Review: A New York Times Reporter Explores Psychedelic Therapy

Trippy author Ernesto Londoño points out that supposedly ancient psychedelic rituals don't always lead to great outcomes.

The subtitle of New York Times reporter Ernesto Londoño's book Trippy overpromises a bit: "The Peril and Promise of Medicinal Psychedelics." The book is more oriented toward his personal experiences coping with war correspondent trauma and his sexuality, with many set pieces in exotic resorts where sometimes-sham shamans administer exotic indigenous psychedelics such as ayahuasca in the name of personal growth. It delivers less about the specifics of the science or the story behind recent shifts in psychedelics' status.

Ayahuasca did help Londoño quash "obsessive, dark thoughts," but he also reports on a world of for-hire psychedelic healer guides full of "scammers, predators, and charlatans," many with unlovely messianic fantasies and an unsubstantiated willingness to tout "miracle" results. He also relates a few grim tales of sexual abuse.

Those who hope legal medicinal psychedelics will be a stepping stone to complete recreational legalization might be put off by Londoño's honesty about how enmeshing psychedelic use in indigenous healing models (which, he points out, are likely not all that ancient) doesn't always lead to great outcomes—although plenty of the people he reports on found the experience healing or edifying. After an August setback in Food and Drug Administration approval for MDMA therapy, readers might see Londoño's narrative in a different light than he originally anticipated.