The Bigger Picture - by Alexander Beiner (Paperback)

About the Book

"Do psychedelic drugs hold the answer to a better world? Can they heal the cultural, spiritual, and emotional wounds we face? Alexander Beiner, a leading voice in the psychedelic renaissance, believes that psychedelic research is the key to navigating the fractured, weird, and chaotic times we live in. The Bigger Picture is an accessible, entertaining, and nuanced trip into the world of psychedelics. It explores the effects of the powerful psychedelic dimethyltryptamine (DMT), what we're learning about metaphysics and neuroscience, and how these findings could significantly change the trajectory of culture. Alexander combines interviews with psychedelic leaders, philosophers, scientists, and celebrities with his own diary entries as a participant in the world-first clinical trial at Imperial College, London investigating DMT"--Publisher's description.

Book Synopsis

Can psychedelic drugs help us tackle the biggest problems we face globally? Can they heal the cultural, spiritual, and political wounds we're wrestling with?

Psychedelics have hit the mainstream as powerful new mental health treatments. But as clinicians explore what these molecules can do for our individual minds, The Bigger Picture goes further to illuminate how psychedelics can help us find new ways to make sense of and come through the crises we face around the world.

Drawing on the latest research, as well as his unique experience as a participant in a ground-breaking clinical trial investigating the potent psychedelic DMT, Alexander Beiner reveals:

• the role of psychedelics in addressing global issues such as global warming, geopolitical instability, and political polarization
• the dark side of the 'psychedelic renaissance' and 'psychedelic capitalism'
• what it takes to elicit huge personal and cultural transformation through psychedelics

Embark on a journey into The Bigger Picture - a new era of science and spirituality with the potential to radically transform our perceptions of ourselves, one another, and our life on this planet.

Review Quotes

'Although they will perhaps always remain mysterious, psychedelics have also always invited us - and our ancestors - to heed the teachings they have to offer, to reconsider our place in the universe, and to recognize the enigma of our own existence. The Bigger Picture adds substantial new information to our understanding of psychedelics and their potentially momentous significance to the world today. I highly recommend this carefully and convincingly argued, deeply thought-provoking and beautifully written book.' -Graham Hancock

'The Bigger Picture is an entertaining, insightful, and timely book. Beiner draws on the latest psychedelic science to explain how what we're learning about these molecules can help us make sense of our social and political challenges in new ways, and he ties together research from a variety of different fields to present a compelling and nuanced argument as to why psychedelic science could change the world for the better.' -Robin Carhart-Harris, Founder of the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London, and Director of Psychedelics Division, Neuroscape, UCSF

'Beiner is a wise and entertaining guide through the jungle of contemporary psychedelics, bringing much-needed critical thinking to the field'. -Jules Evans, author of Philosophy for Life and Director of the Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project

About the Author

Alexander Beiner is a writer, cultural commentator, and podcaster. He's one of the founders of Rebel Wisdom, a media and events organization with a quarter of a million subscribers and a focus on making sense of culture and complexity. He's also an executive director of Breaking Convention, Europe's longest-running conference on psychedelic science and culture. He is a leading critical and countercultural voice in the "psychedelic renaissance" and has produced a number of films, articles, and events at the leading edge of the conversation about the potential of psychedelics. www.breakingconvention.co.uk