The Psymposia Podcast

Psymposia is a 501(c)(3) research non-profit with a mission to educate the public on psychedelic science and harm reduction. We offer critical perspectives on drugs, politics, and culture. The podcast is co-hosted by Psymposia co-founder Brian Normand, psychedelics researcher and ethicist Neşe Devenot, evolutionary ecologist Brian Pace, and journalist Russell Hausfeld.

#70 Telepathy in Psychedelic Therapy 05/10/2026

#69 Why is Professor Dave Promoting Psychedelic Grifters? 05/02/2026

#68 UPDATE: A Leftist Primer to the Right-Wing Psychedelic Takeover 04/24/2026

#68 A Leftist Primer on the Right-Wing Psychedelic Takeover 04/20/2026

#67 Just Up the Dose?: Therapy Cults are Influencing Psychedelic Medicine Standards 04/13/2026

#66 Hamilton's Pharma Cope, Part 4: "The Face of Psychedelic Ethics" 03/16/2026

#65 Hamilton's Pharma Cope, Part 3: Paid Protestor Paranoia 03/15/2026

#64 Hamilton's Pharma Cope, Part 2: Psychedelic Cult Defenders 03/14/2026

#63 Hamilton's Pharma Cope, Part 1: "DEA Informants" 03/13/2026

#62 Even More Psychedelic Figures in the Epstein Files 02/20/2026

#61 Psychedelic Funders in the Epstein Files 02/10/2026

#60 Andrew Callaghan Isn't Devastated 01/30/2026

#59 Bitter Karella: Queer Horror and Mushroom Magic 12/20/2025

#58: MAPS Psychedelic Science Contract Muzzles Speakers 06/21/2023

#57: Greg Lake: The Church of Psilomethoxin interview 05/09/2023

#56 - Travis Kitchens: The M-Scale and the Occult Roots of the JHU Psychedelic Research Program 01/19/2023

#55 - Sasha Sisko: On the Ground at Wonderland Miami 11/24/2022

#54 - #Wonderbanned 11/23/2022

#53 - We’re back! News Recap and Updates from the Team 11/02/2022

#52 - Right-Wing Psychedelia at University of Madison-Wisconsin 06/27/2022

#52 - Right-Wing Psychedelia at University of Madison-Wisconsin This talk was presented live by Dr. Brian Pace and Dr. Neşe Devenot at the UW–Madison Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Psychoactive Substances. This talk was presented on April 28 as part of the "Psychedelic Humanities" speaker series, organized by Dr. Lucas Richert. Public discourse concerning psychedelics and the emerging industry in psychedelic-assisted therapy has extended beyond the potential benefits of novel treatments for specific mental health disorders to claims that widespread psychedelic use may tilt social relations towards more egalitarian norms. Researchers and media outlets have pointed to several recent studies which present data asserting that classical psychedelics can reduce authoritarianism, increase liberal views, and deepen nature-relatedness. Taken together, these studies are cited to promote a vision of drug-assisted social progress. Yet counter examples abound of psychedelic-experienced individuals expressing views explicitly opposed to egalitarianism and liberal politics. Moreover, acceptance of psychedelics by institutions and aspirational business and celebrity figures has only increased right-wing psychedelic interest in recent years. This presentation highlights the numerous contemporary and historical cases where the use of psychedelics failed to reduce authoritarian tendencies in users, or even facilitated adoption of authoritarian views. We demonstrate that psychedelics can catalyze change in political or religious belief, but not in a consistent direction. Instead, we propose that many transformative experiences—including those induced by psychedelics—can challenge and radically shift a person’s worldview, and that extra-pharmacological factors influence the character of change in ideology or political belief. Watch: Support: ☼Patreon: ☼Donate: Follow: ☼Twitter: ☼Instagram: ☼Facebook: ☼Twitch: ☼Website: ☼Podcast: ☼Newsletter: /episode/index/show/plusthree/id/23514578

#51 - Part Three: Jordan Peterson's Psychedelic Hierarchy, ft. Thought Slime 06/02/2022

#50 - Part Two: Jordan Peterson's Psychedelic Hierarchy, ft. Thought Slime 05/26/2022

#49 - Part One: Jordan Peterson's Psychedelic Hierarchy, ft. Thought Slime 05/19/2022

