FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE C o nta c t: De b o rah Pa rrish Snyde r at 505 424 0237 tango@synergetic press.c om

MYSTIC C HEMIST: The Life o f Albe rt Hofm a nn a nd His Disc o ve ry o f LSD by Die te r Hage nbac h and Luc ius We rthmüller Forewo rd b y Sta nislav G rof

• Launc he d o n the 70th annive rsary o f LSD’s discove ry • A history of sc ienc e , c onsc iousne ss rese arch and psyche de lic studies

Only a few disc o veries o f the 20th c entury have had suc h c ruc ial and meaningful influences on sc ie nc e , so c ie ty a nd c ulture a s LSD. This myste rio us and extremely potent substanc e c auses profound c hanges of c onsc iousness in d o se s o f millio nths o f a g ram. Swiss c he mist Alb e rt Ho fma nn first e xp e rie nc e d its rema rka b le effe c ts d uring a se lf-e xp e rime nt with Lyse rgic Ac id Die thylamide in 1943 at Sando z Labo rato ry in Base l. It c hang e d his life d e e p ly, a s it a lso ha s the live s o f millio ns around the wo rld. His bic yc le ride during this first LSD trip b e c a me le g e nd a ry.

Autho rs Hage nbac h and We rthmüller, c lose friends o f Hofmann, take us o n a jo urney through the 20th c e ntury from his mystic al c hildho o d e xpe rienc e s with na ture ; to his c he mistry stud ie s with No b e l Prize winne r Pa ul Karrer in Zuric h throug h his d isc o ve rie s o f b o th LSD and psiloc ybin at Sando z; to his

SYNERGETIC PRESS SYNERGETIC adve nturous e xpe ditions; to his many ye ars o f retire me nt d e vo te d to p hilosophy of nature and a ric h so c ial life . The a utho rs reve a l the e ve ntful histo ry o f LSD, whic h be c ame the subje c t o f nume rous c linic al studies o pe ning the way fo r inno vative fo rms o f the rapy. It fue led the yo uth mo ve me nt o f the sixtie s, influe nc e d d e ve lo p me nts in c omputer tec hnology and sc ienc e and helped spawn a new sc ienc e of c onsc iousness. Albert Hofmann was vo ted “greatest living genius” in 2007 by the Daily Tele g raph. He lived an ac tive life to the age o f 102.

“ Future g e ne ratio ns will se e Albe rt Ho fma nn a s o ne the mo st imp o rta nt figures o f the twe ntie th c entury; a Promethean visionary who he lpe d c hart a ne w tra je c to ry fo r the evo lution o f the human spec ies.” Stanislav G rof, Psy c hiatrist

“Taking LSD was a profo und experienc e, o ne o f the mo st imp o rta nt thing s in my life .” Ste ve Jobs

Dieter Hagenbach, fo under o f Sphinx publishing ho use and Gaia Media Fo undatio n, initiated and was the p rog ram e xe c utive o f the inte rna tio na l symp o sium “LSD - Problem Child a nd Wo nde r Drug ,” in Base l, Switze rland, o n the o c c asio n o f Albe rt Hofmann's 100th b irthda y. Luc ius We rthm ülle r, c o nsc io usne ss researc her and parapsyc holog ist, wa s p roje c t d irec to r o f the LSD symp o sium. He me t Albe rt Hofmann, a go o d frie nd o f We rthmüller's parents, as a c hild and remaine d c lose to him until the e nd o f his life .

Public ation Date: June 1, 2013 408 page s, 440 pho to s and illustrations, 8” x 10” ISBN: 978 907791 44 7 So ftc o ve r $38.95 • ISBN: 978 0907791 46 1 Hardc o ve r $49.95 DISTRIBUTED BY SCB DISTRIBUTORS (www.sc b d istributo rs.c o m)

One Bluebird Court, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508 T. 505.424.0237 F. 505.424.3336 www.synergeticpress.com [email protected] MYSTIC CHEMIST 2

