Trippy: The Peril and Promise of Medicinal Psychedelics

by Ernesto Londoño Narrated by Ernesto Londoño

Overview

This program is read by the author and is accompanied by original audio from their ayahuasca experiences. This deeply personal and immersive listen invites you to observe the profound impact of ayahuasca and its transformative effect upon the author's life.

A riveting look at the tremendous promise and inherent risks of the use of psychedelics in mental-health treatment through the lens of a New York Times reporter whose journalistic exploration of this emerging field began with a personal crisis.

When he signed up for a psychedelic retreat run by a mysterious Argentine woman deep in Brazil's rainforest in early 2018, Ernesto Londoño, a veteran New York Times journalist, was so depressed he had come close to jumping off his terrace weeks earlier. His nine-day visit to Spirit Vine Ayahuasca Retreat Center included four nighttime ceremonies during which participants imbibed a vomit-inducing plant-based brew that contained DMT, a powerful mind-altering compound.

The ayahuasca trips provided Londoño an instant reprieve from his depression and became the genesis of a personal transformation that anchors this sweeping journalistic exploration of the booming field of medicinal psychedelics. Londoño introduces listeners to a dazzling array of psychedelic enthusiasts who are upending our understanding of trauma and healing. They include Indigenous elders who regard psychedelics as portals to the spirit world; religious leaders who use mind-bending substances as sacraments; war veterans suffering from PTSD who credit psychedelics with changing their lives; and clinicians trying to resurrect a promising field of medicine hastily abandoned in the 1970s as the United States declared a War on Drugs.

Londoño's riveting personal narrative pulls the listener through a deeply researched and brilliantly reported account of a game-changing industry on the rise. Trippy is the definitive audiobook on psychedelics and mental health today, and Londoño's in-depth and nuanced look at this shifting landscape will be pivotal in guiding policymakers and listeners as they make sense of the perils, limitations, and promises of turning to psychedelics in the pursuit of healing.

A Macmillan Audio production from Celadon Books.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Oprah's Book Club recommendation

“A moving, tender and thoughtful exploration of a complicated subject. If you want to understand psychedelics better, this is a great place to start.”

—Johann Hari, New York Times bestselling author of Stolen Focus and Lost Connections

"A compulsively readable romp through a burgeoning scene that has immense potential for both harm and healing."

—Dan Harris, New York Times bestselling author of 10% Happier and host of the Ten Percent Happier podcast

"I loved the reported memoir Trippy: The Peril and Promise of Medicinal Psychedelics by the New York Times journalist Ernesto Londoño. A testament to the complexity of Londoño’s perspective is that some passages made me really want to try ayahuasca and some definitely didn’t. A thorough and fair-minded reporter, Londoño also writes movingly about his own extended family, experiences with depression, and delightfully unexpected courtship."

—Curtis Sittenfeld, The Guardian

"In Ernesto Londoño's courageous and revelatory book, a whole new continent sails into view: of the hidden corners of our minds, and of the mysterious substances that light them up. This journey inside the brain and around the world taught me more than any book I've read in a long time. It's an important book, one that will save people's lives."

—Benjamin Moser, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Sontag: Her Life and Work

“Trippy is a meticulously researched investigation into the brave new world of psychedelics. But it’s so much more than that. It’s the story of how — in learning about the passages other travelers found for relieving their pain — Ernesto Londoño found joy, love and illumination.”

—Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of She’s Not There and co-author of Mad Honey

"New York Times correspondent Londoño debuts with an arresting survey of the “medicinal psychedelic field” and where it’s headed...a scrupulous study of a fascinating development in mental health care.”

—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Blending solid research and personal experience, the author points to a new frontier for trauma treatment.”

—Kirkus

“An engaging memoir…Trippy is a fascinating account of the world of medicinal psychedelics.”

—LA Times

“Trippy: The Perils and Promise of Medicinal Psychedelics is Ernesto Londoño’s mix of candid personal reflection and deep reporting, illuminating a growing trend in mental health that many of us don’t understand.”

—New York Times Columnist Frank Bruni's Opinion Newsletter

"Londoño has drunk the brew, but, thankfully, not the Kool-Aid…Seeing the perils and the promise of psychedelic experience play out in Londono's own mind, as he comes to terms over years with his own (quite considerable) personal traumas, is a privilege.”

—The Telegraph

“This title about utilizing medicinal psychedelics in the treatment plans of some conditions could easily have future public policy implications worldwide. The subject matter will be of interest to many readers.”

—Library Journal

Kirkus Reviews

2024-01-30
A look at how old drugs are finding a new role in easing mental suffering.

New York Times journalist Londoño’s first book involves his experiences with psychedelic drugs, which he first encountered as a relief from crushing suicidal depression. His early searches led him to several clinics in South America that offered plant-based psychedelics like ayahuasca, which had a long history of effective use among Indigenous tribes. The drug helped the author move past his mental problems, but as he investigated further, he found that many of the treatments seemed like dangerous quackery, and they all came with a hefty price tag. After his return to the U.S., Londoño continued to explore the use of psychedelics as therapy. Some of the people dispensing the drugs genuinely wanted to help trauma victims, especially veterans suffering from PTSD, but others were charlatans. His research led him to medical professionals who had gained official permission to use drugs like ecstasy and psilocybin on an experimental basis. Some results have proved positive, and brain scans indicate that psychedelics can help repair damaged neural connections. Londoño believes that eventually the regulatory authorities will legalize therapeutic psychedelics, but he recognizes the many possibilities for things to go wrong. “When administered by a steady, wise guide, in a safe setting, I have seen psychedelics transform lives, including my own,” he writes. However, he notes, “in the wrong hands, they can be as dangerous as a drunk surgeon with a trembling hand.” This is intriguing material, but Londoño often wanders away from his theme. Several chapters, such as those dealing with his family history, don’t connect strongly enough with the primary material. Nevertheless, the subject of psychedelics is engaging, especially for readers interested in emerging therapies.

Blending solid research and personal experience, the author points to a new frontier for trauma treatment.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940159500335
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	05/07/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged

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