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Excerpt: from "Your Extraordinary Mind - Psychedelics in the 21st Century and How to Use Them"

Oct 10, 2024

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The following is an excerpt from my upcoming book which will be released on April 29th, 2025 on SoundsTrue. (From the Introduction)


Every psychedelic trip has its beginnings. For some people, it’s setting an intention for what they hope to contemplate during their experience—that thirst for a transcendental connection that

may appear, however fleeting. For those suffering from mental health disorders, their journey may begin with the suggestion that there is another route to ease their suffering. For the mystically inclined, it may be that warm hug when the medicine starts to kick in and the unsettling satisfaction of knowing that, for the next few hours, they will be greeted with insight into the idea that whatever they think reality is, it’s not. There are so many unique and varied reasons why someone might want to set forth on the ancient yet modernly rele- vant practice of using psychedelic plants and medicines.


Just as there are many reasons why people may want to use psyche- delics today, there are many origins and histories of these substances and their culture. As we explore the colorful tapestries within these mind-expanding plants and chemicals, we begin to see some histori- cal commonalities that anyone interested in using psychedelics should take the time to understand before embarking on their discovery of their mind’s inner workings.


My life is a living example of this sequence of events. I grew up in a household so full of psychedelic lore that my childhood mind vibrated with an unwavering curiosity about what these drugs were all about and why the man who was raising me was so famous. Contrary to popular opinion, when I first considered the idea of using psychedelics at age fifteen, my parents were not okay with me becom- ing a teenage psychonaut, aka a psychedelic explorer. I was following the Grateful Dead around the country, and there was no way I could “just say no.” My father sat me down and said plainly, “Zach, LSD is a very powerful tool, and you have to know that your brain is not fully developed yet. I strongly encourage you to wait until you’re older before taking it.”


Of course I didn’t. Even so, my father’s cautionary advice took hold in my mind, and I became a very cautious and deliberate young acid head who tried to make sure the principles of “set and setting” were adhered to for every trip I went on. “Set” is the voyager’s mindset and inner condition, and “setting” is the environment in which you surround yourself while on the drug.

Looking back on those days, now thirty-five years ago, a huge part of my curiosity was rooted in the cultural tradition I was surrounded by. Twentieth-century psychedelic luminaries like Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, John C. Lilly, Terence McKenna, and Dr. Oz Janiger were all fix- tures in my home, and that, combined with the seductive power of the Dead’s scene, made me feel like I was being lured into a hero’s journey that I was yet to fully understand, but I sure as hell was going to try.

Oct 10, 2024

2 min read

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