#59: Psychedelics, relationships, and personal growth

I'm excited to announce my new role as a soon-to-be licensed psilocybin (magic mushroom) facilitator in Oregon. This will supplement my work as a relationship and self-development coach. If you're feeling stuck in your life, you might be particularly interested in this episode. Listen for more details!

Learn more about working with Karin:

Karin's website https://drcalde.com

Karin's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theloveandconnectioncoach/

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro:

Karin: This is Love Is Us, Exploring Relationships and How We Connect. I'm your host, Karin Calde. I'll talk with people about how we can strengthen our relationships, explore who we are in those relationships, and experience a greater sense of love and connection with those around us, including ourselves. I have a PhD in clinical Psychology, practiced as a psychologist resident, and after diving into my own healing work, I went back to school and became a coach, helping individuals and couples with their relationships and personal growth. If you want to experience more love in your life and contribute to healing the disconnect so prevalent in our world today, you're in the right place. Welcome to Love Is Us.

 

Episode:

[00:50] Karin: Hello everybody. I have been looking forward to this episode and making this announcement ever since I made the commitment to this new training program that I've been a part of recently. But I wanted to make sure that nothing got in the way of my completing it because as we all know, life happens. But if you are listening to this episode, that means I'll be less than a week away from completing the program. Earlier this year, I started an accelerated program to become a licensed psilocybin facilitator in the state of Oregon, and I will be done as of March 24, and hopefully I'll be licensed and ready to see clients sometime around the end of May or early June. Okay, so what does that mean? First of all, if you don't know, psilocybin is the psychoactive ingredient found in 200 different species of mushrooms growing around the world. So you might otherwise know them as magic mushrooms. And while there is an active underground psychedelic community in the state, it's now legal in Oregon if you use a licensed facilitator in a licensed service center. So it's open to anyone over the age of 21 who doesn't have significant risk factors. And this is not going to be replacing the work that I'm currently doing. It's going to supplement it. My practice is thriving. I love the work I do with my clients, helping them with their self development and their relationships. And I'm so excited to jump into this new way of helping people because it can be life changing. So why am I doing this? So I've got a few reasons, but I'm going to tell you two of the biggest ones. One, I love to help people become more compassionate, loving, connected, and satisfied with their lives. And yet there are those who get stuck. They might try all the things, coaching, therapy, breath work, meditation, somatic work, whatever it is, and they still feel like they can't move forward in the way they want to. Many people who do psychedelic work get unstuck and have profound experiences that change their lives for the better as long as they put in the work. So my work in the psilocybin space will largely be for people who feel stuck in their lives, whether it's feeling stuck in depression or anxiety or in their relationships. If they're stuck because they can't figure out why they get triggered so easily, or they don't feel like their life has meaning or purpose, or because they can't seem to habit like smoking or drinking or shopping or scrolling on their phones or stepping out in their marriage, or perhaps they feel disconnected, disconnected from themselves, their emotions, other people, the planet, or spiritually. So the second reason that I'm doing this is because psilocybin has changed my life. So just a little bit of my story is that when I was younger and up until only about ten years ago, I had no interest in psychedelics and really no clue about them. My brother had used them and really loved them, but I thought he was office rocker. I didn't know why anyone would want to do them. But then I started having conversations with my brother and I started getting curious, and I read Michael Pollan's book called how to change your mind. I then joined a local psychedelic group. Might have found them on meetup, I can't remember, but now I've had several experiences, a couple of them really challenging, and a few others that were profoundly beautiful and inspiring and all helpful. So those experiences, paired with follow up work changed my life. I have felt a stronger connection with myself and with everyone and everything. I have felt the bliss of self love and a deep connection and appreciation for my time on this earth. I got guidance around what was triggering me and holding me back. I saw my strength. And all of this has helped me to dive into my own work because I learned where to go and how to do it. That is how psychedelics at a high level has helped me. And I'll also say that the combination of psychedelics and ifs internal family systems has had a profound effect on my life. And I want to help others have their own experiences that might help them. I have training now in both psilocybin facilitation and ifs, and that's just like a dream come true for me. I want to take a moment, talk a little bit about the history of psychedelics, because I just feel compelled to honor this potent, naturally growing substance and the people who have shown the rest of the world what it can do. So psilocybin and other psychoactive substances have been used probably throughout time by humankind. Some groups of people we know have used them as important parts of their cultural traditions, including Aztecs, Zapotech, Mayans, the Masetech people, some of them for thousands of years. And cave paintings indicate that psilocybin has been used around the world for likely much longer. They grow prolifically on every continent except Antarctica, and there are even some interesting theories about how they might have helped us develop as a species. I'm not going to go into that, but if you want more information, I can point you to some resources. Now, here in the US and in Europe, we often ignore this history and what happened before. 