Psychedelic Medicine Podcast with Dr. Lynn Marie Morski
Curious about the possible therapeutic benefits of psychedelic medicines? The Psychedelic Medicine Podcast with Dr. Lynn Marie Morski has you covered with the latest in scientific research, medical practices, and legal developments involving these substances and their incredible therapeutic potential. Covering the full range of psychedelic therapies, including psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, LSD, ayahuasca, ibogaine, and more, this podcast serves as an auditory encyclopedia of information for anyone interested in learning about the safe, therapeutic uses of these medicines.
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Which Psychedelic for Which Condition? with Will Van Derveer, MD
01/08/2026
Which Psychedelic for Which Condition? with Will Van Derveer, MD
In this episode, Will Van Derveer, MD joins to unpack what we know about which psychedelic medicines are best suited to particular mental health conditions. Dr. Van Derveer has trained several thousand mental health professionals in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, provided ketamine assisted therapy to hundreds of people, and has staffed MDMA therapy trials with MAPS. His book, Psychedelic Therapy: A Revolutionary Approach to Restoring Your Mental Health and Reclaiming Your Life, will be published by Shambala in the spring of 2026. In this conversation, Dr. Van Derveer offers a clinician’s framework for thinking through how different psychedelic medicines may align with different mental health conditions. He explores how factors such as anxiety levels, trauma history, prior psychedelic experience, and a person’s orientation toward spiritual versus medical healing shape treatment decisions. Across discussions of anxiety, depression, PTSD, OCD, and eating disorders, Dr. Van Derveer reflects on the relative roles of ketamine, psilocybin, MDMA, and emerging short-acting psychedelics, while underscoring the importance of community, and integration. Throughout, he returns to a central theme: many conditions labeled as psychiatric may also reflect deeper forms of disconnection—social, existential, and spiritual—and psychedelic therapies can be powerful tools for restoring those lost connections when used thoughtfully. In this episode, you'll hear: Why safety, medication interactions, and psychiatric history must come before all other considerations The difference between clinical and ceremonial approaches to psychedelic healing Considering when group versus individual approaches to psychedelic therapy may be best suited for a particular patient How ketamine, psilocybin, and MDMA may play distinct roles in treating anxiety and depression Considerations of dose, tolerance, and maintenance sessions for ketamine treatments Why MDMA-assisted therapy stands out for chronic and severe PTSD Dr. Van Derveer’s perspective on emerging psychedelic medicines and the future of treatment Quotes: “As time wears on, I lean more toward the group dynamic [for psychedelic therapy] because of the power of community and healing in community. And also, of course, it can help mitigate the cost of access for people.” [8:24] “There's a lot of conversation about ibogaine right now, and I think it's an incredibly powerful, beautiful, sacred, ancient medicine that has a role. But it has a lot more porcupine quills on it than, say, ketamine or MDMA.” [27:16] “In acute suicidality, I think ketamine is the treatment of choice. There's nothing like it. … it can be quite impressive how quickly suicidal thoughts melt away. But it is a short game because often it doesn't stick for people. And that's a huge drawback.” [28:39] “We know that there are clear associations between chronic depression and high levels of inflammation in the body and also in the brain. Ketamine and psilocybin both have strong anti-inflammatory effects. But it seems like somehow the pathways that psilocybin is working on… tends to produce longer term benefits.” [30:10] “I tend to think that spiritual connection—in whatever your language is, whatever your metaphors are, however you think about it—is something that we need to think about for health overall.” [40:21] Links:
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Psychedelics for the Menopause Transition with Alicia Bigelow, ND
12/17/2025
Psychedelics for the Menopause Transition with Alicia Bigelow, ND
In this episode, Alicia Bigelow, ND joins to discuss the potential of psychedelic medicine to support the menopause transition. Dr. Ali Bigelow is a naturopathic physician, ketamine provider and licensed psilocybin facilitator in Portland, OR. She leads individual and group retreats, enjoys incorporating live music into her sessions when desired, and is passionate about supporting those navigating life transitions, such as end of life and menopause, through her low dose group, Menomorphosis. Dr. Bigelow will be doing retreats in 2026 with Rise Up Journeys at In this conversation, Dr. Bigelow explores the emerging intersection between psychedelics and the menopausal transition, framing perimenopause and menopause as profound neuroendocrine, psychological, and existential shifts rather than merely clinical syndromes. She also discusses how hormonal changes—particularly declining estrogen—interact with serotonin, inflammation, and neuroplasticity, potentially shaping psychedelic experiences and outcomes. Throughout the discussion, Dr. Bigelow emphasizes the unique capacity of psychedelics to support self-actualization, identity reformation, and meaning-making during midlife, especially when combined with hormone therapy, intentional integration practices, and strong community support. In this episode, you'll hear: Why perimenopause and menopause represent a major but under-recognized neurobiological life transition How estrogen, serotonin receptors, and psychedelics like psilocybin may interact in midlife What we know (and don’t yet know) about hormone replacement therapy and psychedelic efficacy The potential anti-inflammatory effects of psychedelics and their relevance to menopausal symptoms How ketamine may function differently from classic psychedelics during hormonal transitions Why psychedelics can support identity reorientation, self-actualization, and “not caring” in generative ways The critical role of community, creativity, and nervous system regulation in integration during midlife Quotes: “We don't honor and celebrate aging and elderhood overall in our culture. … What I do feel is really vital is that we gather and support each other in all of life's transitions, and [menopause has] not only been underrepresented, but also just under honored.” [3:29] “As [estrogen] levels decrease, there's a decrease in serotonin receptors—which is the 5-HT2A receptor. And so that reduces our sensitivity to, and activity of serotonin. And psilocybin and LSD and other 5-HT2A agonists—they can enhance their receptors and the activity of those receptors.” [13:20] “The understanding is that with [estrogen] hormone replacement therapy you would then, theoretically, see a replenishment of [serotonin] receptors, and then the psilocybin would have more ability to act on those receptors.” [15:37] “Psilocybin—and psychedelics in general—and the menopausal transition are just really beautiful complements to each other and they become even more potent when used together.” [19:48] Links:
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Psychedelics as Catalysts for Human Agency with Matthew W. Johnson, PhD
12/04/2025
Psychedelics as Catalysts for Human Agency with Matthew W. Johnson, PhD
In this episode, Matthew W. Johnson, PhD returns to discuss how psychedelics can be leveraged to catalyze human agency. Dr. Johnson has been at the forefront of psychedelic research for 21 years, having conducted seminal research on the effects of psilocybin on mystical experience, personality, and treatment of cancer distress, major depressive disorder, and tobacco addiction. His work with tobacco addiction received the first federal funding for a classic psychedelic in the modern era of research. In this conversation, Dr. Johnson explores psychedelics as powerful enhancers of human agency—the felt capacity to steer one’s own life, make meaningful choices, and act from a place of inner autonomy. Drawing from two decades of research across depression, cancer distress, addiction, and healthy volunteer studies, he argues that increases in agency may be a core, yet under-recognized, mechanism behind therapeutic change. Dr. Johnson discusses agency as a “meta-executive” function intertwined with free will, mental flexibility, and meaning-making, and suggests that psychedelics may uniquely illuminate and strengthen this capacity. In closing, he shares thoughts on how individuals can better take advantage of psychedelic-induced neuroplasticity to increase agency in their own lives. In this episode, you'll hear: What Dr. Johnson means by “agency” and why he sees it as central to psychedelic healing Clinical examples of participants who rediscovered autonomy, changed behaviors, or reframed their suffering after psilocybin sessions Why psychedelics may enhance big-picture psychological flexibility, not just moment-to-moment cognitive flexibility How increased agency may help people with depression, addiction, and cancer distress shift entrenched patterns of thinking and behavior Potential future research directions for studying the neuroscience of agency Quotes: “It's not just that enhancing agency is the elephant in the room of why psychedelics are working, it's also that I think psychedelics can be a tool for finally understanding this thing of human agency.” [4:31] “Even if you think the sense of free will is an illusion, it has to be an evolutionarily advantageous illusion. Why else would it be seemingly universal?” [12:30] “When someone really has one of these ‘ah-ha’ experiences, they can really come to this perspective of ‘no, no, no, no, no, I really am choosing how I’m thinking about myself.’ In cancer [patients] it happened a lot.” [21:51] Links:
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Psychedelics and Movement with Dmitry Repin, PhD
11/20/2025
Psychedelics and Movement with Dmitry Repin, PhD
