The Art of Losing Control: A Philosopher's Search for Ecstatic Experience

“A captivating exploration of humanity’s journey toward self-transcendence.” (Prospect)

“Fascinating stuff . . . Evans is a natural storyteller and his honesty about his own experience is refreshing and disarming . . . A smart book that delivers on entertainment as well. Evans takes his subject matter seriously but delivers his investigations in an endlessly amusing and eye-opening manner.” (Big Issue)

“Compelling . . . His sensitivity as a thinker, like his skill as a storyteller, is never in doubt.” (Guardian)

“In keeping with the ecstatic experience itself, this is a wild, wondrous, wide-eyed journey, and Evans has convinced me at least that it's a trip worth taking.” (―Psychologist)

“An original and outstanding investigation into a poorly understood but central experience in all our lives. Jules Evans is brave, honest and wise - a great companion and guide on a fascinating journey.” (Caspar Henderson)

Jules Evans is policy director at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London. He is the author of Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, which was published in nineteen countries and was a Times Book of the Year. Jules has written for WIRED, Aeon, the Financial Times and the Guardian, and is a BBC New Generation Thinker.