1938 and 1938 was the year that Albert Hoffman, a swiss chemist, first synthesized LSD. And then in 1957, Gordon Wassen, who worked in the finance industry in New York at the time, and his wife Valentina, visited the now famous Maria Sabina in the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico. Maria Sabina was a local healer and shaman and introduced the couple to the wonders of psilocybin. The couple then brought their stories back to the US, and Time magazine published their story, leading the way for many Americans to make their own trek to visit Sabina. But some did that without the reverence for her and the mushrooms and her town. So there were some serious consequences for Maria Sabina and her village. And that's the point that I want to make here, is that psilocybin mushrooms really are a sacred substance that has a rich history, especially with indigenous people who have treated them with a respect that they deserve. And the earth has gifted us with these substances that, again, these indigenous folk have long since recognized. They've been an important part of their cultural practices. So I want to honor those who have paved the way for us to enjoy the benefits of these mushrooms and the actions of many people from North Americans and Europe ignorant about their sacredness and what they can offer us have had some serious ramifications, especially for indigenous people. So there's a lot more to this story, but I'm going to leave it at that for now. Now, in modern times, since the mid 90s, when the research field was allowed to reopen, the research on psychedelics has ramped back up. Now, there were thousands of studies done on LSD and some on psilocybin as well, before they were classified as schedule one drugs, along with mescaline and DMT in, I think it was 1968, which was largely a political move and kicked off the disastrous war on drugs. And now there are research centers at NYU, Columbia, UC Berkeley, Johns Hopkins, the University of Texas at Austin, the Imperial College of London, UC San Francisco, and many, many more. And it's so exciting to see all the research that's being done on both psilocybin and MDMA specifically. So, MDMA assisted therapy has been given breakthrough status by the FDA because it's been shown to be more effective than any other treatment out there, specifically for PTSD. And this has the potential to benefit so many people who are suffering. And I'm specifically thinking of all the veterans, those who have survived sexual assault and so much more. And it's expected that the federal government will legalize MDMA assisted therapy sometime this calendar year. So what that would likely mean is that you could get a prescription for it so that you could use it in conjunction with therapy. But the details are unclear at this point, and whether or not I would be able to use it with clients is also unclear. I think it's maybe unlikely, but I'm not sure. It's also being studied in those on the autism spectrum to help them with social anxiety, and it's frequently used by couples to help them with relationship challenges and just to feel closer. It's also used by people who are just seeking self understanding. But again, it's not legal yet, so please be aware of that. And I'm not advocating for you to run out and pick up some ecstasy. But anyway, I got sidetracked by MDMA, and it's hard for me to say what the rules are going to be around that. But currently it's psilocybin that I'll be working with once I get my license. Again, I'm hoping that happens by the end of springtime. Now, studies have shown that psilocybin is effective for things such as treatment resistant depression, anxiety, trauma, including PTSD, end of life anxiety, addiction, particularly alcohol addiction, body image, spirituality, relationships. Evidence. There's evidence now that it can increase empathy, reduce anxiety for those who have anxious attachment styles, increase feelings of closeness with your partner, improve communication, increase a person's interest in trying new things. A study published just last month showed that psilocybin increased sexual functioning and sexual satisfaction. So amazing. Psilocybin helps to rewire your brain, the neuroscience of it and how it helps with neuroplasticity. Sorry, neuroplasticity and neurogenesis is fascinating, but I'm not going to go into that here. Now, for those who have these bigger, transcendental, mystical experiences on psilocybin, where they lose their sense of self, they can have a spiritual experience that is especially powerful and helps a person feel self love, feel connected with nature and everything else in the universe, and feel a connection with something beyond. And yet, you don't necessarily need a big mystical experience like that. And many people who don't still reap psilocybin's benefits. Okay, now for a reality check. Psilocybin doesn't help everybody. And while the effect sizes in research studies are impressive, and the percentage of people they do help is equally impressive. But there are very few studies that it helps everyone. And while these studies indicate that you can take psilocybin while using antidepressants, it does make dosing a little bit trickier, and it can be hard to predict how much you'll need. Also, psilocybin experiences can be overwhelming and really scary. It causes perceptual changes. You can have ecstatic moments. You can have really sad things come up for you. It can feel like a lot. It can bring up painful events from your past and other things that you don't expect. It's important to remember, though, psilocybin presents no major risks to the body, it's probably the safest psychoactive substance