In this episode, Dmitry Repin, PhD joins to discuss the intersection of bodily movement and psychedelics. Dr. Repin is the co-founder of the Institute for Psychedelic Research at Tel Aviv University, holds a PhD in cognitive neuroscience, and is the producer and creative force behind the . In this conversation, Dr. Repin explores how psychedelics may influence movement, proprioception, and motor learning, drawing from his background in neuroscience and his transformative experiences with dance practices like . He describes his team’s innovative clinical study pairing psilocybin with guided movement training to investigate whether altered states can open temporary windows of enhanced plasticity for learning new movement patterns. Throughout the discussion, Dr. Repin reflects on why so many people feel inhibited in their bodies, how psychedelics might soften these constraints, and what traditional movement-based ceremonies can teach modern clinical research about embodiment, healing, and the relationship between perception and action. In this episode, you'll hear: How dance and Gaga inspired Dr. Repin’s scientific interest in movement during psychedelic states Kinesiophobia and why many people experience fear, shame, or inhibition around movement Why Dr. Repin chose psilocybin for his study on psychedelics and movement How Dr. Repin’s study measures movement changes using optical tracking and multi-dimensional metrics What makes Gaga movement practices unique compared to other approaches to dance and movement The structure of the psilocybin-plus-movement protocol developed at Tel Aviv University How psychedelics may temporarily enhance motor learning through shifts in proprioception and neuroplasticity What ritual and communal dance contexts reveal about the embodied dimensions of psychedelic experiences Quotes: “If we understand those [neurological] mechanisms, we can try to influence certain situations where people have deficits related to movement.” [4:47] “For example, when I go to a dance training session [after a recent psychedelic experience], I find that I actually internalize movement patterns much faster than I do otherwise—and it's noticeable to my dance teacher.” [8:56] “Part of the hypothesis that we have is that certain qualities or dimensions of movement might be affected more or less by psychedelics than others and that potentially, will give us some insights into the specific brain mechanisms because certain different types of movement sometimes require different circuits to engage in different parts of the body.” [19:47] “Some initial wisdom, some anecdotes, or some best practices that have been developed within those non-clinical settings may be very useful to inform clinical—and maybe other—areas that use psychedelics.” [27:03] Links:
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Psychedelic Medicine: Updates from the field with Lynn Marie Morski, JD, MD
11/13/2025
Psychedelic Medicine: Updates from the field with Lynn Marie Morski, JD, MD
In this episode, Psychedelic Medicine Podcast host, Dr. Lynn Marie Morski, provides the latest updates from the field of psychedelic medicine. Dr. Morski discusses the breakthrough therapy designation which a number of psychedelic compounds have received in the past few years, the most recent of which is BPL-003, a nasal spray formulation of 5-MeO-DMT. One of the exciting aspects of this new compound, Dr. Morski notes, is that it is shorter-acting than most serotonergic psychedelics—a feature which may make treatment with this substance less expensive and more accessible. Another exciting development is the COMPASS Pathways phase 3 trial of COMP360 psilocybin. Dr. Morski shares that the company believes they are nine to twelve months ahead of schedule, which means that if all goes well, this psilocybin compound could be approved for treatment resistant depression as early as sometime in 2027. She also discusses why the US FDA said they rejected MDMA for PTSD and what this governing body would like to see from subsequent research before reconsidering this decision. In closing, Dr. Morski shares excitement about the development of novel psychoplastogens—the non-hallucinogenic psychedelics—which may help bring many of the same healing benefits to populations currently unable to be served by the existing compounds under investigation. In this episode, you'll hear: Which psychedelics currently have breakthrough therapy designation and for which indications Details of recent ketamine research for inpatient depression care and why these results are not as negative as they may seem The current horizons of psychedelic research and what indications may soon be explored Sources of hope in the current state of psychedelic research and the legal landscape Quotes: “[BPL-003] showed rapid and durable antidepressant outcomes after a single dose. … here we have something that is under an hour [of psychedelic experience] for treatment resistant depression.” [7:43] “Keeping patients blinded to whether or not they got the placebo or MDMA is a big focus that [the FDA] wanted to emphasize for these future phase 3 trials.” [19:07] “I know we had a big setback last year. I think a lot of us thought by this time we'd be a year into MDMA being approved and we're not. However, there are so many things on the horizon that are worth being excited about.” [23:48] Links:
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Psilocybin-Assisted Group Therapy for Depression with Matthew Hicks, ND, MS
10/29/2025
Psilocybin-Assisted Group Therapy for Depression with Matthew Hicks, ND, MS
In this episode Matthew Hicks, ND, MS joins to dive into the topic of psilocybin-assisted group therapy for depression. Dr. Hicks is a research Investigator at the National University of Natural Medicine as well as a Naturopathic doctor and licensed psilocybin facilitator at Synaptic Institute. In this conversation, Dr. Hicks shares findings from one of the first studies investigating psilocybin-assisted group therapy for depression, conducted in Oregon’s new legal psilocybin framework. He explains how the high cost and labor-intensive nature of psychedelic therapy inspired him to explore a group model that could make treatment more financially accessible while preserving - and even enhancing - its therapeutic potential. Dr. Hicks describes the structure of the study and discusses how initial participant hesitancy about group work transformed into deep connection and shared healing. He also highlights the study’s significant reductions in depression scores, improvements across quality-of-life measures, and the potential for group-based approaches to pave the way toward insurance reimbursement and broader access to psychedelic care. In this episode, you'll hear: Why affordability and accessibility were central motivations for developing a group-based psilocybin protocol The benefits and challenges of conducting psilocybin sessions in a shared group setting How Dr. Hicks’ study balanced inclusion of low-income participants with safety and stability criteria The details of the group treatment structure for Dr. Hicks’ study Why Dr. Hicks believes group formats may be inherently therapeutic in addition to their economic efficiency Dr. Hicks’s vision for future efficacy and cost-effectiveness studies that could enable insurance coverage Quotes: “In terms of the group dynamic, almost everyone in the intake process was very reluctant. They were trepidatious. They were a little worried about the group part of it. And almost everybody at the end of it, when we did the follow ups at the group, was amazing. People made friends. They felt really supported. They felt really seen by the process of hearing other people's journeys and the growth that they went through—and seeing some other examples of transformation was really powerful and was really encouraging to me.” [10:29] “So [there are] really positive aspects to doing this in a group format that's not just economic—it's not just cheaper to do this in group, it actually has therapeutic benefits that you miss out on when you only do this one on one.” [11:12] “That was always my question in the follow up sessions: ‘did your participation in this study change the way you engaged in psychotherapy? Did it change the relationship with your therapist?’ And a lot of people reported that it did. They felt they were able to open up and engage more deeply, be more introspective. And it did, in many cases, not all, improve their psychotherapy outcomes as well.” [18:24] “Some people reported that hearing someone else in the group crying for a bit really opened up something in them and they almost felt grateful for that. This other person is having a meaningful experience over there, and that's something they wouldn't have gotten on their own if they hadn't heard that person crying.” [22:45] Links:
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Microdosing Psilocybin: Truth vs Hype with Rotem Petranker, PhD
10/02/2025
Microdosing Psilocybin: Truth vs Hype with Rotem Petranker, PhD
In this episode Rotem Petranker, PhD joins to discuss the current state of research on microdosing psilocybin. Dr. Petranker is the co-founder of the Psychedelic Studies Research Program at the University of Toronto and the Canadian Centre for Psychedelic Science. He recently ran the world's largest randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of microdosing psilocybin on Major Depressive Disorder. In this conversation, Dr. Petranker shares insights from running the world’s largest randomized controlled trial on psilocybin microdosing for major depressive disorder. He explains the origins of microdosing research, from early anecdotes and surveys to his team’s carefully designed clinical study comparing psilocybin to placebo across different environments. While participants in both groups reported significant improvements, the findings point to the powerful role of expectancy and placebo effects, alongside nuanced signals of cognitive shifts on measures like dysfunctional attitudes. Dr. Petranker emphasizes the importance of rigorous methodology, open science, and transparency in psychedelic research, while also acknowledging the stories of participants whose lives were positively impacted by study participation itself. In this episode, you'll hear: What early microdosing research suggested, and its limitations in anecdotal and survey-based designs Why psilocybin was chosen over LSD for the study design What motivates people to try microdosing a psychedelic Key results from Dr. Petranker’s study, including reports of both positive and adverse events How placebo effects—and simply being part of a trial—can powerfully shape outcomes Reflections on how psychedelics may work by increasing connectedness Quotes: “There's no real rigorous definition [of microdosing]. People say, ‘oh, I'm just going to microdose some mushrooms,’ and then they often take a random amount. I think what people mean is ‘I'm going to take an amount that will not knock me out, won't cause serious hallucinations,’ but they still use an amount that they often feel. Now, this is in contrast to what people in the [academic] literature define it as, which is more like a sub-perceptual dose, a sub-hallucinogenic dose.” [2:17] “If you microdose and go to work, just to sit under the flickering lights for eight hours in your cubicle versus, say, if you're going to microdose and then go on a walk, or do art, or do as you wish because it's the weekend, you're going to have very different impacts on your anxiety.” [15:26] “[In our study] there were three other self-report measures of depression. There is only a significant difference on one of them, where people who were microdosing were doing better. And that was on the dysfunctional attitude scale, which measures more cognitive assumptions about life.” [26:2] “people who microdose—regardless of why they microdose—they more or less all said that they got to what they wanted through an increased sense of meaning.” [35:05] Links:
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Encoure Episode: Exploring Endogenous DMT with Rick Strassman, MD
09/17/2025
Encoure Episode: Exploring Endogenous DMT with Rick Strassman, MD
