
Acid Test
LSD, Ecstasy, and the Power to Heal
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $25.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Arthur Morey
-
By:
-
Tom Shroder
About this listen
A fascinating, transformative look at the therapeutic powers of psychedelic drugs, particularly in the treatment of PTSD, and the past fifty years of scientific, political, and legal controversy they have ignited, by award-winning journalist Tom Shroder.
It’s no secret that psychedelic drugs have the ability to cast light on the miraculous reality hidden within our psyche. Following the discovery of LSD less than a hundred years ago, psychedelics began to play a crucial role in the quest to understand the link between mind and matter. Compounds such as LSD and MDMA have proved to be extraordinarily effective in treating disorders such as posttraumatic stress - yet the drugs remain illegal, out of reach of the millions of people who could benefit from them.
Tom Shroder’s Acid Test is a meticulously researched history of LSD and the controversy surrounding psychedelics, as well as a striking look at the unprecedented healing properties of drugs that have for decades been characterized as dangerous, illicit substances. Shroder covers the first heady years of experimentation in the 50s and 60s through the backlash of the '70s and '80s, when the drug subculture exploded and uncontrolled experimentation with street psychedelics led to a PR nightmare that would set therapeutic use back decades. Acid Test is a fascinating, transformative look at the therapeutic powers of psychedelic drugs, particularly in the treatment of PTSD, and the past fifty years of scientific, political, and legal controversy they have ignited.
©2014 Tom Shroder (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. “The Guest House” by Jalal al-Din Rumi used with permission of Coleman Barks, Maypop Books. Recorded by arrangement with Blue Rider Press, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, a Penguin Random House Company.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
LSD My Problem Child (4th Edition)
- Reflections on Sacred Drugs, Mysticism and Science
- By: Albert Hofmann Ph.D.
- Narrated by: Steven J. Cohen
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the story of LSD told by a concerned yet hopeful father, organic chemist Albert Hofmann, PhD. He traces LSD's path from a promising psychiatric research medicine to a recreational drug sparking hysteria and prohibition. In LSD: My Problem Child, we follow Dr. Hofmann's trek across Mexico to discover sacred plants related to LSD, and listen in as he corresponds with other notable figures about his remarkable discovery.
-
-
Riveting story, watered down by an unenthusiastic reader.
- By JMartin1 on 07-01-24
-
LSD and the Mind of the Universe
- Diamonds from Heaven
- By: Christopher M. Bache, Ervin Laszlo - foreword
- Narrated by: Christopher M. Bache
- Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Journey alongside professor Bache as he touches the living intelligence of our universe - an intelligence that both embraced and crushed him - and demonstrates how direct experience of the divine can change your perspective on core issues in philosophy and religion. Chronicling his 73 sessions, the author reveals the spiral of death and rebirth that took him through the collective unconscious into the creative intelligence of the universe.
-
-
Profound! Stands Among the Best of All of Time
- By Curtis Barnhart on 03-20-20
By: Christopher M. Bache, and others
-
Acid Dreams
- The Complete Social History of LSD: The CIA, the Sixties, and Beyond
- By: Martin A. Lee, Bruce Shlain
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Few events have had a more profound impact on the social and cultural upheavals of the Sixties than the psychedelic revolution spawned by the spread of LSD. This audiobook for the first time tells the full and astounding story - part of it hidden till now in secret Government files - of the role the mind-altering drug played in our recent turbulent history and the continuing influence it has on our time. And what a story it is, beginning with LSD’s discovery in 1943 as the most potent drug known to science.
-
-
Enjoyable but unstructured
- By Miriam on 08-02-14
By: Martin A. Lee, and others
-
How to Change Your Mind
- What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence
- By: Michael Pollan
- Narrated by: Michael Pollan
- Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction, and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third.
-
-
A delightful trip
- By Paul E. Williams on 05-19-18
By: Michael Pollan
-
The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide
- Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys
- By: James Fadiman PhD
- Narrated by: Ross Douglas
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Called “America’s wisest and most respected authority on psychedelics and their use,” James Fadiman has been involved with psychedelic research since the 1960s. In this guide to the immediate and long-term effects of psychedelic use for spiritual (high dose), therapeutic (moderate dose), and problem-solving (low dose and microdose) purposes, Fadiman outlines best practices for safe, sacred entheogenic voyages learned through his more than 40 years of experience.
-
-
Psychotherapist: ketamine trained.
