One point should be made clear. This involves theories of reincarnation and what Grof called "reliving what appears to be a scene of a past incarnation". There is no reincarnation as such and a person does not relive a "past incarnation". We all have the same infinite brain. It is only egos that make us appear to be very different.

It is not as if I have past lives that are different than yours or anyone else's. We all have, in the brain, all present, past and even future lives. The brain is the entire universe in all of time, not the silly little limited ego. Similarly, the common theory of reincarnation is wrong. What supposedly happened in a "past life" has nothing to do with your present life. You were not born in sin. You were not a dog in your past life any more or less than you were Jesus. We were all dogs and Christ and everything else because everything is in the brain. Getting access to the brain is another story. LSD can do it. Unfortunately, all research on LSD was forbidden before the surface was even scratched as to how to make the best, fullest use of it. Timothy Leary and others tried their best to get at all the answers, but the door was slammed shut in their faces and it's still shut.

Stanislav Grof says more on p. 225 of his book LSD Psychotherapy:

"The richness of the experiential content is augmented by the fact that the process involves an endless variety of illustrative material from biology, zoology, anthropology, history, mythology and religion. Psychedelic sessions focusing on the death-rebirth process not only have great therapeutic potential, but are a source of invaluable scientific, sociopolitical, philosophical and spiritual insights."

Again, when Grof talks about, in this case, the illustrative material from history and the other fields of study, he's talking about what is seen with the eyes closed. The death-rebirth process is the death of the ego and the rebirth is the new life for the person. The experience will change the person for the better. As Grof says on p. 288 of LSD Psychotherapy:

"An individual who has a transcendental experience develops an entirely new image of his or her identity and cosmic status. The materialistic image of the universe in which the individual is a meaningless speck of dust in the vastness of the cosmos is instantly replaced by the mystical alternative. Within the new world-view, the very creative principle of the universe is experientially available to the individual and, in a certain sense, is commensurate and identical with him or her. This is a drastic change of perspective and it has far-reaching consequences for every aspect of life."

There is a quote from William James that has appeared in many books. It probably came from his book, The Varieties of Religious Experience. It's on p. 262 of Masters and Houston's book, The Varieties of Psychedelic Experience. It's James' comment on his experience with nitrous oxide. This is it:

"One conclusion was forced upon my mind at that time and my impression of its truth has ever since remained unshaken. It is that our normal waking consciousness, rational consciousness as we call it, is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the filmiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different. We may go through life without suspecting their existence; but apply the requisite stimulus and at a touch they are there in all their completeness, definite types of mentality which probably somewhere have their field of application and adaptation. No account of the universe in its totality can be final which leaves these other forms of consciousness quite disregarded. How to regard them is the question-for they are discontinuous with ordinary consciousness. Yet they may determine attitudes though they cannot furnish formulas and open a region though they fail to give a map. At any rate, they forbid a premature closing of our accounts with reality. Looking back on my own experiences, they all converge toward a kind of insight to which I cannot help ascribing some metaphysical significance."

What comes up again and again from people who have taken LSD is their reference to insights of all kinds, whether it's intellectual, psychological, scientific, sociopolitical, philosophical, spiritual or metaphysical insights. Has anyone ever claimed that they get any insights at all about anything as a result of drinking alcohol? Does going to school give people valuable insights of this kind? Many have claimed that LSD was the most educational experience of their lives. There are few things that can give a person an insight into anything, but LSD can give a person important insights into everything.