Rick Strassman

For thousands of years, voyagers of inner space--spiritual seekers, shamans, and psychoactive drug users--have returned from their inner imaginal travels reporting encounters with alien intelligences. Inner Paths to Outer Spacepresents an innovative examination of how we can reach these other dimensions of existence and contact otherworldly beings. Based on their more than 60 combined years of research into the function of the brain, the authors reveal how psychoactive substances such as DMT allow the brain to bypass our five basic senses to unlock a multidimensional realm of existence where otherworldly communication occurs. They contend that our centuries-old search for alien life-forms has been misdirected and that the alien worlds reflected in visionary science fiction actually mirror the inner space world of our minds. The authors show that these “alien” worlds encountered through altered states of human awareness, either through the use of psychedelics or other methods, possess a sense of reality as great as, or greater than, those of the ordinary awareness perceived by our five senses.

An investigation based on direct experience into the meaning and message of altered states“Every reader will find this account fascinating. A lively and intensely personal addition to the drugs-memoir genre.”—Kirkus Reviews“You're such an important part of the psychedelic history.”—Joe Rogan Experience, episode #1854• Recounts several dozen of the author’s experiences of drug and non-drug altered states of consciousness from birth to early adulthood• Applies the lenses of four explanatory models—psychoanalysis, psychopharmacology, Zen Buddhism, and medieval Jewish metaphysics—in understanding how and why they occurred• Demonstrates the importance of careful unflinching recollection and documentation of both heavenly and hellish altered states in one’s psychological, emotional, and spiritual lifeWhy do we seek out altered states of consciousness, or why, in some cases, do they happen unbidden? What do we see and hear, and what happens emotionally, physically, and psychologically? How and why are these experiences different from or similar to one another? Are they meaningful? And what do we do with them after they have passed? Addressing these questions, renowned psychedelic researcher Rick Strassman, M. D., draws upon his journals and analyses of dozens of episodes of altered consciousness that occurred during, or are intimately tied to, his life between birth and young adulthood. Just as significant as the ecstatic blissful experiences are the uncensored and, at times, painfully unvarnished narratives of less elevated ones. Visually augmenting all these accounts are the striking images of artist Merrilee Challiss. Understanding and applying the meaning and message of any altered state—its integration—first requires a clear-eyed recollection of the actual experience in all its aspects, neither pushing away the ugly nor grasping after the beautiful. This book provides a profound example of how one might go about accomplishing this daunting task.

Learn everything you need to know about psychedelics with this ultimate guide packed with information on popular psychedelic drugs like psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA, DMT and LSD--plus practical tips for microdosing and how to safely "trip"--from bestselling author Dr. Rick Strassman. Aprenda todo lo que necesita saber sobre las sustancias psicod licas con esta gu a definitiva repleta de informaci n sobre drogas psicod licas populares como la psilocibina, la ketamina, el MDMA, la DMT y el LSD--adem s de consejos pr cticos para la microdosificaci n y c mo "viajar" de forma segura-- del autor best-seller Dr. Rick Strassman, quien ha estado al frente de la investigaci n sobre psicod licos desde los a os 60. Entering the world of psychedelic drugs can be challenging, and many aren't sure where to start. As research continues to expand and legalization looms on the horizon for psychedelics like psilocybin, you may need a guide to navigate what psychedelics are, how they work, and their potential benefits and risks. The Psychedelic Handbook is a complete manual that is accessible to anyone with an interest in these "mind-manifesting" substances. Packed with information on psilocybin, LSD, DMT/ayahuasca, mescaline/peyote, ketamine, MDMA, ibogaine, 5-methoxy-DMT ("the toad"), and Salvia divinorum/salvinorin A, this book is your ultimate reference for understanding the science and history of psychedelics; discovering their potential to treat depression, PTSD, substance abuse, and other disorders, as well as to increase wellness, creativity, and meditation; learning how to safely trip and explaining what we know about microdosing; and recognizing and caring for negative reactions to psychedelics. Clinical research psychiatrist, founding figure of the American psychedelic research renaissance, and best-selling author of DMT: The Spirit Molecule, Dr. Rick Strassman shares his experience and perspectives as neither advocate nor foe of psychedelics in order to help readers understand the effects of these remarkable drugs.

Learn everything you need to know about psychedelics with this ultimate guide packed with information on popular psychoactive drugs like psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA, DMT and LSD--plus practical tips for microdosing and how to safely "trip"--from bestselling author Dr. Rick Strassman. Entering the world of psychedelics can be daunting, and many aren't sure where to start. Research continues to expand and legalization looms on the horizon for psychedelics like psilocybin. The Psychedelic Handbook is a complete manual that explains the basics of psychedelics in a way that is accessible for the novice user--or even just the psychedelic-curious. Inside you'll find: Information on the science and history of psychedelics Basic information on popular psychedelics like psilocybin, LSD, and peyote The difference between psychedelics and other "psychedelic-like" such as MDMA and ketamine The healing potential of psychedelic medicine for depression, PTSD, and anxiety And much more Clinical research psychiatrist and bestselling author of DMT: The Spirit Molecule, Dr. Rick Strassman offers his expert advice for safely and effectively reaping the benefits of psychedelic medicine.

