Trippy

The Peril and Promise of Medicinal Psychedelics

By: Ernesto Londoño

Narrated by: Ernesto Londoño

Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2024 Ernesto Londoño (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“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

"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

Must be read

I so much enjoyed this book read by the author! Every chapter has so much to learn and enjoy! I have recommended it to friends and family and now we are sharing our thoughts and what we found more Intresting in every chapter/ Story! CONGRATULATIONS AND THANKS FOR A WONDERFUL BOOK TO THE AUTHOR

Wondrous tome for delving into the depths of psychedelics' profound mysteries.

This extraordinary book, from the very beginning, captivated me with its magic. Ernesto, a brave writer of his human experiences, prompts reflections on the mind, an enigma as profound as psychedelics. The questions it poses invites collective evaluation, a glimpse into our understanding of the mind and the power of sacred plants and ancestral wisdom from America. Brilliant!

Fascinating!

It's hard to put this book down! Highly entertaining, moving and informative. It offers a nuanced, balanced view of the fascinating renaissance of psychedelics in mental health. With in-depth journalistic rigor readers can expect healthy doses of both hope and caution. You'll finish this book with an open mind and appreciation of the potential power of psychedelics as well as the risks of embarking into the highly unregulated wild west of medicinal plants. Highly recommend it!