
Psychedelics and Human Potential
Practices for Deep Healing and Self-Actualization
Carlos Warter(Author)
Arthur Lawida(Co-Author)
Park Street Press,U.S.
Will be published approx. on 2. July 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
192 pages
979-8-88850-346-1 (ISBN)
Description
A guide to psychedelically facilitated personal growth and self-discovery
* Includes a brief history of the ancient roots of psychedelics, their rediscovery by the counterculture, and their contemporary use in treating trauma and mental illness
* Offers the "Human Promise" program blending spiritual and philosophical tools and practices with psychedelics for self-actualization
* Explores today's regulatory environment, the role of AI, and the influence of the Information Age on psychedelic culture
Despite an unsettled legal landscape, psychedelics continue to become normalized in the United States and around the world. What medicinal properties do these substances possess, and how can they help us to grow as individuals and a culture?
Dr. Carlos Warter and mental health counselor Arthur Lawida explore these questions to offer a guide to psychedelics that blends history, contemporary context, and tools and practices to help readers realize self-actualization. The authors consider the history of psychedelics from North American peyote rituals to the ancient Greek Eleusinian Mysteries. They look at the counterculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic renaissance, exploring how the public perception of psychedelics has changed with an increasing acceptance of their therapeutic value. With the "Human Promise" program, the authors explore the concept of self-actualization and how psychedelics can be used in a transpersonal context for sustainable growth and self-discovery. They suggest tools and practices that can round out a program of self-development including Pilates, Feldenkrais work, neurofeedback systems, and virtual reality. Readers will also learn how AI and information technology are changing the psychedelic and human-development landscape.
This guide shows how responsible psychedelic use can help with deep healing, spiritual awakening, and social progress.
* Includes a brief history of the ancient roots of psychedelics, their rediscovery by the counterculture, and their contemporary use in treating trauma and mental illness
* Offers the "Human Promise" program blending spiritual and philosophical tools and practices with psychedelics for self-actualization
* Explores today's regulatory environment, the role of AI, and the influence of the Information Age on psychedelic culture
Despite an unsettled legal landscape, psychedelics continue to become normalized in the United States and around the world. What medicinal properties do these substances possess, and how can they help us to grow as individuals and a culture?
Dr. Carlos Warter and mental health counselor Arthur Lawida explore these questions to offer a guide to psychedelics that blends history, contemporary context, and tools and practices to help readers realize self-actualization. The authors consider the history of psychedelics from North American peyote rituals to the ancient Greek Eleusinian Mysteries. They look at the counterculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic renaissance, exploring how the public perception of psychedelics has changed with an increasing acceptance of their therapeutic value. With the "Human Promise" program, the authors explore the concept of self-actualization and how psychedelics can be used in a transpersonal context for sustainable growth and self-discovery. They suggest tools and practices that can round out a program of self-development including Pilates, Feldenkrais work, neurofeedback systems, and virtual reality. Readers will also learn how AI and information technology are changing the psychedelic and human-development landscape.
This guide shows how responsible psychedelic use can help with deep healing, spiritual awakening, and social progress.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Rochester
United States
Publishing group
Inner Traditions Bear and Company
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
1 b&w illustration
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
238 gr
ISBN-13
979-8-88850-346-1 (9798888503461)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
06/2026
Park Street Press
€15.81
Available for download
Persons
Carlos Warter, MD, PhD, has been a pioneer in positive psychiatry, integrative medicine, and psychedelic therapy since the 1970s. The author of nearly thirty books, he is a physician and founder of the Warter Institute. Arthur Lawida, MS, is a mental health counselor and executive business coach.
Content
Foreword by James Fadiman, PhD
Acknowledgments
Preface: The Why and How of This Book
Introduction: The Road Map to
the Human Promise
PART 1
AWAKENING WITH PSYCHEDELICS
1 What Is the Human Promise?
The Eidos of Entelechia
2 Cross-Cultural Uses of Psychedelics
as Sacraments
From Kykeon of the Eleusinian Mysteries to
Peyote in Navajo Country
3 The Psychedelic Experience
Journeys on Notable Entheogens
4 Spiritual and Philosophical Resources
for Inner Exploration
Direct Experience of Higher States
of Consciousness
5 Personal Sovereignty and the Pyramid
of Healing
We Are Unique Beings Yet One Consciousness
PART 2
PSYCHEDELICS IN PSYCHOLOGY
6 Recent History of Psychedelics
Counterculture to Mainstream Medicine
7 Psychological Therapies
Remembering the Essential Nature of the Mind
8 Nontraditional Therapies
On the Pathway to Fulfillment
9 Understanding Psychedelics and the Brain
Neuroplasticity, the Frontal Lobe, and Tech Devices
10 Body-Centered Therapies
Personal Transformation Through Movement,
Body Awareness, and Physical Fitness
11 Treating Trauma and Mental Illness
with Psychedelic Therapy
Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, and Addiction
PART 3
THE FUTURE OF PSYCHEDELIC USE
IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY
12 Ethical and Safety Considerations
Maintaining Equilibrium while Reaching Catharsis
13 The Legal and Regulatory Landscape
Navigating Treatment Protocols with
a Changing Government
14 Artificial Intelligence and the Information Age
Balancing the Possibilities with the Risks
Conclusion: Embracing Universal Human Values
References
Index
About the Authors
Acknowledgments
Preface: The Why and How of This Book
Introduction: The Road Map to
the Human Promise
PART 1
AWAKENING WITH PSYCHEDELICS
1 What Is the Human Promise?
The Eidos of Entelechia
2 Cross-Cultural Uses of Psychedelics
as Sacraments
From Kykeon of the Eleusinian Mysteries to
Peyote in Navajo Country
3 The Psychedelic Experience
Journeys on Notable Entheogens
4 Spiritual and Philosophical Resources
for Inner Exploration
Direct Experience of Higher States
of Consciousness
5 Personal Sovereignty and the Pyramid
of Healing
We Are Unique Beings Yet One Consciousness
PART 2
PSYCHEDELICS IN PSYCHOLOGY
6 Recent History of Psychedelics
Counterculture to Mainstream Medicine
7 Psychological Therapies
Remembering the Essential Nature of the Mind
8 Nontraditional Therapies
On the Pathway to Fulfillment
9 Understanding Psychedelics and the Brain
Neuroplasticity, the Frontal Lobe, and Tech Devices
10 Body-Centered Therapies
Personal Transformation Through Movement,
Body Awareness, and Physical Fitness
11 Treating Trauma and Mental Illness
with Psychedelic Therapy
Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, and Addiction
PART 3
THE FUTURE OF PSYCHEDELIC USE
IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY
12 Ethical and Safety Considerations
Maintaining Equilibrium while Reaching Catharsis
13 The Legal and Regulatory Landscape
Navigating Treatment Protocols with
a Changing Government
14 Artificial Intelligence and the Information Age
Balancing the Possibilities with the Risks
Conclusion: Embracing Universal Human Values
References
Index
About the Authors