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The Secret Chief Revealed: Conversations with Leo Zeff, pioneer in the underground psychedelic therapy movement

Myron J. Stolaroff,

Stanislav Grof (Prologue),

Ann Shulgin (Tribute),

Albert Hofmann (Foreword by),

Sasha Shulgi (Epilogue)

4.19 · Rating details · 108 ratings · 8 reviews

Conversations with Leo Zeff, pioneer in the underground psychedelic therapy movement.

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Paperback, Revised edition, 176 pages

Published January 1st 2004 by MAPS (first published 1997)

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Start your review of The Secret Chief Revealed: Conversations with Leo Zeff, pioneer in the underground psychedelic therapy movement

Aug 25, 2013 Sam rated it it was amazing

This is an amazing resource for anyone who is interested in learning about psychedelics, or with psychedelics.

Leo Zeff (AKA Jacob, or The Secret Chief) was a therapist who saw such tremendous results from the therapeutic application of psychedelics that he continued to quietly work with them after they were made illegal. Since he has passed on, his story and identity are now okay to reveal.

"The Secret Chief" nickname was given to Zeff by none other than Terrance McKenna. Zeff was one of the ma ...more

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Jul 31, 2009 Cooper Cooper rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book is about a psychologist, "Jacob" (pseudonym), who applied psychedelic drugs throughout his practice of psychotherapy until his death twenty or so ago—in spite of the fact that such drugs had been declared illegal in the mid-60's. The body of the book is an interview with Jacob conducted in the early 80s but never before published; this is followed by an appendix paraphrasing the drug experiences of five of his clients, and an appendix listing resources for those interested in psychede This book is about a psychologist, "Jacob" (pseudonym), who applied psychedelic drugs throughout his practice of psychotherapy until his death twenty or so ago—in spite of the fact that such drugs had been declared illegal in the mid-60's. The body of the book is an interview with Jacob conducted in the early 80s but never before published; this is followed by an appendix paraphrasing the drug experiences of five of his clients, and an appendix listing resources for those interested in psychedelic therapy. The drugs favored by Jacob: LSD (he always started a series with LSD), sacred mushrooms (Psilocybe cubensis), mescaline, MDA, MDMA ("Ecstasy"), harmaline (yage') and ibogaine. Each has a somewhat different effect.
In successive chapters, Jacob discusses the preparation for a psychedelic session, the setting, the session itself, the dosages, and outcomes.
Apart from "here's how to do it right," the book's main messages are:

*Psychedelics have shown great promise as adjuncts to psychotherapy and "growth." In therapy, it allows many to break through personality blocks, resolve problems with relationships, and get on with more productive lives. As for growth, it allows many to see the world in new ways—sometimes yielding the same sort of epiphanies that are sparked by near-death experiences (everything in universe is interconnected, love is the answer, life continues after death, etc.)

*In spite of their promise psychedelics were banned in the 60s because they became associated with the youth movement, with its anti-establishment, anti-Vietnam War orientation; because of "Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out" promoters of hedonism like Allen Ginsburg and Timothy Leary; and more generally because of the America's hypermaterialism and its residual puritanism (salvation through work, suspicious of pleasure, there is no free lunch, if it comes too easily it must be bad, etc.). The effect of the ban was to kill legitimate research and therapy, overcrowd the prisons with minor offenders, and strengthen the drug mafia—without, of course, seriously impeding the recreational use of psychedelics in the general population. Much like Prohibition.

*The media acted irresponsibly (surprise!) during the rise of psychedelics by sensationalizing the dangers and the bizarreness but not the benefits. (For a reference point, imagine banning most prescription drugs because almost all of them trigger side-effects in some people. Better yet, imagine emphasizing the negative aspects of the automobile, which in the U.S. alone routinely kills over forty thousand people and injures over a million, year after year after year. Or booze, which, among other things, colludes with the automobile in a third of its manslaughters).

*The set, setting and procedure of the drug sessions are as important as—if not more important than—the drugs themselves. Preparation and expectations are key. Many longtime recreational users never had a notable experience with psychedelics until they went through a well-designed session. Safety is also vital: the psychotherapist never takes drugs during a session, and he/she requires the subject to agree beforehand to specific rules of conduct (no leaving the residence, no violence, no sex, etc.). Jacob worked out his procedures over many years of experimentation. Ironically, in the early 60s, before he became a mad dog celebrity, Timothy Leary also championed the closely-supervised use of psychedelics, with emphasis on set and setting.

