Read These 5 Books To Educate Yourself On The Psychedelic Renaissance

Psychedelics are having a huge comeback — learn why

Three years ago, I discovered psychedelics and my life hasn’t been the same since. These powerful compounds have the potential to heal mental illnesses like addiction, depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Even if you’re already healthy, they can drastically improve the quality of your life.

Over the next few years, we’ll see a wide range of psychedelic therapies come to market and drastically transform psychiatric care in the US. Several cities and states have either already passed or are planning to introduce legislation that decriminalizes psychedelics. Start-ups in the space are going public and attracting floods of capital. There’s no question, the renaissance is here.

How much you’ll personally get out of psychedelic experiences depends on two key factors, famously coined as “set” and “setting”.

Set refers to your mindset, more specifically your intentions for your psychedelic journey.

Setting describes the environment in which your journey takes place, which includes the physical environment, music, and guidance.

It’s a shame that many people still dismiss the immense power psychedelics hold to alter your mind — and your life — with the right set and setting.

Someone who drops acid at a festival without any intentions will have a drastically different experience than someone who undertakes a guided mushroom journey that’s been prepared for in sessions with the practitioner.

Before I touched a single psychedelic, I carefully educated myself on the topic for an entire year. Below are some of my top book recommendations.

“How To Change Your Mind” by Michael Pollan

This NYT-bestseller is a classic and largely responsible for introducing thousands of people to the world of psychedelics (including me).

What’s special about it is that it’s written by a former “outsider”. Michael Pollan gained is audience and respect writing primarily about our food system and nutrition. The now 66-year-old hadn’t had a single psychedelic experience before embarking on the research for this book. This made for a fantastic investigative piece written by a skeptic, who, as you will learn, has since become a major proponent and important voice of the movement.

Pollan writes about the history of psychedelics, counterculture, and the war on drugs, and provides an extensive overview of the research that’s now popping up across the globe. He explores how these substances can help treat addiction, depression, trauma, end-of-life anxiety, and several other mental ailments. Pollan gets very clear on why exactly it is that these compounds hold so much potential.

If you’re completely new to the topic, this is the best place to start.

“The Psychedelics Explorer’s Guide” by James Fadiman

In contrast to Pollan, Fadiman is an O.G. in the psychedelic scene and published this guidebook to summarize his decades-long research on psychedelic therapy.

The purpose of his book is harm reduction. Fadiman recognizes that while still illegal in most jurisdictions, many people have taken it upon themselves to experiment with psychedelic substances. It’s a bible for all those looking to journey with intent. Fadiman provides guidance on how to prepare, set up, and integrate your experience. His recommendations go into as much detail as suggesting specific music to accompany your trip.

Fadiman also talks about microdosing, a topic that still lacks research which he’s personally been more heavily focused on, having coined the widely popular “Fadiman Microdosing protocol”.

If you’re ready for your first journey and want to learn about the exact steps to make it impactful, this is your book.

“A Really Good Day” by Ayelet Waldman

Part memoir, part non-fiction, “A Really Good Day” chronicles a microdosing experiment conducted by the middle-aged author and mom Ayelet Waldman.

It’s a fascinating read because it provides direct insight into the intricacies of mental illness and how they’ve impacted the author’s life. Over the course of her life, Ayelet cycled through multiple psychiatric diagnoses, including depression, bipolar disorder, and finally PMDD (pre-menstrual dysmorphic disorder). Frustrated with the ineffective treatment options presented to her, she ventures to test James Fadiman’s Microdosing protocol and take LSD every three days for the duration of one month.

Day by day, Ayelet takes you through her experiment describing how the microdoses are impacting her work, mood, and relationships. Her journal entries are complemented by an extensive historic study similar to Pollan’s, in which she weaves in her experience in Drug Policy from her previous career as a public defender.

This book is for you if you’re looking for a detailed account of someone’s personal journey with microdosing for mood disorders.

“Consciousness Medicine” by Francoise Bourzat

Bourzat, similar to Fadiman, has dedicated her life to psychedelic medicine. But unlike Fadiman, she’s not a researcher but a practitioner. Her book draws from multiple decades of experience guiding psychedelic mushroom journeys in Mexico.

Bourzat’s angle is unique because unlike much of the research conducted in the US, she emphasizes the cultural context and ceremonial traditions of psychedelics (in her case psilocybin, aka magic mushrooms). She underwent an extensive study of said traditions through her teacher Julieta, a shamanic elder in one of the Mexican mushroom traditions.

This book provides in-depth insight into the different types of psychedelic journeys one may have, as well as detailed instructions on how to prepare and integrate the experiences. Sprinkled in are plenty of real-life examples.

Read this book if you’re curious about the indigenous approach to psychedelics and want to maximize spiritual transformation.

“When Plants Dream” by Daniel Pinchbeck & Sophie Rokhlin

This more recently published book about the psychedelic renaissance focuses strongly on Ayahuasca and Amazonian shamanism.

Ayahuasca is one of the most mysterious psychedelics, which also holds the biggest promises for both severe mental health issues and self-transcendence.

Pinchbeck is an established authority on the topic of psychedelics and Rokhlin is an anthropologist with extensive experience on the ground in the Amazon. Together they lay out both the potential and the risks psychedelics like Ayahuasca present. They critically capture the sentiment of the current culture around Ayahuasca in the West and address some key developments such as the sexual assault accusations that have come out of the rising Ayahuasca tourism in the Amazon.

If you want a comprehensive cultural study of Ayahuasca in our modern world and indigenous communities, this is for you.

There are plenty more books but these are by far my favorites. If you have any other recommendations drop them in the comment section! I hope you’ll enjoy reading and learning about these mind-and life-altering substances.

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