Trips, Travels, and Dreams

In 1966, a chance phone call from an old friend led Michael V. Palmer to San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, a place populated by hippies, musicians, psychics, and yogis. To Palmer's delight, many of his new friends dabbled in all of the above, and everyone wanted to spread the love. Much of that good feeling stemmed from a collective mental awakening inspired by a new controversial psychedelic concoction: LSD.

For Palmer and his contemporaries, LSD presented a unique opportunity to expand one's mind. For the authorities, it heralded the collapse of social order.

In the memoir "Trips, Travels, and Dreams: How LSD Saved Me," Palmer's unique personal story showcases the power of the psychedelically altered mind. Because of LSD use, he no longer lived within the confines of society's expectations. Uniquely talented people, such as the psychic Vassily, encouraged him to follow his acid-induced dreams and visions down a life's path that ultimately took him to more than sixty countries.

This fascinating story, complete with an insightful analysis of the human psyche, proves a glowing testament to the power of the 1960s counterculture movement.