*Different drugs have different effects. LSD, mescaline and sacred mushrooms tend to engender hallucinations and visions, for example, while MDMA ("Ecstasy") typically kindles feelings of all-encompassing love, harmaline purges and cleanses the psychic and physical systems, and ibogaine ("Mr. Ibogaine") forces you to face the truth about yourself—often in question-and-answer format. Of course, there are individual variations in reactions to drugs, and while most trips are positive, some are bummers (though the bummers, too, are often psychotherapeutic). For best effect, Jacob sometimes combines drugs—the purgative harmaline, for example, with the vision-producingr LSD.

This book is a quick and easy read, and presents a thoroughly tested blueprint for conducting effective psychedelic sessions. It is apparent that, as with religious visions, expectations (in group sessions, the expectations of the group as well as one's own) are key to outcome. Also, I suspect that belonging to an elite outlaw group is a strong reinforcer. The testimonials in the appendix I found disappointingly mundane; I have read much better ones elsewhere. But overall, the book is good for background and for the nitty-gritties of conducting a session.
Interesting note: Starting in the 90s, the FDA and DEA authorized several research projects to explore the therapeutic use of psychedelics. Apparently the Baby Boomers started asserting themselves.

...more

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Feb 08, 2018 Darkvine rated it liked it

When psychedelics became illegal many therapists using these substances had to revert back to regular medicine and talks, some others went underground during the new era of prohibition and continued psychedelic therapy valuing the benefits so much it outweighs the risks.
The book is an interview with one of those secretive therapists, written in a chatty interview use of language that makes you feel like you are just sitting in a bar talking psychedelic drugs and trip reports over a beer rather t ...more

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Nov 13, 2020 Zitroneneis rated it it was amazing

Shelves: psychedelics, spirituality-personal-growth, drugs

Book available from MAPS:
https://maps.org/images/pdf/books/scr...

The book is written in a conversational style - mostly in the words of Leo Zeff with guiding and sometimes inquiring questions from Myron Stolaroff. The reasons for choosing this style are laid out in the foreword - it maintains the personality of the speaker while still transporting the core message clearly.

I thoroughly support the choice in this case because the whole book feels like a very well structured deep and open conversa Book available from MAPS:
https://maps.org/images/pdf/books/scr...

The book is written in a conversational style - mostly in the words of Leo Zeff with guiding and sometimes inquiring questions from Myron Stolaroff. The reasons for choosing this style are laid out in the foreword - it maintains the personality of the speaker while still transporting the core message clearly.

I thoroughly support the choice in this case because the whole book feels like a very well structured deep and open conversation between two elders in the field of substance assisted psychotherapy. Despite the use of a conversational style the book manages to stay on topic very much and only rarely looses track.

Two great analogies are given in the book, that I found work as a great introduction and conceptualisation for a person who has never experienced psychedelics before. They manage to use images that everybody can relate to visualise what is happening inside your mind during a 'trip'. They match up very well with my experiences and I could be a great aid when talking to a inexperienced party. I'll paraphrase them here as the Chief explicitly invites people to use his analogies if they might be of help:

(view spoiler)

The book is a quick read with a lot of of valuable content and I'd highly recommended it to anybody who is generally curious about psychedelics and how they can be used as agents for healing and personal growth. ...more

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Mar 18, 2019 Add Staples rated it it was amazing

Eye opening.
An excellent read about one man's individual and group psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy sessions.
Not just any man though, a pioneer in the underground psychedelic therapy movement.
Highly recommended if one is interested in Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, Psychedelics, Spirituality, and more. ...more

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May 14, 2015 Teo 2050 rated it liked it

Shelves: biography-memoir, by_engineer, by_psychologist, psychotropics, lib_maps-org, _contents, _nonfiction, rated-3, y15, y15q3

2015.08.06–2015.08.11

Contents

Stolaroff MJ (2005) Secret Chief Revealed, The - Conversations with Leo Zeff, pioneer in the underground psychedelic therapy movement

Introduction to the second edition

Prologue by Stan Grof
Tribute to Jacob by Ann Shulgin
Foreword by Albert Hofmann

Introduction

1. Early Beginnings
2. Selection and Preparation
3. The Individual Trip
4. The Group Trip
5. Materials and Doses
6. Outcomes

Epilogue by Sasha Shulgin

Appendix I: Personal Accounts
Appendix II: New to the second edition: T ...more

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Nov 10, 2014 James Jesso rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

An absolutely wonderful resource on working with psychedelics for therapy an their personal potentials. Also a great little dip into the hidden network of the early years of prohibition. I highly enjoyed it.

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