One Kind of Knowing: Reports From a Hallucinogen Research Volunteer

As hallucinogen research resumes under strict guidelines, following the excesses of the 1960s, most research institutions are concentrating on practical therapeutic applications. However the Johns Hopkins States of Consciousness studies have focused solely on measures of spirituality. Here is a unique first-person look into such a program from one of the volunteers. A remarkable 72% of these volunteers, including the author, reported a mystical experience after ingesting one or more of the four varying doses of psilocybin, the active ingredient in "magic" mushrooms. In a readable narrative style Maria Estevez introduces the primary researchers, outlines the stringent qualifying exams and preparation for volunteers, and gives personal examples of the changes in consciousness that can occur with the substance. Familiar spiritual principles "seen from the inside" during the activity of psilocybin took on a powerful new reality for her as she learned to integrate these insights into everyday life.