SPIRITUALITY/ENTHEOGENS $18.95 Brown “A provocative journey into the realms of psychedelics, consciousness, creativity, science, and culture. Buy this book and feed your brain!” CLIFFORD PICKOVER, author of The Math Book and Sex, Drugs, Einstein, and Elves For as long as humanity has existed, we have used psychedelics to raise our levels of consciousness and seek healing—first in the form of visionary plants such as cannabis and now with the addition of human-created psychedelics such as LSD and MDMA. These substances have inspired spiritual awakenings, artistic and literary works, techno- logical and scientific innovation, and even political revolutions. But what does the future hold for humanity—and can psychedelics help take us there? Sharing insights from his discussions with luminaries such as Terence McKenna, Edgar Mitchell, Candace Pert, Deepak Chopra, Andrew Weil, Jerry Garcia, Albert Hofmann, Annie Sprinkle, and Rupert Sheldrake, author David Jay Brown explores PSYCHEDELICS the revelations brought about through his psychedelic experiences and his work with of Science New The visionaries of the psychedelic and scientific communities. He investigates the role of psychedelics in lucid dreaming, time travel, sex and pleasure enhancement, morphic field theory, the survival of consciousness after death, encounters with nonhuman entities, and the interface between science and spirituality. Examining the ability of psychedelic drugs to incite creativity, neurogenesis, and the evolution of conscious- ness, he explains that they are messengers from the plant world designed to help elevate our awareness and sense of interconnectedness. Revealing not only what psychedelics can teach us about ourselves and the world around us, Brown also shows how they are preparing humanity for a future of enlight- ened minds and worlds beyond our solar system. DAVID JAY BROWN holds a master’s degree in psychobiology from New York University. A former neuroscience researcher at the University of Southern California, he has written for Wired, Discover, and Scientific American, and his news stories have appeared on The Huffington Post and CBS News. A frequent guest editor of the MAPS PHOTO BY DANIELLE DEBRUNO Bulletin, he is the author of several books, including Mavericks of the Mind and Conversations on the Edge of the Apocalypse. He lives in Ben Lomond, California. Cover design by Peri Swan PARK STREET PRESS Cover images courtesy of iStock Photo ROCHESTER, VERMONT www.ParkStPress.com This book supports the www.HaciendaRioCote.com Reforestation Project SFI-00000 Text stock is SFI certified This page intentionally left blank. The New Science of Psychedelics “David Jay Brown’s book is a persuasive and necessary argument as we collectively move toward the mainstreaming of psychedelics and face the unique survival challenges of the twenty-first century. This is an outstanding book to read and share widely.” Rick Doblin, founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) “This is a simply splendid book! David Brown is a leading-edge activist, explorer, and philosopher who has blended an astound- ing number of personal experiences as well as commentaries from amazing people into a narrative that goes well beyond other books about psychedelics. He reevaluates not only the well-known areas of healing, psychotherapy, creativity, and spirituality but also extends his wise deliberations and deep explorations into areas that most of us still shy away from—freely discussing alien encounters, psychedelic sex, mixing and matching various substances, para- psychology, consciousness after death, and more—drawing on his own extensive voyages and exploration for telling examples. He is unafraid to explore the dark sides of his own personality as well as his joys as needed to illuminate challenging aspects of the multi- faceted psychedelic universe.” James Fadiman, Ph.D., author of The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide NeScPs.indd 1 3/20/13 10:26 AM “David Jay Brown writes it all up in a sure hand with a flare appro- priate to the subject matter so that the reader is as much enter- tained as informed.” R.U. Sirius, author of Everybody Must Get Stoned “If your taste is for paradigm busting, you’ll find lots of food for thought in The New Science of Psychedelics. On the menu are para- psychology, unexplained phenomena, strange powers, scientific mysteries, confounding conventional science, odd animal behavior, morphic fields, the Gaia hypothesis, alien beings, entities, forbid- den knowledge, kundalini, survival after death, and more.” Thomas B. Roberts, author of The Psychedelic Future of the Mind “The New Science of Psychedelics is a knockout! 