The Psychedelic Experience: Difference between revisions

The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead
Author	Timothy Leary; Ralph Metzner; Richard Alpert;
Language	English
Publication date	1964
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardcover & Paperback)

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The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead (commonly referred to as The Psychedelic Experience) is a 1964 book about using psychedelic drugs that was coauthored by Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner and Richard Alpert. All three authors had taken part in research investigating the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin and mescaline in addition to the ability of these substances to sometimes induce religious and mystical states of consciousness.

Composition and publication

The text was started as early as 1962 as part of the Zihuatanejo Project in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. It was published in August 1964.^[1]

A reading from the book was recorded by the authors on an LP under the name The Psychedelic Experience in 1966. It was reissued on CD by Folkways Records in 2003.

Purpose

The book is dedicated to Aldous Huxley, an early proponent of psychedelics, and includes a short introductory citation from The Doors of Perception, Huxley's 1954 nonfiction work on the subject.

The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a Tibetan Buddhist text that was written as a guide for navigating the process of death, the bardo and rebirth into another form. The text of The Psychedelic Experience discusses the Tibetan Book of the Dead and use the process of death and rebirth presented in it as a metaphor for the experience of ego death or depersonalization that is commonly experienced under the influence of psychedelic drugs. The psychedelic internal "journey" is thus likened to a metaphorical death-rebirth experience, with the text intended as a guide.

It therefore discusses the various phases of ego death that can occur on psychedelics and gives specific instructions on how one should regard them and act during each of these different phases. In addition to containing more general advice for the readers on how to use psychedelics, the book also includes selections of writing presented with the intent for them to be read aloud during events during which users take psychedelics collectively.

Use in other works

Part of this text was used by The Beatles in their 1966 song "Tomorrow Never Knows."^{[citation needed]}

References

^ Greenfield, Robert (2006). Timothy Leary: A Biography. Harcourt Publishers. pp. 187, 219. ISBN 0-15-100500-1.

External links

The Psychedelic Experience at Lycaeum
Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thödol) at Oxford Research. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.200

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[1] Greenfield, Robert (2006). Timothy Leary: A Biography. Harcourt Publishers. pp. 187, 219. ISBN 0-15-100500-1.

[1]

