Psychedelics Today
Psychedelics Today is the planetary leader in psychedelic education, media, and advocacy. Covering up-to-the-minute developments and diving deep into crucial topics bridging the scientific, academic, philosophical, societal, and cultural, Psychedelics Today is leading the discussion in this rapidly evolving ecosystem.
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PT505 – Bicycle day Reflections, Quantum Mechanics, and the Value in Studying Philosophy to Understand Psychedelic Experiences, with Lenny Gibson, Ph.D.
04/19/2024
PT505 – Bicycle day Reflections, Quantum Mechanics, and the Value in Studying Philosophy to Understand Psychedelic Experiences, with Lenny Gibson, Ph.D.
In this episode, Joe and Kyle interview Lenny Gibson, Ph.D.: philosopher, Grof-certified Holotropic Breathwork® facilitator, 20-year professor of transpersonal psychology at Burlington College, and the reason Joe and Kyle met many years ago. He talks about his early LSD experiences and how his interest in the philosophy of Plato and Alfred North Whitehead provided a framework and language for understanding a new mystical world where time and space were abstractions. He believes that while culture sees the benefits of psychedelics in economic terms, the biggest takeaway from non-ordinary states is learning that value is the essence of everything. And as this is being released on Bicycle Day, he discusses Albert Hofmann’s discovery and whether or not it’s fair to say that Hofmann intentionally had the experience he did on that fateful day. He also discusses: The end of Cartesian thinking and the need for a new understanding of reality that incorporates the insights of quantum mechanics How philosophy has been taught as an intellectual endeavor, and how we need to embrace the practical and conceptual side of life John Dewey and quantitative thinking, William James and pragmatism, and was Aristotle a Platonist? The novelty of the creation of LSD, and how it gave us a path to a mystical experience that wasn’t culturally bound and more!
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PT504 – Rethinking Drug Education: From D.A.R.E. Scare Tactics to an Evidence-Based Approach, with Joey Lichter, Ph.D.
04/17/2024
PT504 – Rethinking Drug Education: From D.A.R.E. Scare Tactics to an Evidence-Based Approach, with Joey Lichter, Ph.D.
In this episode, Joe interviews Joey Lichter, Ph.D.: professor in the Chemistry & Biochemistry department at Miami’s Florida International University, and one of the few professors in the U.S. teaching a course about psychedelics at the collegiate level. He talks about his path towards the course, the challenge of creating a curriculum that covers everything in a few months, and the importance of teaching young minds about psychedelics the right away; shifting drug education from the “Just say no!” D.A.R.E. model to a more balanced, honest, and evidence-based approach. He aims for his students to think critically, ignore the hype, and see all possible angles with a fairly simple approach: Present the full story. He discusses: The importance of teaching history, from Stan Grof to MKUltra The work of David Nichols, David Nutt’s drug harm scale, and the greatest lesson William Leonard Pickard took from LSD The representation of Spravato as a new drug, and his concerns with the over-medicalization of psychedelics Teaching about the complexities of Timothy Leary: Was he a positive or negative force? Decriminalization, legalization, and how he gets students to think about drug policy and more! .
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PT503 – Updates from MAPS: Current Initiatives, Psychedelic Science 2025, and Music as a Bridge, with Devon Phillips
04/12/2024
PT503 – Updates from MAPS: Current Initiatives, Psychedelic Science 2025, and Music as a Bridge, with Devon Phillips
In this episode, Joe interviews Devon Phillips: community & partnerships officer for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Phillips works on strategies to tackle the questions: How do we responsibly mainstream psychedelics? And how do we get culture engaged? He's focusing on being the bridge to psychedelics outside of research, facilitating workshops and psychedelic coming-out stories at music festivals and conferences. He talks about harm reduction and drug checking at festivals, the concept of training big names to become trustworthy resources, the differences found in a hop hop crowd compared to EDM, and the power in using psychedelics for pleasure and celebration – not just healing and growth. He also discusses: MAPS' involvement with the NFL for their 'My Cause, My Cleats' campaign, and how the San Francisco 49ers' Jon Feliciano is bringing awareness to psychedelic healing Details about MAPS' first responders training, fiscal sponsorship program, international therapist education program, and upcoming membership program (launching in June) The success of MAPS' Psychedelic Science and his hopes for the 2025 edition, taking place June 16 - 20 at the Denver Convention Center Dr. Carl Hart, drug exceptionalism, and the importance of creating safe containers and inclusive drug policy and more! .
