The Beyond Within: The LSD Story
JAMA July 12, 1965 DOI: 10.1001/jama.1965.03090020086042 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Book review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism Psilocybin LSD |
| Keywords | Hallucinogen Perspective graphical Pharmacology Literature Visual arts |
| Citations | 37 |
| Key findings | The reviewed book places hallucinogens in historical perspective and discusses their effects on the mind, but conveying the nature of the drug experience remains difficult. |
Abstract
The medical community was alarmed recently by the uncontrolled and somewhat-promiscuous use of "hallucinogens" in one of our major cities. The lay press contained many accounts suggesting the various hallucinogenic properties, but emphasized that the drugs seemed to provide the user with something of a mystic experience— what has been called "instant Zen." InThe Beyond Withinthe author places these drugs in a historical perspective, discusses their effects on the mind, and suggests their potential as adjuncts in psychotherapy or as agents of chemical warfare. The book reflects a significant problem facing the researcher working with these drugs—the fact that it is difficult to convey the nature of the experience after taking such a drug. This reviewer has taken a hallucinogen as part of a research project, and can appreciate the difficulty the author had in choosing accounts from people under the influence of these drugs. The experience does