The New Science of Psychedelics

Award-winning science writer David Jay Brown--one of my all-time favorite authors---is having his magnum opus published next month by Inner Traditions.

The New Science of Psychedelics: At the Nexus of Culture, Consciousness, and Spirituality contains a collection of fascinating anecdotes from Brown’s many interviews with accomplished iconic thinkers, and discussions on how these interactions interfaced with the ideas, insights, and revelations from his numerous psychedelic experiences.

In this spellbinding, page-turning book Brown explores a wide array of unorthodox ideas about the evolution of consciousness and the future. 

Brown’s career as an interviewer, science writer, scientific researcher, and science fiction author has been inseparably linked with his thirty-three years of experimentation with psychedelic drugs and hallucinogenic plants. 

The areas that Brown was inspired to research, the subjects that he was motivated to write about, the people that he chose to interview, and the questions that he decided to ask them have all been thoroughly influenced by his regular and disciplined use of cannabis, LSD, psilocybin, MDMA, DMT, salvia, and other psychedelic agents. 

Since 1989, Brown has been interviewing some of the most thought-provoking thinkers on the planet, with a special interest in how psychedelics have effected their work. 

In The New Science of Psychedelics Brown alternates between describing his psychedelic experiences and his interview encounters, quoting from the many dozens of in-depth interviews that he has conducted over the years, in order to shed some light on the mysteries that can occur during a psychedelic journey. 

In the book, Brown quotes from his interviews with such luminaries as Terence McKenna, Robert Anton Wilson, Timothy Leary, John Lilly, Allen Ginsberg, Jerry Garcia, Ram Dass, Noam Chomsky, George Carlin, Deepak Chopra, Ray Kurzweil, Andrew Weil, Jack Kevorkian, Edgar Mitchell, Albert Hofmann, Stanislav Grof, Joan Halifax, Alex Grey, H.R. Giger, Simon Posford, and Rupert Sheldrake. 

Some of the many varied topics explored in the book include: the interface between science and spirituality, lucid dreaming, time travel, morphic field theory, alternative science, optimal health, what happens to consciousness after death, encounters with non-human beings, the future evolution of our species, and how psychedelics effect creativity. 

According to Public Policy expert Rick Doblin, founder of MAPS, “The New Science of Psychedelics is both a compelling personal odyssey and a grounded scientific exploration of the contributions that psychedelic research and experiences offer regarding the most intriguing and mystifying questions facing humankind...This is an outstanding book to read and share widely.”

Psychologist James Fadiman, author of The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide said, “This is a simply splendid book! David Jay Brown...has blended an astounding number of personal experiences as well as commentaries from amazing people into a narrative that goes well beyond other books about psychedelics.”

Physicist Nick Herbert, author of Quantum Reality: Beyond the New Physics, said, “David Jay Brown’s particular mixture of youthful curiosity, honest skepticism and appetite for adventure reminds me of Tom Sawyer. Reading this book is like riding a raft with Tom  down the psychedelic Mississippi.”

Additionally, sex expert and performance artist Annie Sprinkle said, “The New Science of Psychedelics is a knock out! David Jay Brown tackles the touchy topic of “sex on drugs” with the wisdom of hands-on experience, an expanded mind, and the ability to get into deep places. This book reads like an honest, intimate love letter!”

To read samples from the book, or to order a copy of The New Science of Psychedelics, see: 

http://www.amazon.com/New-Science-Psychedelics-Consciousness-Spirituality/dp/1594774927/ref=la_B001K8SEM2_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364455616&sr=1-2

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