The Doors of Perception Summary and Analysis

The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley describes an experiment that the author enters into in 1953 to test the effects of mescalin, the psychedelic ingredient in peyote. The essay explains how the author comes to be involved in the experiment and what happens while he is under the influence of the drug. Huxley also broadly explores why people take drugs and some of what they experience when they are under the influence of drugs.

Peyote has been used in religious practices of Native Americans of the Southwest for hundreds of years, but has only limited scientific research on its properties and effects. However, what is known about peyote in 1953 is that it is able to alter the mental state of the user without any noticeable side effects. In the early-1950s, an English psychiatrist discovers...