What happens when psychedelic experience collides with philosophy's most enduring questions?

The Psychedelics Manual: Metaphysics and Meaning offers a bold and accessible guide to one of the most exciting emerging areas of contemporary thought, asking why, how and when psychedelics can change lives and provide a gateway to meaning. Drawing on millennia of philosophical thought alongside contemporary psychedelic research, Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes bridges the gap between mind-expanding experiences and the theories of metaphysics. From feelings of unity with the cosmos to encounters with transcendent realms, the book shows how the transformative phenomena of psychedelic trips can be interpreted through philosophical frameworks including physicalism, idealism, dualism, monism, and transcendentalism.

Designed for therapists, researchers, and psychedelic explorers alike, this manual requires no prior background in philosophy. It provides a “metaphysical menu” to help readers integrate and articulate experiences that can otherwise feel ineffable or disorienting. At a time when the “psychedelic renaissance” is reshaping science, medicine, and culture, this book argues that philosophy must play a central role. Thought-provoking, and practical, The Psychedelics Manual is a handbook for rethinking consciousness, reality, and psychedelic experience.