Experiencing Psychedelics - What it’s like to trip on Psilocybin Magic Mushrooms, LSD/Acid, Mescaline And DMT Paperback – August 19, 2020

I've done all the drugs that Alex records. I'm 60 now, and it's been 20 years since my last experience, but the trips described in this book brought back a flood of cherished memories. I remember wandering around Central Park in NYC tripping on Mescaline and riding my bike around Martha's Vineyard at midnight under a full moon while shrooming. DMT in the jungles of Peru with a Shaman. I thought listening to other people's drug trips would be about as interesting as listening to their dreams (not very). I was wrong. This is a great handbook and an honest scout of the land you will enter. Highly recommend the book (and the experiences). Skip weed, cocaine, oxy, heroin. Those drugs don't get you anywhere meaningful. Psychedelics will give you glimpses of another reality, one that this book beautifully describes.

This book does a great job of balancing digestibility with factual descriptions. I've worked in the medical cannabis industry and it is very difficult for the mass populous to discuss the effects of mind-altering substances outside of crass colloquialisms. When we talk amongst friends about Cannabis or Mushrooms or anything like that, the knee jerk go-to is to rate it by how messed up one gets vs describing the experience through a sociological lens. Honestly, I think that's what I've enjoyed so much about this book. The fact that I'm reading detailed experiences with context and substance. Not only is there a need for more literature on these substances that don't solely discuss overly romanticized Alice Through the Looking Glass re-tellings, but there is also a need for more writers who can create engaging material like this which also informs. 5 out of 5 all the way and I can't wait to read more from this author!

The information is fine as far as it goes, and it is non-judgmental in nature. The author gives general disclaimers and cautions the reader about various dangers of taking psychedelics. For the most part, the range of experiences described in the book is illuminating and helpful. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who has already decided to experiment with mushrooms, peyote, LSD or DMT. I wonder what Baba Ram Dass would say about this book. Probably that experimentation with psychedelics is best done while a ‘guide’ is present and that “Put away sharp objects before tripping” is not an adequate precaution before taking a psychedelic drug. I would like to see a framework of mentoring or shamanic protection established as the recommended context for this kind of experimentation.

I have limited experience with these things, and it was many years ago, lol. But our world is changing, and it's become less of an issue for many people. I do have experience with the expansion of my consciousness through more terestrial, spiritual means, and I do appreciate that Gibbons hasn't advocated for the use of these substances so much as shared his considerable experience with them. As another reviewer pointed out, it's honest information, and that's really what you want if you're going to read a book on the subject. Yes, there is more going on in this world and this universe than the vast majority of people living today will ever get to see. Can you see it with substances? I don't know, but I appreciated this well-written, no-nonsense account for the very reason that it is honest, at least as far as an individual accounting can be.

I picked up this one because I've been hearing of new research using psychedelics to help people with PTSD, ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, Addiction, etc., --not in the States, of course. With the myriad of ailments they've found Marijuana to help, and the states that have legalized it, finally, at least for medical purposes, I'm surprised there isn't more research being done to see if these things can help more people. Why is it okay to allow people to suffer if there are cures we know about, but we are too prudish to use them? (Still shaking my head at the ridiculous states that still haven't legalized medical marijuana)We need to come out of the dark ages. I've never used any recreational drug besides alcohol, but even I can see there are benefits if used responsibly.I found the experiences related in this book to be interesting and I enjoyed reading them. I don't think I'd ever try psychedelics, even if legalized, because I'm sure I'd be a bad tripper.However, I did find it fascinating how everyone experiences many of the same things. I do kind of envy the freeing aspect of the trips. That part would be tempting to explore, but again, I know myself, and I don't think I could get past the other parts of the trip.An interesting read. I recommend it.

I’ve always been curious but never quite had the daring to take the plunge with psychedelic mushrooms. At my age, my interest to try has waned some, but I still have great fascination for the topic. I found this book to be an excellent substitute, a chance to get a look-in on what it might be like to trip on said hallucinogenic substances without actually partaking. A win-win for me. Following a thorough disclaimer and intro on the subject the book shares a series of firsthand accounts of peoples’ experience with mushrooms. I found the stories very entertaining and immersive, rich with detail and personal flare, gave me a much better understanding of what the experience might be like. Which is exactly what I was hoping to get out of the book. Though there was some commonality to the reports, they were all, in their own way, quite different. The back end of the book explores DMT. Like the section on mushrooms, very well done and entertaining. Great book, nicely done, “highly” recommended.

I've always been interested with the buzz of psychedelics on podcasts and this book really helped me understand them more!