Trip: Psychedelics, Alienation, and Change

Enjoyed a lot. Felt good about the psychedelic stuff. If you've listened to a lot of Mckenna some parts feel familiar but it's fun to read Tao extrapolating from that and compare with ideas/events from his own life, like he also does with Weston A. Price and Riane Eisler. I like how he doesn't completely subscribe to any one view of the modern world. He seems to simultaneously be able to view a lot of parts of it as bleak and other parts as exciting and even hopeful. I think he took Terence a little too seriously about the 'I don't believe anything' thing. He said that a lot but it still feels, to me at least, like he strongly leaned towards Novelty Theory being true, and was also firmly rooted to the need for an Archaic Revival. He often seemed to me like a 'True Believer,' but one who was savvy enough to know how skeptical people were of both experts and evangelicals and so said things like that he only had 'models' (but I think it's only the top level stuff--things that seemed obvious to him, like that psychedelics would have to become important for a positive future outcome for humanity --that I think he firmly held to. A lot his ideas he did probably, it seems, view as expendable) But since I kind of believe that stuff it didn't really bother me.The book also encouraged me, through reading about Tao's experience with and gratefulness towards it, to begin again to use cannabis with a new attitude of viewing it as it's own intentional helper. I like this new view and how it's making me feel. I wanted to see some more things about the relationship between psychedelics and spirituality. Terence said different things. Like he sometimes said they were obviously intertwined, maybe earlier in his career i'm guessing, and then other times said stuff like he wasn't sure they had much to do with each other. I wanted (at some point before reading the book, imagining what the book was going to be about) to hear about Tao's view on the matter, but maybe it wasn't considered to be interesting or relevant or maybe it was not considered at all. The back of the book said stuff about 'what happens after death?' but that wasn't really talked about except for repeating without not a lot of examination Terence's 'death is a release into the the imagination.' Realizing now that I'd been assuming that a lot of people reading the book would be familiar with Terence's ideas but I overestimated the overlap of people who are interested in him and Tao because of his (Mckenna's) prevalence on Tao's online, (mainly Twitter it seems) presence, and that maybe to a lot of people these are going to be 100% new ideas which will, due to their newness, have a large effect on them, which seems exciting (just to have a lot of people discussing, or maybe just thinking about, interesting ideas, even ones that are maybe smirked at by certain different kinds of people).One of my favorite parts of the book was in the epilogue when Tao feels depressed and poignantly assures himself, despite the depressive thing of it seeming permanent, that there would come times that he would feel better. I view 'Trip,' or at least a lot, of it as kind of a culmination of the last months or maybe years of Tao's online presence, having followed probably all of it. I view the new, before-unseen parts, like his detailed trip reports and a lot of the Kathleen Harrison stuff as a sort of 'bonus.' I intuit that there are more things I vaguely feel like I can convey about my experience of reading 'Trip,' but am self-conscious about how long this review is for an Amazon comments section, and am so going to stop typing after the next sentence. I greatly appreciate everything Tao Lin writes makes me feel more interested in art and less alone in the world, and I feel massively grateful for him having communicated his Mckenna-influenced worldview and sharing his often-convincing view of and beliefs about both modern and general living.

"Trip" by Tao Lin is a novel that explores the theme of drug use and its impact on the human mind and relationships. The story follows the protagonist, Paul, as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery through the use of various drugs. As Paul delves deeper into the world of drugs, he begins to question his own existence and the meaning of life.The book is written in a unique style, with short, terse sentences that mirror Paul's fragmented and altered state of mind. The narrative is driven by Paul's inner monologue, which is often philosophical and introspective, and provides insight into his thoughts and emotions.What makes "Trip" stand out is its ability to capture the psychedelic experience through language. Lin's writing style is vivid and descriptive, and he uses metaphors and imagery to create a surreal and dream-like atmosphere. The book also explores the darker aspects of drug use, such as addiction, withdrawal, and the consequences of risky behavior.While "Trip" may not be for everyone, it is a thought-provoking and challenging read that offers a unique perspective on drug use and its impact on the human psyche. Lin's writing is raw and unapologetic, and he does not shy away from exploring the complexities of the human mind.Overall, "Trip" is a well-written and insightful novel that is sure to leave a lasting impression on readers. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the subject of drug use and its impact on the human experience.

