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Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss: My Life with Terence McKenna
“Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss: My Life with Terence McKenna” is an autobiographical work by renowned ethnobotanist Dennis McKenna. It details his childhood, his bond with his brother Terence, and his thoughts on psychedelics, philosophy, and scientific discovery.
The book recounts the McKenna brothers’ upbringing in western Colorado during the 1950s and 1960s, including Dennis’s youthful escapades, his early experiences with alcohol and drugs (often introduced by Terence), and the influential people and ideas that impacted them both. “Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss” blends personal stories with philosophical insights and accounts of psychedelic exploration.
About the author
Dennis McKenna is an American ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer, and author. His work primarily revolves around the interdisciplinary study of ethnopharmacology and natural hallucinogens. He earned his doctorate in 1984 from the University of British Columbia. He focused his research on the ethnopharmacological properties of ayahuasca and oo-koo-he, two Amazonian psychedelic substances. Following his Ph.D., he conducted post-doctoral research at the Helicon Foundation in San Diego (1984-86), the Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology at NIMH (1986-88), and the Department of Neurology at Stanford University (1988-1990). From 1990 to 1993, he served as the Director of Ethnopharmacology at Shaman Pharmaceuticals. He then moved to Minnesota in 1993 to join Aveda Corporation as Senior Research Pharmacognosist.
From 2001 to 2017, Dr. McKenna taught at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality and Healing. His courses included Ethnopharmacology, Botanical Medicines, and Plants in Human Affairs. He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute. He also serves on the advisory boards of several non-profits in ethnobotany and botanical medicine. Dr. McKenna was deeply involved in the Hoasca Project. This international study focused on ayahuasca, used sacramentally by the UDV, a Brazilian religious group. He is the younger brother of Terence McKenna. From 2004 to 2008, he led a research project funded by the Stanley Medical Research Institute. The project explored Amazonian ethnomedicines for treating schizophrenia and cognitive deficits.
In 2017, Dr. McKenna organized the landmark symposium, the Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs: 50 Years of Research, marking the 50th anniversary of the original 1967 conference in San Francisco. In 2018, Synergetic Press published the Proceedings of both the 1967 and 2017 symposia as a double-volume set.
In the spring of 2019, he co-founded the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy, a 21st-century mystery school. That same year, he moved to Canada with his wife Sheila, and they currently reside in Abbotsford, B.C.