Acid Test, Tom Shroder
Acid Test, Tom Shroder
3 Rating(s)
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Acid Test
LSD, Ecstasy, and the Power to Heal

Author: Tom Shroder

Narrator: Tom Shroder

Unabridged: 14 hr 14 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/09/2014


Synopsis

A fascinating, transformative look at the therapeutic powers of psychedelic drugs, particularly in the treatment of PTSD, and the past fifty years of scientific, political, and legal controversy they have ignited, by award-winning journalist Tom Shroder.It’s no secret that psychedelic drugs have the ability to cast light on the miraculous reality hidden within our psyche. Following the discovery of LSD less than a hundred years ago, psychedelics began to play a crucial role in the quest to understand the link between mind and matter. Compounds such as LSD and MDMA have proved to be extraordinarily effective in treating disorders such as posttraumatic stress–yet the drugs remain illegal, out of reach of the millions of people who could benefit from them.Tom Shroder’s Acid Test is a meticulously researched history of LSD and the controversy surrounding psychedelics, as well as a striking look at the unprecedented healing properties of drugs that have for decades been characterized as dangerous, illicit substances. Shroder covers the first heady years of experimentation in the 50s and 60s through the backlash of the 70s and 80s, when the drug subculture exploded and uncontrolled experimentation with street psychedelics led to a PR nightmare that would set therapeutic use back decades. Acid Test is a fascinating, transformative look at the therapeutic powers of psychedelic drugs, particularly in the treatment of PTSD, and the past fifty years of scientific, political, and legal controversy they have ignited.

About Tom Shroder

Tom Shroder is an award-winning journalist, editor, and author of Old Souls, a classic study of the intersection between mysticism and science. As editor of The Washington Post Magazine, he conceived and edited two Pulitzer Prize–winning feature stories. His most recent editing project, Overwhelmed by Brigid Schulte, was a New York Times bestseller.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jake on September 14, 2014

I couldn't put it down. Tom Shroder gives the topic due respect without playing into a stereotypical pro-psychedelic bias. Shroder wasn't preaching to the choir, but letting the research and the chemicals speak for themselves. How much did I appreciate that there was no re-hashing of Tim Leary's esc......more

Goodreads review by Katty on May 17, 2015

Acid Test: LSD, Ecstasy, and the Power to Heal contains some fascinating history on psychedelic drugs, previous research pertaining to them, and accounts from those with first-hand experience. It's important to share stories like these because they help paint a complete portrait of illicit drugs ins......more

Goodreads review by Koohyar on May 27, 2019

Quite an eye opening book on how getting in touch with inner feelings can be life altering. Maybe in a few years the taboo that’s behind the psychedelics would be lifted and we can explore our subconscious further. I guess one could see how that could be problematic for society as a whole, but then......more

Goodreads review by Henrik on August 09, 2016

A page-turner about the story of psychedelic research and its therapeutic promise, brilliantly told through the stories of three people: a researcher/psychotherapist, a US marine and the person who dedicated his life to revitalize the research that was abandoned in the 70's. A frustrating to read, to......more

Goodreads review by Sam Cummings on March 24, 2023

This took me way too long to read, on account of it mostly being my morning coffee book. It was a great read, however, covering the personal stories of multiple people, the history of psychedelic drug use/legislation in the United States, and how they intertwine towards the goal of reducing taboo, al......more