The Secret Chief: Conversations With a Pioneer of the Underground Psychedelic Therapy Movement

This book is about a psychologist, "Jacob" (pseudonym), who applied psychedelic drugs throughout his practice of psychotherapy until his death twenty or so ago-in spite of the fact that such drugs had been declared illegal in the mid-60's. The body of the book is an interview with Jacob conducted in the early 80s but never before published; this is followed by an appendix paraphrasing the drug experiences of five of his clients, and an appendix listing resources for those interested in psychedelic therapy. The drugs favored by Jacob: LSD (he always started a series with LSD), sacred mushrooms (Psilocybe cubensis), mescaline, MDA, MDMA ("Ecstasy"), harmaline (yage') and ibogaine. Each has a somewhat different effect.In successive chapters, Jacob discusses the preparation for a psychedelic session, the setting, the session itself, the dosages, and outcomes.