Psychedelics and Human Potential : Practices for Deep Healing and Self-actualization

A guide to psychedelically facilitated personal growth and self-discovery

• Includes a brief history of the ancient roots of psychedelics, their rediscovery by the counterculture, and their contemporary use in treating trauma and mental illness

• Offers the “Human Promise” program blending spiritual and philosophical tools and practices with psychedelics for self-actualization

• Explores today’s regulatory environment, the role of AI, and the influence of the Information Age on psychedelic culture

Despite an unsettled legal landscape, the promise and potential of psychedelics continue to be at the forefront of thinking and research in the United States and around the world. What medicinal and therapeutic properties do the substances of MDMA, psilocybin, LSD, ibogaine, ayahuasca, and ketamine possess, and how can they help us to grow as individuals and as a culture?

Dr. Carlos Warter, with input from mental health counselor Arthur Lawida, explores these questions to offer a guide to psychedelics that blends history, contemporary context, and tools and practices to help readers realize self-actualization. Warter considers the history of psychedelics from North American peyote rituals to the counterculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic renaissance, exploring how the public perception of psychedelics has changed with an increasing acceptance of their therapeutic value.

Moving toward the Human Promise of enlightenment, this book explains how psychedelics can be used in a transpersonal context for sustainable growth and self-discovery. It suggests tools and practices that can round out a program of self-development, including Pilates, Feldenkrais work, neurofeedback systems, and virtual reality. Readers will also learn how AI and information technology are changing the psychedelic and human-development landscape to help with deep healing and spiritual awakening.

Carlos Warter, MD, PhD, has been a pioneer in spiritual regenerative psychiatry, integrative medicine, and psychedelic therapy since the 1970s. The author of more than 24 books, he is a practicing physician and founder of the World Health Foundation for Development and Peace. His work is now called the Human Promise and is delivered in series of retreats over a three-year curriculum. He lives in Southern California.

Arthur Lawida, MS, is a mental health counselor, executive business coach, and 30-year student of Dr. Warter applying his techniques. He lives near San Diego, California.