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PT502 – Preserving Psychedelic Legacies: Shulgin Farm and the Shulgin Archive Project, with Keeper Trout
04/09/2024
PT502 – Preserving Psychedelic Legacies: Shulgin Farm and the Shulgin Archive Project, with Keeper Trout
In this episode, Joe interviews Keeper Trout: archivist, author, photographer, co-founder of the Cactus Conservation Institute, and creator of Trout’s Notes, a website compiling personal research and collected data to help ethnobotanical researchers. From an interest in cactus taxonomy, Sasha Shulgin urged Trout to go through his files, resulting in a friendship, and eventually, an 8-year project of digitizing all of these files into the ever-evolving Shulgin Archive. Trout discusses: His relationship with Sasha and The Shulgin Farm project, which aims to make the farm a community resource for therapy, research, events, and more The messiness of cactus taxonomy, and how he believes we’re nearing the end of being able to properly identify cacti The perception of LSD as unnatural and why the natural vs. synthetic argument is largely political Why repealing the Controlled Substances Act is the path we should take over decriminalization or legalization and more! .
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PT501 – Women and Psychedelics, Microdosing, and the Challenges of Psychedelic Parenthood, with April Pride
04/05/2024
PT501 – Women and Psychedelics, Microdosing, and the Challenges of Psychedelic Parenthood, with April Pride
In this episode, Alexa interviews April Pride: creative entrepreneur, veteran of the cannabis space, and now, founder of SetSet, an educational platform and podcast (picking up where The High Guide left off) for women curious about psychedelics. With Alexa about to embark on the journey of motherhood, she asks many of the questions parents working with psychedelics have to consider: How do you overcome the stigmas of being a psychedelic parent? How do you talk to your children about drugs? How do you know if a substance is ok to use during pregnancy? Pride discusses: Being dubbed “the weed mom” and why she embraced the nickname Parenting children around drug use and how parents lose credibility when they lie (the kids are going to know) The need for more research into how substances interact with women’s cycles and changing hormones Knowing when to trust your doctor and how more conversations lead to more knowledgeable doctors Microdosing psilocybin and the developing SetSet protocol and more! .
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PT500 – Shulgin Farm and the Future of Psychedelic Drug Development, with Paul F. Daley, Ph.D.
04/02/2024
PT500 – Shulgin Farm and the Future of Psychedelic Drug Development, with Paul F. Daley, Ph.D.
In this episode, Joe interviews Paul F. Daley, Ph.D., who worked with Sasha Shulgin in his lab for the last seven years of his life, helping him finish (and co-authoring) "The Shulgin Index, Volume One: Psychedelic Phenethylamines and Related Compounds." He is now the co-founder, Chief Science Officer, and Director of Analytical Science at the Alexander Shulgin Research Institute (ASRI), focusing on the discovery and development of novel psychedelic compounds. While Sasha was passionate about self-experimentation, the Institute is aiming for the next step for these drugs: FDA approval. He discusses: Meeting Sasha at the 2nd international conference on hallucinogenic mushrooms in Washington D.C. Bonding with Sasha while reviewing the autopsy of researcher Robert van den Bosch for possible foul play The two compounds ASRI is closest to being able to test in clinical trials The 5-HT2B receptor, risk of valvular disease, and why we will likely be hearing more about this going forward How AI and new technology can lead to better safety science and more! .
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PT499 – Osiris González Romero – Mesoamerican Psychedelics, Decolonization, and the Concept of an Ontological Turn
03/29/2024
PT499 – Osiris González Romero – Mesoamerican Psychedelics, Decolonization, and the Concept of an Ontological Turn
In this episode, David interviews Osiris González Romero: philosopher and Postdoctoral researcher on cognitive freedom and psychedelic humanities at the University of Saskatchewan. Romero believes that our weakest point of research is our knowledge of Indigenous languages, and is focused on highlighting different cultural uses of psychedelics to better inform future drug policy. He’s currently studying more than 100 documents (including one over 400 years old) to establish an honest understanding of why peyote was ever banned. He discusses: Mesoamerican psychedelics and their relevance to cognitive liberty and decolonization How the War on Drugs is our main colonial legacy The concepts of an ontological turn and ontological pluralism The neocolonial, biomedical, and spiritual paradoxes found inside the ‘psychedelic renaissance’ How imagination is often viewed through a lens of illusion rather than problem solving or creativity and more! .
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PT498 – Maria Mangini, Ph.D., FNP – Traversing the Psychedelic Landscape: From Esalen and Millbrook to the Future of Shulgin Farm
03/26/2024
PT498 – Maria Mangini, Ph.D., FNP – Traversing the Psychedelic Landscape: From Esalen and Millbrook to the Future of Shulgin Farm
In this episode, Joe interviews Maria Mangini, Ph.D., FNP: researcher, educator, and midwife who has worked closely with many psychedelic innovators and was part of the original social network at Shulgin Farm – where this episode was recorded. She traces her journey from the influence of pioneers like the Wassons, Shulgins, and Grofs, and historic places like Esalen and Millbrook. She discusses: Her early experiences with the Grofs at Esalen and how she met the Shulgins Gregory Bateson guiding her to become a midwife The similarities between midwifery and psychedelic facilitation The unsung work of Denis Berry in saving the Timothy Leary archives How the working relationship of the Shulgins is a perfect example of the coequality society should strive for and more! .
