“If you seek clear, focused knowledge, not only about psychedelics but about the art of nurturing human development and discovering new dimensions of meaning in our latter years, this book is a treasure.”
Description
• Details the best practices for safe and meaningful journeying in one’s later years
• Shares accounts of older adults finding healing, spiritual deepening, joyous intimacy, and peace with mortality through intentional psychedelic journeying
• Describes how group psychedelic ceremonies can promote communities of mutual support that are essential for thriving in older life
Baby boomers are once again exploring the psychedelic drugs of their youth, but this time to enhance their experience of aging. In this book, Abbie Rosner does a deep dive into what psychedelics can offer us in our later years and their risks and benefits for older adults.
Rosner describes pivotal advances in clinical research on psychedelic medicines and scientifically validated best practices to prevent “bad trips.” She also considers the legal and underground avenues that older adults are exploring to access these experiences and the available supports for safe journeying.
In compelling personal stories, more than 30 older psychonauts share how their psychedelic experiences helped them heal old wounds, align with their authentic selves, experience profound love and forgiveness, and make peace with their mortality. Many describe how psychedelic journeying has made their older years the happiest, most meaningful time of their lives.
Beyond sharing individual stories of expansion and transformation, Rosner shows that these pioneering psychedelic elders are helping us reimagine what older age looks and feels like in our ageist, death-phobic culture. Her work illuminates the evolution—and revolution—of the role of elders in our society.
Reviews
“Weaving decades of clinical research history together with the vivid, firstperson accounts of a memorable group of older psychonauts, Rosner illuminates what is truly at stake in this work—stories of healing, forgiveness, and spiritual awakening that no journal article can capture. Her nuanced attention to the medical and psychological considerations specific to older bodies and minds—from geroprotection and neuroplasticity to approaches for getting the most out of the psychedelic experience—makes this an invaluable resource for clinicians and researchers alike. And her larger vision of a reimagined culture of elderhood, grounded in authentic self-expression and fearless engagement with mortality, makes it essential reading for anyone brave enough to imagine a richer last chapter of life.”
“For people in their last third of life, this is a great introduction to the current psychedelic renaissance. Filled with personal stories of mature journeys, the book is a reminder of youthful psychedelic trips along with promises of more. For those venturing into new territory, the book provides context for exploration and hope for greater joy in life.”
“Rosner moves us beyond the medicalization of the ‘third act’ and into a space of profound possibility. With a physician’s eye for safety and a storyteller’s heart for the human condition, she explores how these ancient tools can help us soften into our limitations and find expansion in the face of the unknown. This isn’t a book about dying well; it’s a rigorous, compassionate guide to living fully—with curiosity, connection, and a sense of wonder—until the very end.”