Can’t recommend this highly enough to anyone interested in positively affecting human society and living a good and meaningful life generally.

For such a small book Breaking Open the Head covers a lot of ground. Although I found the author's stories of psychedelic usage to be the most interesting part of the book the historical, botanical and psychological topics covered balanced the overall worth of the book. This is a great primer for anyone who wants to learn more about the potential for hallucinogens to "open doors" as well as Shamanism.

What if...

Interesting trip that leads the reader down a fascinating path of contemplation. The topics covered are interesting and relevant if the reader can “let go” and think about what if the author is through a door that most have never opened. The way the journey is weaved keeps the reader buckled up throughout the ride waiting to find out where the road ends or what is around the bend.

The book started off well and I was interested in the subject matter that I didn't know anything about when I started reading. I also liked how each Part of the book was devoted to each entheogenic compound which made it easy for me to keep track of all of the different topics being covered.

I quickly found the book less interesting (I even started skipping whole paragraphs and sections) when what I thought would be a subjective recount of a man's experience with psychoactive substances but instead was presented with his Marxism and opinion of how capitalism is a force for evil in the world. Not only is that thesis demonstrably wrong, but it's a waste of my time (and money having purchased the book) to have to sit through that.

The book's tone then settles back into the journalistic retelling of his various adventures and chemicals that shamanic tribes have used which once again I found interesting.

But then Daniel decides to change the entire tone into a new-age, alien, morally relativistic nonsensical attributation to alien beings from other dimensions living and guiding humanity through magical plants. It's utter rubbish and a waste of time. The last two Parts of the book can be forgotten entirely.

Daniel's lack of skepticism in regards to his experience is the mark of a true buffoon. I agree with another reviewer in that Daniel likely had some kind of political motivation with this book to perhaps get more cred in his own New York scene. At least it reads like that.

This could have been a great book if Daniel had stuck with the subject matter at hand and left out the opinion on political theory and allusions to some alien reality that he supposes must exist.

Three stars for the parts that warrant it. One star for the rest.

fairly gripping - somewhat overly gloomy about the future of the species but contains many interesting points of further reading

If you liked McKenna you'll dig Pinchbeck. He is a well read psychonaut who was eloquent enough to describe his psychedelic journeys in great detail, while finding greater significance in his explorations by tying them into a variety of theories and philosophical beliefs. Prior to reading this book, I had heard about the Burning Man festival, but his writings about the event triggered a real longing within me to experience that meeting of like peoples. He appears to be a bit of a show boat, but that makes the read all that much more entertaining. Enjoy!

Pinchbeck is the type of person that gives psychedelics a bad image. While the book starts off with a rational Pinchbeck, one can already tell his rationality is more of a misplaced materialism. By the end of the book Pinchbeck appears to have lost all rational inquiry as he comes to believe he is a modern day shaman. Highly disappointed...first time I've ever really disliked a book.

cool story , anthropolgical exploration. He was a fellow student of Mic Taussig, so I read it. Not dissapointed.

Deeply and fundamentally bogue if taken on its own terms. Three and a half stars if read as a confession by an aging horndog and failed artiste attempting to found a dope/occult cult in order to slake his need for hippie poon.

It's an intriguing, educating and inspiring read. Don't get discouraged by the overdone literary analysis at the beginning (or just beyond the beginning) of the book; there's some good stuff in there but if that's not your thing just keep going and he gets back on his psychedelic journey where he accesses parallel dimensions and his ethical reflections on human life on this planet. For me it was one of those books that sort of changes your whole perspective on things, or better put, it brings you back to ways of thinking and feeling that you've experienced before but get lost as you ride the waves of everyday life. Probably one of the most important books I've read in the last few years. It reminded me that this life is an adventure, and that every step counts.

There are some interesting ideas in here, but the book itself is so scattered and unfocused that I can't help thinking Pinchbeck was too when he wrote it.

Way weirder than I was expecting. His sections about the history of psychedelics and other psychedelic thinkers and scientists are pretty good, and his trip reports about different drugs are interesting. But man, this guy comes to some strange conclusions towards the end of the book. He kind of goes off the deep end into the occult, and I'm not sure what to make of it. Even though I think he's a little bit nuts (stop with the 2012 apocalypse predictions and other pseudoscience, man!), I still enjoyed most of the book and came away with a long list of other books, authors, concepts, (and drugs) to check out in the future.