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The Book of Highs: 255 Ways to Alter Your Consciousness without Drugs
Blow Your Mindfulness
An encyclopedia for the curious and courageous, The Book of Highs catalogs the hundreds of ways humans can alter consciousness, minus drugs and alcohol.
Drawn from cultures around the world, here are positive techniques—Self-Hypnosis, Alterations of Breathing, Fervent Prayer, Spinning. And here are “negative” techniques—Self-Flagellation, Sleep Deprivation, Fire Walking. Methods derived from religious and mystic traditions—Transcendental Meditation, Tea Ceremony, Tantric Sex. Methods that use devices, from the domestic Metronome Watching, to the state-of-the-art Brain-Wave Biofeedback, Electrodermal Activity (EDA), Ganzfeld Effect, and Psychedelic Bathtub.
Whether you’re looking for a life-changing adventure—like Skydiving—or something to do every day, just to change things up—like Zen Morning Laugh— The Book of Highs will get you there.
An encyclopedia for the curious and courageous, The Book of Highs catalogs the hundreds of ways humans can alter consciousness, minus drugs and alcohol.
Drawn from cultures around the world, here are positive techniques—Self-Hypnosis, Alterations of Breathing, Fervent Prayer, Spinning. And here are “negative” techniques—Self-Flagellation, Sleep Deprivation, Fire Walking. Methods derived from religious and mystic traditions—Transcendental Meditation, Tea Ceremony, Tantric Sex. Methods that use devices, from the domestic Metronome Watching, to the state-of-the-art Brain-Wave Biofeedback, Electrodermal Activity (EDA), Ganzfeld Effect, and Psychedelic Bathtub.
Whether you’re looking for a life-changing adventure—like Skydiving—or something to do every day, just to change things up—like Zen Morning Laugh— The Book of Highs will get you there.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
89 people are currently reading
511 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 1, 2019
I want to push back, gently, against the many negative reviews of this book. They seem to take the position that a lot of what is included here is nonsense; I don't disagree. There were a few entries here that had me rolling my eyes. It was interesting to read the author denounce certain practices as pseudo-scientific while proclaiming the merits of practices associated with other unscientific claims.
But to dwell upon this is to miss the spirit and mission of the book.
On a practical level, is anyone really looking for 250 ways to expand their consciousness? No... like any well-composed list of movies to watch or places to visit or recipes to try, most readers are probably looking for 10-20 really cool ideas among a collection so vast nobody could hope to attempt them all. If I discarded 2/3 of this book as really silly, I'm still going to have quite a time narrowing down the 80-odd opportunities remaining.
On a more abstract level, even though it has been updated for a modern audience, this is still a book that was originally written in the early 70s, when "psychonauts" were experimenting with drugs and altered states as often as an approach to spirituality as as an endorphin rush. The psychedelic cover of the book says just as much. So it is possible to read this book as a To Do list of ways to experience altered consciousness (a much better word choice than "getting high" with its associations with euphoria and hallucination), but it is just as possible to read it as a dialogue about the nature of consciousness itself, and what it means to "alter" it.
In short, if you open this book looking for defects, you'll find plenty, but if you pick it up looking for some practical strategies to experience the world differently, and for an opportunity to ruminate on what this means, it's a worthwhile and engaging read.
I'd write more, but I kind of want to start planning my Psychedelic Bathtub.
But to dwell upon this is to miss the spirit and mission of the book.
On a practical level, is anyone really looking for 250 ways to expand their consciousness? No... like any well-composed list of movies to watch or places to visit or recipes to try, most readers are probably looking for 10-20 really cool ideas among a collection so vast nobody could hope to attempt them all. If I discarded 2/3 of this book as really silly, I'm still going to have quite a time narrowing down the 80-odd opportunities remaining.
On a more abstract level, even though it has been updated for a modern audience, this is still a book that was originally written in the early 70s, when "psychonauts" were experimenting with drugs and altered states as often as an approach to spirituality as as an endorphin rush. The psychedelic cover of the book says just as much. So it is possible to read this book as a To Do list of ways to experience altered consciousness (a much better word choice than "getting high" with its associations with euphoria and hallucination), but it is just as possible to read it as a dialogue about the nature of consciousness itself, and what it means to "alter" it.
In short, if you open this book looking for defects, you'll find plenty, but if you pick it up looking for some practical strategies to experience the world differently, and for an opportunity to ruminate on what this means, it's a worthwhile and engaging read.
I'd write more, but I kind of want to start planning my Psychedelic Bathtub.
Read
August 7, 2023A cool coffee table book with historical significance and occasionally great ideas.
October 21, 2017
I want to thank NetGalley and Workman Publishing Company for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate this opportunity.
Synopsis: Some people may call it consciousness, mindfulness or even getting high but we all seek a way to alter our consciousness in some way or fashion. This book gives details on 250 ways you can alter your mind without the use of drugs. This book is an updated version of The Book of Highs written by the same author back in the 70s after psychedelic drugs were made illegal. This non-fiction book has different facts on different ways you can alter your conscious mind such as; tantric sex, self hypnosis, certain devices, different types of music, meditation, laughing and sleep deprivation.