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!” Annie Sprinkle, Ph.D., sex worker turned EcoSexologist and coauthor of Urban Tantra: Sacred Sex for the Twenty-First Century “Dave’s particular mixture of youthful curiosity, honest skep- ticism, and appetite for adventure remind me of Tom Sawyer. Reading this book is like riding a raft with Tom down the psyche- delic Mississippi. You meet anew all the famous natives who live along its shores—Tim Leary, Robert Anton Wilson, John Lilly, and many others. This book captures both the peculiar terrors and the deep delights these mind-altering substances can induce. A no- nonsense personal exploration of a controversial area of scientific research recounted in a light and engaging manner.” Nick Herbert, author of Quantum Reality: Beyond the New Physics NeScPs.indd 2 3/20/13 10:26 AM The New Science of Psychedelics At the Nexus of Culture, Consciousness, and Spirituality David Jay Brown Park Street Press Rochester, Vermont • Toronto, Canada NeScPs.indd 3 3/20/13 10:26 AM Park Street Press One Park Street Rochester, Vermont 05767 www.ParkStPress.com Park Street Press is a division of Inner Traditions International Copyright © 2013 by David Jay Brown All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Brown, David Jay. The new science of psychedelics : at the nexus of culture, consciousness, and spirituality / David Jay Brown. pages cm Includes index. Summary: “What does the future hold for humanity, and can psychedelics help take us there?”—Provided by publisher. ISBN 978-1-59477-492-8 (pbk.) — ISBN 978-1-62055-142-4 (e-book) 1. Hallucinogenic drugs. 2. Consciousness. I. Title. BF209.H34N49 2013 154.4—dc23 2012040639 Text design by Virginia Scott Bowman and layout by Brian Boynton This book was typeset in Garamond Premier Pro with Helvetica Neue as a display typeface To send correspondence to the author of this book, mail a first-class letter to the author c/o Inner Traditions • Bear and Company, One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767, and we will forward the communication, or contact the author directly at www.mavericksofthemind.com. NeScPs.indd 4 3/20/13 10:26 AM For all of the psychedelic agents working to help raise consciousness, in this universe and elsewhere NeScPs.indd 5 3/20/13 10:26 AM This page intentionally left blank. Contents Acknowledgments ix INTRODUCTION Awakening from My Slumber and Recognizing My Preprogrammed Robotic Nature 1 1 Head West and Get High, Young Man 27 2 Confronting the Mysteries of Science 49 3 The Future Evolution of the Human Species 79 4 Approaching the Singularity 99 5 Models of the Mind and Interpreting Psychedelic Experiences 133 6 The Psychobiology of Gods and Goddesses 165 7 Exploring the Synergistic World of Sex on Drugs 197 8 What Happens to Consciousness after Death? 216 9 How Have Psychedelics Affected Human Culture? 266 APPENDIX 1 Transcending the Medical Frontiers: Exploring the Future of Psychedelic Drug Research 301 APPENDIX 2 The Man Behind Mavericks of the Mind: An Interview with David Jay Brown by Ian Koslow from Time-Peace 316 APPENDIX 3 Altered Statesman: An Interview with David Jay Brown by Damon Orion from Good Times 322 Recommended Reading 330 About the Author 332 Index 333 NeScPs.indd 7 3/20/13 10:26 AM This page intentionally left blank. Acknowledgments I’ve thought about writing this book for many years and was glad to finally be given the opportunity. Countless people contributed to mak- ing this book what it is. I’d like to extend my deepest gratitude to all of the people who have allowed me to interview them throughout my career. Many of these busy people gave me their precious time, much of it when I was still young and inexperienced, and for these valuable opportunities I will be forever grateful. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the following individuals for their generous contributions and valuable support: Carolyn Mary Kleefeld, Jon Graham, Arleen Margulis, Goo Bear, Jacob Andrade, Danielle Bohmer, Danelle Benari, Amanda Rose Loveland, Meriana Dinkova, Lily Ross, Sara Huntley, Willow Aryn Dellinger, Jessi Daichman, Serena Watman, Buck Noe, Sara Mokhtari- Fox, Selina Reddan, Veronika King, Jesse Ray Houts, Audreanne Rivka Sheehan, Patricia Holt, Linda Parker, Chanc VanWinkle Orzell, Erica B. Robinson, Denis Berry, Zach Leary, Maria Grusauskas, Rebecca McClen Novick, Annie Sprinkle, Kelly Hollerbach, Heather Goldstein Greenberg, Brandi Goldstein, Geoffrey and Valerie Goldstein, Nese Lisa Senol, Ralph Abraham, Rupert Sheldrake, Louise Reitman, Sammie and Tudie, Rob Brezsny, Rick Doblin, Amy Barnes Excolere, Sherry Hall, Suzie Wouk, Sherri Paris, Robert Forte, Valerie Leveroni Corral, David Wayne Dunn, Robin Rae and Brummbaer, Deed DeBruno, ix NeScPs.indd 9 3/20/13 10:26 AM x Acknowledgments Randy Baker, Richard Goldberg, Steven Ray Brown, B’anna Federico, Anna Damoth, Sandy Oppenheim, Lorey Capelli, Dana Peleg, Mimi Peleg, Bethan Carter, Robert J.