out there, much safer than alcohol. So that's what research is at least telling us up until this point. So if you decide to go forward with one of these experiences, how do you make the most of it? There are a lot of things you can do, but what I'd probably recommend most is learn as much as you can. Read books and blogs, listen to podcasts, interview facilitators, meditate, start a mindfulness practice, get outside and get into nature that can actually help. And you certainly don't have to do all these things, but any and all can help. And there are other things you can do, too. That's just a sample of things. It's also important to set an intention for your session. Intentions and mindset are even more important than how much you take. And your guide can help you with all of that, and then let go and trust. And it's really important that you can do those things so that you can have a good experience. And also, psychedelics aren't a magic cure. They can give you really important insights. But it's what you do with those insights that will help you grow and help you make any changes that you want to make in your life. So your integration sessions that follow your experience are vital. Even if you don't have experiences that you think were very enjoyable, positive, or what you wanted. Your brain is especially open to making changes and forming new neural connections during your experience, and for about really at least 72 hours afterwards. It might be closer to a couple of weeks or even a month. So make good use of this time, especially so that you can strengthen any neural pathways that you want to keep. So the other thing I want to mention is that this is not cheap, and when MDMA is illegal, it too will be expensive. So this is significant, especially when it comes to psilocybin, which grows naturally around the world. It doesn't feel great to me that people can't access it without fear of legal repercussions. That being said, when you sign up, you're paying for the service center for the space, you're paying for the mushrooms, you're paying for me to meet with you for a couple of prep sessions, sit with you all day while you have your psilocybin experience, and then have at least one integration session. Most facilitators in Oregon currently charge between about 1200 and $800 and up, and considering all that's involved, it's actually not that unreasonable if you have a guided experience with someone who has good training, but it can be hard for those who could really use it and can't afford it. I don't know what the answer is, but I'm hoping we can get to a place where there are financial supports in place for people, and I'll be offering a bit of a discount for my coaching clients, and I'd like to work with some clients at a reduced fee if I have enough of a client base to do that. But there are still the service center fees and medicine fees, or I should say psilocybin fees, possibly travel costs. Another thing to consider, there are certain conditions that might make it unsafe for you to use psilocybin, and while psilocybin does appear to be the safest drug out there, research is still being done to help us get clarity around what truly is unsafe. If you have a predisposition towards psychosis, it might trigger a psychotic break. It's also not recommended for those who have high blood pressure or arrhythmias and possibly other forms of heart disease, but not likely at this point. I would also not do this with someone who is pregnant or who has bipolar disorder, so things to consider I personally am also not willing to work with just anyone who comes my way. I'm not going to work with those who have complex PSD, likely because I think you'd be better served by someone who has more updated training and experience in this area. I primarily see myself working with women and couples over the age of 45. But I'll be considering each person on a case by case basis, at least to start. And I'd recommend you only work with someone that you feel like you can really trust. Listen to that inner voice of yours. It needs to be a good fit for both you and the facilitator. Okay. Phew. That's a lot of information. I didn't go into much of the brain science or psychopharmacology or microdosing or group experiences, and those group experiences can make it more affordable. But I think that's probably enough information for now. I want to let you know that I currently have a list of people who are interested in having a psilocybin experience with me. So if you'd like to get on that list without any obligation or pressure, go ahead and send me an email to Karen, that's [email protected]. D r C a L D e.com or message me on Instagram where I'm the love and connection coach and when I've secured my license, I will reach out to you to see if you'd like to learn more. Again, no pressure. So next time, next episode I'm going to have is my guest Michelle Harrell, who became a licensed facilitator last year and has been busy. She's going to be talking with me about her experiences as a facilitator, share some insights and stories with us and talk about what's involved in a psilocybin experience. It's going to be a really fun part two to help make this topic come alive for you. So I hope you'll join us and share it. All right. Thanks for being here. That's all for now. I am so, so excited, and if you'd like to learn more, please do reach out. All right, take care, everybody. See you next time.

 

OUTRO:

[53:13] Karin: Thanks for joining us today on Love is us. If you liked the show, I would so appreciate it if you left me a review. If you have questions and would like to follow me on social media, you can find me on Instagram where I'm the love and connection coach. Special thanks to Tim Gorman for my music, Ali Shaw for my artwork, and Ross Burdick for tech and editing assistance. Again, I'm so glad you joined us today because the best way to bring more love into your life and into the world is to be love. The best way to be love is to love yourself and those around you. Let's learn and be inspired together.