Power Tripping #9: The Complainers Group 04/04/2022

Power Tripping #8: Who Am I Fooling? 03/20/2022

Power Tripping #7: Political Science 03/13/2022

Power Tripping #6: Open Heart Surgery 03/06/2022

#48 - Drugs and Anti-Capitalism with Hilary Agro 02/07/2022

#47 - Part Two: Right-Wing Psychedelia 01/18/2022

#47 - Part Two: Right-Wing Psychedelia We continue our discussion about Brian Pace and Neşe Devenot's recently published paper: "" Abstract: Recent media advocacy for the nascent psychedelic medicine industry has emphasized the potential for psychedelics to improve society, pointing to research studies that have linked psychedelics to increased environmental concern and liberal politics. However, research supporting the hypothesis that psychedelics induce a shift in political beliefs must address the many historical and contemporary cases of psychedelic users who remained authoritarian in their views after taking psychedelics or became radicalized after extensive experience with them. We propose that the common anecdotal accounts of psychedelics precipitating radical shifts in political or religious beliefs result from the contextual factors of set and setting, and have no particular directional basis on the axes of conservatism-liberalism or authoritarianism-egalitarianism. Instead, we argue that any experience which challenges a person's fundamental worldview—including a psychedelic experience—can precipitate shifts in any direction of political belief. We suggest that the historical record supports the concept of psychedelics as “politically pluripotent,” non-specific amplifiers of the political set and setting. Contrary to recent assertions, we show that conservative, hierarchy-based ideologies are able to assimilate psychedelic experiences of interconnection, as expressed by thought leaders like Jordan Peterson, corporadelic actors, and members of several neo-Nazi organizations. Support: ☼Patreon: ☼Donate: Thank you to our Patreon podcast supporters: Dave Hodges, James Hubbard, John Hanna, Dave Ayers, Tehseen Noorani, Samy Tammam, Amanda Alexander, Maryann Kehoe, Daniel McQueen, Annick McIntosh, Aaron Williams, Julia A, Christian Dawley, Dustin T, Leon Boroditsky, Myster Psoul, John Bannon, Atticus Kelbley, Daniel, Jason Gross, Clifford Hudson, Miller Hooks, Scott Martin, Sandra Dreisbach, zeph Tam, Rochelle Martin, Gurpreet Saini, Jason Seidel, Will Petersen, Jeff Davis, Alexandra Adams, Daniel S /episode/index/show/plusthree/id/21813209

#46 - Part One: Right-Wing Psychedelia 01/10/2022

#46 - Part One: Right-Wing Psychedelia We discuss Brian Pace and Neşe Devenot's recently published paper: "Right-Wing Psychedelia: Case Studies in Cultural Plasticity and Political Pluripotency" Abstract: Recent media advocacy for the nascent psychedelic medicine industry has emphasized the potential for psychedelics to improve society, pointing to research studies that have linked psychedelics to increased environmental concern and liberal politics. However, research supporting the hypothesis that psychedelics induce a shift in political beliefs must address the many historical and contemporary cases of psychedelic users who remained authoritarian in their views after taking psychedelics or became radicalized after extensive experience with them. We propose that the common anecdotal accounts of psychedelics precipitating radical shifts in political or religious beliefs result from the contextual factors of set and setting, and have no particular directional basis on the axes of conservatism-liberalism or authoritarianism-egalitarianism. Instead, we argue that any experience which challenges a person's fundamental worldview—including a psychedelic experience—can precipitate shifts in any direction of political belief. We suggest that the historical record supports the concept of psychedelics as “politically pluripotent,” non-specific amplifiers of the political set and setting. Contrary to recent assertions, we show that conservative, hierarchy-based ideologies are able to assimilate psychedelic experiences of interconnection, as expressed by thought leaders like Jordan Peterson, corporadelic actors, and members of several neo-Nazi organizations. Read it here: Support: ☼Patreon: ☼Donate: Thank you to our Patreon podcast supporters: Dave Hodges, James Hubbard, John Hanna, Dave Ayers, Tehseen Noorani, Myster Psoul, Samy Tammam, Amanda Alexander, Maryann Kehoe, Daniel McQueen, Annick McIntosh, Aaron Williams, Julia A, Christian Dawley, Dustin T, Leon Boroditsky, Myster Psoul, John Bannon, Atticus Kelbley, Daniel, Jason Gross, Clifford Hudson, Miller Hooks, Scott Martin, Sandra Dreisbach, zeph Tam, Rochella Martin, Gurpreet Saini, Jason Seidel, Will Petersen, Jeff Davis, Alexandra Adams /episode/index/show/plusthree/id/21733250

The Psymposia Podcast

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