- By Sean on 09-16-22
-
Psychedelic Medicine
- The Healing Powers of LSD, MDMA, Psilocybin, and Ayahuasca
- By: Dr. Richard Louis Miller
- Narrated by: Andy Rick
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Embracing the revival of psychedelic research and the discovery of new therapeutic uses, clinical psychologist Dr. Richard Louis Miller discusses what is happening today in psychedelic medicine - and what will happen in the future - with top researchers and thinkers in this field. Dr. Miller and his contributors cover the tumultuous history of early psychedelic research brought to a halt 50 years ago by the US government as well as offering non-technical summaries of the most recent studies with MDMA, psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca.
-
-
Transcribed interviews, read out loud...
- By Lota on 11-20-19
-
LSD My Problem Child (4th Edition)
- Reflections on Sacred Drugs, Mysticism and Science
- By: Albert Hofmann Ph.D.
- Narrated by: Steven J. Cohen
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the story of LSD told by a concerned yet hopeful father, organic chemist Albert Hofmann, PhD. He traces LSD's path from a promising psychiatric research medicine to a recreational drug sparking hysteria and prohibition. In LSD: My Problem Child, we follow Dr. Hofmann's trek across Mexico to discover sacred plants related to LSD, and listen in as he corresponds with other notable figures about his remarkable discovery.
-
-
Riveting story, watered down by an unenthusiastic reader.
- By JMartin1 on 07-01-24
-
LSD and the Mind of the Universe
- Diamonds from Heaven
- By: Christopher M. Bache, Ervin Laszlo - foreword
- Narrated by: Christopher M. Bache
- Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Journey alongside professor Bache as he touches the living intelligence of our universe - an intelligence that both embraced and crushed him - and demonstrates how direct experience of the divine can change your perspective on core issues in philosophy and religion. Chronicling his 73 sessions, the author reveals the spiral of death and rebirth that took him through the collective unconscious into the creative intelligence of the universe.
-
-
Profound! Stands Among the Best of All of Time
- By Curtis Barnhart on 03-20-20
By: Christopher M. Bache, and others
-
Acid Dreams
- The Complete Social History of LSD: The CIA, the Sixties, and Beyond
- By: Martin A. Lee, Bruce Shlain
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Few events have had a more profound impact on the social and cultural upheavals of the Sixties than the psychedelic revolution spawned by the spread of LSD. This audiobook for the first time tells the full and astounding story - part of it hidden till now in secret Government files - of the role the mind-altering drug played in our recent turbulent history and the continuing influence it has on our time. And what a story it is, beginning with LSD’s discovery in 1943 as the most potent drug known to science.
-
-
Enjoyable but unstructured
- By Miriam on 08-02-14
By: Martin A. Lee, and others
-
How to Change Your Mind
- What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence
- By: Michael Pollan
- Narrated by: Michael Pollan
- Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction, and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third.
-
-
A delightful trip
- By Paul E. Williams on 05-19-18
By: Michael Pollan
-
The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide
- Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys
- By: James Fadiman PhD
- Narrated by: Ross Douglas
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Called “America’s wisest and most respected authority on psychedelics and their use,” James Fadiman has been involved with psychedelic research since the 1960s. In this guide to the immediate and long-term effects of psychedelic use for spiritual (high dose), therapeutic (moderate dose), and problem-solving (low dose and microdose) purposes, Fadiman outlines best practices for safe, sacred entheogenic voyages learned through his more than 40 years of experience.
-
-
Psychotherapist: ketamine trained.
- By Sean on 09-16-22
-
Psychedelic Medicine
- The Healing Powers of LSD, MDMA, Psilocybin, and Ayahuasca
- By: Dr. Richard Louis Miller
- Narrated by: Andy Rick
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Embracing the revival of psychedelic research and the discovery of new therapeutic uses, clinical psychologist Dr. Richard Louis Miller discusses what is happening today in psychedelic medicine - and what will happen in the future - with top researchers and thinkers in this field. Dr. Miller and his contributors cover the tumultuous history of early psychedelic research brought to a halt 50 years ago by the US government as well as offering non-technical summaries of the most recent studies with MDMA, psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca.
-
-
Transcribed interviews, read out loud...
- By Lota on 11-20-19
-
The Psychedelic Handbook
- A Practical Guide to Psilocybin, LSD, Ketamine, MDMA, and Ayahuasca
- By: Rick Strassman MD
- Narrated by: Lee Goettl
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Entering the world of psychedelic drugs can be challenging, and many aren't sure where to start. As research continues to expand and legalization looms on the horizon for psychedelics like psilocybin, you may need a guide to navigate what psychedelics are, how they work, and their potential benefits and risks. The Psychedelic Handbook is a manual that is accessible to anyone with an interest in these substances. Packed with information on psilocybin, LSD, DMT/ayahuasca, mescaline/peyote, ketamine, MDMA, and more.
-
-
Great intro to what these substances are.
