The psychedelic explorer’s guide: safe, therapeutic, and sacred journeys
Jenny Walklate
Time and Mind October 2, 2014 DOI: 10.1080/1751696x.2014.978132 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 3 |
| Key points | Argues that James Fadiman's book on psychedelics, while backed by 40 years of experience and esteem in the field, is presented in a sensationalist way aimed at an already sympathetic audience rather than the wider scientific community. The reviewer frames the piece as an attempt to fairly assess the book's positives, negatives, and ambiguities. |
Abstract
James Fadiman, PhD, certainly has a central position in alternative academic research. He has been researching, and sometimes using, psychedelics for the last 40 years; you cannot deny that he has experience. This book is surrounded with praise, on the back and inner leaf, so he is clearly held in great esteem by others in the field. But unfortunately, his book is presented in a sensationalist way. It is geared towards an audience already primed to receive its message, and not the wider scientific community. This may not be Fadiman’s fault. How to be fair to the positives, negatives, and ambiguities of this volume?