LSD and the Mind of the Universe

This conversation was recorded for our podcast. You can listen here.

Join author and psychedelic explorer Chris Bache and licensed psychotherapist and CIIS professor Gisele Fernandes for an exciting conversation exploring his 20-year journey into the depths and heights of consciousness.

In his newest book LSD and the Mind of the Universe, Chris shares his experiences and insights from 73 high-dose LSD sessions conducted between 1979 and 1999. This became the philosophical adventure of a lifetime, but one Chris had to keep largely hidden from his colleagues and society. Now that mind-expanding sacraments are returning to legitimate scientific and academic discourse, Chris is revealing the story of his extraordinary pilgrimage into the mind of the cosmos, the crushing trials he faced there, and the sublime intimacy with the Divine that emerged.

Chris Bache is professor emeritus in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Youngstown State University where he taught for 33 years. Chris is also adjunct faculty at California Institute of Integral Studies and a Fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences. An award-winning teacher, Chris’ work explores the philosophical implications of non-ordinary states of consciousness, especially psychedelic states. Chris has written four books: Lifecycles - a study of reincarnation in light of contemporary consciousness research; Dark Night, Early Dawn - a pioneering work in psychedelic philosophy and collective consciousness; and The Living Classroom - an exploration of teaching and collective fields of consciousness. Chris’s new book is LSD and the Mind of the Universe.

Gisele Fernandes is a licensed psychotherapist and core faculty member in the Integral Counseling Psychology program at CIIS. She has been working as a psychotherapist for twenty years, using an integrative approach that is rooted in Somatic, Humanistic-Existential and Transpersonal psychologies. Since relocating to the Bay Area in 2001, Gisele has been working with diverse clients in community mental health and private practice settings, being particularly involved in serving the Latino population. Being an immigrant to the United States, a woman of color and in a bicultural marriage, Gisele has a profound interest in multicultural issues, which has become one of the main topics of her clinical work, teaching and consulting. Gisele’s personal approach to healing is rooted in her commitment to yoga, dance and spiritual traditions of her native Brazil.

This conversation does not promote, facilitate, or require the use of entheogens. This event and the views expressed by the presenter(s) are not a reflection of the views of California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), its Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research, or the individuals employed by CIIS.

CIIS students, staff, and faculty receive discounts on all events. CIIS Public Programs Members receive a 20% discount on all events. Contact us for more information at publicprograms@ciis.edu. Please note that we will check your ID for proof of eligibility on arrival at event.