- By Sean on 05-11-24
-
Brain Maker
- The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain - for Life
- By: David Perlmutter, Kristin Loberg
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Debilitating brain disorders are on the rise - from children diagnosed with autism and ADHD to adults developing dementia at younger ages than ever before. But a medical revolution is underway that can solve this problem: Astonishing new research is revealing that the health of your brain is, to an extraordinary degree, dictated by the state of your microbiome - the vast population of organisms that live in your body and outnumber your own cells 10 to one.
-
-
If you buy one health book, this should be it
- By TiV on 06-08-15
By: David Perlmutter, and others
-
Sacred Knowledge
- Psychedelics and Religious Experiences
- By: William Richards
- Narrated by: River Kanoff
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sacred Knowledge is the first well-documented, sophisticated account of the effect of psychedelics on biological processes, human consciousness, and revelatory religious experiences. Based on nearly three decades of legal research with volunteers, William A. Richards argues that, if used responsibly and legally, psychedelics have the potential to assuage suffering and constructively affect the quality of human life.
-
-
Groundbreaking Wisdom: A Must Read
- By Voyager on 10-07-17
By: William Richards
-
Heads
- A Biography of Psychedelic America
- By: Jesse Jarnow
- Narrated by: Jesse Jarnow
- Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Heads: A Biography of Psychedelic America uncovers a hidden history of the biggest psychedelic distribution and belief system the world has ever known. Through a collection of fast-paced interlocking narratives, it animates the tale of an alternate America and its wide-eyed citizens.
-
-
Disappointed
- By Rick Greene on 05-09-22
By: Jesse Jarnow
-
The Mind and the Moon
- My Brother’s Story, the Science of Our Brains, and the Search for Our Psyches
- By: Daniel Bergner
- Narrated by: Daniel Bergner
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the early 1960s, JFK declared that science would take us to the moon. He also declared that science would make the “remote reaches of the mind accessible” and cure psychiatric illness with breakthrough medications. We were walking on the moon within the decade. But today, psychiatric cures continue to elude us—as does the mind itself. Why is it that we still don’t understand how the mind works? What is the difference between the mind and the brain? And given all that we still don’t know, how can we make insightful, transformative choices about our psychiatric conditions?
-
-
Narration
- By M. Morgan on 09-06-22
By: Daniel Bergner
-
The Harvard Psychedelic Club
- How Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith, and Andrew Weil Killed the Fifties and Ushered in a New Age for America
- By: Don Lattin
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is impossible to overstate the cultural significance of the four men described in Don Lattin's The Harvard Psychedelic Club. Huston Smith, tirelessly working to promote cross-cultural religious and spiritual tolerance. Richard Alpert, aka Ram Dass, inspiring generations with his mantra "be here now". Andrew Weil, undisputed leader of the holistic medicine revolution. And, of course, Timothy Leary, the charismatic, rebellious counterculture icon and LSD guru.
-
-
A Fascinating, Engaging Story, Expertly Told
- By Gillian Culff on 12-12-19
By: Don Lattin
-
A Really Good Day
- How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life
- By: Ayelet Waldman
- Narrated by: Ayelet Waldman
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a small vial arrives in her mailbox from "Lewis Carroll", Ayelet Waldman is at a low point. Her mood storms have become intolerably severe; she has tried nearly every medication possible; her husband and children are suffering with her. So she opens the vial, places two drops on her tongue, and joins the ranks of an underground but increasingly vocal group of scientists and civilians successfully using therapeutic microdoses of LSD.
-
-
A Radically Different Approach to Self-Medication
- By Ilana on 01-15-17
By: Ayelet Waldman
-
The Body Keeps the Score
- Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
- By: Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, has spent more than three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust.
-
-
Overall Worthwhile, Lingers Too Long in the Why
- By LittleBeadsOfMercury on 04-07-21
-
The Psychedelic Experience
- A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead
- By: Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner, Richard Alpert, and others
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We are in the midst of a powerful psychedelic renaissance. After four decades of hibernation, the promise of the psychoactive 60s - that deeper self-awareness, achieved through reality-bending substances and practices, will lead to greater external harmony - is again gaining a major following. The signs are everywhere, from the influence of today's preeminent psychedelic thinker Daniel Pinchbeck, to the renewed interest in the legacy of Terence McKenna, and to the upsurge of collective cultural phenomena like the spectacle of Burning Man.
-
-
A must have in the toolkit..
- By Kuzia on 10-20-17
By: Timothy Leary, and others
-
Lost Connections
- Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions
- By: Johann Hari
- Narrated by: Johann Hari
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the New York Times best-selling author of Chasing the Scream, a radically new way of thinking about depression and anxiety. What really causes depression and anxiety - and how can we really solve them?