Review: I give this book 5 out of 5 trippy stars! I didn't pick up this book because I'm a druggie or anything like that I just wanted to learn something new. I'm glad I recieved this ebook! When I downloaded it today I figured why not just browse a few pages but I ended up reading the whole book in one sitting. I'm usually a fiction lover all the way but am glad I opened my horizons and read The Book of Highs. I have always been fascinated how the mind works and with a Psychology degree I always want to learn more about the human mind and thoughts. So I put my mysteries and fantasy books aside for a few hours and devoured this non-fiction book. I think this is a great book if you are open minded and looking to learn something new. I enjoyed that the book didn't ramble on about the different topics. I felt this book gave me the right amount of information and was a fun read!
Synopsis: Some people may call it consciousness, mindfulness or even getting high but we all seek a way to alter our consciousness in some way or fashion. This book gives details on 250 ways you can alter your mind without the use of drugs. This book is an updated version of The Book of Highs written by the same author back in the 70s after psychedelic drugs were made illegal. This non-fiction book has different facts on different ways you can alter your conscious mind such as; tantric sex, self hypnosis, certain devices, different types of music, meditation, laughing and sleep deprivation.
Review: I give this book 5 out of 5 trippy stars! I didn't pick up this book because I'm a druggie or anything like that I just wanted to learn something new. I'm glad I recieved this ebook! When I downloaded it today I figured why not just browse a few pages but I ended up reading the whole book in one sitting. I'm usually a fiction lover all the way but am glad I opened my horizons and read The Book of Highs. I have always been fascinated how the mind works and with a Psychology degree I always want to learn more about the human mind and thoughts. So I put my mysteries and fantasy books aside for a few hours and devoured this non-fiction book. I think this is a great book if you are open minded and looking to learn something new. I enjoyed that the book didn't ramble on about the different topics. I felt this book gave me the right amount of information and was a fun read!
August 19, 2019
The Book of Highs: 255 Ways to Alter Your Consciousness Without Drugs by Edward Rosenfeld (Workman Publishing 2018) (158.1).
Hoo boy. I have no words to describe this volume. This book is the equivalent of a null set – there's nothing of consequence inside.
This isn't a book as much as it is a laundry list of two-hundred-fifty-five nouns that could arguably be said to affect one's consciousness but not necessarily with a straight face. Examples of the book's 255 suggested ways to alter your consciousness without drugs includes many fine suggestions such as spinning (like a top – 16), manual phosphene stimulation (rubbing your eyes to see spots – 35), paranoia (44), demonic possession (53), prolonged masturbation (77), jumping up and down (94), flagellation (142), skydiving (209), and video games (252).
As I read the list, I realized that the author had left off altering one's consciousness by hitting your thumb with a hammer. But then I checked the list again, and bingo! There it was, listed as consciousness altering method number 41 – pain.
And that's when I realized how thorough the author had in fact been. My rating: 5/10, finished 8/18/19.
April 19, 2018
I received this book in exchange for a review.
This was a waste of my time. I interviewed Mr. Rosenfeld and he's all about getting high, no matter how you want to do it. If drugs work for you, then you won't need this book.
I've never had a desire to get high, so when I asked the author whether he still thinks drugs are okay, given their harmful effects, he seems to think it's all okay if it works for you. The "ideas" in this book are simply things that people may take on as hobbies (whether yoga, skydiving, meditation, etc...) and he describes how you can be in an altered state of being by trying/doing some of these things.
Save your money and find a hobby or something you really enjoy. If it's your passion and it makes you feel good, that's your high. Save your money and discover what you like to do -- and go do it and enjoy. But please don't do drugs.
This is a re-release, so my guess is the author is hoping this will be more in line with today's culture in trying to legalize drugs and "do whatever you feel." Perhaps he is hoping the sale of the book will pad his retirement account.
This was a waste of my time. I interviewed Mr. Rosenfeld and he's all about getting high, no matter how you want to do it. If drugs work for you, then you won't need this book.
I've never had a desire to get high, so when I asked the author whether he still thinks drugs are okay, given their harmful effects, he seems to think it's all okay if it works for you. The "ideas" in this book are simply things that people may take on as hobbies (whether yoga, skydiving, meditation, etc...) and he describes how you can be in an altered state of being by trying/doing some of these things.
Save your money and find a hobby or something you really enjoy. If it's your passion and it makes you feel good, that's your high. Save your money and discover what you like to do -- and go do it and enjoy. But please don't do drugs.
This is a re-release, so my guess is the author is hoping this will be more in line with today's culture in trying to legalize drugs and "do whatever you feel." Perhaps he is hoping the sale of the book will pad his retirement account.
