Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences

ISBN-13: 9780231174060 / Angielski / Twarda / 2015 / 280 str.

William A. Richards

Opis

Sacred Knowledge is the first well-documented, sophisticated account of the effect of psychedelics on biological processes, human consciousness, and revelatory religious experiences. Based on nearly three decades of legal research with volunteers, William A. Richards argues that, if used responsibly and legally, psychedelics have the potential to assuage suffering and constructively affect the quality of human life.

Richards's analysis contributes to social and political debates over the responsible integration of psychedelic substances into modern society. His book serves as an invaluable resource for readers who, whether spontaneously or with the facilitation of psychedelics, have encountered meaningful, inspiring, or even disturbing states of consciousness and seek clarity about their experiences. Testing the limits of language and conceptual frameworks, Richards makes the most of experiential phenomena that stretch our conception of reality, advancing new frontiers in the study of belief, spiritual awakening, psychiatric treatment, and social well-being. His findings enrich humanities and scientific scholarship, expanding work in philosophy, anthropology, theology, and religious studies and bringing depth to research in mental health, psychotherapy, and psychopharmacology.

Recenzje

Richards' Sacred Knowledge is not a tome, but rather a concise work rich with personal stories, observations and insights into a compelling topic, long ignored and now garnering the attention it has long deserved. Charles S. Grob, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, UCLA School of Medicine

O autorze

William A. Richards is a clinical psychologist with formal training in theology and comparative religion at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Earlier in his career, he pursued psychedelic research at the Spring Grove Hospital and Maryland Psychiatric Research Center in Baltimore. His graduate education included studies at Yale University, Brandeis University, Catholic University, the Andover-Newton Theological School, and the University of Göttingen.