In this episode of the Psychedelic Medicine Podcast, Rick Strassman, MD joins to discuss the topic of endogenous DMT. Dr. Strassman is adjunct associate professor of psychiatry at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and author of and . His DMT and psilocybin studies in the early 1990s initiated the renewal of human research with psychedelics in the U.S. In this conversation, Dr. Strassman discusses the finer details of DMT, from endogenous production in humans and animals, to visionary experiences and theological implications. Dr. Strassman also covers the research that's been done regarding endogenous DMT, clarifying what we do and don’t know about the role of the pineal gland and how this might relate to what is reported during near-death experiences. He also discusses the personal and relational quality of psychedelic experiences induced by DMT, mentioning that unitive mystical experiences were actually rare in the trials he conducted, with more experiences having a personal quality, drawing upon the life experiences and interests of the participants. In closing, Dr. Strassman shares his thoughts on the origins of the visions that many report during DMT use. In this episode you'll hear: The overlap between psychedelic experiences and meditation techniques The relationship between fear, self-awareness, and difficult DMT experiences The placebo effect and psychedelic research Dr. Strassman’s thoughts on non-hallucinogenic psychedelics DMT as a possible treatment for strokes to prevent damage and speed recovery Effects of microdosing in animals and humans Quotes: “I think the best term for these compounds is psychedelic, which means mind manifesting or mind disclosing, because only one of our fifty-five or so normal volunteers had what one might call a mystical unitive state. … Everybody basically had an experience that was totally dependent on them. It was not inherent in the drug.” [9:45] “You could still speculate that to the extent that non-drug states resemble those brought on by giving DMT… that DMT plays a role in the production of those states. But the data aren't there yet. That's why we need more people doing this research.” [24:16] “If psychedelics are super placebos and if we have a psychedelic drug in our brain, it's attempting to speculate that normally the placebo effect could be mediated by endogenous DMT.” [27:42] “If you starve neurons of oxygen they start dying, but if you add DMT they survive much longer. So there seems to be some neuroprotective effect of DMT on ischemic damage to neurons, at least in the test tube.” [32:27] Links:
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Psychedelics for Stroke Healing with Steven Zeiler, MD, PhD
09/04/2025
Psychedelics for Stroke Healing with Steven Zeiler, MD, PhD
In this episode Steven Zeiler, MD, PhD joins to discuss the promise of psychedelics for stroke healing. Dr. Zeiler is an associate professor and physician at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine specializing in cerebrovascular disease, including acute stroke therapy, prevention, and recovery. He is a lead investigator for a Rose Hill Life Sciences research trial, conducted in partnership with Johns Hopkins University, exploring the use of psilocybin-assisted therapy to enhance motor function in patients with neurological injuries. In this conversation, Dr. Zeiler explains that after a stroke, there is a natural but time-limited critical period during which the brain is highly plastic and capable of repairing motor function. His research, inspired by work on psychedelics reopening critical learning windows, shows in animal models that a single high dose of psychedelics combined with intensive rehabilitation can restore lost motor abilities even after recovery has plateaued. Throughout, Dr. Zeiler emphasizes that psilocybin itself doesn’t heal the brain directly but creates a window of heightened neuroplasticity that, when paired with targeted therapy, may dramatically improve recovery outcomes for stroke survivors. In this episode, you'll hear: What happens to patients during a stroke The critical period of stroke recovery and how psychedelics may reopen this opportunity Why conducting a safety and tolerability study of psilocybin for stroke patients is crucial What forms of deficits and recoveries Dr. Zeiler’s study will measure Dr. Zeiler’s speculations on what integrating psychedelic treatments into stroke medicine could look like The importance of specialized interventions that take advantage of the critical recovery period Quotes: “What has been a little forgotten about in a lot of stroke management situations is helping the person get over the deficits with which the stroke has left them. And if you can't move an arm, you can't move a leg, that's a big deal. And we are not quite as good at addressing some of those problems.” [5:11] “[The potential of psychedelics for stroke recovery] is probably less about addressing the injury itself and more about helping the remaining parts of the brain turn on to address what's lost.” [7:36] “We're not suggesting that the psychedelic itself has some sort of magical property that would just repair the brain, but it primes the situation to allow that input that we then provide over the next many days, many weeks, to affect a recovery.” [13:31] “Imagine something as complicated as the brain going through a repair mechanism: could you imagine one molecule acting on one receptor being able to affect a recovery? I couldn't imagine that—it's too complicated a thing. And so having something like a mechanism of action that is acting through multiple pathways, I think has to be the case if we're going to affect something as complicated as brain repair.” [17:30] Links:
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Long-Term Psychedelic Integration with J. Ashley T. Booth, LCSW, MS
08/20/2025
Long-Term Psychedelic Integration with J. Ashley T. Booth, LCSW, MS
In this episode J. Ashley T. Booth, LCSW, MS joins to discuss the importance of long-term psychedelic integration. Ashley is a Los Angeles-based psychedelic therapist, IFS practitioner, and author of Quieting the Storm Within: An Illustrated Introduction to Your Parts Through Internal Family Systems and Beyond. With a background in research, education, and clinical work—including serving as a co-investigator on the MAPS MDMA trials—she specializes in helping clients integrate psychedelic experiences through compassionate parts work and Self-led healing. In this conversation, Ashley explores the nuances of psychedelic integration, discussing how this process can be supported through ongoing self-audits, somatic practices, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) work. She highlights the need to slow down, focus on one insight at a time, and anchor felt experiences into the body so they become lived behaviors rather than fleeting memories. The discussion also addresses challenges such as insufficient integration, psychedelic narcissism, and the pressure to “fix” oneself. In closing, Ashley stresses that even years after a journey, integration is possible if one revisits experiences with intention, and she underscores the central role of supportive communities in sustaining lasting transformation In this episode, you'll hear: What things are important to focus on in long-term integration How someone can discern when their integration process has been sufficient to pursue a subsequent psychedelic journey An overview of the internal family systems model of the psyche The downsides of insufficient integration Developing deeper relationships with the parts of one’s psyche through IFS Why it's never too late to integrate psychedelic experiences from one’s past What to do when integration seems to come into conflict with feeling well adjusted to society’s expectations Quotes: “What I encourage clients to do is to take notes on everything that felt important and then separate them out into: ‘I'm going to just focus on this one thing for like a month, and then maybe next month will be that second piece of it.’ And so you're really allowing yourself to make particular practices and focus on one thing at a time.” [6:21] “So whatever wound we're dealing with in our bodies, whether it's an extreme sort of big T trauma or little T trauma… there's a slowness that needs to happen. And so if there's parts of us that want to speed up that process, we need to be curious about that and see if there are ways that we can tend to that before the next journey.” [13:59] “I think that part of the longer term questions are not just how we change our life but what kind of meaning are we making of our lives and how are we sitting more comfortably in that meaning in a way that is serving us and empowering us?” [25:52] Links:
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Combining Ketamine Therapy with Other Modalities with Genesee Herzberg, PsyD
08/07/2025
Combining Ketamine Therapy with Other Modalities with Genesee Herzberg, PsyD
In this episode, Dr. Genesee Herzberg joins to discuss the ways ketamine therapy can be combined with other healing modalities. Dr. Herzberg is a clinical psychologist and co-founder and director of Sage Integrative Health, an integrative psychedelic therapy clinic and training center in the SF Bay Area. She worked as a therapist on the MDMA for PTSD clinical trials and co-edited the book Integral Psychedelic Therapy. In this conversation, Dr. Herzberg explains how somatic therapy, touch therapy, bodywork, and movement support trauma processing. She also highlights the benefits of combining ketamine with acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, and functional medicine—including nutritional and hormonal assessments—to address physiological contributors to mental health. In closing, Dr. Herzberg emphasizes trauma-informed, team-based, and individualized approach to psychedelic healing, where ketamine acts as a bridge between psychological, somatic, and biomedical treatments. In this episode, you'll hear: How somatic therapy is used within ketamine therapy sessions How ketamine helps quiet the default mode network to support therapeutic processing Ensuring safety during physical and movement-based therapies The importance of establishing boundaries and explicit consent for therapeutic work that involves touch Dr. Herzberg’s first hand experience of the reciprocal benefits of combining acupuncture and ketamine therapy Using functional medicine and nutrition therapy to support the therapeutic process with ketamine Quotes: “I see ketamine, especially at lower psychoanalytic doses… as a support in turning down the volume on emotional and physical pain, which can then help us to better experience them. So I think of it as a sort of ‘re-associative’.” [4:08] “Another aspect of the healing potential of therapy in general has to do with a therapeutic relationship: developing this sense that there's someone who cares about you, who's there to support you, who's going to be right there with you as you're dropping into your scariest and darkest places. And touch is one of the best ways to communicate that.” [13:53] “Acupuncture can help the nervous system to relax and help the system to open to the ketamine such that we are able to more fully receive the benefits of the medicine and feel the effects of it.” [25:07] Links:
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Art Therapy for Psychedelic Preparation and Integration with Charmaine Husum, RCAT
07/24/2025
Art Therapy for Psychedelic Preparation and Integration with Charmaine Husum, RCAT
In this episode, Charmaine Husum joins to discuss how art therapy can be a powerful tool for psychedelic preparation and integration. Charmaine is a Registered Art Therapist, Somatic Counsellor and Kundalini Yoga Teacher with over 12 years of experience supporting psychedelic preparation and integration. Her courses train professionals globally using specifically developed protocols in trauma-informed, harm-reduction practices, with her book, (Routledge, 2025), endorsed by numerous experts in the field including Stan and Brigitte Grof. In this discussion, Charmaine distinguishes between art as therapy and art therapy, emphasizing that the latter involves clinically informed, trauma-sensitive practices that externalize inner experiences to support healing. She outlines structured protocols used before and after psychedelic experiences, including creating visual representations of inner strength, setting intentions, and integrating experiences through multi-phase art exercises. Throughout, Charmaine emphasizes choice, embodiment, and the historical roots of art in altered states, offering a rich alternative for those seeking non-verbal, experiential ways to work through trauma and transformation. In this episode, you'll hear: The types of art and materials employed in art therapy How art therapy can be employed to support preparation for a psychedelic experience Using art therapy for grounding and restabilization following an intense psychedelic journey Judith Herman’s three stage model of healing trauma Why drawing a self portrait with one’s non-dominant hand could be therapeutic Pursuing shadow work in art therapy Working with a client’s perfectionism in art therapy Quotes: “[Art therapy] is not about making art, actually. It's about being in the present moment, about moving materials, about allowing for often a cathartic release, and giving expression to what we often don't have words for.” [3:14] “Art therapy isn't just about making the art, it's about processing the art afterwards.” [7:48] “Art therapy is very helpful when we're trying to express something that's ineffable—something without words—which is… at the heart of psychedelics. There's often no words to describe what our experience has been. And so using creativity can be a real help there.” [29:06] Links:
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Is Psilocybin Safe for Me? with Seth Mehr, MD
07/09/2025
Is Psilocybin Safe for Me? with Seth Mehr, MD
In this episode, Seth Mehr, MD joins to share his expertise on safety planning prior to a patient undergoing psilocybin therapy. After a 20 year career as an Emergency Medicine physician, Seth founded Cascade Psychedelic Medicine in 2021, treating clients with depression, anxiety and PTSD with psychedelic ketamine therapy. He also serves as the Health & Safety Director and a state licensed psilocybin facilitator at the Innertrek service center in Portland, Oregon. In this conversation, Dr. Mehr outlines key risk categories for psilocybin therapy: medical conditions, medication interactions, and mental health history. He emphasizes the importance of individualized safety planning over binary yes/no decisions. Dr. Mehr discusses specific considerations such as cardiovascular issues, diabetes, serotonergic medications, substance use disorders, suicidal ideation, and family history of psychosis. The conversation also covers strategies for mitigating risk, including delaying treatment, contingency plans, improving support systems, and ensuring informed consent. Throughout, Dr. Mehr stresses a collaborative, nuanced approach that balances potential benefits with careful preparation and personalized care. In this episode, you'll hear: Stories from Dr. Mehr’s practice of helping patients with different conditions and histories ensure safe psilocybin experiences Interactions between GLP-1 agonists and psilocybin How Dr. Mehr works with patients who have family histories of psychosis Harm reduction practices which leverage other psychedelics or non-psychedelic interventions to help prepare a client for a psilocybin session Why insulin dependent diabetes can be a contraindication for psychedelic therapy What medication combinations can increase the risk of serotonin toxicity with psilocybin Supporting clients experiencing spiritual emergency following psilocybin therapy Safety considerations when working with clients who have a history of seizures The importance of having contingency plans if medical emergencies arise during psilocybin therapy The intricacies of providing fully informed consent for psychedelic therapy Quotes: “There is some evidence now that taking a single serotonergic agent—say, taking Lexapro—and no other medications that increase the risk of serotonin toxicity seems safe where I am not at this point recommending that people stop, skip, or taper a single SSRI in preparation for a psilocybin session due to safety.” [12:20] “One of the difficulties with making these decisions or speaking with some confidence or authority on the matter is that the clinical trials that have been done largely exclude people with lots of conditions—family history and specifically first degree relatives with history of psychosis and bipolar disorder… So we have anecdotal evidence, we have population based surveys to go by. And so when I talk to clients about this, I speak from a place of humility.” [27:30] “I always emphasize to clients that while we're talking about a specific safety issue like serotonin toxicity, we don't want to trade that for psychological instability and crisis and declare success because we've helped somebody taper off of a medication that seems less safe and now they aren't sleeping, they're agitated, they're depression is worse, their suicidality is worse. So we have to take a holistic approach to this and consider the totality of what's happening with that client.” [36:45] “There are so many different components to trying to set somebody up for success rather than a yes/no, black and white approach [to psilocybin therapy].” [48:44] Links:
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Addressing Racial Trauma through Psychedelic Therapy with Monnica T. Williams, PhD, ABPP
06/25/2025
Addressing Racial Trauma through Psychedelic Therapy with Monnica T. Williams, PhD, ABPP
In this episode, Monnica T. Williams, PhD, ABPP joins to discuss how psychedelics may help alleviate mental health impacts of racial trauma. Dr. Williams is a licensed clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Ottawa in the School of Psychology, where she is the Canada Research Chair in Mental Health Disparities. In this conversation, Dr. Williams begins by highlighting the daily stress and trauma experienced by people of color, likening it to PTSD. She discusses a survey her team conducted which revealed that many people of color use psychedelics to manage racial trauma, showing significant reductions in stress, depression, and anxiety. Additionally, Dr. Williams emphasizes the importance of a safe environment and culturally competent therapists. In closing, she discusses ongoing research at this intersection and the need for more funding and awareness in this field. In this episode, you'll hear: How racial trauma manifests as conditions like PTSD, depression, and anxiety The importance of an intersectional perspective Current treatments for mental health struggles stemming from racial trauma Results from Dr. Williams’ research into psychedelic use amongst people of color The importance of safe and supportive settings for psychedelic experiences How shared life experiences between a therapist and client can strength the therapeutic alliance and improve outcomes Why bias training is particularly important in the context of psychedelic therapy Quotes: “People of color who live in these white dominated Western contexts are continually bombarded by subtle —and not so subtle—messages about their worth, about their standing in society, about their intelligence, their character, on and on and on and on. And so really the daily onslaught just wears and wears away at people, and the stress of that can actually become traumatizing.” [1:49] “People heal from trauma when someone witnesses their pain, right? When people can compassionately witness your pain and join in it with you—this is the basis behind all therapeutic approaches for trauma treatment.” [10:13] “We saw [from our survey study] that many, many people of color are using psychedelics to manage racism, often very quietly. But it seems for many people to be quite effective and quite helpful.” [11:53] “We looked at some separate psychedelics where we had enough people who described a specific one like psilocybin or LSD or peyote in some cases. And so we were able to look at those psychedelics separately and we didn't actually find a difference. It didn't seem to matter which psychedelic it was. It seemed that they were all, more or less equally effective.” [15:20] Links:
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Understanding Psychedelics and Neuroplasticity with Robin Carhart-Harris, PhD
06/12/2025
Understanding Psychedelics and Neuroplasticity with Robin Carhart-Harris, PhD
In this episode, Robin Carhart-Harris, PhD joins to elucidate the intersection of psychedelics and neuroplasticity. Dr. Carhart-Harris is the Ralph Metzner Distinguished Professor in Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. Robin founded the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London in April 2019, was ranked among the top 31 medical scientists in 2020, and in 2021, was named in TIME magazine’s ‘100 Next’ – a list of 100 rising stars shaping the future. Dr. Carhart-Harris begins by discussing the impact of psychedelics on neuroplasticity and mental health. He explains neuroplasticity as the brain's ability to change, emphasizing its role in mood disorders and substance use and describes how stress atrophies the brain, leading to mental illness. Dr. Carhart-Harris differentiates between neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, noting that while neurogenesis is limited in adults, neuroplasticity can be influenced by psychedelics like ketamine, psilocybin, and MDMA. In closing, he also discusses the entropic brain hypothesis, suggesting that increased brain entropy leads to richer subjective experiences. In this episode, you'll hear: The relationship between neuroplasticity and “canalization” Why homeostatic neuroplasticity may promote mental wellbeing Differences between ketamine, MDMA, and serotonergic psychedelics in terms of neuroplasticity The details of the entropic brain hypothesis Psychedelics’ effect on the default mode network The frontiers of research into psychedelics and neuroplasticity Quotes: “So changeability is what plasticity is. And neuroplasticity—that's the ability of the brain to change. Okay, and how is neuroplasticity related to mood disorders like depression and anxiety or substance use disorder or something like that? Well, that's a great question cause we don't have it entirely nailed down. But one of the most reliable findings in biological psychiatry is that stress atrophies the brain.” [2:47] “The main thing with ketamine is that the window of increased plasticity is brief… That makes sense because that reflects how ketamine seems to work therapeutically—that it provides relief somewhat short-term, unless it is twinned with, say, psychotherapy or you do repeat administration and get someone out of the rut they were in.” [22:15] “We’ve seen in people with depression, brain networks can become quite segregated from each other—they are ordinarily, they’re quite functionally separate and distinct—but that modularity might be a bit elevated in depression. But what we’ve seen with psilocybin therapy is that separateness between systems, that segregated quality of organization of brain networks, brain systems actually decreases after psilocybin therapy for depression. I’ll put it another way: the brain looks more globally interconnected after psilocybin therapy for depression and the magnitude of that… correlates with improvements.” [39:19] Links:
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Myths and Misconceptions About Psilocybin with Dori Lewis, LPC
05/28/2025
Myths and Misconceptions About Psilocybin with Dori Lewis, LPC
In this episode, Dori Lewis, MA, MEd, LPC-S discusses the common myths and misconceptions surrounding psilocybin for healing. Dori is a psychotherapist, co-founder of Elemental Psychedelics, and owner of Reflective Healing in Fort Collins, CO, who specializes in psychedelic-assisted therapy, blending transpersonal psychology with spiritual practices. With experience facilitating ketamine sessions and training clinicians, she advocates for ethical standards in psychedelic medicine while championing a feminine-centered approach to facilitator training. The first myth that Dori addresses in this conversation is the idea that it is the psilocybin mushroom itself that does all the healing work. Contrary to this common misconception, Dori suggests that it is the client’s own initiative working in tandem with the mushroom that really spurs healing. She also emphasizes that there are not any set protocols for how often psilocybin should be taken for healing, instead suggesting that clients should be guided to attune to their own internal intuition to determine when a psilocybin journey may be particularly helpful. Another misconception Dori addresses is that healing with psilocybin can occur without causing deep transformations in one’s identity or shifts in one’s worldview. She suggests facilitators must be very transparent about these possible impacts to best prepare clients for these kinds of major changes that psilocybin can catalyze. In closing, Dori reiterates that clients should be supported and prepared to encounter intense emotional experiences with psilocybin, as some of the most difficult psychedelic journeys can actually be the most healing. In this episode, you'll hear: The biggest myths and misconceptions Dori encounters working with clients in her practice The importance of a relational understanding of psychedelic healing The specific types of trauma where psilocybin may be a particularly effective healing modality The training for psilocybin facilitators in Colorado under the Natural Medicines Program and the importance of scope of practice Why some people’s mental health gets worse before it gets better following a psilocybin experience What can cause lack of response to psilocybin therapy and how better preparation can often mitigate this Quotes: “Mushrooms are amazing and they can help us in our healing journey. But they are one tool in a mosaic of other tools that we can use to help ourselves heal and grow and change.” [6:54] “I don’t really know where this message came from—that mushrooms cure PTSD—but that is a huge myth. They can help—with certain types of trauma within the context of a healthy therapeutic relationship with a skilled provider, yes, at times when it is right. But ultimately the best medicine for trauma is going to be MDMA—and ketamine.” [18:18] “It is the responsibility of providers and facilitators to inform clients of the realistic expectations they should have for their [psychedelic] journeys—and that is also an ethical need and something that facilitators need to consider through an ethical lens.” [25:20] “There’s a lot to be said about the unique ways that mushrooms express through our bodies and through our minds and through our hearts that give us information about where we are at and where we need to work or continue to work in order to access the healing we so desire.” [37:34] Links:
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Benefits and Risks of Psychedelic Use for Professional Growth with Jodie NewDelman, PsyD
05/14/2025
Benefits and Risks of Psychedelic Use for Professional Growth with Jodie NewDelman, PsyD
In this episode, Jodie NewDelman, PsyD joins to discuss the benefits and risks of leveraging psychedelics for professional growth. For over three decades, Dr. NewDelman has been an executive consultant, health system advisor, licensed psychologist, and clinical supervisor. She is also trained and certificated in psychedelic medicine and has been working with growth-oriented professionals developing greater alignment between their leadership roles at work and their personal lives. In this conversation, Dr. NewDelman discusses the typical struggles people experience in their professional lives and where psychedelic experiences may provide insight and empowerment to become more aligned with one’s work. She unpacks the psychological experience of being “stuck,” something that psychedelics may specifically help overcome. Beyond individualistic approaches to professional growth, Dr. NewDelman also discusses the importance of humanizing the workforce and how conscious leadership is crucial to achieve this goal. In closing, Dr. NewDelman warns against the danger of trying to implement radical changes after a psychedelic experience without sufficient integration, emphasizing the importance of a holistic approach to this work. In this episode, you'll hear: Navigating feelings of imposter syndrome and experiences of marginalization The importance of work life balance and how to psychedelic experiences can empower reflection on this topic Why clear intention is crucial for leveraging psychedelic experiences for professional growth The danger of spiritual bypassing after profound psychedelic experiences Quotes: “No matter who you are, you're going to have your own set of intentions. The intentions will be bespoke. And maybe you don't know the first or second time what you want to work on when you go into it—an experiential medicine session. But eventually we can narrow those themes down to what it is that we really need insight on.” [22:01] “if you need to focus on some nitty gritty, annoying detail [at work], no matter how transcendent your perspective is in your psychedelic medicine session, you still have to do the thing at work. You still have to make the practical changes. So we need to kind of stay tethered to reality in that way.” [38:58] “Our tendency is to avoid pain, right? We want to go away from the obstacles. And if psychedelics teach us nothing else, it's that we need to go through the storm. We need to turn toward the issue.” [40:25] Links: Email:
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Psilocybin for Addressing Burnout with Tracy Kim Townsend, MD
04/30/2025
Psilocybin for Addressing Burnout with Tracy Kim Townsend, MD
In this episode, Tracy Kim Townsend, MD, joins to discuss the potential efficacy of psilocybin therapy for addressing burnout, particularly in healthcare professionals. Dr. Townsend is a Harvard-trained medical doctor, licensed psilocybin facilitator, and the Co-Founder & CEO of Meadow Medicine, one of the only legal psilocybin service centers based in the U.S., founded and led by an MD. In this conversation, Dr. Townsend gives an overview of burnout and discusses its prevalence amongst healthcare professionals due to the intense nature of these professions. She mentions the relevance of the wounded healer archetype for many physicians and how this identity can intersect with experiences of burnout. Turning to psilocybin therapy, Dr. Townsend discusses how these psychedelic treatments can help address burnout through promoting neuroplasticity and facilitating effective emotional processing. Following these experiences, patients are often much better poised to make well-considered life changes to help stave off burnout. Dr. Townsend concludes by emphasizing the importance of integration following psychedelic journeys to ensure maximal benefit and effectiveness of these treatments. In this episode, you'll hear: How burnout develops How technology and culture have contributed to the rise of burnout The symptoms of burnout Supporting career longevity for physicians How psilocybin may support patients looking to address burnout Clinical research into psilocybin for burnout in healthcare professionals Why loosening the grip on one’s identity and ego dissolution may be tied to the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics Quotes: “One core area that I see psilocybin playing a role [for addressing burnout] is just creating these spaces where we can process emotions and integrate them.” [21:41] “SSRIs, which are the gold standard intervention right now for depression, usually result in about a nine-point drop [in depression scores on the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale], which is really no better than placebo… Whereas psilocybin showed a three-fold drop—there’s really no intervention for depression we see with that dramatic of results.” [25:17] “Another thing that I think is remarkable, too is… you continue to see the benefits—if you check scores immediately after the [psilocybin] journey and then at six months out, there continues to be improvement in mental health scores.” [29:06] Links:
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Exploring Psychedelic Benefits for Chronic Illness with Christina P. Kantzavelos, LCSW, MSW, MLIS
04/16/2025
Exploring Psychedelic Benefits for Chronic Illness with Christina P. Kantzavelos, LCSW, MSW, MLIS
