TOM SHRODER is an award-winning journalist, editor, and author of Old Souls, a classic study of the intersection between mysticism and science. As editor of The Washington Post Magazine, he conceived and edited two Pulitzer Prize winning feature stories. His most recent editing project, Top Secret America: The Rise of the New American Security State, by Dana Priest and William Arkin, was a New York Times bestseller."
"Shroder filters the psychedelic world [and] presents a compelling
case for supporting responsible, rigorous research of psychedelic
compounds... Empty your mind of any preconceptions about
psychedelic drugs and enjoy a fascinating trip through the
politics, science, history, and promise of these controversial
chemical compounds."
- Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
"A well-respected journalist offers evidence, both empirical and
anecdotal, about the therapeutic benefits of psychedelic drugs...
this clear-eyed account [explores] both the complex history of the
issue and the current thinking on the use of LSD, Ecstasy and other
psychotropic substances for healing troubled minds... Occasionally,
the stories are amusing... often, they're moving... a perceptive
criticism of the failings of America's war on drugs, and Shroder
delivers an important historical perspective on a highly
controversial issue in modern medicine." - Kirkus
"[Acid Test] explores the therapeutic possibilities of LSD and
Ecstasy (MDMA), and, more broadly, the potential of the human
mind... Guided by Shroder's easy narrative tone, readers follow an
activist, a marine, and a physician-turned-psychiatrist who
developed a philosophy of psychedelic therapy through
self-experimentation... Shroder both informs readers about the
drugs' shadowy pasts and provides insight into the future of mental
health." - Publishers Weekly
"This is not about the 60's. This book reveals the ongoing struggle
to create valuable lasting therapies for PTSD in all its forms.
Funny, hopeful, and sad by turns, these stories make me believe
that someday soon, MDMA will be accepted as valuable, even
desirable, to counteract the despair of so many returning veterans
and other souls whose lives are turned upside down by PTSD. If ever
interventions are needed, it is now. Acid Test presents an
alternative to anguish and anxiety, showing a route of return to
balance by use of compassionate therapies along with an outlaw
drug. Millions of Americans suffer from the terrors of war or
crime, and perhaps soon, we can say help is on the way."
- Carolyn Garcia, also known as Mountain Girl, a former Merry
prankster and wife of Jerry Garcia
"Over the last thirty years women have gone from the kitchen to the
boardroom, people of color from the woodshed to the White House,
gay men and women from the closet to the altar, and all of us have
embraced a new vision of life itself on this fragile blue planet.
Yet when we recall the factors that unleashed these dramatic
transformations there is one ingredient in the recipe of social
change that is always expunged from the record: the fact that
millions of us lay prostrate before the gates of awe having
ingested LSD or some other psychedelic. Tom Shroder's Acid Test is
an inspiring and profoundly hopeful book."
- Wade Davis, author of The Serpent and the Rainbow
"Tom Shroder has written a book that is at once captivating and
utterly surprising, with mind-blowing revelations of a lost
history. The scourge of war and trauma and the mysteries of human
consciousness fills virtually every one of the gripping chapters.
With its impressive research, masterful storytelling and
ultimately, the possibility of hope and healing, Acid Test is
destined to be an important book."
- Brigid Schulte, author of Overwhelmed
"Acid Test is a trip of a different kind. Tom Shroder makes the
hunt for relief from modern wars' biggest killers - depression and
post-traumatic stress disorder-come alive in bright, unforgettable
colors, characters and emotions."
- Dana Priest, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and
author of Top Secret America
"Acid Test is a breath of fresh air after half a century of general
hysteria, misinformation, confusion and questionable decisions of
scientific, political, and legal authorities concerning psychedelic
substances. Tom Shroder's fascinating, well - researched, and
clearly written account of psychedelic history, from the discovery
of LSD to the current worldwide renaissance of interest in these
remarkable substances and revival of research in this area, is a
tour de force. Most important socially, economically, and
politically - is the book's focus on the psychedelic newcomer MDMA
(Ecstasy). The pilot studies of this substance suggest that it
might play an important role in helping to solve the formidable
problem of PTSD that kills more American soldiers than the weapons
of enemies."
