When I grabbed the ARC of this, I figured I’d skim to get the gist on a subject I find interesting, guided by either a jaded skeptic or true believer.

Instead, I got neither. Or both. Both, and so much more. I read it cover to cover, and while it’s ostensibly about the wild world of psychedelics and the medicinal application thereof, it’s really about trauma and healing and faith and abuse and the universal need for belonging. Londoño is by turn both the skeptic and believer, sometimes within the same page. A skepticism full of empathy; a belief full of nuance and doubt.

It struck me how much all these individual experiences of psychedelics reflect the individual experiences of religion. On one hand, you can have powerful transformation and deep healing; on the other, it’s a field rife with abusive and predatory behavior, full of quacks and craven capitalism, exploiting the most vulnerable. A tool that’s neutral in itself, but wielded for great good or great harm.

Londoño keeps himself on the page, an active participant in the story as he peels back the layers of damage in his own life. Everything from childhood trauma and violence (growing up in war-torn Colombia in the 80’s and 90’s; coming out as a gay man), to mental illness and depression (inherited and otherwise), to battlefield PTSD (a war correspondent on the ground in Baghdad during the height of the invasion).

In fact, he’s uniquely positioned to question the ethics of the “silver bullet” fix, such as the grotesque moral equation of DARPA funding research to “cure” PTSD and depression just so it can basically have soldiers immune to it, able to march off and wreak more destruction and trauma on the world. Is this really the goal we want? How can that ever bring true healing and hope?

Those are the best parts of the book, where he wrestles with the conundrums, refusing to fall prey to easy answers. That, and the slow path of healing, watching Londoño forgive and embrace his younger self. His compassion for the war vets, for the queer kids, for the abuse victims, for the weirdos, for the lost and seeking, finally has to also extend to himself. It’s not egocentric, nor does it pull focus from the journalism. Rather, it’s powerful to watch him choose to be vulnerable through the pain and the joy.

Because I don’t think the magic fix is ever going to be any one thing, be it psychedelics or religion or medication or therapy. What works is whatever makes you face your unmet needs, and meet them. Whatever brings you radical compassion and acceptance. That’s the recurring theme here, between the lines—whatever makes you stop running, whatever brings you connection, whatever blows the doors wide open, whatever bears witness to the pain, whatever makes you experience the transcendent kind of love.

This is the kind of book that leaves me ready to discuss conversations within it with my therapist. Using psychedelics for treatment has been something that I've always been curious about, both as someone receiving treatment and as someone in the mental health field. Great read and I will be rereading with my coworkers.

With a lot of interest into the role of psychedelics in mental health and not all of it in safe, controlled settings, I appreciated that the author explored both the possibilities and risks of this treatment.

This was not one of my favorite books.

Ernesto tells his story about his use of psychedelics as a means of healing his PTSD and mental issues. It is a moving, insightful journey, but I could not relate and found myself lost. It was very well written and full of information and personal trials. I would recommend this to others, and would be interested in their take on the information.

I was given the opportunity to read this book, by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am leaving this review of my own accord.

This book certainly has me more open-minded than I was before picking it up. I really admired Londoño for his commitment to the experiential approach and research style. You’re braver than me sir!

My only complaint (and minor at that) was that many of the South American retreats and experiences felt very jumpy and quick. I felt like as soon as we began in one we were just as soon out.

On the other hand, I thought the transition to more formal and clinical approaches and practices was a subtle but well executed touch. It also leaves the reader feeling hopeful for where these practices can evolve toward.

I was a sucker for those final questions of morality and how these psychedelic experiences can potentially reshape and remove these hardships from the human experience, so those were really thought provoking.

I am really glad I picked up this book. I really think it’s a must read for anyone interested in contemporary psychology research/practices and its implications.

This was moderately enjoyable if repetitive. Judging from the subtitle, I expected a lot more diversity in content--as in, looking at a variety of psychedelics and related research. It felt like this was primarily focused on ayahuasca and the author's experience with it and related groups. I might have enjoyed it more if the subtitle did not steer me in a different direction than the content. I just expected something with a little more research than was presented here.

