James Fadiman

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James Fadiman
Born (1939-05-27) May 27, 1939 (age 85)
New York City, New York
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Researcher, author, lecturer
Spouse Dorothy Fadiman
RelativesWilliam Fadiman (father)
Vera Racolin (mother)
Anne Fadiman (first cousin)
Clifton Fadiman (uncle)
William James Sidis (first cousin once removed)

James Fadiman (born May 27, 1939) is an American writer known for his research on microdosing psychedelics. He co-founded the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, which later became Sofia University.

Contents

Early years

Fadiman was born in New York City to a Jewish family and grew up in Bel Air. His father, William Fadiman, was a producer, story editor, [1] [2] and book reviewer in Hollywood, [3] one of his credits being The Last Frontier . [1] [3] [2] His mother, Vera Racolin, was a socialite, former model, and philanthropist known for her charitable support of numerous causes, including the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Rescue League, and the Boys & Girls Club. [4] [5] [6] Both his paternal grandparents, Isadore and Grace Fadiman, and his maternal grandparents, Mandel and Natalie (Natasha) Racolin, were Russian Jewish immigrants who settled in New York City near the turn of the 20th century. [7] [8] [9] [10]

Education/research and psychedelic counterculture

Fadiman received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University in 1960 and a Master's degree and a doctorate (both in psychology) from Stanford University, the PhD in 1965. [11] While in Paris in 1961, his friend and former Harvard undergraduate adviser Ram Dass (then known as Richard Alpert) introduced him to psilocybin. [12] [13] [14]

As a graduate student at Stanford, Fadiman was Stewart Brand's LSD guide on Brand's first LSD trip in 1962, at Myron Stolaroff's International Foundation for Advanced Study in Menlo Park, California. [12] [15] [16] [17] While living in Menlo Park, Fadiman and his wife were Ken Kesey's Perry Lane neighbors and friends. [16] [18] [19]

In 1963, Fadiman worked at Stanford's Augmentation Research Center, a division that did research on networked computing. [17] He was also part of the team in the psychedelics in problem-solving experiment at the International Foundation for Advanced Study, which was abruptly halted in 1966. [12] [20]

Fadiman is a proponent of microdosing [21] and collects anecdotal reports from those who practice it.

Transpersonal psychology and personality theory

Fadiman and Robert Frager cofounded the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (now known as Sofia University) in 1975. [22] [23] He was a lecturer in psychedelic studies there. [24] [23]

Fadiman was a president of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology. [25] He was also a director at the Institute of Noetic Sciences from 1975 to 1977. [23]

In 1976, Fadiman and Frager published a textbook on personality theory, Personality and Personal Growth, which was one of the first to incorporate Eastern theories of personality alongside Western approaches and the first of its kind to include chapters on women. [23] [26] Personality and Personal Growth has been republished in seven editions as of 2012. [26]

Personal life

Fadiman is married to documentary filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman [19] [22] and is the father of arts educator Renee Fadiman [27] and Florida Atlantic University professor Maria Fadiman. His uncle was Clifton Fadiman, [3] [19] and he is a cousin of Anne Fadiman. [3] His brother, Jeffrey A. Fadiman, is a professor of international marketing at San José State University and a language and area specialist of Eastern and Southern Africa, with published work on the Meru tribe of Mount Kenya. [28] [29] [30] [31] [32]

Fadiman is the first cousin once removed of child prodigy William James Sidis. Sidis was the son of Sarah Sidis (née Mandelbaum), who was the sister of Fadiman's paternal grandmother, Grace Fadiman (née Mandelbaum). [33]

He was also featured in the first episode of the 2022 Netflix documentary series How to Change Your Mind .