Joseph Levy leads a quiet life in rural Wheaton Arizona. Retired from a long career in psychiatric research and practice, he reads, writes, and walks in the mountains and hills near the Native reservation. His quiet life ends, however, when a dental crown replacement causes trouble just before meeting an internet date in California. Thus begins a year of back-to-back nightmare infections, a drug overdose, and two failed relationships. At every step, Levy is confronted by matters of life and death, love and hate, faith and doubt, trust and betrayal. Most of all, he faces what it means to be sick and to be healthy. He prays to his God, relies on his friends, examines his dreams, and entrusts his psyche to a new therapist. Joseph Levy Escapes Death is a tale of perseverance in the face of adversity. Strassman uses several lenses to view Levy's life: medical, psychoanalytic, and religious--both Buddhist and Jewish. Pathos and humor fill the tale, while enlightening detours examine the Holocaust, cardiovascular physiology and microbiology, and Jewish-Christian relations.

After completing his groundbreaking research chronicled in DMT: The Spirit Molecule, Rick Strassman was left with one fundamental question: What does it mean that DMT, a simple chemical naturally found in all of our bodies, instantaneously opens us to an interactive spirit world that feels more real than our own world? When his decades of clinical psychiatric research and Buddhist practice were unable to provide answers to this question, Strassman began searching for a more resonant spiritual model. He found that the visions of the Hebrew prophets--such as Ezekiel, Moses, Adam, and Daniel--were strikingly similar to those of the volunteers in his DMT studies. Carefully examining the concept of prophecy in the Hebrew Bible, he characterizes a "prophetic state of consciousness" and explains how it may share biological and metaphysical mechanisms with the DMT effect. Examining medieval commentaries on the Hebrew Bible, Strassman reveals how Jewish metaphysics provides a top-down model for both the prophetic and DMT states, a model he calls "theoneurology." Theoneurology bridges biology and spirituality by proposing that the Divine communicates with us using the brain, and DMT--whether naturally produced or ingested--is a critical factor in such visionary experience. This model provides a counterpoint to "neurotheology," which proposes that altered brain function simply generates the impression of a Divine-human encounter. Theoneurology addresses issues critical to the full flowering of the psychedelic drug experience. Perhaps even more important, it points the way to a renewal of classical prophetic consciousness, the soul of Hebrew Bible prophecy, as well as unexpected directions for the evolution of contemporary spiritual practice.

Un psiquiatra clínico explora los efectos de la DMT, una de las drogas psicodélicas más potentes que se conocen • Una mirada tras bambalinas a los proyectos más avanzados de investigación sobre sustancias psicodélicas • Proporciona una singular explicación científica sobre el fenómeno de las experiencias de raptos por extraterrestres De 1990 a 1995, el Dr. Rick Strassman realizó en la Universidad de Nuevo México estudios clínicos aprobados y financiados por el gobierno de los Estados Unidos, en los que inyectó a 60 voluntarios con dimetiltriptamina (DMT), uno de los psicodélicos más potentes que se conocen. Su recuento pormenorizado de esas sesiones constituye una interesantísima indagación sobre la naturaleza de la mente humana y el potencial terapéutico de los psicodélicos. La DMT, una sustancia química derivada de las plantas que se encuentra en la ayahuasca, una infusión psicodélica del Amazonas, también es producida por el cerebro humano. Esta sustancia, liberada naturalmente por la glándula pineal, facilita al alma su entrada y salida del cuerpo y es una parte integrante de las experiencias del nacimiento y la muerte, así como de los estados superiores de meditación e incluso de la trascendencia sexual. Si se utiliza sabiamente, la DMT podría dar paso a un período de extraordinario progreso en la exploración científica de las regiones más místicas de la mente y el alma humanas.

Under tusentals år har resenärer i den inre rymden – andliga sökare, schamaner och användare av psykoaktiva droger – återvänt från sina inre resor med rapporter om möten med främmande intelligenser. Inre vägar till yttre rymden presenterar en innovativ undersökning av hur vi kan nå dessa andra existensdimensioner och kontakta varelser från andra världar. Grundad på deras mer än 60 års sammanlagda forskning kring hjärnans funktion, avslöjar författarna hur psykoaktiva substanser som till exempel dmt gör det möjligt för hjärnan att kringgå våra fem grundläggande sinnen för att öppna en multidimensionell existensvärld där överjordisk kommunikation sker. De hävdar att vårt sökande sedan sekler tillbaka efter främmande livsformer har varit missriktat, och att de främmande världar som avspeglas i visionär science fiction i själva verket speglar vårt sinnes inre rymdvärld. Författarna visar att de ”främmande” världar som påträffas till följd av förändrade medvetandetillstånd hos människor, antingen genom användning av psykedelika eller genom andra metoder, äger en verklighetskänsla som är lika stor som, eller större än, den värld som det vardagliga medvetandet uppfattar med våra fem sinnen.

From 1990 to 1995 Dr. Rick Strassman conducted U. S. Government-approved and funded clinical research at the University of New Mexico in which he injected sixty volunteers with DMT, one of the most powerful psychedelics known. His detailed account of those sessions is an extraordinarily riveting inquiry into the nature of the human mind and the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. DMT, a plant-derived chemical found in the psychedelic Amazon brew, ayahuasca, is also manufactured by the human brain. In Strassman's volunteers, it consistently produced near-death and mystical experiences. Many reported convincing encounters with intelligent nonhuman presences, aliens, angels, and spirits. Nearly all felt that the sessions were among the most profound experiences of their lives. Strassman's research connects DMT with the pineal gland, considered by Hindus to be the site of the seventh chakra and by Rene Descartes to be the seat of the soul. DMT: The Spirit Molecule makes the bold case that DMT, naturally released by the pineal gland, facilitates the soul's movement in and out of the body and is an integral part of the birth and death experiences, as well as the highest states of meditation and even sexual transcendence. Strassman also believes that ""alien abduction experiences"" are brought on by accidental releases of DMT. If used wisely, DMT could trigger a period of remarkable progress in the scientific exploration of the most mystical regions of the human mind and soul.