Psychedelics including psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, ayahuasca and peyote are poised to revolutionize mental health and alter the wellness industry forever.

Once feared and misunderstood, psychedelics have emerged as one of the most promising therapies of the 21st century. Through cutting-edge research, substances such as MDMA and LSD are being recognized as powerful keys to healing and human improvement, offering solutions for mental health issues including PTSD and depression. Similarly, plant medicines like ayahuasca, peyote, and iboga, used since time immemorial by Indigenous cultures for spiritual purposes, have been shown to promote feelings of empathy, connection, and love for the self, others, and the world around us.

But how can everyday people benefit from psychedelics? And will they really transform healthcare as we know it?

In Psyched, health journalist Amanda Siebert explores the history, culture, and potential of seven psychedelic substances. She interweaves real-life stories, clinical research, and interviews with the world’s leading psychedelics experts and cultural allies to offer a definitive guide to these cutting-edge treatments.

Based in Greater Vancouver, B.C., Amanda Siebert is an award-winning journalist and photographer best known for her work as the first-ever cannabis editor at the Georgia Straight. When she’s not writing, making photographs, or indulging in the herb, she enjoys road trips, practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and taking her dog, Honey, to the beach.

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"[A] well-researched, impassioned survey … Siebert elegantly combines history, accessible science, case studies, and her own experience with drugs … This smart study fascinates."
—Publishers Weekly

"Siebert shows us how psychedelics can transform mental health and enhance the way we live."
—Sara Gottfried MD, New York Times bestselling author of The Hormone Cure

"A captivating read that weaves together extensive data and heartfelt personal stories to share how society can use psychedelics to transform the way we exist in the world."
—Robin Divine, writer, psychedelic advocate, and creator of Black People Trip

"A fascinating and highly informative read for those curious what the current fuss about psychedelics is about."
—Evan Wood, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine, University of British Columbia

"There is no subject more cutting-edge and contemporary in the field of psychiatry than psychedelic drugs. No longer considered a fringe subject enjoyed only by psychonauts and mystics, psychedelic therapies have now well and truly entered modern medicine. And what better time to read this expertly written and informative book from Amanda Siebert. Methodically running through the popularly researched—and now clinically used—psychedelics, Siebert provides expert guidance on the history and contemporary uses of psychedelics, and the challenges that lie ahead as we move from the Psychedelic Renaissance to the Psychedelic Mainstream."
—Dr. Ben Sessa, author of The Psychedelic Renaissance

"Fascinating and informative, with a colorful historical perspective, Psyched is an easily accessible source book heralding the mysterious new science that is helping to awaken extraordinary healing and creative powers within us."
—David Jay Brown, author ofDreaming Wide Awake and The New Science of Psychedelics

"Psyched is at once researched, reverent, and hopeful. I look forward to pointing my patients toward this book as a first stop for understanding the potential role for psychedelics in mental health."
—Ellen Vora, MD, psychiatrist and author of The Anatomy of Anxiety