An investigation based on direct experience into the meaning and message of altered states “Every reader will find this account fascinating. A lively and intensely personal addition to the drugs-memoir genre.”—Kirkus Reviews “You're such an important part of the psychedelic history.”—Joe Rogan Experience, episode #1854 • Recounts several dozen of the author’s experiences of drug and non-drug altered states of consciousness from birth to early adulthood • Applies the lenses of four explanatory models—psychoanalysis, psychopharmacology, Zen Buddhism, and medieval Jewish metaphysics—in understanding how and why they occurred • Demonstrates the importance of careful unflinching recollection and documentation of both heavenly and hellish altered states in one’s psychological, emotional, and spiritual life Why do we seek out altered states of consciousness, or why, in some cases, do they happen unbidden? What do we see and hear, and what happens emotionally, physically, and psychologically?