Explores the benefits, risks, and growing acceptance of modern psychedelic therapy

• Examines the contemporary psychedelic phenomenon, including the history of criminalization and legalization, psychedelics’ effects on the brain, recent clinical research, and new therapeutic potentials

• Explores substances like psilocybin, LSD, DMT, ayahuasca, ketamine, and MDMA, including scientific evidence for psychedelics’ potential to treat addiction, depression, anxiety, trauma, and neurodegenerative diseases

• Includes extensive practical information on safety, risk, and harm reduction for both laypeople and mental health practitioners

Presenting a comprehensive guide to the exciting new landscape around psychedelics, psychopharmacologist and researcher Anton Gomez-Escolar examines the long history of criminalizing and (slowly) legalizing these substances and their increasingly demonstrable positive effects on body, mind, and spirit.

Exploring substances like psilocybin, LSD, DMT, ayahuasca, ketamine, MDMA, and others, Gomez-Escolar looks at the multitude of scientific studies providing critical evidence for psychedelics’ ability to treat addiction, depression, anxiety, and trauma, as well as their potential to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. He provides key information for therapists and other health practitioners as well as exploring the benefits of microdosing and the specific ways in which mental health issues related to COVID-19 could be alleviated by psychedelics. Breaking down substances by type, the author looks at the main risks of each psychedelic and its benefits, best harm-reduction strategies, and the neural pathways they affect. Gomez-Escolar also includes a large selection of resources for people seeking to engage personally with psychedelics for healing.

Anton Gomez-Escolar, MPH, MIR, MSc, is a psychopharmacologist who has been working on harm reduction, psychedelic research, and drug science communication for more than a decade at organizations like the European Drugs Agency (EUDA). He is a member of the UNAD Global Drug Policy Commission, and cofounder and board member of the Spanish Society of Psychedelic Medicine (SEMPsi), the INAWE Foundation for the advancement of psychedelic science, and the Psychedelic Society of Madrid. He lives in Madrid.

FOREWORD
by Rick Doblin, Ph.D.

Preface

1 Basic Concepts of Neuroscience and
Neuropharmacology

The Brain and Central Nervous System
Neurons, Synapses, Neurotransmitters, and
Neuroreceptors
Neuropharmacology

2 Introduction to Psychoactive Substances

Talking about Psychoactive Substances
Types of Psychoactive Substances
Stimulants
Depressants
Opioids
Cannabinoids
Empathogens/Entactogens
Dissociatives
Psychedelics

3 A History of Psychedelics in the West

Pre-LSD
Post-LSD
MDMA
After the Ban

4 The Psychedelic Renaissance

Ongoing Psychedelics Research
Social and Cultural Contexts
The Rise of a New Industry

5 How Psychedelics Work

Mechanisms at the Neuroreceptor Level
Mechanisms at the Brain Level
How Does the Brain Work? Hierarchical Predictive Coding
How Do Psychedelics Affect Our Brain Function?
What Happens at the Psychological Level?
Why Do We Have 5-HT2a Receptors and
Psychedelic Experiences?
How Can Psychedelics Help with Mental Health
Disorders or Other Maladaptive Conditions?

6 The Present and Future of Clinical Research
with Psychedelic Drugs

Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Depression and Anxiety
Addictions
Neurodegenerative Diseases, Long COVID,
and Neurorehabiliation
Behavior Change
Couples Therapy and Conflict Resolution
Microdosing
Other Lines of Research for Possible Future Applications

7 The Applications, Effects, Dosages, and
Risks of Different Psychedelic Substances

Psilocybin (“Magic Mushrooms”)
LSD (“Acid”)
DMT/Ayahuasca
5-MeO-DMT (“Toad”)
Mescaline (“Cactus”)
Ibogaine
MDMA (“Ecstasy”)
Ketamine

8 Psychedelic Risks and Harm Reduction Strategies

Risks Related to Substance (Drug)
Dosage, Frequency of Consumption, and Tolerance
Purity and Adulteration
Routes of Administration
Mixtures and Combinations
Risks Related to Person and Context (Set and Setting)
Minimizing Risks Related to the Set
Minimizing Risks Related to the Setting
Managing “Bad Trips” and other Psychedelic Emergencies

9 Conclusions: Looking to the Future

APPENDIX I
Psychedelic Resources

APPENDIX II
The Legal Status of Psychedelic Drugs
around the World

APPENDIX III
Glossary

Index