Tricia Eastman: Seeding Consciousness, Ancestral Wisdom, and Psychedelic Initiation
Psychedelics Today
In this live episode, joins to discuss . She explains why many Indigenous initiatory systems begin with consultation and careful assessment of the person, often using divination and lineage-based diagnostic methods before anyone enters ceremony. Eastman contrasts that with modern frameworks that can move fast, rely on short trainings, or treat the medicine as a stand-alone intervention. Early Themes: Ritual, Preparation, and the Loss of Container Eastman describes her background, including ancestral roots in Mexico and her later work at Crossroads Ibogaine in Mexico, where she supported...
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PT 643 - Logan Davidson - American Ibogaine, State Strategy, and the Future of Psychedelic Policy
Psychedelics Today
Logan Davidson joins the show to talk about the fast-moving world of Ibogaine in American and why state-based leadership is shaping the future of psychedelic reform. Davidson is the executive director of , the legislative director at , and a key strategist behind Texas’ landmark interest in ibogaine research. He also advises for . His work sits at the intersection of science, policy, and lived experience, and this conversation offers a clear look into what is happening right now. Early Themes: The Rise of State Advocacy Davidson explains how he entered politics at nineteen and how his...
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PT 642 - Michael Sapiro PhD - Truth Medicine, Psychedelics, and Living Your Truth
Psychedelics Today
In this episode, joins Kyle Buller to explore truth, healing, and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy through the lens of his new book, . A clinical psychologist, ordained Zen Buddhist monk, retreat leader, and fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, he blends Buddhist psychology, trauma work, and consciousness studies. The discussion focuses on how people discover and live their truth, and why that truth becomes the core medicine in healing. Early in the Podcast with Michael Sapiro describes how years of clinical work and retreat facilitation shaped his understanding of healing....
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PT 641 - Joe Moore & Kyle Buller - Holotropic Breathwork, Somatics, and Foundations for Psychedelic Work
Psychedelics Today
sits at the center of this wide ranging conversation between Psychedelics Today co-founders Joe Moore and Kyle Buller. Drawing from decades of personal practice and assorted types of breathwork facilitation, they explore how breathwork methods from the Grof lineage including can prepare people for psychedelic work, support difficult journeys, and deepen integration over time. Kyle shares how his near death experience, somatic training, and breathwork facilitation shaped this new course on breathwork foundations, while Joe reflects on how reading Dr Stanislav Grof and years of experience in...
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PT 640 - Alexander Beiner - Psychedelics, Culture, and the Games We Play
Psychedelics Today
Alexander joins Psychedelics Today to explore how psychedelics, culture, and power shape each other. A writer, facilitator, and co founder of the conference and the media platform , he has spent years thinking about how psychedelic experiences ripple into politics, economics, conflict, and community. In this episode, he and Joe trace the path from early internet forums to today’s psychedelic renaissance, and ask what it would mean to bring a truly psychedelic perspective into our institutions. Beiner is less interested in psychedelics as a niche medical tool and more interested in how they...
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PT 639 - Evelyn Eddy Shoop PMHNP-BC: Lived Experience, Qualitative Data, and the Future of Psychedelic Care
Psychedelics Today
Overview Evelyn Eddy Shoop PMHNP-BC joins Psychedelics Today to share her journey from Division I athlete to psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and psilocybin research participant. In this conversation, she explains how sports injuries, OCD, and intensive treatment led her into psychiatry and eventually into a psilocybin clinical trial at Yale. Her story weaves together lived experience, clinical training, and a call for more humane systems of care and better qualitative data in psychedelic science. Early Themes: Injury, OCD, and Choosing Psychiatry Early in the episode, Evelyn...
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PT 638 - Dr Jason Konner - Psychedelic Oncologist
Psychedelics Today
In this episode, Joe Moore sits down with Dr. Jason Konner, a longtime oncologist who recently left his full-time clinical role at to devote himself to the emerging intersection of cancer care and psychedelics. Dr Konner shares how, after more than two decades treating people, he hit a wall. The accumulated grief, constant exposure to death, and intensity of oncology left him deeply , though he didn’t have that language for it at the time. A chance moment in a yoga class, overhearing someone say “ retreat” just before he was scheduled for hernia surgery, became the turning point....