-
-
Heartfelt, but not convincing
- By Brett on 03-18-18
By: Johann Hari
-
PIHKAL
- A Chemical Love Story
- By: Alexander Shulgin, Ann Shulgin
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders, Petrea Burchard
- Length: 22 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alexander (better known as “Sasha”) and Ann Shulgin’s PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story has become a foundational work in the genre and was the first book to fully impart the how-to chemistry, and convey the effects, of many of the entheogenic drugs that are currently being studied and used to heal trauma and deal with death.
-
-
Very Insightful
- By Stefan Jernberg on 01-09-22
By: Alexander Shulgin, and others
-
Your Brain Is a Time Machine
- The Neuroscience and Physics of Time
- By: Dean Buonomano
- Narrated by: Aaron Abano
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Your Brain Is a Time Machine, brain researcher and best-selling author Dean Buonomano draws on evolutionary biology, physics, and philosophy to present his influential theory of how we tell and perceive time. The human brain, he argues, is a complex system that not only tells time but creates it; it constructs our sense of chronological flow and enables "mental time travel" - simulations of future and past events.
-
-
Great book on an underrated subject
- By Neuron on 05-09-17
By: Dean Buonomano
What listeners say about Acid Test
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Adam J. Bair
- 05-09-15
Extremely informative and interesting book!
If you've ever once said you "love our veterans" or even claimed to have cared for the wellbeing of people suffering from PTSD (victims of sexual trauma, combat veterans, etc), this book should be a must listen! In the U.S., we have a tendency to not care about things unless they directly affect us, missing the bigger picture.
The information is shared in an interesting and compelling manner in which the author shares people's stories, which keeps the listener engaged while also learning about the content. Not familiar with the narrator, but he also did an outstanding job. Book is also very well researched and quite thorough on the topic.
If you care whatsoever about the future of combat veteran's mental health (as a citizen, you should), you should get this book and start taking appropriate actions to influence change to the absurd, draconian, laughable drug policy of the U.S., so people who deserve the help (combat vets) they need can receive it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
16 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- TM
- 12-05-16
Suprisingly Great
Engaging life stories, interesting history of mind-altering drugs and their practical uses, thoughts on therapy for PTSD.
Very topical book given the numbers of PTSD sufferers from recent wars.
Opened my mind - without any chemical assistance :-)
Perfect narration too.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 08-21-21
Recommend All To Read
It was well written and very in depth regarding the extensive timeline of discovery, challenges, and research. It highlights the very real struggle to get approval for ideas that are counter culture but ultimately beneficial for society. The only thing that I can note and the reason why performance isn't also five stars is the mispronunciation of some words by the reader such as corpsman (the "s" is silent).
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Quigsta
- 04-02-17
Riveting, informative, touching
I absolutely loved this book. It's a fascinating historical recounting crossed with a raw, gripping emotional drama, laced with the odd reality bend of psychedelia. Get it. You won't be sorry.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ricky B.
- 03-19-18
Woah!!
Kudos to Rick for paving the way of therapeutic medicines in the future to go against all obstacles. Lots of useful information to become more aware of the beneficial potential of the substances. Thanks to all the money donated into this kind of work!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MorganFreeman
- 08-02-16
informative
this book covers a lot of territory.. there's a full biography of Rick Doblin, founder of MAPS (the group conducting scientific studies on psychedelics and therapy) a short bio on a therapist that uses mdma, a biography on a research subject from an mdma trial.. he was a young Iraq veteran. they're all told in vignettes that make it easier to see the connections between their stories.
throughout those stories the machinery of the dea, fda and scientific institutions conducting research are discussed and explained, particularly in terms of their politicized cultures.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anca Popa
- 12-28-14
Really nice book and the narrator's voice is great
Where does Acid Test rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Very high
What was one of the most memorable moments of Acid Test?
All the info on how politics got and still get in the way of psychedelic research, Rick Doblin's perseverance, the result the subjects had from the clinical trials.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It increased my level of determination to become a licensed psychedelic therapist in the future.
Any additional comments?
I think that everyone should have the info found in this book, this would help elevate people's understanding on emotional healing.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sarah Hennessy
- 01-04-18
incredible book. Incredible Narrator.
It's very refreshing to read a book that is so relative and important to the times, while being perfectly executed, and imaginative.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jon
- 03-11-16
Get it! Read it twice!
Fantastic book. Well written, laid out, solid performance, and the converging story lines kept me involved for hours.
I am a big fan of books like these: honest, self critical, and is in pursuit of truth over social norms.
Thank you.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jason Swokins
- 09-19-17
Moving
What an incredible book, really goes to show how much the pharm companies control the government purse strings. If we could cure a bunch of diseases, they would lose a lot of money.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!