Works

Books

Workshops and talks

Films

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psychedelic drug</span> Hallucinogenic class of psychoactive drug

Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic hallucinogens or serotonergic hallucinogens, the term psychedelic is sometimes used more broadly to include various types of hallucinogens, such as those which are atypical or adjacent to psychedelia like salvia and MDMA, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ram Dass</span> American spiritual teacher (1931–2019)

Ram Dass, also known as Baba Ram Dass, was an American spiritual teacher, guru of modern yoga, psychologist, and writer. His best-selling 1971 book Be Here Now, which has been described by multiple reviewers as "seminal", helped popularize Eastern spirituality and yoga in the West. He authored or co-authored twelve more books on spirituality over the next four decades, including Grist for the Mill (1977), How Can I Help? (1985), and Polishing the Mirror (2013).

An altered state of consciousness (ASC), also called an altered state of mind, altered mental status (AMS) or mind alteration, is any condition which is significantly different from a normal waking state. It describes induced changes in one's mental state, almost always temporary. A synonymous phrase is "altered state of awareness".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abraham Maslow</span> American psychologist

Abraham Harold Maslow was an American psychologist who created Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a theory of psychological health predicated on fulfilling innate human needs in priority, culminating in self-actualization. Maslow was a psychology professor at Brandeis University, Brooklyn College, New School for Social Research, and Columbia University. He stressed the importance of focusing on the positive qualities in people, as opposed to treating them as a "bag of symptoms". A Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked Maslow as the tenth most cited psychologist of the 20th century.

Transpersonal psychology, or spiritual psychology, is an area of psychology that seeks to integrate the spiritual and transcendent aspects of the human experience within the framework of modern psychology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanislav Grof</span> American psychiatrist

Stanislav "Stan" Grof is an American psychiatrist. Grof is one of the principal developers of transpersonal psychology and research into the use of non-ordinary states of consciousness for purposes of psychological healing, deep self-exploration, and obtaining growth and insights into the human psyche.

Psychedelic therapy refers to the proposed use of psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, and ayahuasca, to treat mental disorders. As of 2021, psychedelic drugs are controlled substances in most countries and psychedelic therapy is not legally available outside clinical trials, with some exceptions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of LSD</span>

The psychedelic drug lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) was first synthesized on November 16, 1938, by the Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann in the Sandoz laboratories in Basel, Switzerland. It was not until five years later on April 19, 1943, that the psychedelic properties were found. Today, the discovery of LSD is celebrated worldwide during the annual Bicycle Day holiday, serving also as the day celebrating the psychedelic revolution in general.

A psychedelic experience is a temporary altered state of consciousness induced by the consumption of a psychedelic substance. For example, an acid trip is a psychedelic experience brought on by the use of LSD, while a mushroom trip is a psychedelic experience brought on by the use of psilocybin. Psychedelic experiences feature alterations in normal perception such as visual distortions and a subjective loss of self-identity, sometimes interpreted as mystical experiences. Psychedelic experiences lack predictability, as they can range from being highly pleasurable to frightening. The outcome of a psychedelic experience is heavily influenced by the person's mood, personality, expectations, and environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myron Stolaroff</span> American author and researcher

Myron J. Stolaroff was an author and researcher who is best known for his studies involving psychedelic psychotherapy. He also conducted clinical studies that attempted to measure the effects of LSD, mescaline, and other drugs on creativity.

The transpersonal is a term used by different schools of philosophy and psychology in order to describe experiences and worldviews that extend beyond the personal level of the psyche, and beyond mundane worldly events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boris Sidis</span> American psychologist (1867–1923)

Boris Sidis was a Ukrainian-American Psychopathologist, psychologist, physician, psychiatrist, and philosopher of education. Sidis founded the New York State Psychopathic Institute and the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. He was the father of child prodigy William James Sidis. Boris Sidis eventually opposed mainstream psychology and Sigmund Freud, and thereby died ostracized. He was married to a maternal aunt of Clifton Fadiman, the American intellectual.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sofia University (California)</span> Private for-profit university in Palo Alto and Costa Mesa, California

Sofia University is a private for-profit university with two campuses in California, one in Costa Mesa and the other in Palo Alto. It was originally founded as the California Institute of Transpersonal Psychology by Robert Frager and James Fadiman in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Tarnas</span> Philosopher and cultural historian

Richard Theodore Tarnas is a cultural historian and astrologer known for his books The Passion of the Western Mind: Understanding the Ideas That Have Shaped Our World View and Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View. Tarnas is professor of philosophy and psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and is the founding director of its graduate program in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness.

