Acid Test: LSD, Ecstasy, and the Power to Heal Audio CD – Unabridged, August 11, 2015

Here's my review of Tom Shroder's Acid Test, reprinted from my blog Reason and Magic at www.geoffgilpin.com.Acid Test: LSD, Ecstasy, and the Power to Heal by Tom Shroder is the book that a lot of us in the psychedelic research community have been waiting for. To understand why, consider the following excerpt in which Shroder retells the famous story of Albert Hoffman’s discovery of LSD.“First the drug had to be tested extensively on animals to determine any acutely toxic effects that Hofmann had merely been lucky to survive. Animal tests would eventually provide some curious results. Mice given LSD moved erratically and showed ‘alterations in licking behavior.’ Cats’ hair stood on end and they salivated, indications they were having hallucinations that were threatening or enticing. When researchers introduced mice into the cats’ cages, instead of attacking, the felines would ignore the rodents’ intrusion or sometimes even appear frightened by them. Dosed chimpanzees did not show any obvious signs of being affected, but the normal chimps around them tended to become extremely upset, which Hofmann attributed to the test animals’ failure to maintain social norms perceptible only to the chimps.”Shroder enlivens this familiar story with intriguing details and remarkably clear prose. He turns a journalist’s critical eye on a notoriously fuzzy topic. There’s no metaphysical speculation in Acid Test, just moving stories of people whose lives were changed by nature’s most powerful and mysterious psychoactive chemicals.Shroder focuses on three individuals:Nicholas Blackston is a former US Marine who fought in Iraq. His horrific experiences in combat left him scarred by post-traumatic stress disorder.Michael Mithoefer is a psychiatrist who discovered the transformative power of LSD as a college student. He conducts research studies using the psychedelic/stimulant MDMA (“Ecstasy”).Rick Doblin is the founder of MAPS, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. He has been a leading advocate of psychedelic research for decades.Shroder weaves the stories of these three lives together with the twisty legal and scientific history of psychedelics. He uncovers some fascinating and little-known pieces of the tale. For example:“By the mid-1950s, researchers had experimented with LSD during therapy for various neuroses, depression, addiction, psychosomatic illness, and emotional and physical trauma. Scores of trials including hundreds of subjects were conducted, and most reported positive results. In 1954, psychiatrists at an English hospital set aside an entire ward for conducting LSD therapy with patients who had severe, chronic, treatment-resistant mental illness. They concluded that sixty-one out of ninety-four patients recovered or improved after six months. LSD appeared to be ‘of utmost value in psychotherapy,’ the lead investigators concluded…”Shroder makes it clear that psychedelics were a well-established and promising tool for research and therapy in the 1950s and 60s. We can’t calculate the cost of the War on Drugs to human life or scientific progress. We can, however, be grateful that organizations like MAPS and the Heffter Research Institute kept the flame burning during dark times.The stories of Shroder’s three protagonists come together near the end of the book when Nicholas Blackston enrolls in a MAPS-sponsored study on the use of MDMA for treating PTSD. Ecstasy helped Blackston escape from the prison of war trauma and discover new freedom. Today, he’s an eloquent advocate for psychedelic therapy and living proof of its success.If you’re new to psychedelic studies, this book is an excellent starting point. Shroder, the editor of the Washington Post magazine, knows how to present a big and complicated story in human terms. He has a gift for wrapping hard issues in a compelling narrative. The one thing I would have done differently is to shift the balance of the book’s content to include more on psychedelics and less biographical detail. That’s a quibble, however.I hope that Tom Shroder continues to cover psychedelic research. We need him.

I agree with the reviewer who said the personal stories go on too long. This may be wise for setting a good foundation for people new to the psychological benefits of psychedelic and mdma therapy; but for those of us who use these sacraments in our spiritual practice, this was little more than biography. Yes I enjoyed learning more of Doblin's background, or Mithoefler, but I read about these guys all the time in the entheogenic literature. Now i know that MAPS and those who conduct these important studies are necessary to gently widen the crack into the resistant mindset of the mainstream objectified materialist researchers. And I strongly suspect Doblin and these fellows speak of far wilder realities in private.Still, I was hoping for a much broader survey, showing how these wonderful substances are opening hidden doors for many who have suffered long, or for spiritual seekers hoping for more than grape juice and bread wafer "communion" with the Divine. It made its point with detailed histories, and that serves a purpose for the academics. But .... **eff those guys! What a pity we have to prove to the "meatheads" that there is some value to these sacraments!Many of us in the underground gnostic community use these substances, in combination, and with others. MAPS etc., timidly tiptoes around mixes like acid+mdma, (and I understand why), but here is where the action is, cross pollination between the visionary and the heart centered. Dynamite. There is a Zen book, some title like After the Ecstasy, the Laundry! True enuff! BUT.... how about, After the Ecstasy, and the psychological cleansing and Release, the Joy of knowing Self as Spiritual Being? THIS is the ferment that will change and uplift human evolution.Sure these "medicines" have to be sold to the establishment as tools to "normalize" people, so they can "fit in" to society. But there is a secret and open joke: Society is neurotic with its fixation on physical gratification and self-indulgence, being "happy." The spiritual Path is that of the warrior, to learn to BE whether you are "happy" or not. To co-operate in the Great Process. We don't want to "fit into" a neurotic society, we want to shake it up, drive out the demons, promote the purification of the instincts, release the Love of the Good in each Heart, and to show peeps that they are so much more than this present suffering personality. And release their Divine Sparks of creativity for our collective betterment. To be in a Commonwealth where the Pursuit of Happiness is seen for what it really is: the release of spiritual Fire.But as they say, be wise as serpents, and as gentle as doves. On with the studies...

Published in 2014, it could use an update given continued advancements in research and policy, but a great read. It’s afascinating dive into some of the key players in the history of psychedelics and the current resurgence of research into its therapeutic usage. It’s emphasis on vets and trauma survivors humanizes the issue.

Written in a novelesque, biographical style, following the lives of three men; two of which are important in the foundations of MDMA therapy, and one who is an excellent example of MDMA's success in treating posttraumatic stress syndrome. Once you have gotten used to the format and writing style , then the book will take on a life of it's own. This book is a well thought out unusual presentation of the subject, making the case for the legalization and incorporation of M D M A into mainstream psychotherapy. So for those interested in the value of psychedelically assisted mental therapy, this book will show the value of it, and describe the ongoing governmentally sponsored double-blind and scientifically correct research studies. By the end of it, the book will have convinced the reader of the solid foundation that the future of psychotheraputally mediated MDMA will rest upon. Yes, the future of mental health therapy will be certain to use MDMA in many applications. Highly recommended to those with a mind.S

A very entertaining look at the state of psychedelic research today and the Herculean efforts of a number of folks to bring powerful healing medicine to those who need it most. Highly recommended.

Interesting book. I liked the way it is written, jumping between the 3 main characters. However, it is 90% about mdma rather than LSD, which I found it a bit misleading considering the title. Worthy read nevertheless, and Rick Doblin is an absolute legend for his lifelong mission.

This book reads like a thriller, but gives you a insiders view of the rejuvenating field of psychedelic research.The accounts of the various main protagonists made me laugh, get angry, and towards the end - cry.I recommend it wholeheartedly.

An excellent book written for an even more praiseworthy cause. Honest, frank, with plenty of inspiring life stories from game-changing people with a vision, for whom giving up their dreams is just not an option. I recommend it.

Really opened my eyes and written in page turning proses.