In this episode, Christina P. Kantzavelos, LCSW, MSW, MLIS joins to discuss the use of psychedelics to address chronic illness. Christina is an international psychotherapist, coach, writer and artist, who specializes in treating clients with chronic illness, and complex trauma utilizing various modalities, including psychedelic assisted therapy. In this conversation, Christina overviews the complex mental and physical health impacts of chronic pain conditions and shares her expertise on psychedelic and non-psychedelic treatments for these conditions. Christina mentions that chronic pain can put one’s body in a state that encourages fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses which can disempower the patient’s efforts to address their condition. She also explores the intersection of identity and chronic pain conditions, discussing how that while receiving a particular diagnosis can be helpful and affirming, taking this as a core part of one’s identity can also be a major roadblock to healing. In closing, Christina emphasizes that pain starts in the brain, so leveraging neuroplasticity through psychedelics and other means can be a particularly powerful way to address both physical and mental health aspects of chronic pain conditions. In this episode you'll hear: How Christina got involved in working with patients with chronic pain The common mental health presentations in those with chronic pain The importance of addressing physical health and mental health concurrently Why psychedelics may be helpful for addressing chronic pain conditions The immunomodulating effects of psychedelics The power of neuroplasticity for addressing chronic pain Utilizing neural retraining and microdosing in conjunction to prepare for more successful higher dose psychedelic experiences Quotes: “I use all kinds of modalities and I don’t just treat someone’s depression or anxiety or complex trauma—I see it as everything is interwoven and related to each other. And it’s important that we look at the entirely mosaic piece rather than just focusing on one area.” [5:20] “There is a state of empowerment versus disempowerment in identifying with our chronic illness. I’m not saying that it is not real and it's not happening to you but it definitely is not you. It’s something you are experiencing. Even if it’s chronic and lifelong, it’s still something you are experiencing—it’s not you as a whole.” [17:48] “I’ve noticed that any of my clients who have gone through neural retraining have had little to no bad [psychedelic] trips which is amazing and I feel like that’s partly because they worked so hard to resource themselves in advance.” [25:19] Links:
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The Dangers of "Ayahuasca Told Me…" with Jerónimo Mazarrasa
04/02/2025
The Dangers of "Ayahuasca Told Me…" with Jerónimo Mazarrasa
In this episode, Jerónimo Mazarrasa joins to discuss how to interpret visions and insights disclosed during ayahuasca journeys more effectively. Jerónimo is Program Director at ICEERS, founder of ICEERS Academy, and creator of AyaSafety, an online course for people interested in increasing the safety of ayahuasca ceremonies. To start, Jerónimo emphasizes that answering the question of whether ayahuasca visions originate in the plant medicine itself or if these are just disclosures of one’s own subconscious is actually not what's most important. Instead, he suggests that in either case, what is crucial is spending time carefully considering how one should respond to these disclosures. Jerónimo shares insights from expert facilitators on how one can best go about interpreting and responding to such experiences, suggesting that an important aspect of this process is that participants feel comfortable taking personal responsibility for whatever decisions they eventually decide to make rather than thinking of these major life changes as necessary consequences of the psychedelic experience itself. In closing, Jerónimo discusses the tension between externalization and psychologization of psychedelic experiences and why both of these can lead to issues. In this episode, you'll hear: The common experience of feeling as though the ayahuasca has communicated something to you Examples of where taking an ayahuasca vision literally can lead to problematic outcomes The “three confirmations” one should look for before making a major decision based on a psychedelic experience The metaphor of ayahuasca as a microscope How skilled ayahuasca facilitators ensure proper psychological hygiene with participants Judging the validity of potential repressed memories that seem to surface during psychedelic experiences Quotes: “The way that ayahuasca becomes useful for people, I think, is that it shows you—it amplifies and shows you—what is already inside of yourself. Now, this is very useful for certain things but one has to understand the nature of the language.” [9:23] “Facilitators should instruct their participants that one rule is that you shouldn’t make any decisions during an ayahuasca ceremony—unless they are decisions related to taking yourself out of danger.” [14:42] “Ayahuasca is not a shortcut for personal development—it’s just a flashlight that can help you shed some light on some darker parts of [your] issues and problems, but it is not a shortcut.” [35:47] “The main contraindication of psychedelics is not wanting to take psychedelics. You should absolutely never ever ever ever ever take psychedelics if you don’t want to because it is going to be horrible. It’s like a kiss—when you want it, its beautiful, intimate, gorgeous; when you don’t want it, it's the most intrusive, disgusting, blech thing ever.” [50:27] Links:
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Can Psychedelics Lead to False Beliefs? with Hugh McGovern, PhD
03/19/2025
Can Psychedelics Lead to False Beliefs? with Hugh McGovern, PhD
In this episode, Hugh McGovern, PhD joins to discuss his research on the impact of psychedelics on beliefs. Dr. McGovern is a Research Fellow at the School of Medicine, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia. To start, Dr. McGovern introduces the inference or predictive processing framework utilized in his paper . He explains the role of prediction in cognition, showing how insights occur when our existing perspectives are unable to make sense of our experience. In this vein, Dr. McGovern discusses how the psychedelic experience disrupts our normal modes of prediction and perception, leaving room for greater influence of environmental factors on insight production. In closing, Dr. McGovern shares ideas on further clinical directions for this research that could give guidance for helping patients more effectively integrate insight experiences. In this episode you'll hear: The research into how psychedelics can influence and change beliefs The role beliefs and insights can play in psychedelic journeys How false insights can be experimentally induced The connection between prediction errors in our cognition and insight experiences The hippocampus, memory, and psychedelics The association between insight moments and increased mental health following psychedelic experiences Quotes: “[In psychedelic experiences] your expectations are no longer helping you make sense of your current sensory experience. And so you’re uniquely susceptible to environmental input under psychedelics—which would account for things like visual hallucinations [and] these novel insight moments.” [18:30] “When you have really really strong prediction errors or really really strong insight moments, they can have a disproportionately important influence on your worldview going forward.” [20:03] “Psychedelics, from a few different studies, show they can impair the formation of hippocampally dependent memories but they can perhaps even enhance the formation of cortically dependent memories. So what that means is you come out of the experience with this sense of knowing but it's in some sense lacking in details.” [29:04] Links:
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Psychedelics for Grief and Loss with Heather A. Lee, LCSW
03/05/2025
Psychedelics for Grief and Loss with Heather A. Lee, LCSW
In this episode, Heather A. Lee, LCSW joins to discuss the topic of psychedelic healing for grief and loss. Heather is a licensed psychotherapist, educator, speaker, and consultant. With over 30 years of practice in mental health, her focus is on supporting midlife and beyond women as they navigate life transitions. In this conversation, Heather explores the ways psychedelic healing may have transformative contributions to peoples’ journeys navigating grief and loss. She explains that we live in a culture that doesn’t have a good understanding of grief, how to navigate it, or how to support others who are grieving, so it can be a difficult issue to address. Heather discusses the neuroplasticity-promoting effects of psychedelics and elucidates the ways this can be helpful for processing grief, especially by allowing the person grieving the opportunity to hold their grief in new, productive ways alongside other healthy emotions. In closing, Heather emphasizes how psychedelics can also provide healing for existential distress brought on by the many planetary crises humanity is now facing through providing a broader, life-affirming viewpoint on these issues. In this episode you'll hear: Heather’s journey from working in hospice settings to working with psychedelic therapy Navigating the grief of losing others and the grief of realizing the imminent end of one’s own life Why Heather thinks psychedelics are particularly useful for grief and loss How grief can manifest both mentally and physically Client stories from Heather’s practice where patients are able to process grief to achieve a better quality of life Neuroplasticity, psychological flexibility, and processing grief Psychedelics for end-of-life grief and anxiety Physiological impacts of spending quality time in nature Quotes: “Psychedelics are a really important and powerful option that are coming into the conversation about how people can take some control of how they navigate that psycho-spiritual-emotional component of coming to end of life.” [3:19] “There is no right or wrong way to grieve and there is no normal and abnormal. I think it’s just about having markers so that we can know when and how to provide support to people.” [9:27] “On the [psychedelic] medicine, you experience that grief, that loss—whatever that is—you’re experiencing it while you’re in that [neuroplastic] state so that you have the opportunity to get a fresh perspective. And it’s in that fresh perspective that you create the new patterns of thought around [your grief].” [20:12] Links:
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Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety with Thomas Kim, MD
02/19/2025
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety with Thomas Kim, MD