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PT497 – Wendy Tucker – Reflections from Shulgin Farm: Psychedelics, Legacy, and the Spirit of Discovery
03/22/2024
PT497 – Wendy Tucker – Reflections from Shulgin Farm: Psychedelics, Legacy, and the Spirit of Discovery
In this episode, released on Ann Shulgin’s birthday, Joe interviews Wendy Tucker: daughter of Ann and stepdaughter to Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin. Recorded in Sasha’s old office, she recounts her formative years, giving an insider’s look into her Mother’s openness about psychedelics, working with Sasha in the lab, how the Shulgins made a perfect team, and watching a close-knit circle of self-experimenters start to form at Shulgin Farm – and keep coming back over the years. She talks about the energy infused into the property from the decades of research and gatherings, and how she is trying to preserve it – not just to capture its history and the pioneering research that happened there, but as a beacon for future generations. She imagines weddings, conferences, other communal gatherings, and more. Imagine taking a chemistry course in Sasha Shulgin’s lab? To learn more about the project and to donate, head to . .
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PT496 – Juan Pablo Cappello – Maintenance Doses and Recurring Revenue: The Ethics of At-Home Ketamine Therapy
03/19/2024
PT496 – Juan Pablo Cappello – Maintenance Doses and Recurring Revenue: The Ethics of At-Home Ketamine Therapy
In this episode, Joe interviews Juan Pablo Cappello: co-founder and former CEO of Nue Life Health, whose assets were subsequently acquired by Beckley Waves. Cappello digs into his recent article which has been making waves across the psychedelic community: “.” He created Nue Life with the goal of helping a million people address the root cause of their anxiety, and while the company was successful, he began to see a problematic trend: that using ketamine while providing services of a mental health company is very expensive and resource-consuming, and as companies saw a large percentage of clients requiring maintenance doses, the most profitable business model became essentially slinging ketamine to patients without providing any real integration or aftercare. Are these companies promising healing but really only guaranteeing recurring revenue? He talks about: How this emerging model makes it harder for ethical practitioners to be able to provide their services The tools they built at Nue Life for long-term benefit, and why these should be the main focus – not repeated ketamine Matthew Perry’s death and how the media was quick to place the blame on ketamine The need for companies and communities to come to gather and create ethical industry standards for the at-home ketamine model How cannabis was almost decriminalized under the Carter administration and more! .
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PT495 – Dr. 1Drea Pennington Wasio – Self-Love, Narrative Therapy, and Post-Traumatic Growth
03/15/2024
PT495 – Dr. 1Drea Pennington Wasio – Self-Love, Narrative Therapy, and Post-Traumatic Growth
In this episode, David interviews Dr. 1Drea Pennington Wasio: integrative physician, psychedelic-assisted therapy facilitator and psilocybin retreat leader, international speaker, podcaster, and author of several books, including "Sacred Medicine: Exploring The Psychedelic Hero’s Journey." She discusses her personal metamorphosis and name change inspired by a powerful ayahuasca experience, and how that moved her into a life more inspired by authenticity and self-love. She gives the details of her retreats, explains her PRISM sessions, and talks in depth about the magic of resiliency: How can we not just return to baseline, but experience post-traumatic growth? She talks about: The power of tuning into creativity in times of depression The efficacy of narrative therapy and writing in general The universal themes of ‘The Hero’s Journey’ and how much agency matters The importance of embracing nonfiction, and her upcoming book series, "The Dreamweaver’s Legacy" The potential of microdosing psilocybin for menopause and more! Her new course on trauma-informed psychedelic therapy begins this month, and her next retreat begins May 10. Head to for details. .
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PT494 – Itzhak Beery – Soul Retrieval, Moments of Awakening, and Uncovering the Language of Spirit
03/12/2024
PT494 – Itzhak Beery – Soul Retrieval, Moments of Awakening, and Uncovering the Language of Spirit
In this episode, David interviews Itzhak Beery: author, shamanic teacher, speaker, trip leader, and founder of ShamanPortal.org, an online community and resource for people who want to learn, practice, and teach shamanic traditions. Beery shares his transformational journey, starting from his upbringing on a kibbutz in Israel, to his disillusioned advertising days in Manhattan, to the life-altering sweat lodge experience in Hawaii that eventually led him to write the book, Shamanic Transformations: True Stories of the Moment of Awakening, and realize his true purpose. He discusses the two major sides of trust: how to know when a healing path has truly become your life purpose, and how to know who to trust as a good healer in a world of self-initiated shamans. He and David dig into: How we all have the innate ability to be a shaman How Westerners are often seeking healing too young, before they have the capacity to truly understand lessons they may receive His upcoming book which attempts to teach practitioners how to create narratives out of symbols, The Language of Spirit The importance in not denying the experiencer’s truth and more! .
