Introduction

When under the influence of psychedelic drugs, the participator may experience ego death or depersonalization, the authors, Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner and Richard Alpert, of The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead equates this ego death to the process of death and rebirth described in the The Tibetan Book of the Dead. The Psychedelic Experience acts as a guide for navigating through a psychedelic experience much like The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a guide for death and rebirth.

It was first published in 1964 after professor Leary was dismissed from Harvard University. The goal of the book is to provide practical and informative explanation and guide for the psychedelic experience. The book is split into four sections: introduction, interpretation of the Book of the Dead, practical advice for the experience, and passages to be read to the experiencer.