The acclaimed discoverer of LSD's personal experiences and thoughts on chemistry, the natural sciences, mind-altering drugs, the soul, and the search for happiness

• Shares a different side of the father of LSD, one known only to his friends and close colleagues

• Explains Hofmann's different methods of pharmaceutical research based on traditional plant medicine

• Includes the poetry of this mystical prophet of psychedelic science

Best known as the first person to synthesize, ingest, and discover the psychedelic effects of LSD, Albert Hofmann was more than just a chemist. A pioneer in the field of visionary plant research, he was one of the first people to suggest the use of entheogens for psychological healing and spiritual growth. His insights into the consciousness-expanding effects of psychedelics as well as human nature, the psyche, and the nature of reality earned him a reputation as a mystical scientist and visionary philosopher.

This book--Hofmann's last work before his death in 2008 at the age of 102--offers the acclaimed scientist's personal experiences and thoughts on chemistry, the natural sciences, mind-altering drugs, the soul, and the search for happiness and meaning in life. Hofmann explains different methods of pharmaceutical research based on traditional plant medicine and discusses psilocybin, the active compound in psychedelic mushrooms that he discovered. He examines the psychological role of psychoactives, their therapeutic potential, and their use in easing the life-to-death transition. Sharing a different side of the father of LSD, one known only to his friends and close colleagues, this book also includes the poetry of this mystical prophet of psychedelic science.

Autorentext

Albert Hofmann (1906-2008), the father of LSD, was a world-renowned scientist, member of the Nobel Prize Committee, Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences, and member of the International Society of Plant Research and of the American Society of Pharmacognosy. He was a leader in pharmaceutical-chemical research and the author of several books, including LSD: My Problem Child.

Inhalt

Translator's Note

Foreword by Christian Rätsch

1 Planning and Chance in Pharmaceutical and Chemical Research

2 Can Insight into the Truths of Natural Science Be Therapeutically Effective in Psychology?

3 Meditation and Sensory Perception: The Search for Happiness and Meaning

4 The Use of Psychedelics for the Great Transition

Albert Hofmann: The Boundary Walker
A Tribute by Roger Liggenstorfer

St. Albert and the LSD Revelation Revolution
An Afterword by Alex Grey

About the Author

Index