Psychedelics and the Counterculture of Aging

How psychedelics can transform old age into the most meaningful and joyous time of life

• Details the best practices for safe and meaningful journeying in one’s later years

• Shares accounts of older adults finding healing, spiritual deepening, joyous intimacy, and peace with mortality through intentional psychedelic journeying

• Describes how group psychedelic ceremonies can promote communities of mutual support that are essential for thriving in older life

Baby boomers are reexploring the psychedelic drugs of their youth to enhance their experience of aging. In this book, Abbie Rosner does a deep dive into what psychedelics can offer us in our later years.

Rosner covers the different psychedelic medicines and their risks and benefits for older adults. She describes pivotal advances in clinical research on psychedelic medicines and ­scientifically-validated best practices to prevent “bad trips.” She also considers the legal and underground avenues that older adults are exploring to access these experiences.

In compelling personal stories, over 30 older psychonauts share how their psychedelic experiences helped them heal old wounds, align with their authentic selves, and experience profound love and forgiveness. They reveal how psychedelics can help older people deepen their spirituality, experience unprecedented intimacy and joy, and make peace with their mortality. Many describe how psychedelic journeying has made their older years the happiest, most meaningful time of their lives.

Beyond sharing individual stories of expansion and transformation, Rosner is the first to suggest that these pioneering psychedelic elders are helping us reimagine what older age looks and feels like in our ageist, death-phobic society. Her work illuminates the evolution–and revolution–in the role of elders in our society.