The Long Trip: 2the Prehistory of Psychedelia

Drawing on the research of myriad anthropologists and archeologists, as well as on his own personal observations, Devereux (Re-Visioning the Earth, etc.) provides a survey of the ritual and spiritual use of plant-based hallucinogens and other mind-altering substances throughout world history. From Siberian shamans employing the fly agaric mushroom to American Indians on peyote and Europeans using opium thousands of years ago, Devereux brings a vivid immediacy to his descriptions of experiments in expanded consciousness, often including first-person accounts from tribal societies. There are many intriguing discoveries for the general reader here, such as the idea that the dots and zigzags of primitive rock paintings replicate the visual hallucinations of someone in a trance state. But where the historical record is slim (especially in Western Europe), Devereux's conclusions seem highly speculative. Devereux reminds us that the quest for altered states of mind has been, and will continue to be, a constant in the human experience. Only the already converted, however, are likely to agree with his claim that the use of hallucinogens may have ""encouraged the evolution of higher forms of mentation in early humans, elaborating language, memory, and other skills,"" or his assertion that, if used properly, psychedelic experiences ""would help us make wiser, more whole-some decisions in coping with"" our problems. Illustrations. (Aug.)