Psychology Assignment: The American Dream, LSD, and Consciousness

This psychology assignment delves into Jay Stevens' "Storming Heaven: LSD and the American Dream," exploring the intersection of LSD, the American Dream, and the evolution of consciousness in 20th-century America. The essay analyzes Stevens' historical account, tracing the drug's influence on individuals and society, particularly its role in perceived spiritual awakenings and the counterculture movement. It examines the book's insights into the unconscious mind, the euphoria induced by LSD, and its impact on the American Dream's corruption. The assignment also discusses the book's value from literary, historical, and psychological perspectives, highlighting Stevens' exploration of spirituality and the societal shifts during the period, including the pro and anti-LSD movements. The essay concludes by emphasizing the book's unique contribution to psychological studies, particularly its examination of consciousness and the impact of LSD on the American Dream.

Running head: PSYCHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT
Psychology Assignment
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

PSYCHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT 1
“Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind's true liberation”
The above quoted lines from the famous song “Aquarius” by “The 5th Dimension”
gives an outline of the basic theme of the American Dream, an idea much in vogue in the 20th
century America (Stephenson). Many writers have explored the theme of the American
Dream and its subsequent corruption. However, the book of the journalist Jay Karl Stevens
“Storming Heaven; LSD and the American Dream” is unique in its own regard as it explores
the idea of the American Dream and its subsequent corruptions and the contribution of LSD
towards it, through the lens of psychology (ELcock). It is significant to note that in the later
part of the 20th century LSD was primary seen as a substance which could elevate the
consciousness of its consumers and thus lead the consumers to higher plains of spirituality
(ELcock). Jay Stevens tries to explore this particular theme in his masterpiece “Storming
Heaven; LSD and the American Dream”.
James Truslow Adams popularized the term the “American Dream” in his work “Epic
of America” (Oram). According to him, “[T]hat dream of a land in which life should be better
and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or
achievement. […] It is not a 20 dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of
social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of

PSYCHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT 2
which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of
the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position” (Stevens). Therefore, many individuals
flocked to the fertile land of America to make a fortune for themselves, especially after the
“Gold Rush” of 1849 (Grant). However, just like the Biblical Eden this particular heaven was
also susceptible to corruption. The concept gradually lost its sheen and several new
proponents were added to the original idea, with the drug LSD being one of the primary ones
among them (Oram). This particular book of Jay Stevens tries to explore the corruption of
this particular dream and the role played by LSD in it. This particular work of Stevens
intends to explore the heart of the hallucinatory shiver which was at the center of the
American society in the later part of the 20th century (Smith). The book begins on a 1943
April afternoon when Albert Hoffman first discovered the effects of LSD and moves on the
later part on the 1960s when the substance was the fulcrum of the American society
(Stevens). The book also provides a penetrating insight into the lives of some famous artists
like Aldous Huxley, Henry and Claire Booth and others and some of the famous literary
movements like Beat Generation and others (Stevens). It is to be noted that the central
fulcrum of the book is on the euphoria caused by the LSD and the higher levels of
consciousness which this particular substance helped the users to achieve (Oram). Stevens
provides an insight into this particular experience of the consumers in the words like “turn off
the mind…..float downstream” (Stevens). It is also significant to note here that the substance
was utilized by many people to achieve a higher plane of spirituality in the middle of the
quagmire of the lack of religious faith and others incidents which shook the very belief
system of the human beings which is pertinently captured in lines like “"change and elevate
the consciousness of every American within the next few years. Slowly, carefully, and
beautifully, you can learn to drop out of American society as it is now set up." The League's
slogan was the soon to be infamous "tune in, turn on, drop out”” (Stevens). The work also

PSYCHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT 3
provides an overview of the two movements related to this process- the pro-LSD and the anti-
LSD ones (White). It is to be noted that the major achievement of Stevens in this particular
work is to provide a detailed history of the substance LSD and its effect on the American
society and to interpret in terms of psychology. In addition to this, the book also provides a
penetrating insight into the theme of consciousness and the effect of LSD on the unconscious
mind of the human beings (Cowen).
I found the book an interesting read not only from a psychological but from a literary
as well as historical perspective as well. The valuable insights provided by the book on topics
like consciousness and the euphoria caused by the substance LSD. These concepts
enumerated in the book were very helpful and facilitated my understanding of these topics in
a much better manner. The detail historical account of the substance LSD which the book
provides is very helpful. Some of the sections of the book also delve into spirituality and how
the substance under discussion here was used by the individuals to attain this spiritual plane.
Moreover, the book can also be seen as a historical account of the 20th century American
society which was very illuminatory.
Psychology deals with the scientific study of the human mind and its related processes
(Cowen). The major focus of this particular subject is on the unconscious mind of the human
beings and the factors which determine their actions. It is to be noted that the unconscious
segment of the human mind has been the focus of research ever since the traditional times
(Adler). However, significant inroads were made into this particular genre only in the 18th
century particularly beginning with the works of Schelling and Sigmund Freud (Diamond).
The work of Jay Stevens “Storming Heaven: LSD and the American Dream” also explores
the conscious segment of the human mind and the effect of substances like LSD on it. The
effect of the substance LSD on the American society is captured vividly in lines like

PSYCHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT 4
“Reading through the monographs, you could sense the confusion that LSD had created in the
scientific community, when, using it as a deep probe into the unconscious, it had stirred up
something that looked very much like their archenemy, the mystic religious experience! What
was that doing in there….So many things happened in the psychedelic state that just couldn't
be expressed in language” (Stevens). He provides an overview of the effect of the substance
LSD on the consciousness of the individuals and its related processes. It is significant to note
that rather than providing the effects of the substance LSD on the consciousness of the
individuals as a scientific research or a study like the “The Interpretation of Dreams” by
Sigmund Freud, he provides an overview of the effect of the substance LSD on the
consciousness of the individuals as a historical document which enumerates the history of the
substance and the American society (Adler). He provides an overview of the American
society in the following words "the madness of the place, the shouts, the chasing, the gunning
bikes, the chaotic, occasional screams of girls running has convinced people that the Haight is
a rare species of insane disorganization” (Stevens). Therefore, it can be safely concluded that
the book is very unique in the genre of psychological works and provides meaningful insights
into the consciousness and the unconscious segment of the human mind in lines like “"We are
now entering the largest hippie colony in the world," the tour guide would exclaim, urging
everyone to the windows. "We are now passing down Haight Street, the very nerve center of
a city within a city… marijuana, of course, is a household staple here, enjoyed by the natives
to stimulate their…..the ever present preoccupation with the soul, reality and self-expression,
such as strumming guitars, piping flutes, and banging on bongo drums” (Stevens).
Psychology is a very diverse subject and over the recent times the focus of the subject
has been not only on the unconscious segment of the human mind and the related human
activities but on the spirituality of the individuals as well and how that level can be achieved

PSYCHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT 5
(Adler). The book of Jay Stevens is a pioneer one in this particular field as it talks about
achieving this spiritual plane through the use of the substance LSD (Diamond). There are
actually very few books in psychology which explores the concept of spirituality and the
effect of substances like LSD on the consciousness of the individuals and the related
processes of euphoria. The importance of the book also lies in the fact that the book provides
an overview of the American society from April 1943 to the 1960s and the behavior of the
individual members of the American in that particular period (Adler). The book is also
significant for its overview of the concept of the “American Dream” and its corruption.
Therefore, from the above discussion it becomes clear that the concepts of
unconscious and consciousness has formed the center of attraction for many scholars as well
as psychologists. The particular book of Jay Stevens under consideration here also explores
these two concepts in minute details and also provides an overview of the effect of the use of
the substance LSD on the consciousness of the consumers. The book also provides a brief
overview of the nature of the American society, American dream and its corruption along
with the intake of the substance LSD to achieve the higher plane of spirituality by the
individuals.

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References
Adler, Patricia A., Peter Adler, and Patrick K. O'Brien, eds. Drugs and the American dream:
An anthology. John Wiley & Sons, 2012.
Cowen, Tyler. The complacent class: The self-defeating quest for the American dream. St.
Martin's Press, 2017.
Diamond, Anne. "The Dream Drugstore: Chemically Altered States of Consciousness by JA
Hobson: (2001). Cambridge, MA: A Bradford Book, The MIT Press, 333 pp., ISBN: 0-
26280293." (2013): 90-92, 2014
ELcock, Chrise. "The Fifth Freedom: The Politics of Psychedelic Patriotism." Journal for the
Study of Radicalism9.2 (2015): 17-40, 2015
Grant, Brittanny. "Was It All Just A Hallucination? The CIA's Secret LSD Experiments."
2015.
Oram, Matthew. "Efficacy and enlightenment: LSD psychotherapy and the drug amendments
of 1962." Journal of the history of medicine and allied sciences 69.2 (2012): 221-250,2014
Smith, Nora. "LSD AND THE AMERICAN COUNTERCULTURE." THE CHICO
HISTORIAN: 118, 2013
Stephenson, Scott. "LSD and the American Counterculture: Comrades in the Psychedelic
Quest.",2016
Stevens, Jay. Storming Heaven "LSD and the American Dream." 1987.
White, William L. "Timothy Leary and LSD:“Turn on, Tune In, Drop Out”."2015