. Offers non-technical summaries of the most recent, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies with MDMA, psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca Includes the work of Rick Doblin, Stanislav Grof, James Fadiman, Julie Holland, Dennis McKenna, David Nichols, Charles Grob, Phil Wolfson, Michael and Annie Mithoefer, Roland Griffiths, Katherine MacLean, and Robert Whitaker Embracing the revival of psychedelic research and the discovery of new therapeutic uses, clinical psychologist Dr. Richard Louis Miller discusses what is happening today in psychedelic medicine--and what will happen in the future--with top researchers and thinkers in this field, including Rick Doblin, Stanislav Grof, James Fadiman, Julie Holland, Dennis McKenna, David Nichols, Charles Grob, Phil Wolfson, Michael and Annie Mithoefer, Roland Griffiths, Katherine MacLean, and Robert Whitaker. Dr. Miller and his contributors cover the tumultuous history of early psychedelic research brought to a halt 50 years ago by the U.S. government as well as offering non-technical summaries of the most recent studies with MDMA, psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca. They explore the biochemistry of consciousness and the use of psychedelics for self-discovery and healing. They discuss the use of psilocybin for releasing fear in the terminally ill and the potential for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of PTSD. They examine Dr. Charles Grob's research on the indigenous use and therapeutic properties of ayahuasca and Dr. Gabor Mate's attempt to transport this plant medicine to a clinical setting with the help of Canada's Department of National Health. Dr. Miller and his contributors explore the ongoing efforts to restore psychedelic therapies to the health field, the growing threat of overmedication by the pharmaceutical industry, and the links between psychiatric drugs and mental illness. They also discuss the newly shifting political climate and the push for new research, offering hope for an end to the War on Drugs and a potential renaissance of research into psychedelic medicines around the world"--
Biographical Note:
Dr. Richard Louis Miller, M.A., Ph.D., has been a clinical psychologist for more than 50 years. He is host of the syndicated talk radio show, Mind Body Health & Politics. The founder of the nationally acclaimed Cokenders Alcohol and Drug Program, he has been a faculty member at the University of Michigan and Stanford University, an advisor on the President's Commission on Mental Health, a founding board member of the Gestalt Institute of San Francisco, and a member of the national board of directors for the Marijuana Policy Project. He lives in Fort Bragg and Wilbur Hot Springs, California.
Review Quotes:
"Imagine that you could ask almost every noteworthy psychedelic researcher not only to discuss their work in depth outside of the jargon of heavy journal descriptions but also to discuss the implications of their work and where it will be going in the future. Imagine an interviewer that knows the research backward and forward and presses each person to think in new directions. It's all there in Psychedelic Medicine. I have been hoping for some years that there would be a book that I could point to that includes almost everything that's going on. This is as close as we're likely going to get. I'm in the book as well which is why I can attest to Miller's knowledgeable and invaluable questioning."-- "James Fadiman, PhD, microdose researcher and author of The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide"
Review Quotes:
"We love Dr. Richard Miller's perceptive, up-close-and-personal interviews with the courageous pioneers of the psychedelic renaissance. Psychedelic Medicine is a treasure trove of insights into psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy's well-documented ability to facilitate lasting healing and life-changing mystical experience."-- "Jerry and Julie Brown, coauthors of The Psychedelic Gospels"
Review Quotes:
"Lively, in-depth, and insightful interviews with both pioneering and contemporary members of the psychedelic research community. An excellent introduction to many of the themes and figures involved in the recent resurgence of clinical studies with these drugs."-- "Rick Strassman, MD, author of DMT: The Spirit Molecule"
Review Quotes:
"Fascinating conversations between a veteran explorer of altered states of consciousness and many of the leading lights in a new wave of research into psychedelic-assisted therapy. Brings together the science and spirituality of the entheogenic revival."-- "Don Lattin, author of Changing Our Minds: Psychedelic Sacraments and the New Psychotherapy"
Review Quotes:
"An amazing and inspiring read. Dr. Miller has cultivated provocative conversations with luminaries in the field of psychedelic research as well as some solid criticism of modern psychiatry."-- "Julie Holland, MD, editor of The Pot Book and Ecstasy: The Complete Guide"
Review Quotes:
" Psychedelic Medicine is a fascinating book published at exactly the right moment--when there is more psychedelic psychotherapy research than any other time in the last 50 years. This book is an excellent introduction for those who want to better understand the emergence of psychedelic psychotherapy."-- "Rick Doblin, PhD, executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies"
Table of Contents:
About the Author
INTRODUCTION
What's Happening in America?