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PT493 – Laura Reeves – Sacred Sites, Ayahuasca, and Connecting With the Rhythms of the Earth
03/08/2024
PT493 – Laura Reeves – Sacred Sites, Ayahuasca, and Connecting With the Rhythms of the Earth
In this episode, Johanna interviews Laura Reeves: Glastonbury-based facilitator and medicine woman trained in craniosacral therapy, somatic experiencing, breathwork, and more, who holds retreats at sacred sites in the U.K. and Peruvian Amazon. She tells of her journey from serendipitously booking a trip to Ecuador just as she first heard about ayahuasca, to the early ayahuasca experiences that showed her our true interconnectedness, to a heroic dose of psilocybin and a trip to the hospital, to being accepted into training with an Indigenous shaman in the Amazon. With a lifelong love of nature, paganism, and ancient traditions, she stresses the importance of connecting to the natural rhythms of the Earth and harnessing its energy. She talks about: Self-initiated shamans and the dangers that can come from bad actors operating out of integrity and respect for the lineage Ayahuasca as a purgative and the power of energetic clearings Her experience with shamans using Icaros to channel the sounds of plants Shadow work and its role in personal growth and healing The energy of Glastonbury, feeling deep connections to sacred places, and how ley lines inspire places of pilgrimage and more! .
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PT492 – Elizabeth Anglin – Alien Abductions and Parallel Realities: How Do You Validate the Radically Ineffable?
03/05/2024
PT492 – Elizabeth Anglin – Alien Abductions and Parallel Realities: How Do You Validate the Radically Ineffable?
In this episode, Joe and guest co-host Erica Rex interview Elizabeth Anglin: spirit medium, animal communicator, intuitive healer, alien abductee, and author of Experience: Memoirs of an Abducted Childhood. She talks about her early abduction experiences, the time when she and her father realized they were both being abducted at the same time (from different locations), and the horrifying experience of six beings entering her apartment and realizing she knew one of them. These experiences led her to Budd Hopkins, and eventually John Mack (who did regression work with her) and the John E. Mack Institute, where she became a peer mentor for abductees. She talks about the validity of alien abductions, the concept of spiritual ecology, and the importance of listening to people: There’s so much we don’t know, so is it fair to label experiencers as schizophrenic just because we can’t replicate the experience? She discusses: The commonality of people from the same family being abducted and why some people are lifetime abductees while others are only taken once The differences in abductions and how some seem to only be mental while others are physical and extremely painful The story of Linda Napolitano and the famous Brooklyn Bridge abduction Regressive hypnotherapy work: Are the memories you’re recovering accurate? Quantum biology, the Penrose-Hameroff quantum theory of consciousness, parallel realities, time travel, and quantum jumping and so much more! As the X-Files made famous: The truth is out there. And this episode is definitely pretty out there! .
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PT491 – Dr. Sam Banister – Drug Development, The State of Biotech, and Exploring Non-Hallucinogenic Compounds
03/01/2024
PT491 – Dr. Sam Banister – Drug Development, The State of Biotech, and Exploring Non-Hallucinogenic Compounds
In this episode, Christopher Koddermann interviews Dr. Sam Banister: co-founder and chief scientific officer of Psylo, an Australian biotech company developing next-generation psychedelics. Banister discusses how he got involved in drug development, how Psylo came about, and the hallucinogenic and non-hallucinogenic 5-HT2A agonists Psylo is working on. He talks about the compromise between immediate need and ambition, and the ethical considerations and possibilities behind developing non-hallucinogenic compounds: What can we take from the psychedelic experience for people who aren’t ideal candidates for one? Is the psychedelic experience truly necessary? And for what indications will these new Gen 3 compounds be most useful? He discusses: What we can infer about the volatility of biotech and the state of the psychedelic industry based on recent mergers and acquisitions The long-term challenges of drug development and the scalability of treatment options How the initial success of Spravato has played a role in allaying fears around new compounds Head twitch response and concerns it’s not as accurate of a metric as we’ve believed Australia’s decision to down-schedule psilocybin and MDMA, and the speed of implementation and licensing: How long will it be before people have easy access? What he sees for the future and why we need to be careful with language around expectations and more! .
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PT490 – Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris – Plasticity, the Role of Set and Setting, and the Influence of Psychedelics
02/27/2024
PT490 – Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris – Plasticity, the Role of Set and Setting, and the Influence of Psychedelics
In this episode, Joe interviews Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris: founder and head of the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London, founding director of the Neuroscape Psychedelics Division at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and founder of the Carhart-Harris Lab. A legendary researcher, he talks about his psychedelic origins: studying Freud, Jung, and eventually Stan Grof and depth psychology to try and better understand the unconscious. He discusses the growth of psychedelics and the cultural shifts he’s noticed (especially in the U.S.), as well as what he’s working on today: researching the influence of psychedelics on set and setting by studying experiences in both enriched and unenriched environments. He also talks about: Plasticity: how he defines it, how it relates to critical reopening periods, and how it’s a fundamental thing that transcends the metrics we use to measure it Early LSD studies, the nervousness surrounding he and David Nutt dosing Ben Sessa, and the youthful energy that kept them going How plasticity could be exploited to help relieve chronic pain The potential of psychedelics to help with fibromyalgia and anorexia How psychedelic-assisted therapy brought care back to health care and more! UCSF is seeking survey volunteers, so if you’ve had more than three experiences with ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin (must have experiences with all three) and want to contribute, . .
