A good primer on psychedelic research up to the present day for the uninitiated, but there's nothing new here for people who have a decent familiarity with the material. It is explained competently, though.

I started reading this but had a really difficult time getting into it. Despite being quite interested in the use of psychedelics in a medical setting- it just felt like i was reading a research paper. Did not finish.

Psychedelics are the future of mental health care. I truly believe this. This and marijuana.

This book is so educational about psychedelics and MDMA and I think it’s a must read for all healthcare providers.

If only these were decriminalized we could make some real progress!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books for an eARC copy of Psychedelics by Professor David Nutt.

If you liked Michael Pollen's 'How to Change Your Mind', you will certainly enjoy Psychedelics by Professor David Nutt. It is a refreshing view into the world of psychedelics, it's history, and the ever growing future of what was taken away in the 50's way too soon when these could have really helped a lot of care now. There are some sections that did go above my head, but Professor David Nutt really tries to make all the information accessible for all.

I really enjoyed reading about the history behind psychedelics as well as learning more in depth detail about why they were banned; not because they were truly dangerous, but because they could provide insight and healing that could really change someone’s point of view in life, which most powerful entities do not want. “They open you up to the possibility that everything you know is wrong.”

Although I loved reading this book, I don’t think it’s for everyone. If the why behind psychedelic drugs and/or therapy isn’t intriguing to you, then this book may not excite you. Although, if you’re suffering from anxiety, depression, anything that you’re currently being medicated for, or curious about psychedelic therapy at all, I’d definitely add this to your list.

Thank you to NetGalley, author, and publisher for the ARC. 🙏

Psychedelics: The Revolutionary Drugs That Could Change Your Life―A Guide from the Expert
By Professor David Nutt
This is a big area of interest to me. Mental health management and the assessment of psychedelic drugs for drug-assisted Psychotherapy.
The use of LSD, Ketamine, MDMA, and Ayahuasca have been long studied and used both clinically and otherwise, but the upcoming use and FDA approval for Psilocybin is very exciting and will eradicate and liberate people from the oppression of depression, anxiety disorders, and PTSD. What a world we will be when this happens!
We must first acknowledge the shadow side of the psychedelic movement and challenge its longstanding injustices. If the psychedelic renaissance is going to expand and revolutionize society, it must include and serve everybody. As psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted therapies explode into the popular consciousness, what does it mean to cultivate and embody a psychedelic renaissance that learns from the past and prepares for the future? So interesting to me. This book filled in the full of history of science and the future that is upon us now. I learned a great deal.
Psychedelics will inevitably and rightly be seen as an important marker of their assimilation into the cultural mainstream. I highly recommend reading this book and starting your journey of understanding. I know almost every family will benefit from the research and the great work of scientists throughout the world who will bring this to fruition and help us greatly.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Hachette Books for an advance copy of this book on the benefits to mental health that might come from substances that have been demonized and declared illegal by many governments, and the efforts made to determine treatments for people in the future.

All of my life I have dealt with depression. I really can't think of a time I have not had problems or struggles with it right up to typing this review. Therapy of different kinds has not helped, drugs of numerous kinds gave me side effects that were in some ways adding to my depression; anger, road rage, eating and more. For years I have heard about people finding a path to dealing with their depression by using medication that has been well used for many other things. Medication for going to a jam band, or finding that inner nirvana that is promised so much. Pod casts are full of hosts discussing microdosing with mushrooms, or even toad secretions, that changed their life in many different ways. Michael Pollan's books You Can Change Your Life, was an investigation into using psychedelics for mental health, and along with Johann Hari's Lost Connections made me more interested in this form of treatment. However these books also seemed a little too pie in the sky. Other books seemed to lack reasoning, just oh yeah this works great, why does it work great, cause it works great. Psychedelics: The Revolutionary Drugs That Could Change Your Life—A Guide from the Expert by Professor David Nutt researcher at the Imperial College in London, and a long time therapist familiar with the use of psychedelics has written probably the book about the subject. Based on his own work, research made by his team, this is a guide to the therapeutic uses, treatments, successes, and failures, of drugs that carry such a bad reputation, but one that in many ways can change lives.

The book begins with a brief intro to psychedelics, and the research that had been done on them in the treatment of alcoholism, depression and more. Starting in the 1960's after the popularity of Timothy Leary and the anti-war movement, governments moved to make psychedelics illegal, and even worse make research into the subject almost impossible. Not out of fears for public safety, but out of control of the populous which was starting to think that life meant more than capitalism. From there Professor Nutt goes into the various psychedelics, their discovery, use, effects, laws, and history and use as treatment, until draconian laws made this impossible. From there we move into Nutt's start as a researcher, looking for funding, the many hoops the team had to go through. And finally the research, it success, failures, and the protocols put in place to protect the patients, some testimonials, and lots of scientific data.

What I liked most about the book is that at no time does Professor Nutt say this will be a happy trip to Nirvana. Nutt makes it clear that the drug therapy works with regular talk therapy, and while some do well, some start to backslide, but others feel nothing at all. Nutt talks alot about the brain, why it feels the way it does and how psychedelics help make connections the brain can't. A lot of the science might go over people's heads, as it did mine, but Nutt does a very good job describing this, and more importantly giving hope to people, that with time, research and efforts their might be ways to help people. I really enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would, and learned a lot more than I expected.

The funny thing when reading a book like this is that it feels wrong. That one is a rebel reading about rebellious drugstore cowboy stuff, getting high and being free. And daring. What many might miss is the message of hope that maybe those things that people said would rot your mind, cause one to fly out of windows, and destroy the country, might make a person not dread opening their eyes every morning, thinking about the many things that will go wrong, the people one will fail, and that others will fail you. A very interesting book, and one that makes one sad for all the people who could have been helped, but that people in power can't help but fear the people they rule over.

I loved this book! So information and helpful in this particular topic.

While some of it went a little over my head, I still found it incredibly interesting and highly suggest anyone to read it. Especially if you liked the documentary series How to Change Your Mind.

I’ve always been hesitant to try or ingest magic mushrooms due to my anxiety but after reading this and getting all the amazing info, I understand now how it can actually help ease anxiety if I approach it the right way!

This book by Professor Nutt will prove to be influential as the field of psychiatry continues to evolve with society's increasing interest and acceptance of the use of psychedelics as medications and therapeutic tools. I wouldn't be surprised if this book is listed as mandatory reading for PMHNPs, Psychiatrists, and other mental healthcare professionals in the future. The structure of this book makes difficult medications easier to understand without taking away the historical impacts of the psychedelics. As we move into a new normal in society and mental healthcare, this book will continue to be an essential reference. Would recommend to anyone interested in psychedelics or mental healthcare and will definitely be purchasing a copy when it is available.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books for access to this ARC!

What a great look into our future of medicine and psychedelics. David McNutt opens the door to explore the possibilities and benefits of introducing psychedelics into the medical field.

Dr. David Nutt takes us on a journey to explore the world of psychedelics. At a time where neuropsychopharmacologist is being studied to see research the drugs that affect the brain and conditions such as addiction, anxiety, and sleep. Medical psychedelics may be the way of the future and Dr. Nutt highlights that future possibility in this book.