In this episode, Thomas Kim, MD joins to discuss ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety. Dr. Kim is the Chief Medical Officer of Noma Therapy, which is a ketamine-assisted psychotherapy program available via telehealth and in-person with licensed therapists. He has devoted 20 years of his professional life to realizing a value-based approach to healthcare through telehealth. In this conversation, Dr. Kim shares his journey of working in early telehealth contexts to now working with ketamine. He discusses the research on ketamine treatments for anxiety and explains the significant comorbidity of anxiety, depression, and PTSD, stressing that anxiety is best understood from a more holistic perspective that considers the social determinants of health. Dr. Kim also emphasizes the importance of psychotherapy alongside ketamine dosing sessions, explaining that therapists have a window of opportunity in the days following the ketamine dose to best take advantage of the state of ketamine-induced neuroplasticity the patient is experiencing. In closing, Dr. Kim shares his philosophy of prescribing the least amount of medicine which produces the largest impact for the patient to ensure that side effects are mitigated and financial burdens are reduced. In this episode you'll hear: Balancing maximal safety and maximal accessibility in medicine The research on ketamine treatments for anxiety How psychotherapy fits with ketamine treatments The neuroscience of why patients can have strong emotional reactions following ketamine sessions Stories of success from Dr. Kim’s practice The importance of understanding how adverse childhood experiences and social determinants of health significantly contribute to mental health struggles Collaborative ketamine-assisted psychotherapy with a patient’s existing therapist Quotes: “Over time, continued effort in the field [of telehealth] has led to cost-effective, scalable solutions that can reach more people. I’m really hopeful that we can find solutions in the psychedelic and ketamine landscape to do a similar thing.” [5:36] “A thing that I say routinely to patients is ‘there is no cure in the bottom of the pill bottle—ketamine included.’ They are all incredibly useful and, when used effectively, can provide you meaningful relief from your psychological distress but make no mistake, there is not a cure—which is why I’m such a huge advocate of therapy and which is why ketamine-assisted psychotherapy also needs to be distinguished from ketamine therapy.” [14:21] “[We created] an intentionally time-limited plan which places the emphasis on the fact that, one day, you’re going to drive your own bus and you’re not going to need me. It’s a terrible business model—in fact it’s a wonderful business model because it gives us an opportunity to take care of more people because we set the intention of ‘Ketamine is not forever. You’re not broken. You’re struggling and we’re going to get you to a place where you might not need us.’” [34:04] Links:
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Guruism and Cult Dynamics in Psychedelic Practices with Joseph Holcomb Adams
02/05/2025
Guruism and Cult Dynamics in Psychedelic Practices with Joseph Holcomb Adams
In this episode, Joseph Holcomb Adams joins to discuss the important topic of guruism and cult dynamics in psychedelic communities. Joseph is an ethicist who specializes in issues related to psychedelics, altered states, and transformative experiences. In this conversation, Joseph introduces the concepts of a guru, guruism, and cult dynamics. He describes the social-psychological mechanisms behind the devotee-guru relationship and the development of ideological conformity in cults, explaining how the heightened states induced by psychedelics can contribute to these dynamics if participants and facilitators are not aware of these dangers and vigilant in guarding against them. Joseph explains that psychedelic experiences can lead to “experiential verification,” where the participant’s sense of the facilitator as a wise spiritual guide can seem to be confirmed through the intense mystical nature of the experience, which in turn can feed into a guru-disciple power dynamic where the participant feels reliant on the facilitator for their healing. In closing, Joseph focuses on the profound importance of education on these topics. He emphasizes that these potentially harmful dynamics will always be present, so raising awareness is crucial as psychedelic healing continues to become more mainstream. In this episode you'll hear: The spectrum of cult dynamics How guruism and cult dynamics can become amplified in psychedelic practices How psychedelics influence suggestibility, transference, and projection Why it can be easy for psychedelic facilitators to unintentionally fall into guruism Ego inflation following psychedelic experiences How ecstatic ritual experiences promote group cohesion What can be done to address the risks of guruism and cultic dynamics in psychedelic practices The importance of informed consent Quotes: “[During a psychedelic experience] it can be very easy for the participant to basically associate and identify this mind-opening experience, this earth-shattering spiritual experience, with this person who facilitated it for them, who is right there, who seems to know all about this space of consciousness that they’re experiencing.” [13:22] “If the facilitator… already has a big, inflated sense of their spiritual knowledge and ability, then that’s already right there, pushing them to step into that guru role and this can happen from their own psychedelic use.” [30:06] “When we’re engaging in psychedelic-enhanced ecstatic group rituals, what we’re doing here is we’re basically using powerful neuropharmacological tools to help us really powerfully tap into these potentialities that are in our primordial nature as social, instinctively religious beings… That’s what we’re messing around with here.” [38:23] “The most important risk mitigation factors—really it’s education and the awareness that comes from it.” [43:52] Links:
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Encore episode: Avoiding the Traps of Psychedelic Self-Absorption with Adam Aronovich, PhD(c)
01/22/2025
Encore episode: Avoiding the Traps of Psychedelic Self-Absorption with Adam Aronovich, PhD(c)
In this episode of the Psychedelic Medicine Podcast, Adam Aronovich, PhD(c) returns to discuss issues of psychedelic self-absorption—and how to avoid these traps. According to Adam, he is a PhD candidate in medical anthropology, the creator and curator of Healing from Healing, a trophy husband and dad. In this conversation, Adam revisits his previous discussion of psychedelic narcissism and explains why he’s now somewhat more critical of the term. However, Adam still sees issues around cultivating epistemic humility and acknowledging the political dimensions of healing in psychedelic contexts. He explains the issues he takes with forms of New Age, Neoliberal spiritual perspectives he sees as pervasive and typically unacknowledged amongst many engaging with psychedelics. He also discusses how some pop psychology terms have worked their way into the psychedelic realm and what impacts that has had. In this episode: The “spectacle” of filmed psychedelic experiences on social media The intersection of medical and spiritual cultures in psychedelics and how this can create issues of access The cheapening and overuse of the idea of “trauma” in popular discourse and the birth of “traumadelic” culture Why approaches focusing on excavating supposed repressed traumatic memories from childhood should be approached with a degree of skepticism Quotes: “One of the main things with plant medicine—particularly when people are sharing about it—is that people want to be really vulnerable and people want to be very authentic… But at the intersection with the spectacle, that vulnerability and authenticity become part of the spectacle in the sense that they become 100% performative.” [19:01] “The people who don’t have that modicum of self awareness and epistemic humility to really understand, with intellectual honesty, the scope of their understanding and knowledge, then it is very easy to overdo it. And then we do a disservice, not only to the actual traditions that we purport to be portraying, but also to the people that we’re working with.” [37:56] “If you don’t understand that your healing is political, because individual health, and individual happiness, and individual everything is intrinsically related to collective health, and social health, and cultural health, and environmental health, then you need to go back to square one because you haven’t understood anything. ” [40:02] “If we can’t even fathom that perhaps my own wellbeing is in constant dialogue with the wellbeing of a society, and the wellbeing of a culture, and the wellbeing of an environment—that nobody can be healthy and happy unless everybody else is relatively healthy and happy—then we are in big trouble and we haven’t really learned everything.” [40:20] Links:
/episode/index/show/plantmedicinepodcast/id/34944665
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Psilocybin for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) with Sorcha O'Connor, PhD(c)
01/09/2025
Psilocybin for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) with Sorcha O'Connor, PhD(c)
In this episode, Sorcha O'Connor, PhD(c) joins to discuss the research into the use of psilocybin to address obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Sorcha is completing her neuroscience PhD at Imperial College London, specialising in mental health research. She led PsilOCD, a pioneering study investigating low-dose psilocybin as a treatment for both the clinical symptoms and cognitive features of OCD. In this conversation, Sorcha introduces obsessive-compulsive disorder and discusses the ways medical professionals are currently thinking about this and other related conditions. She mentions that current therapies for OCD often only minimally improve symptoms, emphasizing the need for better treatment options. This led to studies exploring psilocybin as a treatment for OCD - and Sorcha emphasizes that the early trials have shown positive results, often with significant decreases in OCD symptoms. In conclusion, Sorcha discusses the protocol for the PsilOCD study at Imperial College London, with results from this study soon to be published. In this episode you'll hear: The features of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) The history and development of treatments for OCD The theory behind the hypothesis that psilocybin may be effective for OCD Trials exploring the efficacy of psychedelic treatments for OCD Why psilocybin has come to the fore more than LSD or ketamine for prospective OCD studies How patients are evaluated for OCD Quotes: “[OCD] is this complex behavioral pattern and certain medications moderately help and nothing seems to be highly effective yet and that definitely points to the need for novel pharmacotherapy.” [12:46] “[By utilizing lower doses of psilocybin], people who maybe fixate on their health and on their mental health and sensations and things can benefit from psilocybin without having to overcome that barrier.” [18:25] Links:
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Ending Pill Shaming: How Psychedelics and Pharmaceuticals Can Both Support Healing with Erica Zelfand, ND
12/18/2024
Ending Pill Shaming: How Psychedelics and Pharmaceuticals Can Both Support Healing with Erica Zelfand, ND