What pe ople have said about the book

“Albe rt Hofmann's disc o ve ry o f LSD, the most potent mind-expanding substanc e ever fo und, was an e ve nt o f multiple sync hronic ities – it o c c urred in 1943 in Switze rland, a ne utral c o untry, within mo nths o f the building o f the atomic bomb – as if it was to be a kind of p syc ho sp iritua l he a ling a ntido te to the ma ss d e a th weapo ns. It o c c urred in a c o untry with a c e nturies-long tradition o f alc he my, the psyc ho sp iritua l c o unte rpo int to red uc tio nist material sc ienc e – and invo lved a previo usly unkno wn substanc e that c ould induc e inte g rative e xp a nsio ns o f a wa rene ss with p rofo und imp lic a tio ns fo r he a ling , fo r c rea tive p rob le m-so lving , a nd fo r c o smo lo g ic a l und e rstanding. Albe rt Hofmann had the sc ientific a nd the sp iritua l insig ht to rec o g nize the e no rmo us signific anc e o f his disc o very and spent the rest o f his lo ng life e xp lo ring it with a n e ve r-wide ning inte rna tio na l c irc le o f fe llo w sc ie ntists, a rtists a nd visio na ry e xp lo rers. The a uthors of this biography have done a marvelous job of pulling together doc umentation and c ommentary, not only about Hofmann and LSD but also the so c io -c ultural and po litic al uphe avals o f the 1960s, during whic h LSD and all mind-expanding drugs played an e normous role – and were made ille g a l. The sto ry o f LSD a nd its p o te ntia l role in so c iety is ho we ve r far from o ve r, as Hofmann himse lf a lso tho ug ht. Ple a se rea d this b o o k a nd stay tuned ... ”

Ralph Me tzne r, PhD

“The best c o mpendium o f the birth and transfo rma tive e ffe c t o f o ne o f the g rea te st disc overies ever made.” Ale x G rey , Visionary Artist

"This bo o k is mo re than a supe rb bio graphy o f Albe rt Ho fma nn, it's the sto ry o f LSD a nd p retty muc h c overs everything of importanc e in the sc ientific , so c ial, sp iritua l a nd a rtistic re a lms tha t re sulte d fro m his e p o c ha l d isc o ve ry."

Mic hae l Horowitz, psy c ho ac tive drug histo rian, e ditor of works by Aldous Huxle y and Timo thy Leary

MYSTIC CHEMIST 3

ABOUT THE AUTHO RS

MYSTIC CHEMIST: THE LIFE OF ALBERT HOFMANN AND HIS DISCOVERY OF LSD

Dieter Hagenbach

Die te r Hag e nbac h was bo rn 1943 in Base l, Switze rland. He studied arc hitec ture and the arts at the Ac ademy of Fine Arts, Düsse ldo rf, Ge rmany and was a me mbe r o f the multimedia team, Cosmic Correspondenc e, with Jürge n Ra hn in 1969, ma king p rese nta tio ns in the a rt galleries o f Düsse ldo rf, Bade n-Bade n, and Base l. He to o k a stud y trip to Ind ia in 1970, resulting in pa pe rs a b o ut the Kha si tribe in Assam, and the o bse rvato rie s in De lhi, Jaipur and Varanasi. He to o k arc hite c ture and urban studie s in Londo n at the Ce ntre fo r Arts and C ultural Ente rprise s. In 1975 he fo und e d Sphinx publishing ho use , with wo rks by Jo se ph Campbe ll, H.R. Gige r, Ge o rge Gurdjieff, Je an Ho usto n, Timo thy Lea ry, Jo hn Lilly, Terenc e Mc Kenna, Alan Watts, Ro bert Anto n Wilso n, amo ng o the rs. From 1977–1986 he was e dito r o f Sphinx magazine and the German language edition of the Brain/Mind Bulle tin.

Dieter Hagenbac h met Albert Hofmann in the mid-1970s and remaine d his frie nd until his de a th. In 1986 he pub lished Albert Hofmann’s bo o k Einsic hte n Ausb lic ke (Insight Outloo k). From 1990–2005 Hagenbac h ac ted as a literary age nt. In 1993 he launc hed the Gaia Media Foundation. He was initiato r and program manager o f the inte rna tio na l symp o sium LSD – Problem Child and Wo nde r Drug in Base l 2006, o n the o c c asio n o f Albert Hofmann’s 100th birthday, and was in c harge for the program of the Wo rld Psyc he d e lic Forum 2008 in Base l. Sinc e 2002 Dieter Hagenbac h has been the e d ito r o f the Gaia Media Foundation website and the monthly elec tronic Go o dNe wsLette r.