- Stanislav Grof, M.D., author of LSD Psychotherapy, The Ultimate
Journey, and Psychology of the Future
"I read Acid Test with wonder and excitement. Wonder at seeing a
controversial topic through Tom Shroder's fresh and lucid eyes. And
excitement at the promise of healing that he reveals."
- David Von Drehle, author of Rise to Greatness: Abraham Lincoln
and America's Most Perilous Year
"Tom Shroder weaves together three compelling stories with such
mastery that Acid Test reads like a first-rate novel. The book is
that much more intriguing and consequential though because the
stories are true and the subject matter - the healing of post -
traumatic stress - of great currency and importance. We need to
know how to treat the trauma that afflicts most of the world or we
re in deep trouble."
- Richard Rockefeller, former chairman of U.S. Advisory Board of
Doctors Without Borders
"If you think LSD is a relic of the Sixties, or good for nothing
except getting high, you need to read this riveting and important
book. It's the fascinating story of how LSD and MDMA can, with
controlled use, bring near-miraculous benefits to people suffering
from mental trauma. Tom Shroder is a fine journalist and a terrific
writer; in Acid Test, he's written a book that should start a
long-overdue national conversation, and someday may help to end a
lot of unnecessary suffering."
- Dave Barry
"A captivating narrative with irresistible characters. It will
leave you wondering whether we have the moral right to oppose this
breakthrough therapy."
- Gene Weingarten, two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author of The
Fiddler in the Subway
"Acid Test is a superb book. The people Tom Shroder introduces us
to are across-the-board fascinating, the reporting he's done is
deep and persuasive, and the writing is dazzling. Best of all,
though, is what any open-minded reader will feel after finishing
Acid Test In a world of hurt, here is a new version of hope."
- David Finkel, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Good Soldiers
and Thank You for Your Service
"Acid Test is a trip of a different kind. Tom Shroder makes the
hunt for relief from modern wars' biggest killers - depression and
post-traumatic stress disorder - come alive in bright,
unforgettable colors, characters and emotions."
- Dana Priest, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and
author of Top Secret America
"Faced with the challenge to alleviate the suffering of today's
combat veterans, we must open ourselves to considering new
modalities, revisiting therapeutic agents criminalized by fear and
ideology, and harnessing the power of healing rituals and ancient
wisdom. Tom Shroder's Acid Test offers a timely and compelling
story of stories, illustrating the struggles and opportunities for
hope and healing. Put politics and preconceptions aside; open your
mind; read this book; follow the data; and speak truth to power so
that scientific rigor and emerging knowledge can lead the way. We
owe our fellow humans no less."
- Loree Sutton, psychiatrist, retired US Army Brigadier General and
founding director of the Defense Centers of Excellence for
Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury
[A] thoughtful, provocative book about the therapeutic promise of
psychedelic drugs. A terrific storyteller, Shroder crafts
compelling and convincing [character] portraits never losing a
light, often funny touch.
David Burr Gerrard, Biographile
[A] fascinating tale Acid Test reaches its positively thrilling
climax in [a patient s] intense ecstasy-assisted therapy sessions
Reading about the relief Blackston experienced practically brings
tears to the eyes. Acid Test makes a convincing case that such
therapies ought to be prescribable by all practicing
psychiatrists.
Gregory Crouch, The Washington Post
Shroder's truly open mind is subjected to three men a New Age-y
foundation director, an ER doctor, and a Marine with PTSD who
believe that psychedelic drugs like Ecstasy may help some victims
of trauma and brain injury. Shroder's careful observation and
research make this book serious, but his curiosity and lively
intelligence make [Acid Test] a great read.
Bethanne Patrick, Washingtonian
[A]book that weaves intimate biographies of key players in
psychedelic researchwith the stories of the patients they aim to
help....Acid Testis a crucial addition to the story of science's
psychedelic renaissance.
Reason Magazine
[E]xciting and energizing Acid Test is much more than just a
history book Everyone in this inspiring book comes to the same
basic conclusions: that shifts happen when difficult feelings are
accepted rather than repressed, and that psychedelic drugs do not
create new worlds, but simply reveal what is already in the
mind.
Tania Glyde, The Lancet"
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