This book initially caught my attention because a few members of my family have been exploring medicinal psychedelics as a way to treat multiple mental health issues, particularly depression and anxiety. We’ve discussed how scientists believe that these substances disrupt deeply grooved thought patterns and potentially create new connections and pathways, with potentially long-lasting effects. The idea of a journalist personally researching AND actually experiencing a range of options and then sharing his findings was intriguing. I couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say. But, this book is much more than that.

It is an intimate memoir of the author’s struggles - his family history (particularly related to mental health), the trauma of childhood experiences growing up in Colombia and adult experiences reporting from war zones, coming to terms with his sexuality, and ultimately, the way he was living his life. It is obvious through the stories he tells us just how much he has changed through and because of the many experiences and treatments he has had over the years. And when I say many, I mean MANY! This is a memoir that includes so many stories of experiences during retreats and at clinics, with ayahuasca, psilocybin, frog venom, ketamine, MDMA and others, that I lost track after a while. There also isn’t a lot of scientific information (though there are a lot of footnotes!) and I think the power in the book is that it is so personal and not dryly scientific.

I do wish that he had done more investigative work exploring the experiences of others and comparing and contrasting those with his own. I very much appreciated his discussion of the relatively high level of scam artists and sexual predators in this business. At this point in its development, there are a lot of “watch-outs” for those who want to walk down this path to (potential) healing, but with more oversight, this could change. At its core, this book shows that there is an incredible opportunity for a huge disruption in mental health treatment modalities IF (and I know this is a big IF) the medical community would consider these types of alternative “medicinal” approaches and health insurance companies would cover it! (I know, I know)

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book which publishes on May 7, 2024

A deep dive into the world of psychedelics and their uses to combat a myriad of mental health diagnoses.

I appreciate the author's first-hand accounts, as well as the inclusion of stories of those he encountered on his journey. Knowing how deeply personal this topic was to him added so much legitimacy to the accounts, as did his covering both sides (pro/con) of the discussion. With so many ongoing studies in this area, I was not shocked to read of the study in JAMA speculating that psychedelics will be legal in most states by the 2030s. A phenomenal piece of investigative journalism for anyone looking to learn more about this area of mental health treatment.

The author, a journalist for the New York Times, was living a good life, but not a happy one. He was living in Brazil and became interested in the world of psychedelics. He writes of his personal experiences and of others using plant based drugs to help resolve mental health issues: depression, trauma, PTSD and suicidal thoughts. Drugs from plants have been used for generations by indigenous people for healing and ceremony particularly in the Amazon. Under the caring supervision of trained medical doctors in this field many lives will be changed and saved once medicinal psychedelics becomes legal in the United States.

I had no knowledge of these drugs prior to reading this novel. It is enlightening and easy to read. One must be cautious in finding dedicated psychotherapists in this field.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books.

This is my perfect nonfiction: the author is a main character who’s instrumental to the story, but it’s not a memoir. It’s a masterpiece in investigative journalism, with deeply researched vignettes that all lead in the same direction.

In this case, that direction is treating the mind with psychedelics.

I found this book at the right time (or it found me,,, thank you NetGalley for the arc!) because I’ve been exploring new ways of battling the unease and depression that take over my brain from time to time. I’m leaning toward cutting out alcohol and have gone down the rabbit hole of “recovery literature, or quit lit.” “Trippy” doesn’t neatly fit in that box, but I’ve been absolutely fascinated by people who stop drinking (or smoking or eating meat or any number of vices) after taking psychedelics. They, just, don’t care about it anymore!

This is a meandering way of saying, five stars for me — but not sure if it will have the same impact if you’re not already curious about brain chemistry and optimizing what we put in our bodies to cope. The stories in here are astounding and so elegantly told, though — I hope you give it a try.

Many thanks and deepest gratitude to NetGalley for this ARC.

