This is always a great time of year for reading – then again, I guess, personally, I think it is ALWAYS a great time for reading. And, for me, what I read almost always finds it’s way into my work and even into my personal life. So, I thought I would share with you some of the things I am reading, and hope that maybe you find some MEANING in these works as well!
The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt – you may have heard me talk about his latest book, Generation Anxiety, on The Meaning Project Podcast. That was also a phenomenal book and cautionary tale for parents. This book, The Happiness Hypothesis, is meant for all of it. I originally read this 5-6 years ago, there is a copy full of highlights in my clinical office, and I draw from it’s wisdom pretty regularly. Recently, I bought a Kindle edition to take along with me for summer travel and warm days in the hammock. I forgot how robust this book is with wisdom and insight into the ancient wisdom and modern science of “HAPPINESS”. Of course, the author speaks of MEANING right along with happiness, so this book is right up my alley. In the book, he draws the conclusion that there are 10 sources, or paths, to happiness; and then he goes on to highlight the science that supports the wisdom, and what you can do about. A book worth reading and rereading.
If you been following along, you may have seen or heard that I will be starting a new course of study soon. I will be embarking on a journey to develop a speciality in Psychedlic Assisted Therapy from The Intigrative Psychiatry Institute (IPI) that will allow me to offer therapy and, what I like to call “noetic journeys”, in conjunction with legally approved psychedelic and indigenous medicines. Right now, Ketamine is approved nation-wide for this kind of use, with MDMA hopefully coming online in the next few months, and psilocybin being approved in the next year. Some of these medicines are already approved in smaller parts of the country and in different nations around the world. My hope is that I will be able to work with them in my clinical office or local retreats. However, I have also considered traveling to the approved areas to offer this kind of work, as I believe so much in it’s ability to help, especially when compared to modern psychopharmacotherapy. More to come on that in the future.
For now, as I look to begin the 250+ hour course, I have been working on some prerequisite work and reading some additional historical research.
The Psychedlic Experiencery by Timothy Leary – yeah, that Timothy Leary. The one we all heard stories about. Regardless of what you may have heard, or what opinions you may have formed, he was one of the first American psychologists to begin to study the effects of psychedlic medicines on human psychology. Well, the first to publicy talk about. The American CIA was already conducting clandestine studies in their “MK-ULTRA” experiments to see how they could use these agents for warfare and mind control. Go ahead, Google it. It’s open information now. But this book is one of the first in modern times to talk about the process and impact of a psychedlic journey. After all the modern research reading I’ve been doing, I thought it would be good to go to a historical source – I listened to it once, and now it’s on my Kindle for highlights and sharing. Another one of those books worth diving into a few times.
Of course, I also keep a copy of Man’s Search for Meaning on my Kindle – full of highlights. And I am working on writing about those highlights – my perspective and thoughts. I definitely encourage you to take a look at that book.
Enjoy your summer – happy reading!
Take care,
Dan
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