Center of the Cyclone (Hardcover)

~ John C. Lilly M.D. (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Random House Value Publishing (March 20, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 051752760X
• ISBN-13: 978-0517527603
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,591,198 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Stuff is Pure Sandoz!!, November 21, 2000

By	rareoopdvds (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

An autobiography of Inner Space is indeed what is happening here. Dolphin researcher turned consciousness explorer reaches heights that Timothy Leary so much admired about him. The book journeys from his youth to his research days at the dolphin labs and his scientific and personal discoveries and relays them to the reader in such humbleness that one cant help but to empathize and rejoice in his discoveries. Once his dolphin research was abolished, he took it upon himself to turn to neurology and neurological drugs, i.e. LSD-25, or as they called it "Pure Sandoz." It is here where his naieve approach to drugs really comes out in his writing, as he was not afraid of them, but also had never tried them (LSD in particular). Lilly read everrything he could on LSD before trying it (study before trial, similar to magic and all forms of initiation. Today with psychedelic drugs illegalized almost everywhere in the world (a conspiracy if you ask me), Lilly never condones this method (drugs) to attain self knowledge. Lilly in his deep moments of self reflection and depression understood that it could be achieved through other means without drugs. From here, is where he finalizes his journey. A marvelous book, unfortunately now its out of print, however, if you should find a copy, it would be worth your while to pick it up. I am also assuming you are somewhat familiar with John Lilly, either through Professor Leary or Robert Anton Wilson, in which it will not be a waste of a purchase.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Testing Beliefs, March 21, 1997

By A Customer

Through the course of this book, Dr. Lilly describes and explains his experiences, with and without drugs, which led to the formulation of the statement which is it's core: "In the province of the mind, what one believes to be true either is true or becomes true within limits to be found experimentally and experientially. These beliefs are limits to be transcended." One creates one's own truth and may or may not subject it to tests which may or may not confirm it, so that even one's objectivity is subjective. Awareness of this constant state of things allows one to observe one's own behavior, as well as that of others, with greater empathy and understanding of the process by which one chooses to believe

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Altered States Of Being, March 5, 2007

By	Raymond Mathiesen (Armidale, N.S.W., Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the story of Dr. John C. Lilly's move from dolphin research to "inner space" research. We read of the strange places we can go to in our head.

The first third of the book concentrates on Lilly's experiments with LSD. The relatively detailed first hand accounts of what a hallucinogenic trip can be like makes fascinating reading for those of us who have never experienced such a brain state. These chapters definitely made the book truly memorable for me and are written in a very engaging style that reveals Lilly's own enthusiasm for the material.

In the mid section Lilly describes his experiences at the Esalen Institute both as a participant and lecturer. This includes sessions with the Gestalt Therapist Fritz Perl and the psycho-masseuse Ida Rolfing. These were truly 'happening' experiences in the sixties, but may be more familiar to twenty first century readers.

The final third of the book covers Lilly's experiences with mystical, physical exercises in an esoteric "school" in Chile. Much time is devoted to describing different psychological "states" classified according to Gurdjeiff's system. I found this section of the book a chore to read, but the events and information were obviously very important to Lilly.