MYSTIC CHEMIST 4

Luc ius We rthm ülle r

Luc ius We rthmülle r wa s b o rn 1958 in Base l, Switze rland . He is a c onsc iousness researc her and para- psyc ho logist. Sinc e 1991 he has been president of the Base l Psi Asso c iatio n with o ve r 1,200 me mb e rs, the large st o rga niza tio n in the field o f the parano rmal and the sp iritua l in Switze rland . He is e d ito r o f the Psi-Info mag azine with a print run o f 30,000 c o pies. In the ye a r 2000 he was awarde d the “Swiss Foundation fo r Pa rap syc ho lo g y” p rize . For e ig ht ye a rs Luc ius wa s projec t manager of the “Basel Psi-Days,” a c ongress with the rep uta tio n a s the mo st impo rtant public c ongress on “border areas” of sc ienc e worldwide . Sinc e 1992 he has run an antique b o o ksho p sp e c ia lizing in p a rap syc ho lo g y a nd sp iritua lity.

Luc ius is a fo unding bo ard member o f the Gaia Media Foundation. He was projec t manager of the interna tio na l symp o sium LSD – Problem Child and Wo nde r Drug in January 2006 on the oc c asion of the 100th birthday o f Albe rt Hofmann in Base l and of the Wo rld Psyc he d e lic Forum he ld in 2008.

He me t Albe rt Ho fma nn while still a c hild, a s Albe rt was a go o d frie nd o f his parents, and remained c lose to him until the end of his life . Luc ius ha s three a d ult so ns a nd live s with his p a rtne r, Sab in, in Base l.

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MYSTIC CHEMIST 5 SYNO PSIS

Mystic Che mist: The Life o f Albe rt Hofmann and His Disc o ve ry o f LSD by Dieter Hagenbac h a nd Luc ius We rthmülle r, with a fo rewo rd b y Sta nislav G rof, is a n a utho rita tive a nd ric hly illustrate d b io g rap hy o f the life a nd wo rk o f the le g e nd a ry Swiss c he mist Albe rt Ho fma nn, the d isc o ve rer o f LSD (lyse rgic a c id d ie thylamide ). In a d d itio n, the b o o k te lls the c o mp le te sto ry o f LSD itse lf, a sub sta nc e tha t fa mo usly fue le d the hippie movement of the 1960s and impac ted c ulture on a global sc ale. Originally publishe d in Ge rman, Mystic Che mist is a va ilab le no w fo r the first time in Eng lish, from Syne rge tic Press.

Authors Hagenbac h and Wertmüller, who were bo th c lose pe rso nal friends o f Dr. Hofmann, be gin the ir sto ry by sho wing ho w Hofmann’s e arly c hildho o d fa sc ina tio n with his na tural surround ing s se t the b a c kd rop fo r his wo rk a s a sc ie ntist a nd le d to his mo st fa mo us disc overy.

Albe rt Hofma nn, b o rn in Ja nua ry 1906 in the sma ll to wn o f Bade n, Switze rland, was the e lde st o f fo ur c hildren and the so n o f a to o lmaker who wo rke d in a fac to ry. Whe n his fathe r b e c a me se rio usly ill, Alb e rt to o k o n a c o mme rc ia l a pprentic e ship to suppo rt the family and, in 1926, b e g a n stud ying c he mistry a t the Unive rsity o f Zuric h. The yo ung sc ie ntist o b ta ine d his doc torate four years later and joined the researc h laboratory of the Sandoz pharmac eutic al-c hemic al c ompany in Basel, where he wo rke d fo r the ne xt fo rty ye a rs.

At Sandoz, Hofmann pioneers researc h into psyc hoac tive substanc es, as well as the ac tive agents o f impo rtant medic inal plants and mushroo ms. The Mystic Che mist is sp e c ific a lly inte reste d in a lka lo ids (nitrog e n c o mp o und s) o f e rgo t, a c e real fungus and, in 1938, iso late s the b a sic c o mp o ne nt o f e rgo t a lka lo ids, lyse rgic a c id. He c o mb ine s this with a se rie s o f c he mic a ls a nd te sts the no ve l lyse rgic a c id d e riva tive s fo r use a s c irc ulato ry a nd resp irato ry stimulants, inc lud ing LSD-25 (the 25th in the se rie s, lyse rgic a c id d ie thylamide ). Ironic a lly, Sand o z p ha rma c o lo g ists lo se inte rest in LSD-25 b e c a use the e ffe c ts fa ll sho rt o f d e sired e xp e c ta tio ns.