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PT489 – Alyssa Gursky, LPC – Psychedelics, Art Therapy, and the Creative Process
02/23/2024
PT489 – Alyssa Gursky, LPC – Psychedelics, Art Therapy, and the Creative Process
In this episode, Joe interviews Alyssa Gursky, LPC: artist, research associate and study therapist at the Social Neuroscience and Psychotherapy (SNaP) lab, and founder of Psychedelic Art Therapy LLC, which pioneers ketamine-assisted art therapy. She talks about her first mushroom experience and how her art and creative process instantly felt different – how the judgment and concern about where the art was going disappeared and was replaced by a freedom; a return to a more childlike way of being, where all that mattered was the fun of the creative process, and expressing her inner world in art. They realized how much the creative process related to true embodiment and the ability to be fully present, and how healing it can be to simply be with other people and create art. She talks about: The power of being seen in a group, and how the bravery of one person can completely shift the group dynamic The need for mentorship in the psychedelic space The comfort and freedom found in affinity groups The inspiring lives of Genesis P-Orridge and avant-garde filmmaker, Alejandro Jodorowsky Rick Rubin’s ability to treat creativity as a spiritual act and how attending a live wrestling event aligns with non-ordinary states. Gursky is launching a virtual education and support group this March for anyone who wants to integrate art into client work or their own process. . .
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PT488 – Matthew 'Whiz' Buckley – The Cost of War: Veterans' Mental Health and Government Responsibility
02/20/2024
PT488 – Matthew 'Whiz' Buckley – The Cost of War: Veterans' Mental Health and Government Responsibility
In this episode, Joe interviews Matthew ‘Whiz’ Buckley: former decorated US Navy F/A-18 Hornet fighter pilot and now, founder and CEO of No Fallen Heroes Foundation, a non-profit focused on healing veterans and first responders with psychedelic-assisted therapy. Buckley met Joe in D.C. while they were both campaigning for psychedelic therapy to any lawmaker they could speak with. He talks about how the government is spending a fortune on the military, but not paying the total cost, since so much of that is externalized onto the soldiers themselves. He points out how many of them care more about making money than saving lives, and how we need “We the people” moments to wake them up or remove them from office. He discusses: His time in the Navy and his transition back to civilian life, coming to terms with trauma and realizing how much was physical (including tinnitus) His life-changing experiences under ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT with the Mission Within How we should be teaching veterans about various mental health options (including psychedelic-assisted therapy) as part of their transition process The signing of the National Defense Authorization Act and the disappointing amount of money reserved for psychedelic research: Was it all just lip service? The complications that arise when trying to get benefits from the VA while also trying to move on: When honesty about mental health isn’t incentivized, when do you tell the truth? His experience operating legally in Colorado and how he plans to stay on top of Governor Desantis to bring psychedelics to Florida and more! .
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PT487 – Saga Briggs – Interoception, Healing Through Connection, and Learning to Trust Our Bodies
02/16/2024
PT487 – Saga Briggs – Interoception, Healing Through Connection, and Learning to Trust Our Bodies
In this episode, David interviews Saga Briggs: freelance journalist and author of "How to Change Your Body: The Science of Interoception and Healing Through Connection to Yourself and Others." A collection of interviews, peer-reviewed research, and personal story; the book dives deep into the mind-body connection, how to become more embodied, and our need for social connection – which factors into mental and physical health far more than most of us realize. The nod to Michael Pollan’s book is also a challenge: Have we been focusing too much on our minds and now it’s time to pay more attention to our bodies? How much of the benefit of psychedelic experiences is related to truly experiencing our bodies? She discusses: How neuroscience is starting to look more at brain-body interactions, and the psychedelic space’s growing interest in somatics The minimal and narrative selves: Do psychedelics make the minimal self traverse over the narrative self? Flexible switching and applying interoception to a social context Her concept of a ‘possibility space’ and new ways of perceiving The benefit of adding embodiment practices to psychedelic assisted therapy – especially during preparation and integration and more! .
