At the end of Don Juan's Teaching, Carlos Castaneda described how, after a terrible night he had experienced, he abandoned his struggle to become a "man of knowledge."

However, three years later, he returned to continue his apprenticeship with the Indian brujo or sorcerer Don Juan. This continuation consists of a series of conversations that are enriched by the fascinating experiences offered by psychoactive plants such as peyote, datura, as well as certain mushrooms, and aims to give Castaneda the ability to see beyond the superficial reality of life. However, hallucinogenic plants are only part of the project, because in order to be able to see this other, distinct reality, one needs willingness, liberation from prejudices and habits, as well as great courage.

A Separate Reality is a rare insight into a philosophy foreign to the Western man.