Psychedelics have, for all intents and purposes, cemented themselves within the zeitgeist for much longer than many of us might have initially anticipated. The "New Frontier" moniker now crowning the field of psychedelic research seems somewhat fitting, even as the air of historical reclamation looms over most of the conversations surrounding substances like psilocybin and LSD. Contextually, this makes perfect sense when one considers the perfect storm of events resulting in the "psychedelic boom" that carried well into the 70''s:: a promising (albeit it unwieldy) discovery made by one Dr. Albert Hoffman in 1930's Switzerland, a a seismic shift in collective consciousness a lá the "Free Love Movement", and a vexing prohibition enacted by Nixon-era government overreach,

At present moment, the mental health crisis has proven latent, now being suffused with a creeping sense of societal distrust concerning Western medicine's "pharmaceutical-first" approach, as well as the lack of holistic consideration in human health and wellbeing. The pendulum was yearning to swing over to the other side, clearly, and herein lies the necessity of nonfiction material of this kind. "Trippy", written in a journalistic style I would liken to an "exposé" is dense, well-formed, and amorphous in nature, Londoño seems to toe the line between personal memoir, historical retelling, and speculative cultural commentary. After all, "New Frontiers" are often a stone's toss from catastrophic missteps. Snake oil thrives on an uncertainty of what ails us. Promising new treatments all have the potential to become cannon fodder for the most opportunity-driven salespeople among us.

Londoño approaches this hefty task with a cannonball dive of an approach, which might read as jarring for the wrong kind of reader. Dedicating a great chunk of his words here to outlining his own reasonings for concerning himself so intimately with psychedelic retreats and plant medicine, there is a weighty measure of conviction and personal information in here. At times, Londoño is abstract and esoteric, delving into the figures and events that he encountered on his journeys. At other points, he is incisive and cutting, especially as it regards the grandiose claims many shamans and self-appointed healers that these spaces prove to be rife with. Londoño has the kind of voice that many people who peruse these pages will be able to identify with: optimistic, curious, and deeply skeptical.


The interweaving of Ernesto Londoño's personal history yields some marvelous surprises (both for Londoño and the reader) including some close familial ties to a host of psychiatric approaches and a re-examining of jarring personal experiences. Because Londoño is frank concerning his partiality en route to answers, readers need not wonder if there is sincerity in his moments of eye-twitching doubt. The book's structure can prove a bit difficult, as some of the centers/retreats he visits are granted ample space to understand, others seem much more brief and anemic. The places Londoño does visit, though, are remarkably surprising. As variable as they are telling, these sections dedicated to diving into these different "health and wellness spaces" comprise the bulk of the book.

There are moments where Londoño swings for the fences, yet the informal, vulnerable writing style might prove off-putting for some. Those who are expecting a cut-and-dry piece of academic research might be better suited by something akin to Hoffman's "Problem Child". I would posit that "Trippy" is more in the vein of Michael Pollan's "How to Change Your Mind". I think there are many who will find great value within these pages, and Londoño work is strongest when he's discussing the individual proponents and advocates of psychedelic treatment. Empathy and consideration permeate his stories, and help paint a picture of not just the legislative hurdles this field of medicine faces, but the people who flock to lodges, retreats, and clinics the world over in search of a healed psyche and well-rounded life.

SOOOO incredibly interesting!! Trippy is Ernesto Londono's memoir of his year of researching the use of psychedelics as medical treatment for mental / emotional disorders. Ernesto is Brazilian, writes for The New York Times, and experiences intermittent bouts of depression, himself. He begins his "journey" by attending short retreats where campers try mind altering, plant and animal based "drugs". Along the way we meets folks who have been struggling with depression and PTSD for years, and are open minded to trying anything that will lift them out of their suicide ideation and misery. He explores how ex-military members have regained their lives from MDMA and ketamine treatments. This is a fast, easy read, and so fascinating! Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Trippy.