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PT486 – Steve Rio – 5-MeO-DMT, Somatic Release, and Creating Context for Spirituality
02/13/2024
PT486 – Steve Rio – 5-MeO-DMT, Somatic Release, and Creating Context for Spirituality
In this episode, Joe interviews Steve Rio: psychedelic guide, performance and transformation coach, musician, and co-founder of Enfold, a retreat center in BC, Canada. While Enfold caters each experience to each client, they largely work with 5-MeO-DMT (which is unregulated in Canada); partly because of its power, and partly because Rio realized how much was missing in terms of safety and process when using the substance. They are trying to fill in the gaps, working with the University Health Network Centre for Mental Health to analyze measurements of mindfulness, DAS tests, the Brief Inventory of Thriving survey, and language used when describing experiences to collect as much qualitative data as possible. He discusses their screening process, why they work with synthetic 5-MeO-DMT, why they encourage everyone to go to a group session, and how 5-MeO seems to bypass psychological processes and largely be related to somatic release. He talks about: The power of 5-MeO and being humble and honest with yourself: Are you stable enough to handle the dysregulation? 5-MeO bad actors and 'Drive-by 5' people who show up, do the drug, and leave The plight of Sonoran Dessert toads and the need for more data around their declining populations How 5-MeO seems to connect people with a higher power, and the need for the experiencer to find their own context for it The importance of creating a clean and open container for spirituality and meeting the client where they are and more! .
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PT485 – Ayize Jama-Everett, M.Div, M.A., M.F.A. – Meeting People Where They Are: Why the Underground Will Always Thrive
02/09/2024
PT485 – Ayize Jama-Everett, M.Div, M.A., M.F.A. – Meeting People Where They Are: Why the Underground Will Always Thrive
In this episode, Joe interviews Ayize Jama-Everett: author, educator, filmmaker, and therapist with a long history of work in substance use and mental health services. When Jama-Everett was last on the show, “A Table of Our Own” – a film focusing on healing, psychedelics, and bonds within the Black community – was still in its infancy. It’s now complete, and he and others behind the film are touring with it, with showings coming up in Detroit, LA, and Boston. A free follow-up discussion hosted by CIIS’ Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research is happening Feb. 15, and, from February 15-16 only, the film is available to rent online. He gives his full origin story: growing up around substance use, how he got into therapy and healing people through journeys, how “A Table of Our Own” came about, and how it was influenced by mushrooms. Then he discusses a lot more, with a much-needed critical eye: His experiences with some notorious bad actors in the facilitation space Decriminalization and how we celebrate small wins while ignoring steps back Drug exceptionalism, the Drug War, and the demonization of crack Power dynamics and the dangerous concept of letting go Why the Black community is so skeptical of psychedelics And he talks about why it’s so important to meet people where they are – that what works for one person or one community won’t necessarily work for another, and the above-ground, corporatized, overly medicalized model will never work for everyone. .
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PT484 – Dr. Peter Grinspoon – Seeing Through the Smoke: The Importance of Telling the Truth About Cannabis
02/06/2024
PT484 – Dr. Peter Grinspoon – Seeing Through the Smoke: The Importance of Telling the Truth About Cannabis
In this episode, Joe interviews Dr. Peter Grinspoon: primary care physician and cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, TedX speaker, certified physician life coach, and author of the new book, Seeing Through the Smoke: A Cannabis Expert Untangles the Truth about Marijuana. He tells his story of growing up in a house where academics like John Mack and Carl Sagan regularly smoked cannabis, and being inspired by the groundbreaking books of his father, Lester Grinspoon. An outspoken advocate for drug policy reform and embracing different, non-AA paths to recovery, he talks about how he got there: his opiate addiction, fall from medicine, subsequent return, and learning just how deep the stigma against drugs goes, and how much the medical establishment is another arm of the Drug War. Seeing Through the Smoke aims to tell the truth about cannabis, especially on benefits and real and debunked harms. How can we get more physicians and lawmakers on our side if all they know is propaganda? He discusses: -The challenge in speaking honestly with physicians about drug use -Why physicians are in support of researching psychedelics but not cannabis -Stigmatized language and Drug War vibes in medical software -The truth about cannabis, schizophrenia, and the risk of drug-induced psychosis -Portugal and the ‘Rat Park’ model -The importance of listening to what patients are saying – especially when we don’t have enough good data and more! .
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PT483 – Dr. Kate Pate – Traumatic Brain Injuries, the Gut Microbiome, and the Potential of Psychedelics as Anti-Inflammatory Agents
02/02/2024
PT483 – Dr. Kate Pate – Traumatic Brain Injuries, the Gut Microbiome, and the Potential of Psychedelics as Anti-Inflammatory Agents
In this episode, Joe interviews Dr. Kate Pate: Ph.D. neurophysiologist; Founder and CEO of Coruna Medical; founding board member of the Psychedelic Medicine Association; and Founder of The Way Back, a company that will provide education and coaching services related to military, veteran, and first responder health – often in wilderness settings. She talks about her introduction to psychedelics through the Heroic Hearts Project, where she later served as an integration coach and director of research, looking at psilocybin for traumatic brain injury symptoms, and how the gut microbiome changes after ingesting ayahuasca. She points out that gut health hasn’t been a focus of research, but it’s now emerging as a key indicator of physical and mental health. So, how do psychedelics, particularly plant-based ones, come into play? Are the long term shifts after an experience related to a change in the bacteria inside of us? She breaks down what a microbiome is and how it changes based on diet; how inflammation is created and the inflammatory cascade that happens after a head injury; how toxins create a stress response similar to an allergic reaction; the frustrations of vets and the limited resources of the VA; the commonality of substance and alcohol use disorders in people coming home from service; the many nonprofits she’s worked with; and how important it is to increase science funding from the government. .
