Book List: What Are The Best Books About Psychedelics?

This article was originally published on Goldleaf and appears here with permission.

Choosing the best books on any topic is a subjective exercise. However, we’re confident that the ten books on psychedelics selected for this blog post are high quality, novel in their approaches, and excellent choices for anyone interested in books about psychedelics.

Introduction

2022. Well, we can all agree that it’s not shaping up to be too much better than 2021 or 2020. And it could even get worse. 
But we’re not here to talk about all that bad news. Unless you live under a rock, you’re aware of all that already.
So we’re flipping the script towards the transcendent with our list of ten of the best books about psychedelics.
These books on psychedelics run the gamut from fun romances to an embrace of the mystical to science-backed studies and more, but all will help your mind escape from the modern fray. Enjoy!

The Ten Best Books About Psychedelics

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe

Tom Wolfe’s hilarious account of following Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters cross-country is the next best thing to having experienced the sixties hippie counterculture yourself. And if you were in the scene back then, relive some of those hazy memories!

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Psychedelic Mysteries of the Feminine: Creativity, Ecstasy, and Healing by Maria Papspyrou, Chiara Baldini, and David Luke

This book’s editors have curated a powerful and cohesive case for the psychedelic experience being one that’s inherently about stimulating a profound connection with the transformative divine feminine.

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Liquid Light: Ayahuasca Spirituality and the Santo Daime Tradition by G. William Barnard

As an initiate into the Santo Daime religious tradition of the peoples of Brazil’s Amazon region, Barnard writes with both an insider and outsider’s perspective on the entheogenic potency and spiritual significance of ayahuasca.

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How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan

Acclaimed author Michael Pollan set out to write about how psilocybin and acid could be useful for treating depression, anxiety, and addiction. He met that goal, but achieved so much more than that by putting himself and his own life into what he set out to accomplish. This is one of the most personal books about psychedelics we’ve ever read.

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Owsley and Me: My LSD Family by Rhoney Gissen Stanley with Tom Davis

If you like to take your romance with an acid tab on the side, this book is for you. In 1965, when LSD was not yet classified as a controlled substance, Rhoney Gissen Stanley was an employee in an LSD laboratory and Owsley “Bear” Stanley was the world’s largest producer and distributor of acid. Sparks ensue between the pair amidst the complications of the era.

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Good Chemistry: The Science of Connection, from Soul to Psychedelics by Julie Holland, M.D.

The modern world could be said to have ushered in a profound sense of alienation and disconnection with others. Dr. Holland posits that psychedelics, along with meditation, an embrace of nature, and efforts towards building community can be the remedy towards healing ourselves and our societies.

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The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead by Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert, and Ralph Metzner

Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert (i.e. Ram Dass), and Ralph Metzner were pioneers in psychedelic research, but they were all as comfortable in the shamanic world as the clinical world. Their book utilizes The Tibetan Book of the Dead as a framework for providing insight into the profound nature of psychedelic trips.

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DMT: The Spirit Molecule: A Doctor's Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences by Rick Strassman, M.D.

Why do DMT trips have so many parallels with near-death experiences and alien abduction stories? For the skeptics among us, rest assured that Dr. Strassman’s research standards are impeccable. This is one of the most unique books on psychedelics out there and well-worth a read. 

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Psychedelic Medicine: The Healing Powers of LSD, MDMA, Psilocybin, and Ayahuasca by Dr. Richard Louis Miller

We get that clinical research studies aren’t light reading, and that’s why we recommend this book. Dr. Miller summarizes the latest research on psychedelics in an easy to digest manner while also exploring their history and speculating on their future in a changing political landscape.

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The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys by James Fadiman, Ph.D.

People explore entheogens for different reasons. Some microdose to improve their ability to problem solve. Others take moderate doses for medicinal benefits. And then some take larger doses because they desire transcendent spiritual experiences. Regardless of which camp you fall in, Fadiman provides the information you should know for best results.