Lysergic 

Upon meeting two hippy chemists by the names of Gordon Todd Skinner and William Leonard Pickard, Krystle fell in love and started a new psychedelic life, living in an underground missile silo where tripping on complex and obscure concoctions of mind-bending chemicals was a weekly occurrence. The silo itself was a trippers wet dream. Underground, away from prying eyes, music could be played at high volume and friends could enjoy cosmic journeys together in peace. This lifestyle was funded by the chemists producing, selling and sometimes giving away psychedelic drugs. 

When the silo got busted by the D.E.A, it was reported that the lab inside was supplying 90% of the worlds LSD – amongst other substances. William Leonard Pickard was arrested a day after the bust and eventually given two life sentences. Krystle and Gordon Todd Skinner escaped prosecution because of a deal Skinner had cut with the D.E.A.

After the bust, things started to go down hill and it seems from this book that Skinner began to loose his mind. 

Working with the D.E.A and always having to watch your back is enough to make the strongest of people loose touch with reality. However, it was when Skinner became regularly violent towards Krystle, and after a specific incident in which he drugged and raped her whilst drugging and assaulting her then boyfriend Brad, that Krystle knew she had to get out of Skinners grip. The only way this could be achieved would be cutting a deal with the D.E.A herself and sending Skinner to prison. 

Lysergic is the emotional true story of Krystle A. Cole’s life. She wrote the book at age 23 and it is astonishing that someone so young could have experienced and discovered so much. The story is told from Krystle’s perspective and is honestly one of the most interesting true story’s I have ever come across. Miss Cole is not your average drug taker. She is a cosmic traveller who has been gifted with the ability to interpret her psychedelic journeys into the written format. Trips can be a hard thing to describe in words, but Krystle seems to be able to accomplish it with ease. Never before have I felt so engaged and understood so much about someone else’s altered states – It really is beautifully written.

The book now has a second edition in print that includes many of Gordon Todd Skinner’s prison letters to Krystle. They make for an emotional read. Even though Skinner was unforgivably violent to Krystle, his letters are filled with endless apologies and reading them left me feeling rather sad. Skinner is a broken man, alone in prison. He may well deserve it, but things could have been so different – so good.

Just in-case you thought that Krystle is just another tripper, you might be interested to know that she has a Bachelor of Integrated Studies degree in Psychology and Substance Abuse Counselling from Washburn University. She also has a Master of Science degree in Psychology with an emphasis in evaluation, research, and measurement from Capella University. Additionally, she is currently enrolled in the Psychology PhD program at Capella University. Krystle also makes educational videos that can be viewed on YouTube.