Trips

by Cheryl Pellerin

Trips shows, using color illustrations, the latest research, and bleeding-edge cultural analogies, how the still-mysterious hallucinogens may work in the still-mysterious brain. Written in language a general audience can understand, the book's tone is light and irreverent, yet at the same time deals with the drug culture in a serious way.
Trips offers readers a rare look at the social, cultural, historical, and scientific phenomenon of psychedelics-through the eyes of artists who've grown up with them, regulators who control them, federal scientists who approve and fund their research, and scientists who've spent careers studying them—and in the process fills a growing need for truthful information about drugs. For a generation, people have been worried about false horrors attributed to LSD-chromosome damage (LSD doesn't; coffee and aspirin do), suicide, madness, and flashbacks (no such thing). There are, however, real problems associated with hallucinogens, which until now have been unknown, ignored, or untranslated from the scientific literature. Trips separates the facts from the falsehoods and provides, through the combination of Pellerin’s text and the artwork of legendary American artist Robert Crumb, a practical, entertaining, and yet rock-solid guide.

Genres: Drugs, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published July 1, 1998

About the author

Cheryl Pellerin is a science writer with a bachelor of science degree in science journalism and nearly 30 years of experience writing about science in its many forms. Her first book was Trips: How Hallucinogens Work in Your Brain, translated into French and German, with art by Robert Crumb and the rest of the underground cartoonists from Zap Comix. She worked as a freelancer for the Discovery Channel and others, then as a science writer for the State and Defense departments. She lives in northern Virginia.

Her latest book, Healing with Cannabis, Skyhorse Publishing-NY, is available now at Amazon and at the Skyhorse website href=https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/9781510751866/healing-with-cannabis/

Reviews

[Eric T. Voigt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ha, whoa: it was almost two years ago that I read the introductory chapter, then returned my library copy but left the title in my Currently Readings so I'd be sure to check it out again later. Nice work with the planning ahead there, Spring 2015 me. The history of psychedelics in America kicks things off and goes from interesting to terrifying to depressing to hopeful more or less decade by decade. The science of what is actually going on in your head when hallucinogens have been ingested follows and ended up being my favorite section of the book. All the molecular structure diagrams and trippy comic art compliment the information well. Hearing from people who study these chemicals and not just peers who take them was certainly eye-opening. Heh. There are a few more pages of sources to check out for further information on the state of hallucinogen research and references to organizations that deal with drug abuse or mental health that I only skimmed; the meat of the book wraps up at page 201. Here's a list of things volunteers in a DMT study "saw" while they were dealing with its effects: "A fantastic bird, a tree of life and knowledge, a ballroom with crystal chandeliers, humans and aliens, a computer motherboard, ducts, DNA double helices, a pulsating diaphragm, a spinning golden disk, a huge fly eye bouncing in front of someone's face, tunnels and stairways." (pg. 93)

[Kitap Yakıcı · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been in my library since it came out, and I wish I'd read it earlier. Not because I would have benefited any more from the information it contains but because then its layout and design wouldn't feel so dated. Like so much from the late 90s, with that Wired magazine emphasis on form over function and of font over content, this book's layout, with thick black ehorizontal rules on both sides of the text and comics placed randomly throughout, leaves a lot to be desired. That said, it is well written enough to be enjoyable in spite of stylistic limitations and it provides a neuroscientific rationale justifying further research into psychedelic medicines. Many of the weblinks are long-dead, and I am certain that the state of the research is far past what is documented here, but this is still an entertaining introduction to the history and science of psychedelic substances. And it contains two essential research tools for any sort of inner exploration, substance-induced or otherwise: Ralph Metzner's Altered States Graphic Profile (ASGP) form and Rick Strassman's Hallucinogen Rating Scale (HRS)!

[Ryan]

learned a lot in this book. the best part was Albert Hofmann's personal account of his first trip where the maid suddenly becomes a hideous she-beast. classic.

[Dianetrimble · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of history about LSD. I wished the author had discussed the various other hallucinogens in more depths, but overall, it was a good book.

[Marko]

I have the german edition.