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+{{Short description|Book by Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner, and Richard Alpert}}
+{{for|the phenomenon|Psychedelic experience}}
 {{Infobox book
 | name          = The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead
@@ Line 5: / Line 7: @@
 | image         = The Psychedelic Experience.jpg
 | caption =
-| author        = [[Timothy Leary]], [[Ralph Metzner]] and [[Richard Alpert]]
+| author        = {{ubl|[[Timothy Leary]]|[[Ralph Metzner]]|[[Richard Alpert]]}}
 | illustrator   =
 | cover_artist  =
@@ Line 26: / Line 28: @@
 }}
-'''''The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead''''' (commonly referred to as '''''The Psychedelic Experience''''') is a book about using [[psychedelic drugs]] that was coauthored by [[Timothy Leary]], [[Ralph Metzner]] and [[Richard Alpert]], all of whom had previously taken part in research investigating the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs such as [[LSD]], [[psilocybin]] and [[mescaline]] in addition to the ability of these substances to sometimes induce religious and mystical states of consciousness. Started as early as 1962 in [[Zihuatanejo]], the book was finally published in August 1964.<ref>{{cite book |last= Greenfield |first= Robert |date= 2006 |title= Timothy Leary: A Biography |pages= 187&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;219 |publisher= Harcourt Publishers |isbn= 0-15-100500-1 }}</ref>  The ''[[Tibetan Book of the Dead]]'' is a Tibetan Buddhist text that was written as a guide for navigating the process of death, the bardo and rebirth. In ''The Psychedelic Experience'' the authors discuss the ''Tibetan Book of the Dead'' and use the process of death and rebirth presented in it as a metaphor for the experience of ego death or depersonalization that is commonly experienced under the influence of psychedelic drugs. Similar to how the intended function of the ''Tibetan Book of the Dead'' is to be used as a guide for death and rebirth, ''The Psychedelic Experience'' is meant to be used as a guide on how to properly handle experiences of ego death occurring under the influence of psychedelics. The book discusses the various phases of ego death that can occur on psychedelics and gives specific instructions on how one should regard them and act during each of these different phases. In addition to containing more general advice for the readers on how to use psychedelics, the book also includes selections of writing presented with the intent for them to be read aloud during events where groups of people take psychedelic drugs together. The book is dedicated to [[Aldous Huxley]] and includes a short introductory citation from Huxley's book ''[[The Doors of Perception]]''.
+'''''The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead''''' (commonly referred to as '''''The Psychedelic Experience''''') is a 1964 book about using [[psychedelic drugs]] that was coauthored by [[Timothy Leary]], [[Ralph Metzner]] and [[Richard Alpert]]. All three authors had  taken part in research investigating the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs such as [[Lysergic acid diethylamide|LSD]], [[psilocybin]] and [[mescaline]] in addition to the ability of these substances to sometimes induce religious and mystical states of consciousness.
+==Composition and publication==
-Part of this text was used by the [[Beatles]] in the song [[Tomorrow Never Knows]]. A reading from the book was recorded by the authors on an LP under the name ''The Psychedelic Experience'' in 1966, and reissued on CD by Folkways in 2003.
+The text was started as early as 1962 as part of the [[Zihuatanejo Project]] in [[Zihuatanejo]], Mexico. It was published in August 1964.<ref>{{cite book |last= Greenfield |first= Robert |date= 2006 |title= Timothy Leary: A Biography |pages= [https://archive.org/details/timothylearybiog00gree/page/187 187], [https://archive.org/details/timothylearybiog00gree/page/219 219] |publisher= Harcourt Publishers |isbn= 0-15-100500-1 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/timothylearybiog00gree }}</ref>
+A reading from the book was recorded by the authors on an LP under the name ''The Psychedelic Experience'' in 1966. It was reissued on CD by [[Folkways Records]] in 2003.
-==See also==
-*[[Crank's Ridge]]
+==Purpose==
-*[[Ego death]]
+{{refimprove|section|date=April 2016}}
-*[[Psychedelic experience]]
+The book is dedicated to [[Aldous Huxley]], an early proponent of psychedelics, and includes a short introductory citation from ''[[The Doors of Perception]]'', Huxley's 1954 nonfiction work on the subject.
-*[[Zihuatanejo Project]]
+The ''[[Tibetan Book of the Dead]]'' is a Tibetan Buddhist text that was written as a guide for navigating the process of death, the ''[[bardo]]'' and rebirth into another form. The text of ''The Psychedelic Experience'' discusses the ''Tibetan Book of the Dead'' and use the process of death and rebirth presented in it as a metaphor for the experience of [[ego death]] or [[depersonalization]] that is commonly experienced under the influence of psychedelic drugs. The psychedelic internal "[[psychedelic experience|journey]]" is thus likened to a metaphorical death-rebirth experience, with the text intended as a guide.
+It therefore discusses the various phases of ego death that can occur on psychedelics and gives specific instructions on how one should regard them and act during each of these different phases. In addition to containing more general advice for the readers on how to use psychedelics, the book also includes selections of writing presented with the intent for them to be read aloud during events during which users take psychedelics collectively.
+==Use in other works==
+Part of this text was used by [[The Beatles]] in their 1966 song "[[Tomorrow Never Knows]]."{{cn|date=July 2021}}
 ==References==
@@ Line 40: / Line 50: @@
 ==External links==
-* [http://www.lycaeum.org/books/books/psychedelic_experience/tib1.html The Psychedelic Experience] at [http://www.lycaeum.org Lycaeum]
+* [http://www.lycaeum.org/books/books/psychedelic_experience/tib1.html ''The Psychedelic Experience''] at [http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160516174750/http://www.lycaeum.org/ Lycaeum]
+* ''Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thödol)'' at Oxford Research.  {{doi|10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.200}}
+{{Ram Dass|state=collapsed}}
+{{Timothy Leary}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Psychedelic Experience}}
-[[Category:1964 books]]
+[[Category:1964 non-fiction books]]
+[[Category:Books about consciousness]]
+[[Category:Books about LSD]]
 [[Category:Books by Timothy Leary]]
+[[Category:Collaborative non-fiction books]]
 [[Category:Psychedelic literature]]
+[[Category:Ram Dass]]

v t e Ram Dass
Writings	The Psychedelic Experience (1964) Be Here Now (1971)
Other work	Harvard Psilocybin Project Zihuatanejo Project Seva Foundation Prison-Ashram Project
Associations	Timothy Leary Bhagavan Das Neem Karoli Baba Baba Hari Dass
Related	Marsh Chapel Experiment Millbrook Lama Foundation Dying to Know: Ram Dass & Timothy Leary (2014 documentary) Ram Dass, Going Home (2017 documentary) "Tomorrow Never Knows" (song) "Be Here Now" (song)

v t e Timothy Leary
Bibliography
Books	The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead (1964) High Priest (1968) Neurologic (1973) Flashbacks (1983)
Theories	Reality tunnel
Philosophy	Eight-circuit model of consciousness
Models	Interpersonal circumplex
Research	Harvard Psilocybin Project Concord Prison Experiment Marsh Chapel Experiment League for Spiritual Discovery
Communities	Zihuatanejo Project Millbrook
Music	Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out (1967 album) "Give Peace a Chance" (1969, vocals) You Can Be Anyone This Time Around (1970 album)
Collaborators	Ram Dass Ralph Metzner Robert Anton Wilson
Related	Set and setting Turn on, tune in, drop out Question authority Ego death Leary–Lettvin debate Leary v. United States "Tomorrow Never Knows" (1966 song) "Legend of a Mind" (1968 song) "Come Together" (1969 song) Return Engagement (1983 documentary) The Sekhmet Hypothesis (1995 book) Dying to Know: Ram Dass & Timothy Leary (2014 documentary) Joanna Harcourt-Smith Winona Ryder (goddaughter)