The Secret Chief Revealed: Conversations with Leo Zeff, Pioneer in the Underground Psychedelic Therapy Movement by Myron J. Stolaroff is back in stock! The 2022 revised 2nd edition is a co-publication of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and Synergetic Press.
Leo Zeff (1912 - 1988) was a pioneering psychedelic therapist and researcher focused on LSD, MDMA and other psychoactive drugs. He conducted much of his work and practice underground after psychedelics were declared illegal in the 1960s. By the time he turned 70, Zeff wass single-handedly responsible for the introduction of psychedelic compounds in use globally among nearly 4,000 individual therapists/practitioners.
The Secret Chief is written as a transcription of an interview conducted in the 1980s with Zeff about his research, studies and practice with psychedelic-assisted therapy. The revised 2nd edition maintains much of the 2nd edition release, including thoughtful contributions on Zeff’s lifework/research from other leaders in the psychedelic movement including Albert Hofmann, discoverer of LSD, psychedelic researcher and author, and Stanislav Grov, a founder of transpersonal psychology.
The Secret Chief, revised 2nd edition also preserves 2nd edition content including contributions in the form of sentimental, narrative-style tributes to Zeff, with notable words from Ann & Alexander (Sasha) Shulgin, renown psychedelic researchers and authors, who also mention Zeff in their how-to chemistry book, Pihkal: A Chemical Love Story.
Other anecdotes and commentary in The Secret Chief come from Zeff’s children, apprentice therapists, and anonymous patients with whom Zeff worked. These comments provide insights into how Zeff navigated in the underground psychedelic research space, his contributions to the field, and personal understandings of who he was as a man, father, friend, researcher, and healer.
This revised edition contains corrected errata, updated links to sources cited in the 2004 edition, and an updated design.