UserWiki:Zykure/Literature

Here I collect books and articles related to the psychedelic experience (and psychonautics in a broader sense) that I have read or plan to read at some point. Within each section, the entries are listed in descending order with the ones I have most recently read on top. For all entries, I try to give a short summary or review, and highlight ideas or results that I found useful or interesting.

This page also serves as a bookmark list for myself, and others are welcome to make suggestions or discuss topics.

Books

Done reading

• The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead, T. Leary & R. Alpert (1964) gr:123698
  • Based on ancient passing rites that relate closely to the psychedelic experience, this book draws many connections between Buddhist mythology and modern psychology. It describes core concepts of psychonautics such as ego-loss and tries to prepare readers for their own experiences.

• The Doors of Perception & Heaven and Hell, A. Huxley (1956) gr:5128
  • Huxley gives an excellent description of the psychedelic experience regarding Mescaline and describes how in ancient times, humans may have been more perceptible to such experiences since they would find easier visual and auditory stimulation. He investigates numerous cultures and religious frameworks to underline this view.

Currently reading

• True Hallucinations, T. McKenna (1993) gr:114867

• The Book On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, A.W. Watts (1969) gr:60551

• The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide: Safe, Therapeutic and Sacred Journeys, J. Fadiman (2011) gr:9721527
  • I found this book to be less of a guide, but more of a collection of scientific investigations. Hence the title is a bit misleading in my opinion, but the book is quite extensive on its own and gives a good overview of scientific research in the psychedelic sector.

• Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming, S. LaBerge & H. Rheingold (1990) gr:316781

Noted for later

• The Fabric of Reality: The Science of Parallel Universes and Its Implications, D. Deutsch (1998) gr:177068
• The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos, B. Greene (2011) gr:8167094
• LSD: My Problem Childe, A. Hofmann (1979) gr:8791
• Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, D. Hofstadter (1999) gr:24113
• Decomposing The Shadow: Lessons from the Psilocybin Mushroom, J.W. Jesso (2013), gr:18145374
• The True Light of Darkness, J.W. Jesso (2015) gr:25831302
• The Invisible Landscape, D. & T. McKenna (1994) gr:191375
• Articulations: On the Utilisation and Meanings of Psychedelics, J. Palmer (2014) gr:23857204
• Pihkal: A Chemical Love Story, A. & A. Shulgin (1990) gr:886113
• Tihkal: The Continuation, A. & A. Shulgin (1997) gr:271921
• DMT: The Spirit Molecule, R. Strassmann (2000) gr:51654
• Become What You Are, A.W. & M. Watts (1955) gr:60553
• Out of Your Mind, A.W. Watts (1998) gr:60545

Scientific papers

Done reading

• Development of a rational scale to assess the harm of drugs of potential misuse, D. Nutt et al., The Lancet (369), 2007 doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60464-4
  • TODO: Highlights to follow soon...

• Homological scaffolds of brain functional networks, G. Petri et al., Journal of The Royal Society Interface (11), 2014 doi:10.1098/rsif.2014.0873 (OpenAccess)
  • TODO: Highlights to follow soon...

Currently reading

• The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs, R.L. Carhart-Harris et al., Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (8), 2014 doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00020 (OpenAccess)
  • TODO: Highlights to follow soon...

Noted for later

• Complex brain networks: graph theoretical analysis of structural and functional systems, E. Bullmore, Nature Reviews Neuroscience (10), 2009 doi:10.1038/nrn2575

• Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression: fMRI-measured brain mechanisms, R.L. Carhart-Harris et al., Scientific Reports (7), 2017 doi:10.1038/s41598-017-13282-7 (OpenAccess)