I am pleased and flattered when any publisher invites me by email to read and review a book. This one especially captured my interest because, as I trundle through my seventh decade, I have noticed that certain people (especially women) my age (who, in other times, might have joined the Episcopalian Altar Guild or Republican Luncheon Club) are dying their hair blue or pink and dabbling in reality-bending substances. I have even been invited to partake myself, but I'm the sort who prefers reading about reality-bending to actually doing it myself. At least for the time being.

This is an excellent easy-read memoir/journalism, like a series of well-written newspaper articles written by someone who is fascinated by the topic in question. The author mixes thorough research with his own personal journey through the world of true believers, predatory hucksters, disciplined medical researchers, indigenous holy people, and wounded souls who seem to populate the world of medicinal psychedelics in our age.

This is not a comprehensive overview of the state of the medicinal psychedelics, but one person's journey through a slice of the scene, with a special emphasis on the substances and treatments found in South and Central America, especially in the Amazon region. The most frequently appearing reality-bending substance seemed to be ayahuasca (listen to the pronunciation at https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/pronunciation/english/ayahuasca), an apparently unappetizing sludge made from the leaves of certain Amazonian plants. There is more vomiting in the descriptions of the effect of this plant than occurs (I think) in more conventional attempts at spiritually-enlarging experience.

However, other types of psychedelics occasionally step up to center stage as the narrative zigs and zags with the author's career from his native Colombia, through a meteoric rise through the “cratering” (Kindle location 174) conventional US prestige news media outlets, with stops in the centers of power in New York and Washington and career-enhancing but sanity-assaulting long assignments in Iraq and Afghanistan before landing a plum assignment at the NY Times bureau in Rio de Janeiro where, perversely, the author's deepening misery leads him, in a slightly desperate move, to investigate resorts for spiritual tourists featuring ayahuasca therapy. There’s also a stop in my current home of Austin, Texas, where some individuals who are treating miserably unwell veterans with psychedelics advertise on billboards near the Interstate highway that cuts the city in half.

If you are the type of person who wants to know about the experience of others before considering taking the leap into the Wild West scene of psychedelic self-healing, you could do a lot worse than reading this book – it informs while entertaining while bringing up important questions while refusing to provide easy answers.

Generally, though, the author's experience with self-medicating in this fashion is a positive one. I get the feeling that if you asked the author whether you should go ahead and try it, he might say yes, but remember, baby steps, be careful, your mileage may vary, and all investment entails risk.

I received a free advance electronic copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the eARC.

I’ll start off by saying that I am not a seasoned non-fiction nor memoir reader, but as a mentally ill psychology professor and yoga studio employee, this was a natural fit that piqued my curiosity from the get-go.

Blending memoir with a thorough exploration of psychedelics for treating mental health issues, particularly depression, this text captivated me. Ernesto Londoño, a war correspondent and chief of the Brazil Bureau for the New York Times, writes with journalistic prowess, making the narrative both informative and compelling. Covering diverse topics like sexuality, religious trauma, and the presence of sexual predators in the psychedelic tourism industry, Londoño intertwines his personal journey with the stories of others. From ayahuasca to kambo, from fraudulent practitioners to enlightening spiritual leaders, and from policy debates to DEA investigations, the book offers a gripping insight into the complexities of depression and the transformative potential of new treatments emerging in the Amazon and beyond.

This book expanded my understanding significantly, and I'm grateful for having picked it up. Beyond its educational value, it possesses a certain beauty. Following Londoño's narrative, I found myself deeply invested in his journey, empathizing with his struggles, and ultimately feeling hopeful alongside him. In his story, I recognized elements of my own, which added to the profound impact of his experiences.

Part memoir, part journalistic reporting on the current state of emerging medicinal uses of psychedelics, Trippy is a interesting and enlightening read. This book is not for those wanting an in depth discussion of the science or history of the drugs discussed, but a more personal and broad discussion of current and future uses to treat intractable symptoms of mental health issues for the many individuals who have exhausted current traditional treatments with no relief. The author is vulnerable and open regarding his own trauma and the way psychoactive substances have helped him heal, allowing him to live with increased happiness, calmness and love. He interviews practitioners and participants from a variety of settings, spanning from South to North America, informal tribal ceremonies in the jungles of Brazil using ayahuasca to ground breaking trials with MDMA conducted at the VA in California. Londono doesn't shy away from the darker aspects of the largely unregulated and grey legality of the burgeoning industry, discussing concerns regarding safety, exploitation and risks associated with this powerful substances. Well written and researched, providing a nuanced and interesting perspective on controversial treatments with the potential to reshape mental health treatment, Trippy is worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thoughtful, deeply personal, and nuanced perspective of the history and current state of psychedelics' therapeutic use. This is a topic I have not read about before and is a bit out of my comfort zone but I found it very interesting as someone in the healthcare field. I liked the personal anecdotes both about the author and people he has interviewed, however at times the flow/transitions didn't work for me. It was sometimes hard to follow the thread between chapters. I do appreciate that it was not a very medical/scientific perspective, as that can feel too textbook-y for me. Definitely made it easier to digest. If this is a topic you are interested in, I would recommend it.

This is a fascinating and definitely worthwhile look into the world of medicinal psychedelics. Both the pros and cons, of which both exist.
It talks of the scam artists in the business, of which there are many. People that will use those who are depressed and desperate for their own sick gain.
But there are also real miraculous transformations and joy as well, from responsibly and safely using the plants.
There are so many stories from so many people. The author relaying both his journey and journeys of others they've told him.
The fact the author is gay is also mentioned and relevant and as a queer person myself made it more personal.
I have aphantasia which I won't get into here but I will say, I love having aphantasia. I have my reasons and I think it's like any other neurodivergence, it has it's pros and cons, and for me, it's what i've always known. My brain works just fine, it's just different.
Anyway because of that, the thought of hallucinations and thus, psychadelics, truly terrifies me. I also have PTSD for multiple reasons, or have had, and I truly believe having aphantasia is a god-send blessing for me. The thought that maybe they'd cure that... terrifies me. No thank you.
I have no idea if they would or not but I don't want to test it.
That said, my philosophy is simply, with consent and safety, do what you want. It is nature and we are part of nature and it's impossible to deny all the wonderful stories from them to. Don't force me to try them, but I don't think they should be illegal.
I would be a hypocrite if I did. I am a stoner and use cannabis both medically and recreationally. That's a plant. I'm all for using nature as medicine where she allows. There is plenty out there. Just know what you're putting in your body (some plants would just kill you for example) and with psychedelic's we need to research. We can't do that if it's illegal.
There is so much that made me think in here. So much that I highlighted. It talks to depression, and mental health, and spirituality and so much more. So many things, and it's so frank and honest. I love it.
But please do use caution and protect yourself, scammers are out there! And much of it was hard to read. But it's a very balanced and honest view of everything, the good and the bad.

I highly recommend this book! Thank you to Netgalley for the arc.

I really enjoyed this book; it was well-written and really open-minded. The author did a great job writing about a hot topic at the moment and his experiences which I think are so great to read anecdotally in the world of mental health and psychedelics. I really enjoyed the history added to this book and the personal experience of the author. Mental health is a huge topic and something that is treated differently depending on our culture and this book was a great way to discuss and open up the dialogue of psychedelics and mental health and the author’s own experiences. Awesome book for anyone looking into
How psychedelics are helping and shifting the mental health world.

In the end, this book was partly a memoir, not scientific, and was written using the author's own history and experiences to explain and be the scaffolding for his experiences with psychedelics. I was disappointed that it was not as scientific or extensive as I had hoped, in fact it spoke very little of the science and most of the book was focused on ayahuasca, and spent very little on other psychedelics. However, it was interesting and thorough about the whole market today of various retreats and 'churches' and their varying motivations for offering ayahuasca. And the stories were engaging, so it was enjoyable even if it wasn't what I expected.

Utterly fascinating. I learned so much from this book. It changed the way I view psychedelics. I'm a fan of memoirs in general but the personal openness in Trippy was so appreciated. I recommend this book to anyone researching alternative medications.