The Antipodes of the Mind: Charting the Phenomenology of the Ayahuasca Experience

Benny Shanon

Oxford University Press, 2002 - Medical - 475 pages

This is a pioneering cognitive psychological study of Ayahuasca, a plant-based Amazonian psychotropic brew. Benny Shanon presents a comprehensive charting of the various facets of the special state of mind induced by Ayahuasca, and analyzes them from a cognitive psychological perspective. He also presents some philosophical reflections. Empirically, the research presented in this book is based on the systematic recording of the author's extensive experiences with the brew and on the interviewing of a large number of informants: indigenous people, shamans, members of different religious sects using Ayahuasca, and travellers. In addition to its being the most thorough study of the Ayahuasca experience to date, the book lays the theoretical foundations for the psychological study of non-ordinary states of consciousness in general.

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LibraryThing Review

User Review  - johnemersonsfoot - LibraryThing

The most important, and well researched, book on ayahuasca out there. This is the bible for the ayahuasca user.

Contents

• Prologue: 1
• Preliminaries: 11
• General Background: 13
• Theoretical Foundations: 30
• Methodology and General Structure: 41
• The Phenomenology of the Ayahuasca Experience: 53
• Atmosphere and General Effects: 55
• OpenEye Visualizations: 69
• A Structural Typology of Ayahuasca Visualizations: 86
• Interaction and Narration: 99
• The Contents of Visions: 113
• The Themes of Visions: 141
• Ideas Insights and Reflections: 160
• NonVisual Perceptions: 181
• Consciousness I: 194
• Transformations: 210
• Time: 226
• Meaning and Semantics: 242
• Consciousness II: 256
• Light: 273
• Theoretical Issues: 285
• Stages and Order: 287
• Contextual Considerations: 305
• Cognitive Parameters: 331
• Dynamics: 344
• A General Theoretical Perspective: 361
• Concluding Philosophical Reflections: 386
• Epilogue: 405
• Quantitative Data: 409
• References: 435
• Index: 453

About the author

Benny Shanon is a Professor, Department of Psychology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and holder of the Mandel Chair in Cognition.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Antipodes of the Mind: Charting the Phenomenology of the Ayahuasca Experience
• Author: Benny Shanon
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2002
• ISBN: 0199252939, 9780199252930
• Length: 475 pages
• Subjects: Medical / Pain Medicine; Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural & Social