Austin Perlmutter, M.D. - Unsticking the Brain: Psychedelics, Inflammation, and Mental Health
Release Date: 03/11/2025
The Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin welcomes Sam Mandel, co-founder and CEO of Ketamine Clinics Los Angeles (KCLA). Find full show notes and links here: Sam shares his journey co-founding KCLA with his father in 2014, pioneering ketamine infusion therapy when few were exploring its potential for mental health. From humble beginnings in a storage closet to becoming a leading mental health center with over 30,000 infusions administered, Sam discusses the challenges and triumphs of building a patient-centric practice. He explains the science behind ketamine's...
info_outlineThe Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin welcomes Dr. Simon Ruffell, a psychiatrist, ayahuasca researcher, and student of curanderismo. Find full show notes and links here: Simon shares his transformative journey from being a skeptical Western psychiatrist to embracing the spiritual dimensions of plant medicine after experiencing what he describes as an "ontological shock" during an ayahuasca ceremony. He discusses his ongoing apprenticeship with Shipibo curanderos in the Amazon, his research into ayahuasca's effects on mental health and epigenetics, and his work bridging...
info_outlineThe Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin speaks with Dr. Raymond Turpin, a psychologist and psychedelic researcher who has been studying these medicines since 1984. Find full show notes and links here: Dr. Turpin shares his journey from discovering Timothy Leary's writings as a college student to founding the Pearl Psychedelic Institute in North Carolina. He discusses his experience as one of only two sites nationwide to provide MDMA-assisted therapy through the FDA's expanded access program, the profound healing he witnessed in patients with treatment-resistant PTSD, and...
info_outlineThe Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin welcomes Dr. Katelyn Kalstein, a licensed naturopathic doctor, acupuncturist, and psychotherapist specializing in integrative mental health and psychedelic medicine. Find full show notes and links here: Dr. Kalstein shares her journey from growing up with natural remedies to her transformative experiences in India and Brazil, where she first encountered ayahuasca and joined the Santo Daime church. She discusses her unconventional career path through naturopathic medicine, neurofeedback at 40 Years of Zen, and as Clinical...
info_outlineThe Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin welcomes New York Times bestselling author Norman Ohler. Find full show notes and links here: Norman shares his deep research into the hidden history of LSD, revealing the untold connections between Arthur Stoll (CEO of Sandoz), Nazi Germany, and the CIA's MKUltra program. He explains how LSD's development as a mental health medicine was derailed by intelligence agencies seeking a "truth drug" for interrogations, and how the substance traveled from Swiss laboratories to Nazi concentration camps and eventually to American universities....
info_outlineThe Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin welcomes Dr. Tracy Townsend, a Harvard-trained physician who left orthopedic surgery to become a licensed psilocybin facilitator in Oregon. Find full show notes and links here: Dr. Townsend shares her journey from conventional medicine to psychedelic facilitation, describing how her own transformative experiences with plant medicines led her to question the limitations of Western healthcare. She discusses the Oregon psilocybin model, challenges within the current regulatory framework, and draws fascinating parallels between physical...
info_outlineThe Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin welcomes Ava Johanna, founder and CEO of The Academy of Breath. Find full show notes and links here: Ava shares her journey from corporate burnout and weekend escapism to discovering breathwork as a powerful, accessible tool for transformation. She discusses how breathwork provided the same ecstatic states she once sought through substances, but in a healing, sustainable way. Beyond the practice itself, Ava offers valuable insights for coaches and practitioners looking to build successful businesses in the wellness space,...
info_outlineThe Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul welcomes Dr. Austin Perlmutter, a board-certified internal medicine physician, New York Times bestselling author, and researcher. Find full show notes and links here: Dr. Perlmutter shares his perspective on how psychedelics can help "unstick" the brain from harmful patterns, explores the relationship between inflammation and mental health, and discusses his current research on ayahuasca's effects on epigenetics and the microbiome. From understanding the biological basis of our mental states to finding balance in a modern world that often works...
info_outlineThe Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin welcomes Nick Musica, founder and CEO of Optics In and psychic animal communicator. Find full show notes and links here: Nick shares his fascinating journey from SEO expert to animal communicator, bridging the worlds of technical analysis and spiritual connection. He discusses how plant medicine experiences and meditation opened channels of communication with animals, particularly through his relationship with his cat Chucky. The conversation explores the intersection of consciousness, communication, and how animals can serve as...
info_outlineThe Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin welcomes Robert Edward Grant, a polymath inventor, entrepreneur, mathematician, and philosopher. Grant shares his transformative journey from successful businessman to consciousness explorer, discussing how psychedelics enhanced his understanding of mathematics, sacred geometry, and universal truth. He explores the relationship between science and spirituality, the nature of reality, and his groundbreaking discoveries in ancient Egyptian archaeology. Grant offers profound insights into the role of unconditional love in personal...
info_outlineIn this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul welcomes Dr. Austin Perlmutter, a board-certified internal medicine physician, New York Times bestselling author, and researcher.
Find full show notes and links here: https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-294/?ref=278
Dr. Perlmutter shares his perspective on how psychedelics can help "unstick" the brain from harmful patterns, explores the relationship between inflammation and mental health, and discusses his current research on ayahuasca's effects on epigenetics and the microbiome. From understanding the biological basis of our mental states to finding balance in a modern world that often works against our wellbeing, this conversation offers valuable insights on integrating psychedelics with healthy lifestyle practices for optimal brain function and mental health.
Dr. Austin Perlmutter is a board-certified internal medicine physician, New York Times bestselling author, published researcher and international educator. His mission is to help people improve their health by targeting the biological basis of "stuckness" in our brains and bodies. His writing, presentations, podcasts, and online educational programs have reached millions. Dr. Perlmutter has been featured on PBS, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, NPR and other media outlets. He is a co-producer of the Alzheimer's, the Science of Prevention series, and host of the Better Brain Blueprint series. Dr. Perlmutter currently serves as the managing director at Big Bold Health, a food-as-medicine company where he published a pioneering study on plant nutrients and human aging through epigenetics. He also consults with the Helfgott Research Institute, researching the effects of ayahuasca on epigenetics, metabolism, microbiome and immune function.
Highlights:
The biology of mental health and decision-making
Inflammation's crucial role in brain function
How psychedelics create perspective shifts
Balancing psychedelic use with lifestyle practices
Breaking the cycle of chronic inflammation
Understanding the autonomic nervous system's response
The microbiome's connection to brain health
Research on ayahuasca's epigenetic effects
The importance of post-psychedelic environments
Moving beyond the "psychedelic as panacea" mindset
Episode Sponsors:
- The Practitioner Certification Program by Third Wave’s Psychedelic Coaching Institute.