December 11, 2018
I was really hoping for more with this book. I think that problem was is that each way to alter consciousness deserved a book of its own, not just a page worth of information. It felt rushed, half-hearted, and not researched well enough. There was offerings of further reading with I liked. This book was just a bite that was too much to chew for the author.
November 16, 2021
This book I found was more”facts about 255 things” as opposed to scientific reasoning behind why these things alter your consciousness. I appreciated the resources in this book. But it’s a very generic list with a lot of eastern practices to do with meditation, as well as things that seem like they just added to make the number reach 255, like religious conversion, or snowboarding.
July 30, 2018
Reading through this book was a trip down memory lane. As a young woman in the early 70’s My friends and I learned Transcendental Meditation in Cambridge MA. Over the years I have learned about and tried many of the alternative therapies in this book. Some worked, others no so much.
March 25, 2020
Not really a book to be read, as skimmed through.
I'm not sure that there was anything new to me here. I picked it up because of #33: Mathematics. Topology is the LSD of Mathematics.
He did miss Neuro-Linguistic Programming, though.
I'm not sure that there was anything new to me here. I picked it up because of #33: Mathematics. Topology is the LSD of Mathematics.
He did miss Neuro-Linguistic Programming, though.
July 25, 2021
Seems like a lot of people on here agree with my opinion.
I read through about 30% of it and decided it was a total waste of time, but more importantly, the title of the book is so incredibly misleading. The actual book has nothing to do with what the cover seems to be pointing at.
I read through about 30% of it and decided it was a total waste of time, but more importantly, the title of the book is so incredibly misleading. The actual book has nothing to do with what the cover seems to be pointing at.
January 25, 2019
Interesting and useful
August 19, 2024
Wild, and insightful.
October 29, 2024
If you're into spirituality or just interested in being more conscious in different ways this book will definitely help. It has lots of different things to try and research into, after reading a technique almost all of them have a "further resource" section to help you look more into that topic. Fun read, learned some new things.
November 11, 2018
This definitely could be a desk reference. Many of the ideas were practical and connected to religion or psychology. The brief nugget format was okay, but there were a few that I had wished for a smidge more info.
April 25, 2018
The Book Of Highs summarises over 200 different ways of achieving a high-level of consciousness without the use of drugs.
WHO WOULD ENJOY READING IT?
Contrarians. Also, people seeking to quit drug habit might find a bit of use out of this.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT IT
The book itself has a bit of information on many of the methods here in case the reader wants to do some research. Also, the information provided about how to get high has a bit of common sense to it. Most importantly, there is a lot of diversity as to the methods - from sensory awareness, to prayer, to spinning, to fasting and extra-sensory perception... there is something for everyone here.
MEMORABLE PASSAGE
"Drugs reinforce the illusion that highs come from external chemicals when, in fact, they come from the human nervous system. The practical consequence of this illusion-making tendency is that users find it hard to maintain their highs: one always has to come down after a drug high, and the down can be as intense as the up. The user who does not understand this may become dependent on drugs because the easiest way to get out of a low following a high seems to be to take another dose of the drug. I make no distinction between legal and illegal drugs here.
"Coffee, an innocent “beverage” in the eyes of many persons, is as dependence-producing as any illegal drug in just this way. The stimulation it provides is offset later by lethargy and mental clouding, usually in the morning. In full-blown coffee addiction a person cannot get going in the morning without his drug, and the more that’s consumed, the more the need increases."
.......
The Book of Highs: 255 Ways to Alter Your Consciousness without Drugs by Edward Rosenfeld is available to buy on all major online bookstores. Many thanks to Workman Publishing Company for review copy.
WHO WOULD ENJOY READING IT?
Contrarians. Also, people seeking to quit drug habit might find a bit of use out of this.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT IT
The book itself has a bit of information on many of the methods here in case the reader wants to do some research. Also, the information provided about how to get high has a bit of common sense to it. Most importantly, there is a lot of diversity as to the methods - from sensory awareness, to prayer, to spinning, to fasting and extra-sensory perception... there is something for everyone here.
MEMORABLE PASSAGE
"Drugs reinforce the illusion that highs come from external chemicals when, in fact, they come from the human nervous system. The practical consequence of this illusion-making tendency is that users find it hard to maintain their highs: one always has to come down after a drug high, and the down can be as intense as the up. The user who does not understand this may become dependent on drugs because the easiest way to get out of a low following a high seems to be to take another dose of the drug. I make no distinction between legal and illegal drugs here.
"Coffee, an innocent “beverage” in the eyes of many persons, is as dependence-producing as any illegal drug in just this way. The stimulation it provides is offset later by lethargy and mental clouding, usually in the morning. In full-blown coffee addiction a person cannot get going in the morning without his drug, and the more that’s consumed, the more the need increases."
.......
The Book of Highs: 255 Ways to Alter Your Consciousness without Drugs by Edward Rosenfeld is available to buy on all major online bookstores. Many thanks to Workman Publishing Company for review copy.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews