The Psychedelic Journey of Marlene Dobkin de Rios: 45 Years with Shamans, Ayahuasqueros, and Ethnobotanists [Paperback]

Marlene Dobkin de Rios Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 9, 2009

A look inside almost half a century of pioneering research in the Amazon and Peru by a noted anthropologist studying hallucinogens, including ayahuasca

• Reveals how ayahuasca successfully treats psychological and emotional disorders

• Examines adolescent drug use from a cross-cultural perspective

• Discusses the deleterious effects of drug tourism in the Amazon

Ayahuasca is an alkaloid-rich psychoactive concoction indigenous to South  America that has been employed by shamans for millennia as a spirit drug for divinatory and healing purposes. Although the late Harvard ethnobotanist Richard Evans Schultes was credited in the early 1950s as being the first to document the use of ayahuasca, other researchers, such as the distinguished anthropologist Marlene Dobkin de Rios, were responsible for furthering his findings and uncovering the curative capabilities of this amazing compound.

The Psychedelic Journey of Marlene Dobkin de Rios presents the accumulated experience of de Rios’s 45 years of pioneering field studies in the area of hallucinogens in Peru and the Amazon. Her investigation into ayahuasca--which she undertook in collaboration with more than a dozen traditional Mestizo folk curanderos, shamans, and fellow ethnobotanists--focuses on the use of this revolutionary plant in the treatment of recalcitrant psychological and emotional disorders. She also shares some of her theories that prove that the ancient Maya used psychedelic plants as part of their religious rituals, thereby demonstrating the impact of plant psychedelics on human prehistory. In addition, Dobkin de Rios examines altered states of consciousness derived from the use of biofeedback and hypnosis and discusses her current work on the deleterious effects of drug tourism in the Amazon.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“In her new book, Marlene Dobkin de Rios summarizes her experiences and observations from forty-plus years of research in this field. The book is a treasure trove of information on the use of visionary plants in ancient and native cultures of South and Central America. Of special interest are the passages discussing the increasingly influential ayahuasca rituals and the effects of LSD and ayahuasca on creativity and artistic expression. This book will be of great interest not only for scholars and researchers but also for large audiences of laypeople interested in consciousness and spirituality.”
(Stanislav Grof, M.D., author of Beyond the Brain, Psychology of the Future, The Cosmic Genius, and Spiritual Emergency )

“An informative, insightful, and colorful journey with one of the founders of the modern anthropology of hallucinogens. Dobkin de Rios’s work has influenced the mind-set of all those who seek understanding through indigenous cultures’ use of psychoactive plants. This is a valuable academic resource as well as a moving autobiographical account.”
(Rick Strassman, M.D., author of DMT: The Spirit Molecule and clinical associate professor of psychiatry, University of New Mexico School of Medicine )

“This book describes the life and work of one of anthropology’s premier border-crossers. Marlene Dobkin de Rios was one of the first to postulate that hallucinogenic substances played an integral part in the development of many aspects of human culture and has clearly and forcefully distinguished between the constructive and the destructive uses of these substances. She has built bridges between anthropology and psychology, theory and practice, and traditional and modern cultures. Over the course of her adventurous life, she has learned love magic from women concerned about her then single status, used fortune-telling cards as an ethnographic research method, and counseled burn victims and other traumatized individuals using insights gleaned from her studies of shamanism. A fascinating book about a fascinating individual.”
(John R. Baker, Ph.D., professor of anthropology, Moorpark College, and coauthor of Supernatural as Natural: A Biocultural Approach to Religion )

“Dobkin de Rios is one of the few professional anthropologists who has had the courage to describe her personal experiences with psychedelics. Hers is a compelling story about how direct experience resulted in both wisdom and discernment.”
(John W. Hoopes, director of Global Indigenous Nations Studies Program and associate professor of anthropology, University of Kansas )

"It is of interest to those who share her enthusiasm with hallucinogens and everyone interested in the discipline's earlier history."
(Michael Heinrich, Centre for Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy, University of London, Feb 2010 )

"De Rios writes in a very accessible, easy style that even a novice in the field--like myself--can understand. . . . For anyone following a more shamanic path, I'm sure that de Rios's insights in the field of ethnobotany and how native healers around the world use those plants will be of great value to their personal spiritual practice."
(Bronwen Forbes, Pagan Book Reviews, April 2010 )

From the Back Cover

ENTHEOGENS / SHAMANISM

“In her new book, Marlene Dobkin de Rios summarizes her experiences and observations from forty-plus years of research in this field. The book is a treasure trove of information on the use of visionary plants in ancient and native cultures of South and Central America. Of special interest are the passages discussing the increasingly influential ayahuasca rituals and the effects of LSD and ayahuasca on creativity and artistic expression. This book will be of great interest not only for scholars and researchers but also for large audiences of laypeople interested in consciousness and spirituality.”
--Stanislav Grof, M.D., author of Beyond the Brain, Psychology of the Future, The Cosmic Genius, and Spiritual Emergency

