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 Sofia University is a private for-profit university in Palo Alto, California. It was originally founded as the California Institute of Transpersonal Psychology by Robert Frager and James Fadiman in 1975.Judy, Dwight H. & Schmitt, Robert. "Grad ...

, which later became

Sofia University Sofia University, "St. Kliment Ohridski" at the University of Sofia, ( bg, Софийски университет „Св. Климент Охридски“, ''Sofijski universitet „Sv. Kliment Ohridski“'') is the oldest higher education i ...

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, and book reviewer in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, one of his credits being '' The Last Frontier''.

Education/research and psychedelic counterculture

Fadiman received a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1960 and a Master's degree and a doctorate (both in psychology) from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

, the PhD in 1965. While in Paris in 1961, his friend and former Harvard undergraduate adviser

Ram Dass Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert; April 6, 1931 – December 22, 2019), also known as Baba Ram Dass, was an American spiritual teacher, guru of modern yoga, psychologist, and author. His best-selling 1971 book '' Be Here Now'', which has been d ...

(then known as

Richard Alpert Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert; April 6, 1931 – December 22, 2019), also known as Baba Ram Dass, was an American spiritual teacher, guru of modern yoga, psychologist, and author. His best-selling 1971 book '' Be Here Now'', which has been ...

) introduced him to

psilocybin Psilocybin ( , ) is a naturally occurring psychedelic prodrug compound produced by more than 200 species of fungi. The most potent are members of the genus ''Psilocybe'', such as '' P. azurescens'', '' P. semilanceata'', and '' P.&nbs ...

. As a graduate student at Stanford, Fadiman was

Stewart Brand Stewart Brand (born December 14, 1938) is an American writer, best known as editor of the ''Whole Earth Catalog''. He founded a number of organizations, including The WELL, the Global Business Network, and the Long Now Foundation. He is the auth ...

's LSD guide on Brand's first LSD trip in 1962, at

Myron Stolaroff Myron J. Stolaroff (August 20, 1920 – January 6, 2013) 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 ...

's International Foundation for Advanced Study in Menlo Park, California. While living in Menlo Park, Fadiman and his wife were

Ken Kesey Ken Elton Kesey (September 17, 1935 – November 10, 2001) was an American novelist, essayist and countercultural figure. He considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s. Kesey was born in ...

's Perry Lane neighbors and friends. In 1963, Fadiman worked at Stanford's

Augmentation Research Center SRI International's Augmentation Research Center (ARC) was founded in the 1960s by electrical engineer Douglas Engelbart to develop and experiment with new tools and techniques for collaboration and information processing. The main product to come ...

, a division that did research on networked computing. 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. Fadiman is a proponent of microdosing and collects anecdotal reports from those who practice it.

Transpersonal psychology and personality theory

Fadiman and

Robert Frager Robert Frager is an American social psychologist. He is the founder of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, now called Sofia University, in Palo Alto, California, where he is director of the low residency Master of Arts in Spiritual Guidance p ...

cofounded the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (now known as

) in 1975. He was a lecturer in psychedelic studies there. Fadiman was a president of the

Association for Transpersonal Psychology 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 psycholo ...

. He was also a director at the

Institute of Noetic Sciences The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) is an American non-profit parapsychological research institute. It was co-founded in 1973 by former astronaut Edgar Mitchell,Pfeffer, Elizabeth''Stars aligned: Astronaut's mission seeks to answer life's b ...

from 1975 to 1977. 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. ''Personality and Personal Growth'' has been republished in seven editions as of 2012.

Personal life

Fadiman is married to documentary filmmaker

Dorothy Fadiman Dorothy Fadiman (born June 3, 1939 in Pennsylvania) is an American documentary filmmaker, director, and producer. Early life Fadiman was raised in Pennsylvania. Education Fadiman attended University of Pittsburgh and Penn State, and receiv ...

and is the father of

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Florida, Dania Beach, Davie, Florida, Davie, Fort Lauderd ...

professor Maria Fadiman. His uncle was

Clifton Fadiman Clifton Paul "Kip" Fadiman (May 15, 1904 – June 20, 1999) was an American intellectual, author, editor, radio and television personality. He began his work with the radio, and switched to television later in his career. Background Born in Bro ...

and he is a cousin of

Anne Fadiman Anne Fadiman (born August 7, 1953) is an American essayist and reporter. Her interests include literary journalism, essays, memoir, and autobiography. She has received the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for ...

. Fadiman has a chapter giving advice in

Tim Ferriss Timothy Ferriss (born July 20, 1977) is an American entrepreneur, investor, author, podcaster, and lifestyle guru. He became well-known through his ''4-Hour'' self-help book series—including ''The 4-Hour Work Week'', ''The 4-Hour Body'', and '' ...

's book ''

Tools of Titans ''Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers'' (2016) is a self-help book by Timothy Ferriss, an American writer, educational activist, and entrepreneur. He interviewed more than 100 "wor ...

''.

Works

;Books * ''The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys Paperback'' (2011) * ''Personality and Personal Growth'' (7th Edition) (with Robert Frager) (2012) * ''The Other Side of Haight: A Novel'' (2004) * ''Essential Sufism'' (1998) Castle Books * ''Unlimit Your Life: Setting and Getting Goals'' (1989) * ''Motivation and Personality'' (with

and Abraham Harold Maslow) (1987) * ''Transpersonal Education: A Curriculum for Feeling and Being'' (1976) Co-edited with

Gay Hendricks Gay Hendricks (born January 20, 1945, in Leesburg, Florida) is a psychologist, writer, and teacher in the field of personal growth, relationships, and body intelligence. He is best known for his work in relationship enhancement and in the develop ...

Prentice Hall Prentice Hall was an American major educational publisher owned by Savvas Learning Company. Prentice Hall publishes print and digital content for the 6–12 and higher-education market, and distributes its technical titles through the Safari B ...

, * ''Your Symphony of Selves:Discover and Understand More of Who We Are'' (2020) (co-authored with Jordan Gruber). ;Workshops and talks * Psychedelic Horizons Beyond Psychotherapy, Psychedelic Science 2013 Conference – April 2013,

Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is an American nonprofit organization working to raise awareness and understanding of psychedelic substances. MAPS was founded in 1986 by Rick Doblin and is now based in San Jose, C ...

* Psychedelics and Buddhism, October 12, 2012,

;Films * 2013 documentary film, ''Science and Sacraments'' * 2009 documentary film, ''Inside LSD'' from

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

* Late 1960s documentary film, ''Drugs in Our Culture'' from the

Prelinger Archives The Prelinger Archives is a collection of films relating to U.S. cultural history, the evolution of the American landscape, everyday life, and social history. It was in New York City from 1982 to 2002 and is now in San Francisco. History The Arc ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fadiman, James 1939 births Living people American cognitive psychologists American spiritual writers American psychedelic drug advocates American consciousness researchers and theorists People from Los Angeles Psychedelic drug researchers Stanford University alumni Harvard University alumni