Robin Carhart-Harris, Ph.D. - SSRIs vs. Psychedelics: From Blunting to Rebooting
Release Date: 07/18/2025
Psychedelics Then and Now: Culture, Capital, and Consciousness - Zach Leary
The Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin sits down with Zach Leary to explore how psychedelic culture has evolved from its countercultural roots into today’s rapidly commercializing landscape. They discuss mysticism versus medicalization, the ethics of psychedelics in capitalist systems, the rise of psychedelic churches, and why integration and responsibility matter more than peak experience alone. Find full show notes and links here: Zach Leary is a psychedelic educator, integration coach, and host of the Psychedelics Then and Now Podcast. He has spent over 30 years...
info_outline
Death by Astonishment: DMT and the Hidden Nature of Reality - Dr. Andrew Gallimore
The Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin reconnects with computational neurobiologist and author Dr. Andrew Gallimore to explore the mysteries of DMT, intelligence, and extended-state psychedelic technologies. Find full show notes and links here: They revisit themes from their earlier conversation and dive deeper into Andrew’s latest book, Death by Astonishment, examining DMT as an information-gating technology, its relationship to non-human intelligences, and its emerging therapeutic and neuroprotective applications. Andrew also shares updates on DMTx infusion...
info_outline
Radical Agency: How Breathwork Supports Real Inner Change - Giovanni Bartolomeo
The Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin speaks with Giovanni Bartolomeo, founder of Elemental Rhythm Breathwork, about how breathwork can support meaningful personal change and deepen integration after psychedelic experiences. Find full show notes and links here: Gio shares his journey from high-pressure entrepreneurship into a more grounded, heart-led approach to life and business. He reflects on how Elemental Rhythm emerged through years of breathwork practice, somatic exploration, and deep work with plant medicine, eventually evolving into a system that blends...
info_outline
The Chemistry of Connection: Psychedelics, Love, and the Human Heart - Mark Groves
The Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin speaks with human connection specialist and Create The Love founder Mark Groves about how psychedelics reveal the hidden patterns shaping our relationships. Find full show notes and links here: Mark shares how heartbreak, honesty, and plant medicine helped him move from external validation to inner truth. Together, they explore emotional safety, attachment wounds, technology’s influence on agency, and the growing overlap between relational healing and psychedelic integration. Mark Groves is a human connection specialist,...
info_outline
Ethics as Medicine: Redefining Integrity in Psychedelic Facilitation - Ashley Carmen, M.S., LMFT
The Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin speaks with Ashley Carmen, LMFT, psychotherapist and founder of the Psychedelic Guide Network (PGN). Ashley offers insight into Austin’s rapidly growing psychedelic landscape and the ethical foundations needed to support safe, grounded facilitation. Find full show notes and links here: Paul and Ashley explore sovereignty, accountability, dual relationships, and the subtle dynamics that arise in non-ordinary states. They also discuss how PGN’s Wisdom Circles help facilitators deepen their practice through honest reflection and...
info_outline
A Path Between Worlds: Buddhism, Psychedelics & Planetary Awakening - Martijn Schirp
The Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin reconnects with longtime Buddhist practitioner and former Synthesis co-founder Martijn Schirp, founder of Upāyosis. They explore his journey from pioneering modern psilocybin retreats to creating A Path Between Worlds, a year-long contemplative training that integrates Buddhist practice, ecological ethics, and psychedelic skillful means. Find full show notes and links here: Martijn shares lessons from Synthesis’s rise and collapse, how time in the Himalayas reshaped his contemplative path, and why “ego porousness” may...
info_outline
Microdosing as a Skill: AMA with Paul F. Austin
The Psychedelic Podcast
In this special AMA episode, Paul F. Austin answers the most common, and most nuanced questions emerging from recent trainings, webinars, and community sessions. Drawing from a decade of experience in microdosing, facilitation, and practitioner training, Paul explores how to choose the right microdosing protocol, the relationship between nervous system health and performance, the role of psychedelics in coaching, and the ethical boundaries practitioners must uphold. He also discusses SSRI tapering, creativity, leadership, and how to guide clients through integration with clarity and skill....