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PT 637 - Genesee Herzberg — Ketamine Truths, MDMA Hopes, and the Work of Integration
Psychedelics Today
Clinical psychologist Dr. Genesee Herzberg joins Kyle to reflect on two decades in trauma work and 15 years inside the psychedelic ecosystem—from early MAPS conferences to running Sage Integrative Health. She traces how personal psychedelic experiences set her on a path of service, research at CIIS on MDMA-assisted therapy, and hands-on roles with MAPS: Zendo Project harm reduction, adherence rating, and ultimately serving as an MDMA therapist in clinical trials. Today she leads Sage, an integrative clinic (psychotherapy, psychiatry, bodywork, acupuncture, and functional nutrition) focused...
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PT 636 - Dr. Ros Watts – Building Communities and Connection
Psychedelics Today
Clinical psychologist joins to share insights from her decade of work with and her evolving focus on community-based integration. As the former Clinical Lead for , Dr. Watts witnessed how psychedelic experiences can foster profound feelings of — to self, others, and nature — yet also how that connection can fade without ongoing support. In this conversation, she reflects on what years of research have taught her about connectedness as both a healing mechanism and a human need. She explores how can transform fleeting psychedelic breakthroughs into lasting change, and why community is...
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PT 635 - Jennifer Espenscheid — Art as a Practice, Psychedelics as a Teacher
Psychedelics Today
Artist, builder, and podcast host Jennifer Espenscheid joins Joe Moore for a rich conversation on creativity, process, and the spiritual dimensions of making art. Drawing from her South Dakota roots and large-scale works like Luciferia, Jennifer reflects on the blend of grit, intuition, and trust that guides her artistic life. She discusses how psychedelics have served as a tool for clarity and healing rather than direct creation of art, helping her dissolve patterns and reconnect to innate creativity. They explore how events like Burning Man catalyze inspiration, why intention and...
info_outlineFrom the Rave Scene to Psychedelic Therapy
In this episode, Kyle Buller speaks with Matt Xavier, DJ, therapist, and author. The conversation took place live at Psychedelic Science.
Matt recalls his early years in the rave culture of 1990s New York. He ran record labels, hosted psychedelic trance events, and lived through the intensity of that scene.
Why Music Is Medicine
Matt believes music should be treated as medicine. He explains how playlists can align with the stages of a psychedelic journey—onset, climb, peak, and descent. He encourages people to listen with intention and to categorize tracks by emotion, energy, and therapeutic impact.
Psychedelic Soundtracking
Instead of relying only on fixed playlists, Matt performs live mixing during sessions. This method keeps him fully engaged and responsive. He calls the approach “psychedelic soundtracking.” In his view, the guide becomes a tuning fork, adjusting the soundscape to match the client’s process.
Key Themes in the Conversation
- The evolution from rave DJ to therapist and author
- How music amplifies psychedelics, and why it matters
- Matching music with each stage of a journey
- Differences between psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine work
- The value of silence, long-form tracks, and harmonic mixing
- Why buying music supports artists and protects creativity from AI
- Practical tips for building playlists and rediscovering a love of listening
Supporting Artists and Building Community
Matt highlights the artists who inspire his work, from ambient pioneers to contemporary sound designers. He urges practitioners to support independent musicians by purchasing their music. In his words, keeping human creativity alive is essential for meaningful psychedelic work.
Writing, Mixing, and the Future
Matt also discusses his new book and the curated four-hour DJ protocol mix he designed for therapy sessions. He explains how this project grew into a collaborative effort and why writing became a spiritual journey for him. Looking ahead, he hopes to create a training program for others interested in weaving music into psychedelic practice.
🎶 Whether you are a therapist, a DJ, or simply a music lover, this episode shows how sound can transform the psychedelic experience.