Description

Neuropsychologist Andy Mitchell punctures the hype around psychedelic drugs while providing the fullest picture yet of their limitlessly fascinating possibilities.

‘An incisive, deeply personal and beautifully written account of the power, the uses and the modern misuses of psychedelics. Highly recommended’ Anil Seth, author of Being You

‘A collection of tales from the far frontiers of psychedelic experience . . . superb . . . brilliant’ Charles Foster, TLS

Psychedelics have made a comeback but remain a mystery. They are now a ‘breakthrough therapy’ for mental illness but in truth we have only a vague idea how they work and there is a limit to what the science can reveal. To have any hope of understanding them, we must broaden our view – dramatically – of what they actually are.

In this daring, perception-shifting odyssey, clinical neuropsychologist Andy Mitchell takes ten different drugs in ten different settings, journeying from a London neuroimaging lab to the Colombian Amazon via Silicon Valley and his friend’s basement kitchen. His encounters with scientists and gangsters, venture capitalists and con men, psychonauts and shamans, as well as with the drugs themselves, reveal the reality of psychedelics in all their strangeness, hilarity, darkness and wonder.

‘Original and thrilling … achieving profound insights’ Mike Jay, author of Psychonauts

‘A hair-raising hurtle of a ride’ Henry Shukman, author of One Blade of Grass

‘Utterly compelling … like having an out of body experience’ Mark Miodownik, author of Stuff Matters

‘The psychedelic world has been waiting for this book’ Professor Erika Dyck

Publisher Review

An original and thrilling investigation into psychedelics and the claims that currently surround them, achieving profound insights into their essential qualities -- Mike Jay, author of Psychonauts Utterly compelling. Some books are in a category of their own and this is one them. Reading it is like having an out of body experience -- Mark Miodownik, author of Stuff Matters A hair-raising hurtle of a ride into the belly of the psychedelic renaissance, fuelled by spectacular prose -- Henry Shukman, author of One Blade of Grass Beguiling, captivating, mind-expanding. It's impossible to read this book and not be tempted to replicate some of its wild, sanity-stretching forays into the peculiarities of human perception -- Stuart Ritchie, author of Science Fictions A dazzling, timely book, as deep and poignant as it is madcap and hilarious -- Professor Mark Lythgoe, Director of the Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging, University College London In Ten Trips, Andy Mitchell captures psychedelics' gonzo spirit and speaks to the psychonaut in all of us -- Katherine MacLean, author Midnight Water: A Psychedelic Memoir Eagle-eyed, poetic and always playful, Ten Trips is chock-full of profane illumination -- Tehseen Noorani, Honorary Senior Lecturer, School of Pharmacy, University of Auckland A gifted writer with a great ear for dialogue. Mitchell is not afraid to put himself in the telling, and it is this that makes Ten Trips true and real -- Michael Taussig, author of Mastery of Non-Mastery in the Age of Meltdown Mitchell's decapod of delirious drug experiences is an antidote to the hype and a rallying cry to keep psychedelics . . . psychedelic -- Josh Hardman, Psychedelic Alpha The psychedelic world has been waiting for this book: a sceptic's account of the allure of psychedelics -- Erika Dyck, Professor in History of Health & Social Justice, University of Saskatchewan