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PT482 – Paul F. Austin – Behind the Scenes: A Conversation on Psychedelic Business, Media, and Education
01/30/2024
PT482 – Paul F. Austin – Behind the Scenes: A Conversation on Psychedelic Business, Media, and Education
In this episode, Joe speaks with Paul F. Austin: Founder & CEO of Third Wave, Founder of Psychedelic Coaching Institute, and host of Third Wave's The Psychedelic Podcast. Recorded in-person at this year's reMind conference, this episode – a shared release with Third Wave – is a rare glimpse into the inner workings of both Psychedelics Today and Third Wave, with Joe and Paul reconnecting after early podcast appearances and interviewing each other about where they've come from and where they're going now that they're so many years into this. Paul breaks down Third Wave's history and new coaching training program, and Joe discusses Vital: Why he invested in Vital over an investment raise, what we've learned from the first two cohorts, how we've handled scholarships, and why sometimes losing money can be worth it if it's for the greater good. They talk about the challenge of keeping the lights on while trying to create something new; the balance of running a media company while building out an educational platform; the importance of staying focused and ignoring the noise; the relationship-building they've seen from their students; why we need to welcome the corporate types we may be inclined to dismiss; and why seeding good actors in as many roles and communities as possible is vital to the growth of psychedelics. .
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PT481 – Ryan Latreille – Kanna: The History, Science, and Potential of an Emerging Legal Alternative
01/26/2024
PT481 – Ryan Latreille – Kanna: The History, Science, and Potential of an Emerging Legal Alternative
In this episode, Joe interviews Ryan Latreille: Founder of Hearthstone Collective, which sells functional mushrooms and low-dose kanna designed for microdosing; and Kanna Extract Co., which is focused on offering high-potency kanna extracts more for ceremonial and recreational use. He talks about how he found his way to kanna; his first psychedelic experience (kanna mixed with MDMA); how he worked with a Koi tribal leader to find high-alkaloid kanna; how they created the strain they use; and why so many people are interested in kanna and more people should try it, as he believes it’s not only a natural alternative to other substances and alcohol, but also a great entry point for people looking to experiment with microdosing. If you want to learn a lot about kanna, this is the episode for you, as it is all discussed: How dosing should be done depending on what you’re looking for; whether or not it’s fair to say kanna is ‘MDMA-lite’; Indigenous history of usage; drug interactions and safety; the journey from seed to harvest; a breakdown of different grades of kanna; how the ratio of different alkaloids creates different experiences; and what could be possible by combining different alkaloids, different strains, and by pairing with different substances. .
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PT480 – Emma Knighton – Psychedelics and Consent: Power Dynamics, Boundaries, and the Concept of 'Safe Enough'
01/23/2024
PT480 – Emma Knighton – Psychedelics and Consent: Power Dynamics, Boundaries, and the Concept of 'Safe Enough'
In this episode, Kyle interviews Emma Knighton: Somatic trauma therapist, Vital instructor, and psychedelic integration therapist focusing on consciousness exploration, complex PTSD from childhood abuse, and queer identity development. This episode is a bit of a masterclass on consent and boundaries within the client/practitioner relationship. She discusses power dynamics: how conflicts arise due to the breaking of established boundaries; safety, and embracing the idea of creating a container that is ‘safe enough’ to go into places that feel unsafe; and the importance of maintaining agreed-upon boundaries no matter how much the client may want to break them. They discuss ways to fulfill the need for touch when touch was not agreed upon, and the concept of practicing touch interactions before the experience – that playing out possible scenarios will create a somatic map so bodies remember what it feels like to be near each other while one body is deep in an experience. And she talks about much more: What she’s learned from the kink and sex work community and their similarities with the psychedelic world; ways to handle consent in group settings; the clash between giving people agency but needing to step in and protect them; restorative justice models and how they could be used in a much-needed psychedelic practitioner accountability system; the need for practitioners to continue doing their own work; and how part of true consent is being honest about one’s own limitations or conflicts as a practitioner. .