The Beckley Foundation is a UK-based think tank and UN-accredited NGO, dedicated to activating global drug policy reform and initiating scientific research into psychoactive substances. The foundation is a charitable trust which collaborates with leading scientific and political institutions worldwide to design and develop research and global policy initiatives. It also investigates consciousness and its modulation from a multidisciplinary perspective, working in collaboration with scientists. The foundation is based at Beckley Park near Oxford, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1998, and is directed by Amanda Feilding, Countess of Wemyss.

Ego death is a "complete loss of subjective self-identity". The term is used in various intertwined contexts, with related meanings. The 19th-century philosopher and psychologist William James uses the synonymous term "self-surrender" and Jungian psychology uses the synonymous term psychic death, referring to a fundamental transformation of the psyche. In death and rebirth mythology, ego death is a phase of self-surrender and transition, as described later by Joseph Campbell in his research on the mythology of the Hero's Journey. It is a recurrent theme in world mythology and is also used as a metaphor in some strands of contemporary western thinking.

Robert Frager is an American social psychologist responsible for establishing America's first educational institution dedicated to transpersonal psychology. Frager is known for founding the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, now called Sofia University, in Palo Alto, California, where he currently holds the position of director of the low residency Master of Arts in Spiritual Guidance program and professor of psychology. Frager has previously acted as president of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology as well as a consultant, educator and a spiritual teacher in the Sufi tradition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Hofmann</span> Swiss chemist (1906–2008)

Albert Hofmann was a Swiss chemist known for being the first to synthesize, ingest, and learn of the psychedelic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Hofmann's team also isolated, named and synthesized the principal psychedelic mushroom compounds psilocybin and psilocin. He authored more than 100 scientific articles and numerous books, including LSD: Mein Sorgenkind. In 2007, he shared first place with Tim Berners-Lee on a list of the 100 greatest living geniuses published by The Daily Telegraph newspaper.

The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology (JTP) is a semi-annual, peer-reviewed academic journal which is published by the Association for Transpersonal Psychology (ATP). The journal is a seminal publication in the field of transpersonal psychology. According to sources the journal is addressing the interface between psychology and spirituality, and the area of spirituality as a legitimate topic for academic studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Feldmár</span>

Andrew Feldmár is a Hungarian-born psychotherapist living in Canada. He is most known as the Hungarian follower of R. D. Laing, the Scottish psychiatrist who was one of the leading figures of the counterculture of the 1960s. Laing, who later became his friend, was his teacher and therapist first. Following his mentor, Feldmár practices and popularizes a form of radical psychotherapy, where the main goal of the therapist is to engage in a real, spontaneous and honest relationship with the patient. This approach is based on the findings of research on interpersonal phenomenology, spiritual emergency, the anthropology of healing, existential psychotherapy and community therapy. Feldmár rejects the labelling of human suffering, and therefore distances himself from the mainstream forms of psychiatry and psychotherapy which are based on the concept of mental illness. He has published many books in Hungarian, and he lectures, teaches, and provides supervision and therapy internationally, he has worked as a psychotherapist with over 52 years of experience, having spent more than 100,000 hours in psychotherapy with clients. He has been noticeably successful treating psychotic patients. He is a well-known expert in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

