Eminence Grise: Psychedelic researchers tell it all

Reviews the book, Higher Wisdom: Eminent Elders Explore the Continuing Impact of Psychedelics by Roger Walsh and Charles S. Grob (Eds.) (see record 2005-11555-000). This book is a collection of the interviews of 14 elders (eminence grise, from the French, literally "with gray hair"), original researchers in the field of psychedelics, all over the age of 65, mostly men (with a few women included), who have valuable data to give and who constitute an invaluable resource as an irreplaceable reservoir of knowledge and wisdom. A number of different disciplines are represented. The editors, two psychiatrists, include in their interviews psychologists, anthropologists, religious studies professionals, chemists, an engineer, and a humanitarian. This is a very rich array of culture history that details the conflicts connected with the l960s and the use, both in research and by the general public, of LSD and other substances that subsequently have landed on the Schedule 1 list of illegal drugs. In the opinion of the editors, these original psychedelic researchers have valuable information to share, as they have observed, recorded, and analyzed tens of thousands of psychedelic sessions and have been witness to an unparalleled variety and intensity of human experience. The materials presented to the reader distill anecdotes, irreplaceable knowledge, and hard-won wisdom, culminating a half century of research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)