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PT479 – Erik Vaughan – Psilocybin in the Midwest and the Need for Potency Testing
01/19/2024
PT479 – Erik Vaughan – Psilocybin in the Midwest and the Need for Potency Testing
In this episode, Joe interviews Erik Vaughan: Co-Founder and Manager of Epiphany mushrooms, a mushroom and mental health company based in Akron, Ohio. Epiphany mushrooms will initially be selling Lion's Mane, Reishi, and Cordyceps, and they plan to expand into more functional mushrooms while also pursuing a license to operate healing centers in Colorado. Vaughan was involved in changing Colorado's psilocybin legislation after lobbying to add a section that allows product testing labs to register and charge for their services – while voluntary and complementary to required testing, it allows growers to have an unlimited amount of product for testing purposes; adds an extra step in keeping the grower and lab in compliance with state law; and, as more states work on their own legislation, highlights the need for potency testing to let customers know exactly what they're ingesting. He discusses changing attitudes and how Michigan can lead the way for the midwest; why he's excited about Colorado and what they got right; the enthusiasm of the mycology crowd; Rick Perry's speech at Psychedelic Science 2023; the iron law of prohibition and mushroom products sold in Ohio; and the incredible inefficiency of the drug war (when viewed like it was not designed to do exactly what it's doing). .
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PT478 – Christine Calvert, LCDC – Holotropic Breathwork as a Stepping Stone, Complementary Therapy, and Teacher
01/16/2024
PT478 – Christine Calvert, LCDC – Holotropic Breathwork as a Stepping Stone, Complementary Therapy, and Teacher
In this episode, Joe interviews Christine Calvert: Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and certified Holotropic Breathwork® facilitator. She talks about how addiction led her to breathwork, how breathwork has helped her over the years, how breathwork can be a compliment to other self-work, and how becoming comfortable with breathwork first could be a very important stepping stone towards better understanding the psychedelic experience. She talks about how years of breathwork helped her navigate complicated states of consciousness, and the incredible benefit of learning to trust our body's capacity to heal itself. She discusses using bodywork in sessions and the importance of having the experiencer be the one who requests it; how much a facilitator's past relationship with touch affects how they use touch; the risk in meditation vs. the safety of breathwork; the concept of learning self-awareness; how profound it is to be witnessed in breathwork's dyad model; and why researching and creating guidelines for this kind of work seems impossible. .
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PT477 – Kaci Hohmann & Dave Kopilak – Oregon Measure 109: The Possibilities of Service Centers & What Businesses Should Consider
01/12/2024
PT477 – Kaci Hohmann & Dave Kopilak – Oregon Measure 109: The Possibilities of Service Centers & What Businesses Should Consider
In this episode, recorded in-person at the recent reMind conference, Joe interviews Kaci Hohmann and Dave Kopilak: business attorneys at Emerge Law Group and co-chairs of Emerge’s psychedelics practice group. Hohmann also serves as Chair of the Oregon State Bar’s Cannabis and Psychedelics Law Section. They were both drafters of Oregon Measure 109 (with Kopilak as the primary drafter), so this episode goes deep into the details, legalities, and possibilities behind Measure 109. What licenses are involved? What does a business heading to Oregon need to prepare for? What do they think the feds will do and how does that relate to cannabis’ Cole Memorandum? What is tax code 280E and how can its effects be minimized? What do they see the future looking like? They discuss what they do for clients at Emerge Law Group; the differences between the cannabis and psychedelics industries; why service centers are likely more important than the products; and how the psilocybin service center experience is more like a relationship with clients than anything in the cannabis world, which makes everything much more complicated – but also much safer. Joe also highlights some recent news, including MAPS PBC rebranding to Lykos Therapeutics, symptoms from traumatic brain injuries being improved by the combination of ibogaine and magnesium, and more! .
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PT476 – Mike Margolies – Reinventing Organizations, Lessons From Burning Man, and Batman & The Joker
01/09/2024
PT476 – Mike Margolies – Reinventing Organizations, Lessons From Burning Man, and Batman & The Joker
In this episode, Joe interviews Mike Margolies: community catalyst; conversation creator; Founder of Psychedelic Seminars; and Co-Founder and Co-Steward of the Global Psychedelic Society. The Global Psychedelic Society was created for all of the different psychedelic societies that have sprung up over the world to connect, share resources and information with each other, and be housed in a central hub so people can find them more easily. He talks about Frederic Laloux’s book, "Reinventing Organizations," and modeling the GPS around the “Teal” concept of organization, where employees are encouraged to show up as their true, honest, and most powerful selves; where it’s more about relationships than hierarchy; and more about embracing a mycelial – and psychedelic – way of thinking and interacting with each other. He breaks down how this way of thinking has progressed from the earliest ways of organizing, and discusses its three main principles of self-governance, wholeness, and evolutionary purpose. He then talks about the Boom Festival: its “Liminal Village,” its inventive Kosmicare harm reduction program, and how drugs are not as decriminalized as people think in Portugal; and Burning Man: how it all came together for him this year when he didn’t even want to go, his experiences with the rain and a friend’s dreams warning of floods, what he learned from the ghost of a lost friend, and how that resulted in the concept of Batman doing a striptease to Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose.” Is the Joker simply a manifestation of Batman’s shadow material and his desire to be a hero? Yea, this one gets weird… .
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