info_outline
Truth Medicine: Zen, Psychedelics, and the Healing Heart - Michael Ryoshin Sapiro, Psy.D
The Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin welcomes Dr. Michael Ryoshin Sapiro, a Zen Buddhist monk, psychologist, and psychedelic psychotherapist whose new book explores how awakening and clinical science meet through the heart. Find full show notes and links here: They discuss how Zen simplicity informs psychedelic work, the nuances between psychedelic-assisted and psychedelic psychotherapy, and how Dr. Sapiro tailors ketamine sessions for trauma recovery in first responders and veterans. Together they unpack the art of surrender, the role of spirituality in therapy,...
info_outline
Somatic Intelligence: Healing Trauma Through Embodiment - Chen Lizra
The Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin speaks with Chen Lizra, founder of the Power of Somatic Intelligence. A somatic coach, TED Speaker, and plant medicine facilitator, Chen bridges embodiment, trauma healing, and shamanic wisdom to help high achievers reconnect with the body’s innate intelligence. Find full show notes and links here: Drawing from her own healing journey and decades of work in the Amazon, Chen shares how somatic intelligence allows us to regulate the nervous system, dissolve ancestral imprints, and reclaim authentic power. She and Paul explore...
info_outline
Amanita Awakening: The Future of Functional Fungi - Jeff Stevens & David Shisel
The Psychedelic Podcast
In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin sits down with Jeff Stevens and David Shisel, co-founders of Psyched Wellness, the first publicly traded company in North America to bring an Amanita muscaria extract to market. Find full show notes and links here: Together, they discuss the mushroom’s unique pharmacology, Psyched Wellness’ multi-year path through Health Canada’s safety testing, and the broader implications for the future of functional fungi. Paul also explores the tension between innovation and regulation, as Jeff and David share insights from operating...
info_outlineIn this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin is joined by renowned neuroscientist Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris and microdosing policy advocate John Downs for a replay of a live event originally held on June 10th, Microdosing vs. SSRIs: What’s Happening in the Brain and Why It Matters.
Find full show notes and links here: https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-312b/?ref=278
Together, they explore the scientific distinctions between SSRIs and psychedelics, focusing on neuroimaging, brain entropy, emotional processing, and the REBUS model. Dr. Carhart-Harris shares key insights from landmark studies on psilocybin therapy and discusses the evidence (and limitations) around microdosing. John Downs closes the conversation with an update on the Microdosing Collective’s efforts to shift policy and expand access.
Robin Carhart-Harris, PhD is a neuropharmacologist, psychologist, and Ralph Metzner Distinguished Professor in Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. He leads the Psychedelics Division at UCSF’s Neuroscape and formerly founded and led the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London.
John Downs is Executive Director of the Microdosing Collective, advocating for responsible policy reform and legal access to microdosing. With 25 years’ experience in sales, business development, and emerging markets, John helps individuals optimize mindset, performance, and purpose.
Episode Highlights:
- Why SSRIs blunt, while psychedelics reset emotional processing
- How psilocybin compares to antidepressants in clinical trials
- Brain entropy, plasticity, and the REBUS model explained
- The role of the default mode network in mental health
- Why microdosing research is still so limited
- Ketamine vs. psilocybin: differences in brain mechanisms
- Is serotonin syndrome a real microdosing risk?
- Can psychedelics reverse long-term SSRI effects?
- The Microdosing Collective’s mission for policy reform
- What Robin Carhart-Harris’ upcoming book will explore
Episode Links:
- Robin’s lab & upcoming book
- Microdosing Collective
- Join Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris at our Practitioner
Intensive (November 5–10, Costa Rica)
Episode Sponsors:
- Golden Rule Mushrooms - Get a lifetime discount of 10% with code THIRDWAVE at checkout
- Psychedelic Coacing Isntitute's Intensive for Psychedelic Professionals in Costa Rica - a transformative retreat for personal and professional growth.