Sacred Knowledge : Psychedelics and Religious Experiences.

Intro -- Table of Contents -- Foreword, by G. William Barnard -- Preface: One Discovery of Transcendence -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Note to the Reader -- Part I. Setting the Stage -- 1. The Death and Rebirth of Psychedelic Research -- 2. Orientation, Definitions, and the Limits of Language -- 3. Revelation and Doubt -- Part II. Mystical and Visionary Forms of Consciousness -- 4. Intuitive Knowledge -- 5. Approaches to Unitive Consciousness -- 6. New Perspectives on Time and Space -- 7. Visions and Archetypes -- Part III. Personal and Interpersonal Dynamics -- 8. The Interpersonal and the Mystical -- 9. Experiences of Meaninglessness, Despair, and Somatic Discomfort -- 10. Religious Conversion and Psychodynamic Experiences -- 11. Discipline and Integration -- 12. Reflections on Death -- Part IV. Present and Future Applications of Entheogens -- 13. Psychedelic Frontiers in Medicine -- 14. Psychedelic Frontiers in Education -- 15. Psychedelic Frontiers in Religion -- 16. Maximizing the Probability of Safety and Benefit -- Part V. Onward -- 17. Fears of Awakening -- 18. Entering Into a New Paradigm -- 19. Movement Into the Future -- Epilogue: A Concise Report of Insights from the Frontier Where Science and Spirituality Are Meeting -- Selected Bibliography -- A Hopkins Playlist for Psilocybin Studies (2008 Version) -- Untitled -- Subject Index.

Sacred Knowledge is the first well-documented, sophisticated account of the effect of psychedelics on biological processes, human consciousness, and revelatory religious experiences. Richards argues that, if used responsibly and legally, psychedelics have incredible potential to assuage human suffering and contribute to the quality of life.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.