Acknowledgments
CHANGING ONE’S MIND, or one’s subject as a writer, is never easy, and this
book would never have been ventured, much less completed, if not for the
support and encouragement of the people around me. Ann Godoff, my
book editor for going on four decades now, didn’t blink or blanch when I
told her I wanted to write a book about psychedelics; her enthusiasm and
sure-footed editorial guidance through this, our eighth book together, has
been a blessing. Amanda Urban, too, abetted this adventure in so many
ways; my career-long debt to her is incalculable. Thanks, too, to the
superb teams in their respective offices: Sarah Hutson, Casey Denis, and
Karen Mayer, at Penguin; and, at ICM, Liz Farrell, Maris Dyer, Daisy
Meyrick, Molly Atlas, and Ron Bernstein.
The best thing about being a journalist is getting paid to learn whole
new subjects as an adult. Yet the pursuit of such a continuing education
would be impossible without the forbearance of the people we ask to be
our teachers. I’m grateful to everyone—the scientists, the volunteers, the
patients, the therapists, and the advocates—who endured the multiple,
lengthy interviews and all the dumb questions. Special thanks to Bob
Jesse, Roland Griffiths, Matthew Johnson, Mary Cosimano, Bill Richards,
Katherine MacLean, Rick Doblin, Paul Stamets, James Fadiman, Stephen
Ross, Tony Bossis, Jeffrey Guss, George Goldsmith, Ekaterina
Malievskaia, Charles Grob, Teri Krebs, Robin Carhart-Harris, David Nutt,
David Nichols, George Sarlo, Vicky Dulai, Judson Brewer, Bia Labate,
Gabor Maté, Lisa Callaghan, and Andrew Weil. Though not everyone I
interviewed is quoted here by name, all were excellent teachers, and I am
deeply grateful for your patience with my questions and generosity with
your answers. Several people took substantial risks in sharing their
stories with me; although I can’t thank them publicly, I owe a tremendous
debt to the many underground guides who gave so freely of their time,