This was my first book by Tao Lin, and will probably be the last. I found him through the social media influencer Frank Yang, who I also have issues with despite being a fruitful practitioner of the same behaviors - namely - meditation and yoga to a high degree. But back to the book...Trip is good if you're looking for a blissfully ignorant, positive reason to romanticize drugs and drug usage. Even in the dark times such as the author's bad trips or 'recovery' period, there is little mention of the ill effects of all these trendy recreational drugs, specifically the more-than-common experience of drug-induced psychosis.Overall, this book gave hallucinogenic drugs an unfair shake. There needs to be less of a glorification and more of a 'pros and cons list'. Also, be prepared for awkward grammar usage and a whole lot of tangents. I learned more about the human cultural evolution of orthodontics more than I did about the phenomenology of DMT in the chapter on DMT.It seems the author is less of an intellectual and more of a guy who seems to be crying for help to some degree. He should have taken in his father's footsteps and begin writing books about lasers and other physics topics. Maybe he has, and I would love to read that book given this author's style of making things interesting.Overall, the reason I give 4 stars and not 3 is because for someone such as myself who has given up on drugs as a means for transcendence, escapism, or blunt hedonism, I can appreciate an attempt to describe the culture of psychedelia from the author's perspective.I also enjoyed the chapter on why drugs are illegal, but I ended up learning more about anthropological female figurines than I did about why drugs ought to be made legal. If I were quizzed on this subject, I would be drawing pictures of Venus of Hohl Fels on the back of the sheet and pray I get a good grade.

I read this book in a just a couple of days. I found reading about Tao's experiences growing up and how they led to eventual encounters with various psychadelics a really interesting way to demonstrate the value of the psychedelics, and also the important place they hold in society, by showing the effects they had on this one individual, in making him come out of his shell and start to better understand who he himself as, as well as better understand psychedelics and their effects. The looks back at early human history were so interesting as well, and the way this book is structured makes it really easy to digest and and enjoy, while really learning a lot. Whether you are a fan of Tao Lin, auto-fiction in general, or just want to read a book that explores psychedelics in a uniquely personal way, I can't recommend this book enough. I've leant it to so many people, and have actually bought it 3 times because some of these said people never gave it back!

Es ist vorbildlich, wie sich der Autor weg von abstumpfenden pharmazeutischen Produkten und hin zu natürlicheren bewusstseinsverändernden Substanzen gewendet hat. Lediglich der DMA Trip war ein Fail, aber es ist bemerkenswert, daß so ehrlich und schonungslos darüber in diesem Buch berichtet wird. Es gibt auch bad trips aber das Buch ist ein guter (◐ω◑ )

My brother likes to pretend to be Tao Lin. Often, he'll drop a single tab of acid and quote Tao at a family dinner party. However he refuses to ever give Tao due credit for the quote. After the dinner party, his face will scrunch as if he has to sneeze. He'll snicker to himself and mutter something along the lines of "I got away with it again." He thinks he's Tao Lin but he's not. Is this wrong? I'm not sure it's morally wrong but it's definitely not mentally healthy. One day I'll confront him, I just don't have the heart to do it yet.

Durante a semana em que li Trip, me senti leve. É um livro que diverte e informa sobre um tema que, ou é tratado de forma científica e desconectada de seu tema, ou de forma extremamente cômica e não tão informacional. Trip é o livro sobre drogas mais original que eu já li. Tendo um preconceito, ou não, com este tema, acredito que todos deveriam ler-lo.

I see this novel as being something of a couterpart-sequel to Taipei. It's an autobiographical book about Lin's recovery from prescription/artificial drugs, providing an introduction to ideas introduced by the thought of Terence McKenna. It's an overwhelmingly positive book, despite having a similar 'rhythm' to Taipei on a sentence-by-sentence level. Readers with no prior interest in hallucinogenics/psychedelics needn't be put off here: Trip is more than just a drug experience catalogue, but an enquiry into what makes us human, how we can live in the modern age, and how we can learn to be healthy again.