ONE
LSD: A Powerful Tool
The Biochemistry of Changes in Consciousness
David Nichols, PhD
LSD Brain-Imaging Studies
Amanda Feilding
Observations from 4,000 LSD Sessions
Stanislav Grof, MD, PhD
The Condensed Psychedelic Explorer's Guide
James Fadiman, PhD
TWO
MDMA: Heart Medicine
Drawing a Map from "X" to Rx
Rick Doblin, PhD
Pioneering Government-Approved Research
Charles Grob, MD
Demonstrating MDMA's Safety and Efficacy in Treating End-of-Life Anxiety
Phil Wolfson, MD
MDMA for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Michael Mithoefer, MD, and Annie Mithoefer, BSN
THREE
Psilocybin
Spiritual Psychopharmacology
Roland Griffiths, PhD, and Katherine MacLean, PhD
Seeking Solace for the Terminally Ill
Charles Grob, MD
Psilocybin and Depression
Amanda Feilding
FOUR
Ayahuasca: Teacher Plant
Hard Science in the Amazon
Charles Grob, MD
Plants Meet People
Dennis McKenna, PhD
The Science of the Sacred
Rick Doblin, PhD
FIVE
Psychiatric Prescription Drugs: Tired Soldiers
Questioning the Psychiatric Paradigm
Robert Whitaker
Resisting the "New Normal" of Overmedication
Julie Holland, MD
EPILOGUE
FDA Approval by 2021?
An Optimistic Forecast
Rick Doblin, PhD
Acknowledgments
Index
Publisher Marketing:
Explores the potential of psychedelics as medicine and the intersections of politics, science, and psychedelics
- Explores the tumultuous history of psychedelic research, the efforts to restore psychedelic therapies, and the links between psychiatric drugs and mental illness
- Offers non-technical summaries of the most recent, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies with MDMA, psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca
- Includes the work of Rick Doblin, Stanislav Grof, James Fadiman, Julie Holland, Dennis McKenna, David Nichols, Charles Grob, Phil Wolfson, Michael and Annie Mithoefer, Roland Griffiths, Katherine MacLean, and Robert Whitaker
Embracing the revival of psychedelic research and the discovery of new therapeutic uses, clinical psychologist Dr. Richard Louis Miller discusses what is happening today in psychedelic medicine--and what will happen in the future--with top researchers and thinkers in this field, including Rick Doblin, Stanislav Grof, James Fadiman, Julie Holland, Dennis McKenna, David Nichols, Charles Grob, Phil Wolfson, Michael and Annie Mithoefer, Roland Griffiths, Katherine MacLean, and Robert Whitaker.
Dr. Miller and his contributors cover the tumultuous history of early psychedelic research brought to a halt 50 years ago by the U.S. government as well as offering non-technical summaries of the most recent studies with MDMA, psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca. They explore the biochemistry of consciousness and the use of psychedelics for self-discovery and healing. They discuss the use of psilocybin for releasing fear in the terminally ill and the potential for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of PTSD. They examine Dr. Charles Grob's research on the indigenous use and therapeutic properties of ayahuasca and Dr. Gabor Mate's attempt to transport this plant medicine to a clinical setting with the help of Canada's Department of National Health.
Dr. Miller and his contributors explore the ongoing efforts to restore psychedelic therapies to the health field, the growing threat of overmedication by the pharmaceutical industry, and the links between psychiatric drugs and mental illness. They also discuss the newly shifting political climate and the push for new research, offering hope for an end to the War on Drugs and a potential renaissance of research into psychedelic medicines around the world.
Contributor Bio:Miller, Richard Louis
Dr. Richard Louis Miller, MA, PhD, has been a clinical psychologist for more than 50 years. He is host of the syndicated talk radio show, Mind Body Health & Politics. The founder of the nationally acclaimed Cokenders Alcohol and Drug Program, he has been a faculty member at the University of Michigan and Stanford University, an advisor on the President's Commission on Mental Health, a founding board member of the Gestalt Institute of San Francisco, and a member of the national board of directors for the Marijuana Policy Project. He lives in Fort Bragg and Wilbur Hot Springs, California.