“An informative, insightful, and colorful journey with one of the founders of the modern anthropology of hallucinogens. Dobkin de Rios’s work has influenced the mind-set of all those who seek understanding through indigenous cultures’ use of psychoactive plants. This is a valuable academic resource as well as a moving autobiographical account.”
--Rick Strassman, M.D., author of DMT: The Spirit Molecule and clinical associate professor of psychiatry, University of New Mexico School of Medicine

Ayahuasca is an alkaloid-rich psychoactive concoction indigenous to South America that has been employed by shamans for millennia as a spirit drug for divinatory and healing purposes. Although the late Harvard ethnobotanist Richard Evans Schultes was credited in the early 1950s as being the first to document the use of ayahuasca, other researchers, such as the distinguished anthropologist Marlene Dobkin de Rios, were responsible for furthering his findings and uncovering the curative capabilities of this amazing compound.

The Psychedelic Journey of Marlene Dobkin de Rios presents the accumulated experience of de Rios’s 45 years of pioneering field studies in the area of hallucinogens in Peru and the Amazon. Her investigation into ayahuasca--which she undertook in collaboration with more than a dozen traditional mestizo folk curanderos, shamans, and fellow ethnobotanists--focuses on the use of this revolutionary plant in the treatment of recalcitrant psychological and emotional disorders. She also shares some of her theories that prove that the ancient Maya used psychedelic plants as part of their religious rituals, thereby demonstrating the impact of plant psychedelics on human prehistory. In addition, Dobkin de Rios examines altered states of consciousness derived from the use of biofeedback and hypnosis and discusses her current work on the deleterious effects of drug tourism in the Amazon.

MARLENE DOBKIN de RIOS, Ph.D., is a medical anthropologist, associate clinical professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the University of California, Irvine, and professor emerita of anthropology at California State University, Fullerton, where she taught cultural anthropology from 1969-2000. She is the author of seven books and several hundred professional articles.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Park Street Press; 1 edition (September 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594773130
• ISBN-13: 978-1594773136
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,373,690 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Difficult to categorize, December 13, 2009

By 

Nancy A. Fox (West Covina, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Psychedelic Journey of Marlene Dobkin de Rios: 45 Years with Shamans, Ayahuasqueros, and Ethnobotanists (Paperback)

This is an interesting overview of Dr. de Rios work studying the cultural uses of hallucinogenic plants. I'm not sure who the intended audience is. It's not written in a purely scholarly manner to appeal to the academic crowd, but it's also not written for a general audience that isn't a student of anthropology, ethnobotany, etc. While it is an overview of Dr. de Rios career, it is definitely not an autobiography. The book is interesting, thought provoking, and somewhat frustrating.

I had taken a few classes from Dr. de Rios at Cal State Fullerton, and had always found the data she shared about her studies of cross-cultural use of hallucinogens quite interesting. In this book, I enjoyed getting a little more information on some of the subjects she could only briefly touch on in class. I also appreciated the fact that there are a large number of references listed, so I can do further reading on the specific topics that interest me the most. However, I would have liked a little more data into her research methods. I also didn't think it necessary to repeat part of her book "Hallucinogens, Cross-Cultural Perspectives". I thoroughly enjoyed her discussions of the many traditional healing sessions she attended in South America, and of the work with her father-in-law who was a shaman healer. I also found the discussions of her work with UCI dealing with burn victims, and how hallucinogens can be used to treat pain and her work in pain management very fascinating.

The book is rather circular in form. It starts off with a timeline of Dr. de Rios career, detailing papers given, field studies, important life events (marriage, motherhood, earning a pHD), research interests. Then the book proceeds to go into more detail on some of the topics. As with any work of this sort, there are a number of topics and research avenues that are mentioned that I would like to have learned more about, but at least there are references so that I can read more on the topic(s) as I choose. However, if you are a linear thinker, you will probably find this book frustrating. There is no linear progression for Dr. de Rios studies, and topics are briefly discussed then you are told that the topic will be discussed in more depth later. There are only so many times you should be told, but we'll discuss this in more detail later...

I personally would have liked to have seen a little more artwork demonstrating the effect of hallucinogenic plants on the artist's perspective. There was a particularly interesting series of drawings that showed an object, then the object drawn by an artist prior to ingesting hallucinogens, then the same object drawn by the same artist after ingesting hallucinogens.

To sum up, if you are interested in how psychedelic plants have been used in various cultures, you will enjoy this book. If you have read books by Christian Ratsch and/or Claudia Muller-Ebeling, you should find this interesting. This book might also be of interest to people following the medical marijuana issue, if only to broaden their perspective. While this book discusses and touches on a number of topics and issues, I don't think it gives too many definitive answers. In fact, I think it actually raises more questions, than it answers, which may have been Dr. de Rios purpose. I hope that some student of ethnobotany, cultural/medical anthropology, or related discipline discovers this book and decides to continue pursuing some of the topics that Dr. de Rios has followed in her fascinating career.