LSD, Spirituality, and the Creative Process

August 1, 2003
Between 1954 and 1962, Janiger conducted some of the most groundbreaking and controversial research on LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), testing nearly 1000 people. Though authored by medical anthropologist De Rios (Janiger died in 2001), this book is based largely on Janiger's studies and on interviews conducted in the last months of his life. Janiger's study was unique in that he aimed to gauge the effects of LSD on a wide variety of people in "normal" society rather than treating patients with severe psychiatric disorders. During the course of his study, he became interested in the way LSD affected creativity and imagination and began experimenting with artists and documenting the results. This book includes artwork, poetry, and personal narratives from many of the participants. De Rios compares her extensive cross-cultural knowledge of shamanistic religious ceremonies to the LSD experience. She concludes that LSD, under highly controlled circumstances, can help individuals both creatively and spiritually by altering and expanding their consciousness. A scholarly, serious examination of how psychedelic substances can influence expression, this title is recommended for larger collections in psychology, anthropology, and New Age shamanism.-Mimi Davis, Broward Cty. Lib. Dist., Fort Lauderdale, FL

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.