However, following a “strange premonition” that oc c urre d ye a rs a fte r the initia l synthe sis, Hofmann dec ides to resume researc h o n LSD-25, and o n April 16, 1943, e xpe rie nc e s first- ha nd its myste rio us e ffe c ts. Ac c o rding to the sc ie ntist, he is o ve rc o me by "a remarkable restle ssne ss, c o mb ine d with a slig ht d izzine ss … I lay down and sank into a not unpleasant into xic a tio n-like c o nd itio n, c ha rac te rize d b y a n e xtreme ly stimulate d ima g ina tio n. In a d rea mlike sta te , e ye s c lo se d , I p e rc e ive d a n uninte rrup te d strea m o f fa nta stic p ic tures; e xtrao rdina ry sha p e s with inte nse , ka le ido sc o p ic p la y o f c o lo rs.” This c ha ng e s his life c o mp le te ly, a s it so o n d id fo r millio ns o f p e o p le a round the wo rld.

This e xp e rie nc e ma ke s it c le a r to Albe rt Hofmann that a predic table and c onventional c areer trac k is no w upended. While his basic researc h at the Sando z Co rpo ratio n did result in se ve ral suc c e ssful reme d ie s inc lud ing Hyd e rgine , e ffe c tive in g e riatric me d ic ine , MYSTIC CHEMIST 6 Dihydergo t, a c irc ulation and bloo d-pressure stabilizer, and Methergine, used in gynec ology, Hofmann foc uses a great deal on LSD and bec omes invo lve d in its spread around the wo rld.

As so c ie ty's a ttitud e to wa rds p syc he d e lic d rug s b e c o me s mo re c o ntrove rsial a nd p o litic a lly c harged, Albert Hofmann bec omes a philosopher and c ritic o f mo d e rn c ulture. He b e lie ve s his disc o very will o ne day be o f great benefit to humanity. Me anwhile, he wins rec o gnition fo r his sc ie ntific wo rk, re c e iving ho no rary d e g ree s from the Swiss Fed e ral Institute o f Tec hno lo g y (ETHZ), the Unive rsity o f Sto c kho lm, Be rlin Free Unive rsity, a nd he is no mina te d fo r the No b e l Prize .

The autho ritative bio graphy, Mystic Che mist, b e g ins a t the sta rt o f the twe ntie th c e ntury a s the Swiss to wn o f Base l is e vo lving from a p o p ular he a lth sp a into a ma jo r ind ustria l c ity, a nd c o nc ludes mo re than a c entury later, after Albert Hofmann’s c elebrates his 100th b irthd a y. It te lls the unique sto ry o f a sc ie ntist b e fo re his fame , highlighting the ac ademic journey and the rese a rc h a t Sand o z, the n reve a ls Ho ffma n’ s no to rie ty a s the d isc o ve rer o f LSD, d e p ic ting his ma ny me e ting s a nd inte rac tio ns with illustrio us write rs, a rtists a nd thinke rs from a ll o ve r the wo rld, e ac h sharing a c o mmo n interest is the new wo nde r-drug.

Lumina rie s like Aldo us Huxle y, Timo thy Lea ry a nd Ric hard Alpert bec ome woven into Ho fma nn’ s life a s he b e g ins a p rolific c orrespondenc e with these and other interested p a rtie s. So me time s he se nd s a sa mp le , o the r time s he rea d s o f the ir “ trips” o n LSD o r o the r p syc he d e lic sub sta nc e s, like me sc a line o r p silo cyb in. From the sta rt, Albe rt ta ke s a p o sitive view to wards e ffo rts by physic ians and psyc ho therap ists to inc lude LSD in ne w approac he s to the trea tme nt o f illne sse s a nd se e s the "p syc he d e lic " p o te ntial o f this "wo nd e r d rug " a s b e ne fic ia l to a ll.

Ove r the ne xt twe nty ye ars, Hofmann be gins to trave l far and wide, enjo ying many meetings with experts and c olleagues, c orrespondents and frie nd s; sha ring sto rie s a s we ll a s c ruc ia l information. One exc hange leads to another as the intrep id sc ie ntist le a rns mo re a nd mo re about the mysteries of human c onsc iousness and merg e s his inne r a nd o ute r jo urne ys. In September1962, for example, he goes to Mexic o and me e ts c urande ras (fe male shamans) who initiate him into the ir se c ret p silo c yb in ritua ls. Late r, in 1984, he flie s to C a lifo rnia to attend a c onferenc e on c onsc iousness at the Esalen Institute , a nd d uring his visit to the b e a utiful C a lifo rnia c o a st, Alb e rt “ turns o n” with so me o f the o ther presente rs.