References

  1. 1 2 "William Fadiman". Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Pesselnick, Jill (August 9, 1999). "William James Fadiman". Variety . Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "William Fadiman, 90, Writer and Producer". New York Times. August 7, 1999. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Vera Louis ( Racolin,Fadiman) Obit 2". Palm Beach Daily News. April 12, 1997. p. 2.
  5. ↑ "Vera Louis (Racolin Fadimin) Obit1". Palm Beach Daily News. April 12, 1997. p. 1.
  6. ↑ "Interview of William Fadiman".
  7. ↑ "Interview of William Fadiman".
  8. ↑ https://www.myheritage.com/site-family-tree-297285971/gottstein [ bare URL ]
  9. ↑ https://www.thecityreview.com/CarterBH/uws/riverside/rsd98.html [ bare URL ]
  10. ↑ "Professor Bernard Choseed Memorial Fellowship and the Natalie and Mendel Racolin Memorial Fellowship".
  11. ↑ "Behavior Change Following Psychedelic (LSD) Therapy". Likewise. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  12. 1 2 3 Doody, Tim (July 27, 2012). "The Heretic". The Morning News. The Morning News . Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  13. ↑ Fadiman, Anne (November 9, 2012). "Jim Fadiman: Researcher in the Sky with Diamonds". Yale Daily News .
  14. ↑ Kohli, Manav (October 10, 2013). "James Fadiman: Psychedelic Research and Applications". The Forum.
  15. ↑ "Brand (Stewart) papers at Stanford University Special Collections & University Archives". Online Archive of California - California Digital Library. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  16. 1 2 Bernstein, David (August 8, 2008). "Stewart Brand". The San Francisco Tape Music Center: 1960s Counterculture and the Avant-Garde. University of California Press. pp. 239–251. ISBN   9780520256170 . Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  17. 1 2 Turner, Fred (August 15, 2008). From Counterculture to Cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the Rise of Digital Utopianism. University of Chicago Press. p. 61. ISBN   978-0226817422 . Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  18. ↑ Robins, Cynthia (December 7, 2001). "Kesey's Friends Gather in Tribute". SF Gate . Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  19. 1 2 3 The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. p. 5.
  20. ↑ Harman, Willis W.; Fadiman, James (1970). "Selective Enhancement of Specific Capacities Through Psychedelic Training". Psychedelics: The Uses and Implications of Hallucinogenic Drugs. Doubleday & Company. ISBN   978-0385087742.
  21. ↑ Barnett, Michaela (September 9, 2019). "The Mythology of Microdosing Continues to Grow. Can Science Catch Up?". Behavioral Scientist.
  22. 1 2 "Jim Fadiman on Psychedelics". To the Best of Our Knowledge. May 26, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  23. 1 2 3 4 Brown, David Jay (October 24, 2015). "Creativity, Problem Solving, and Psychedelics: An Interview with James Fadiman". Frontiers of Psychedelic Consciousness: Conversations with Albert Hofmann, Stanislav Grof, Rick Strassman, Jeremy Narby, Simon Posford, and Others). Park Street Press. pp. 44–57. ISBN   9781620553923 . Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  24. ↑ Gulker, Linda Hubbard (May 5, 2011). "James Fadiman: Talking and writing about psychedelics". Menlo Park, California: InMenlo.
  25. ↑ "Board of Directors". Association for Transpersonal Psychology. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  26. 1 2 Taylor, Eugene (July 7, 2009). The Mystery of Personality: A History of Psychodynamic Theories. Springer. pp. 298–. ISBN   9780387981048 . Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  27. ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneefadiman [ bare URL ]
  28. ↑ https://www.sjsu.edu/people/jeffrey.fadiman/docs/BUS%20133A_Syllabus_Spring2016.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  29. ↑ "Palm Beach Daily News 12 Apr 1997, page 2".
  30. ↑ "Jeffrey a Fadiman | People | San Jose State University".
  31. ↑ "How a 24-year-old White American discovered Timbuktu in 1960". May 7, 2022.
  32. ↑ "Coastsider becomes an honored elder". October 26, 2011.
  33. ↑ "Grace Fadiman". April 28, 2022.
  34. ↑ "Buddhism and Psychedelics: A Community Discussion with Kokyo Henkel and James Fadiman (Video)". Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. October 20, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  35. ↑ "Psychedelic Horizons Beyond Psychotherapy Workshop – Part 1/4". Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies . Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  36. ↑ "Drugs in Our Culture". Prelinger Archives . Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  37. ↑ "Inside LSD (Full Length Documentary)". National Geographic Channel. November 8, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  38. ↑ "Science and Sacraments: Clips of the Cast". Coleen LeDrew Elgin, Elgin Productions. November 8, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
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