In this episode, Erica Zelfand, ND joins to discuss the important topic of pill shaming in psychedelic communities and how psychedelic medicine and traditional pharmaceuticals can both support healing. Dr. Erica Zelfand specializes in integrative mental health, bridging the gaps between conventional and alternative medicine. In addition to seeing patients in private practice, she also teaches facilitation internationally and leads retreats through Right to Heal. In this conversation, Dr. Zelfand tackles the issue of pill shaming in psychedelic communities, showing why this rhetoric falls short and ultimately harms patients. She discusses complementary roles for psychedelic and traditional pharmaceutical medicines, suggesting that a medicine like ketamine may be particularly effective in contexts of acute intervention, whereas an SSRI antidepressant may be most effective for maintenance. Dr. Zelfand notes, however, that drug-drug interactions can be a significant concern and stresses the need for medical expertise and supervision in the context of concomitant usage of pharmaceuticals and psychedelics. In closing, she emphasizes that what is ultimately important is that patients are able to progress in healing, and any tools that are able to safely and effectively support this goal have an important role to play and should not be denigrated. In this episode you'll hear: The pill shaming rhetoric in psychedelic and cannabis communities Pharmaceutical contraindications to psychedelic therapy and the necessity of medical supervision for tapering off such medications Why comparing traditional antidepressant pharmaceuticals to psychedelic medicines is often an apples to oranges comparison The issues with “no pain, no gain” rhetoric in healing Psychiatric support for processing repressed memories uncovered during psychedelic journeys Quotes: “When I went into medicine, I actually specifically went into integrative medicine, functional medicine, because I didn’t like that patients were being in this position of having to choose: the conventional route or the alternative medicine route. Both routes have their merits and both routes have their shortcomings and I felt like we all deserve to be able to access both and have it be an integrated model.” [3:06] “The only form of ketamine that is FDA approved for depression—which is Spravato—is only approved in the context in which the person is also taking an oral antidepressant.” [20:48] “We have data showing that if you feel really really freaked out and anxious during your [psychedelic] trip, your outcomes aren’t necessarily as good. And the biggest predictor of having a positive experience is actually feeling awe. You don’t have to do the ego death thing, but if you can feel awe, if you can feel inspiration during a trip, your outcomes are better. And there’s even data showing that individuals who are on an SSRI and then trip—they may actually have better outcomes than people who don’t take medication.” [24:12] “I think part of this trepidation is we don’t want to harm anybody through a dangerous, or potentially lethal, drug-drug interaction. That’s one thing. It’s another thing to be like ‘yeah but if you’re using these [pharmaceutical] drugs you’re doing it wrong and you’re not healing right.’ And I think the one often is used as a camouflage for the other—and they’re two separate things.” [38:59] Links:
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Integrating Challenging Psychedelic Experiences with Keith Kurlander, MA, LPC
12/04/2024
Integrating Challenging Psychedelic Experiences with Keith Kurlander, MA, LPC
In this episode of the Psychedelic Medicine Podcast, Keith Kurlander, MA, LPC, joins to discuss the important topic of integration practices for challenging psychedelic experiences. Keith is the Co-Founder of the Integrative Psychiatry Institute, the largest professional education company specializing in integrative mental health and psychedelic therapy. In this conversation, Keith begins by exploring the different types of challenging psychedelic experiences and various lingering effects one may experience following a difficult psychedelic journey. He discusses these from a trauma-informed perspective, explaining how a traumatized nervous system can lead to dissociation on the other side of an intense ego-disrupting experience. Keith also shares practices and insights from internal family systems (IFS) for integrating challenging psychedelic experiences. In closing, he emphasizes that psychedelics are not lazer-targeted therapies, so they do carry inherent risks, but through effective integration practices, patients can make healthy meaning out of even negative experiences. In this episode you'll hear: Lingering issues with ego fragmentation and connections to the dissociative disorder spectrum Persisting psychotic disorders following psychedelic experiences The difference between CPTSD and PTSD Uncovering repressed traumatic memories during psychedelic journeys Trauma stemming from difficult psychedelic experiences Challenging spiritual experiences Quotes: “The concept of pendulation [is] that we can be more flexible to ease our way into these overwhelming states. So once we are totally overwhelmed, we have to work our way back out gracefully, but as we are doing that, you get a gem as you are coming back… you learn something as you are coming out of that state.” [18:02] “If people have a psychotic disorder that emerged after their psychedelic use, you need a psychiatrist at that point… If it’s really a psychotic emergence, whether a previous psychotic disorder got triggered or whatever, you need a psychiatrist to work with you on that.” [20:07] “I believe all these mental health conditions have a trauma process underneath them. I don’t know how you isolate a trauma process from a mental health condition” [25:30] “It’s about working with a person’s meaning-making structure: is the meaning they’re making creating more psychological flexibility or less psychological flexibility? That’s a really important question to hold as a therapist because people will make all kinds of meaning up from these experiences but if they’re creating meaning that’s creating more rigid structures of how they see the world, then they get disappointed more often.” [34:21] Links:
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Crafting Soundscapes for Psychedelic Transformation with East Forest
11/20/2024
Crafting Soundscapes for Psychedelic Transformation with East Forest
In this episode of the Psychedelic Medicine Podcast, East Forest joins to discuss several aspects at the intersection of music and psychedelics, including how he created the music that so many have used when facilitating psychedelic journeys. East Forest’s latest project, a feature length documentary film called Music For Mushrooms, follows him through the psychedelic renaissance on a mission to pair music with psychedelics to bring about transformative healing to a world in crisis. In this conversation, East Forest discusses how he first got started making music for psychedelic journeys and the considerations that go into curating the right sound to best support these types of deep inner experiences. He emphasizes the importance of avoiding music that sounds overly sentimental and lacks the depth and richness important for effective psychedelic exploration. He also discusses the importance of maintaining the container, whether in the context of psychedelic facilitation or purely music-focused ceremonies, and suggested that sternness and fortitude have an important function in this context. In closing, East Forest suggests that music is so powerful because of the way it is able to be a point of connection to integrate experiences and bring people together. In this episode you'll hear: Composing soundtracks for psychedelic journeys with different substances Integrating nature sounds into compositions Flow states and music Bringing live elements of music and sound into a psychedelic ceremony Singing as a regulating technique during a psychedelic journey The intersection of music, technology, and psychedelics Quotes: “If we look at psychedelic experiences and ceremonies from indigenous use, all of them that I know of were guided by music.” [3:16] “I think it’s more the intention behind the music. I don’t think there’s a particular thing you have to do or not do, but I don’t think you can just play any music. So I think it’s the intention of the music and the intention of the room and the intention of the participants… There has to be an invitation on all of those fronts for that doorway to open.” [16:11] “I think we’re looking for music and for space that is supportive of that through-line and gives us enough time to be in a process—and that’s another advantage of having these longform, intentional, bespoke songs because they are probably going to give more of that time and space for these processes to occur.” [32:43] Links:
/episode/index/show/plantmedicinepodcast/id/34023287
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The Roles of Music in Psychedelic Sessions with Eric Sienknecht, PsyD
11/06/2024
The Roles of Music in Psychedelic Sessions with Eric Sienknecht, PsyD
In this episode of the Psychedelic Medicine Podcast, Eric Sienknecht, PsyD joins to discuss the roles of music in psychedelic sessions. Dr. Sienknecht is a licensed clinical psychologist and co-founder and lead trainer at Polaris Insight Center, a ketamine-assisted psychotherapy clinic and training center. He has worked as sub-investigator and study therapist on the Lykos-sponsored MDMA-AT clinical trials for PTSD and currently is also a supervisor and educator in MDMA-AT for various clinical trial sites. Dr. Sienknecht has a deep interest in the role and use of music in ketamine and MDMA sessions and specializes in curating playlists for psychedelic experiences. In this conversation, Dr. Sienknecht discusses how he first realized the importance of music in psychedelic experiences. He shares insights on how different genres and moods of music may be better suited to certain phases of the psychedelic experience and how he works individually with clients to better tailor a session playlist to their personal taste. Dr. Sienknecht even discusses how to strategically include shadow elements in a playlist to facilitate a client going deeper in their journey. In closing, he emphasizes how the intersection of psychedelic experiences and music remains understudied with only a few book chapters and articles dealing directly with the topic, so there is much yet to learn and explore in this exciting niche. In this episode you'll hear: What is universal vs what is individual when it comes to music and psychedelics Why Dr. Sienknecht avoids music with lyrics in a participant’s native language for psychedelic sessions The research on different genres of music for psychedelic journeys Balancing planning music in advance and adapting to the specific pace and mood of the client’s experience Utilizing nature sounds alongside or within music during psychedelic sessions Binaural beats and brainwaves Quotes: “There’s generally better tracks to use for the opening phase of a [psychedelic] journey, for the peak phase of a journey [etc], and there’s been some research into that as well.” [6:05] “Taste is so subjective… Knowing your client and talking with them beforehand about their taste and letting that information really inform how you create the playlist is really important.” [27:02] “One of the benefits of doing psychedelic therapy is that you can surrender control over elements of set and setting—not that those aren’t negotiable and ongoingly negotiable, as they should be—but there’s something about [the fact that the therapist] has got the music taken care of, the room set up, everything is in its right place. All I have to do is fast from food for a few hours, have my intention, and step into the journey—and that can help someone to really just trust and surrender more into the experience.” [30:20] Links:
/episode/index/show/plantmedicinepodcast/id/33811032