Bac k ho me , o n the Rittima tte o utside Base l, Albert Hofmann welc omes a steady stream of no ta b le visito rs, e a c h ma king a p ilg rima g e to c o nsult the inve nto r o f LSD. In this “ p a rad ise ,” a s he o nc e c a lle d it, Albe rt is c lo se to the great outdoors and his beloved plants, even c laiming : “ The Rittima tte is my se c o nd mo st imp o rta nt disc o ve ry.”

But b a c k in the c ulture a t large , the LSD-fuelled euphoria of the hippie and flower-power g e ne ratio n b e g ins to troub le the Esta b lishme nt a nd the drug is demonized by a mass media tha t is o nly inte reste d in se nsa tio na l, ha lf-inve nte d sto rie s. LSD is so o n c rimina lize d a nd c onsumption is c ompletely prohibited, even for the rape utic and rese arc h purpo se s. In 1967, LSD-e xp o ne nt Dr. Timo thy Lea ry le a ve s Harva rd Unive rsity and bec omes a c olorful advoc ate o f the wide spread use o f LSD, famo usly sugge sting that e ve ryo ne sho uld “Turn o n, tune in, MYSTIC CHEMIST 7 drop o ut.” Leary is brande d by preside nt Nixo n as “ the most dangerous man in Americ a,” a nd fo rc e d to fle e the Unite d Sta te s.

Albe rt Hofmann realize s that his “wo nde r drug” may have also bec ome a “problem c hild” and never abandons a c ritic al stanc e toward abuse o f LSD by the hippie and flowe r-po we r g e ne ratio n. But he a lso ne ve r tires o f e mp ha sizing the basic differenc e between LSD and o the r illic it d rug s. Eve n if use d re p e a te d ly, LSD is not addic tive and does not reduc e one's awarene ss. As we ll, LSD is c o mplete ly no n-to xic whe n take n in no rmal do se s.

Hofmann never understood the demonizing of psyc hede lic s by go vernments around the wo rld. For him, the re was no reaso n why me ntally stable people shouldn't be allowed to e njo y LSD. The sc ie ntist did no t se e psyc hotic d e lusio ns in LSD-ind uc e d sta te s o f c onsc iousness, but rather an ac c ess to a higher rea lity; true sp iritua l e xp e rie nc e s reve a ling the magnific enc e of all c reation. "The one-sided be lie f o f the sc ie ntific vie w o f life is b a se d o n a far-reac hing misunde rstanding," says Hofmann. The Mystic Che mist be lieve d that LSD c ould help people disc over a world other than "mate ria lism, e strang e me nt from na ture , the lac k o f p rofe ssio na l fulfillme nt in a me c ha nize d , lifeless world of employment, boredom and a imle ssne ss in a ric h, sa turate d so c ie ty …," a nd he sto o d b y this b e lie f until the ve ry e nd o f his life .

On his 100th b irthda y, a t a n inte rna tio na l Sympo sium he ld in Ba se l, in 2006, e ntitle d ‘ LSD: Problem Child and Wo nder Drug,’ Hofmann o bserves that, “after this c onferenc e my problem c hild has de finite ly turne d into a wo nde r c hild." Sho rtly b e fo re his 102nd birthda y, Ho fma nn is to ld tha t the tide ma y a t last b e turning as a new human-based study o f LSD stud y re c e ive s a p p rova l from the Fed e ral O ffic e o f Pub lic He a lth in Be rn, the Swiss c a p ita l. He c a lls this the , "fulfillme nt o f my he a rt's d e sire."

Ho ffma n e xp resse s his c o nvic tio n tha t mystic a l e xp e rie nc e s a nd trips to o the r rea lms o f c o nsc io usne ss a re the b e st p rep a ratio n fo r tha t final jo urne y whic h he and e ve ry last o ne o f us must e ve ntually make . At the age o f 102, Alb e rt Ho fma nn d ie s a t ho me . His vita lity a nd o p e n mind e d ne ss sta y with him until his last b rea th, providing a testimony as to how one c an rema in p hysic a lly fit, me nta lly c le a r, a nd sp iritua lly aware on into a great age.

Mystic Che mist: The Life o f Albe rt Hofmann and His Disc o ve ry o f LSD te lls the sto ry o f Alb e rt Hofmann’s life and the parallel sto ry o f the wo nder-drug , LSD. The bo o k runs to 408 pag e s and c ontains over 500 c olor and blac k and white p ho to g rap hs, illustratio ns a nd d rawing s; some of them never published before. With a foreword by world renowned Czec h p syc hia trist Sta nisla v G ro f, Mystic Che mist will be publishe d in June 2013, a nd is available in hardc over and softc over editions.