The psychedelic explorer’s guide: safe, therapeutic, and sacred journeys
Time and Mind October 2, 2014 Jenny Walklate 3 citations
A critical book review of James Fadiman's The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide finds the work frustrating and unlikely to persuade skeptics. The book is clearly structured but opens with controversial material without preparatory data. Fadiman acts more as editor than author, compiling extracts that are disparate in tone and lacking overall synthesis. His informal, personal writing style undermines scientific credibility. The book's ethical stance is mixed: it responsibly advises against illegal activity and includes safety warnings, but assumes readers have personal psychedelic experience and implies such experience is necessary to understand the research. Fadiman's spirituality is presented as fact without theological grounding.