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In this episode, Joe and Kyle talk with Emma Bragdon, Founder/Director of Integrative Mental Health for You. The mission of IMHU is, “To facilitate improvements in mental healthcare and encourage psycho-spiritual growth in individuals around the world.” Continue reading “Emma Bragdon PhD. – Can Spiritual Emergencies Be Transformative?”
Daniel McQueen – Medicinal Mindfulness & Conscious Cannabis Circles
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In this episode, Joe and Kyle chat with Daniel McQueen of Medicinal Mindfulness , which “is a grassroots consciousness organization supporting individuals and communities who choose to use psychedelics and cannabis with intention. Continue reading “Daniel McQueen – Medicinal Mindfulness & Conscious Cannabis Circles”
Gabby Agin-Liebes – Can Psilocybin Help Ease Anxiety & Depression for Those Who Are Facing Death?
It has been a big week for psychedelic research. Psilocybin and MDMA have made national headlines. The New York Times article, “F.D.A. Agrees to New Trials for Ecstasy as Relief for PTSD Patients,” highlights the recent win for MAPS in regards to their MDMA-assisted psychotherapy research. The FDA has given MAPS the green light to pursue phase 3 research for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. Continue reading “Gabby Agin-Liebes – Can Psilocybin Help Ease Anxiety & Depression for Those Who Are Facing Death?”
Shannon Clare Petitt – MAPS, Zendo and an update on MDMA’s status
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Joe and Kyle talk to Shannon Clare Petitt about the current state of MDMA research and what MAPS needs to do in the next number of months with the FDA as the phase three trials become approved. A few days after the interview the New York Times reported that the phase three research was approved. Shannon’s story is great and optimistic. If you are interested in how to get a job in the psychedelic field, this is certainly an episode you’ll want to listen to. We also discuss some possible tweaks to the studies that could be done that may yield interesting results, and also why MAPS is taking the approach that they are (its the most straightforward way to push the research through the FDA). Continue reading “Shannon Clare Petitt – MAPS, Zendo and an update on MDMA’s status”
Faan Rossouw – Indeeva Biomedical
Faan was a great guest. He is currently working on a cannabis startup in Montréal, Québec, Canada named Indeeva Biomedical. Joe previously interviewed Faan for his permaulture podcast Permaculture Salad to talk about how shamanism, ayahuasca and permaculture go together in a complementary way (link). At the time of that interview Faan was living on a permaculture/ayahuasca retreat center in Peru named the Paititi Institute. Continue reading “Faan Rossouw – Indeeva Biomedical”
Kyle and Joe – MAPS MDMA training in New York
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Kyle recently had the great opportunity to attend one module of the MAPS MDMA Therapy sessions. In this episode we talk about the experience at the workshop and about some other valuable topics as well. Let us know what you think, and please leave a review on iTunes! Continue reading “Kyle and Joe – MAPS MDMA training in New York”
Kyle and Joe Talking About The Interview with Dimitri Muganis and the Field
In this episode Kyle and Joe speak about the recent interview they recorded with Dimitri Muganis. There were some relatively important points in the interview that needed further discussion and expansion and in this podcast we unravel some of the material. There is plenty more to unpack there.
Some of what is discussed in this episode includes.
- Race
- Class
- Research and Treatment
- When should one take priority
- Democratization of the medicines
- Privilege
- Paying for people to participate in research
- The white upper middle class bias in the research
- The bias in research towards veterans
Overall there are loads of things that we discussed, and in short the real message here is that we all need to keep moving forward. There is plenty of room for growth in the field for all of us to move our agendas forward.
With endless amounts of research left to be run, we can still treat people. I’m not sure we are going to see Psychedelic medicines be used in the next 1-2 years in major hospitals outside of research, but we are going to see it in the next decade for sure.
Lets keep moving and taking care of each other.
-Joe
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Neal M. Goldsmith, Ph.D. – Psychedelic Healing
Neal M. Goldsmith, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist specializing in psychospiritual development. He is a popular speaker on drug policy reform, spiritual maturation, and the emergence of an integral society (a six-minute clip of his talk on the “Fusion of Spirit and Science” may be found at: http://vimeo.com/7517009) and an author, most recently of Psychedelic Healing: The Promise of Entheogens for Psychotherapy and Spiritual Development.
Dr. Goldsmith has curated dozens of successful conferences and cross-disciplinary “meetings of minds” for corporations as well as the psychedelic community, including the Horizons and MAPS Psychedelic Science conferences. He is a founder of several discussion salons on integral philosophy, governance, media, postmodern science, healing, and the future of society.
Trained in humanistic, transpersonal, and eastern traditions, Dr. Goldsmith maintains a (non-psychedelic) psychotherapy practice in New York and Sag Harbor, NY, and may be reached via his Web site: http://www.nealgoldsmith.com/psychedelics. Continue reading “Neal M. Goldsmith, Ph.D. – Psychedelic Healing”
Tom Shroder – Acid Test: LSD, Ecstasy, and the Power to Heal
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Tom Shroder Joe and Kyle talk about Tom’s great book titled “Acid Test: LSD, Ecstasy, and the Power to Heal”. Tom is an editor, and author of a number of books as well as the former editor of the Washington Post.
Interviewing Tom was real fun and we appreciate him joining us for the show.
We get into some great topics including
- Tom’s interesting connection to Rick Doblin
- The history of Rick’s rise to influence
- The story of the Mithoefers transitioning from emergency medicine and sailing to Holotropic Breathwork and MDMA research
- The book and this interview also follow the story of a US Marine who came home with treatment resistant PTSD and was then treated by the Mithoefers with MDMA as part of their research.
The book is amazing and well worth your time if you want to get familiarized with the hopes and history of psychedelic research.
Links
Dimitri Mugianis- Iboga, Psychedelic gas-lighting, and Structural Criticism
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In this episode we speak with Dimitri about a ton of interesting subjects including:
- Iboga
- Addiction
- Bwiti
- Dana Beal
- Structural Criticism
- Problems with giving psychedelics to the current medical system
- Psychedelic Anarchy
- Non-hierarchical organizing – making the group the parent instead of making a person the parent
- Peer programs
- Alexandre Tannous
- Century of Self documentary
“Be hurt, forgive and organize”
Blessings of the Forest – Give back to Gabon
Links
Brian Normand – Events And How To Get Involved
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Featuring Brian Normand, Co-Founder of Psymposia.
Bio from Psymposia’s site.
Brian Normand is Co-Founder of Psymposia, greenthumb, and occasional
trouble maker, focused on creating spaces and projects to teach people about plants and drugs.He graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a BS in Plant, Soil, Insect Science, & Sustainable Horticulture, Magna Cum Laude. He lives in Baltimore.
In this interview, we discuss a lot, but here are some highlights.
- Brian’s introduction to psychedelic art.
- Music and plants informing Brian’s interest.
- The genesis of Psymposia at a more academic conference.
- The stuffiness of the academic world and it not being suitable for everyone.
- Yet how important the academic work in top schools is.
- Rick Doblin, David Nichols, Mithoffers and Grifiths and Dennis McKenna are individuals who prove how important it is to have top academic credentials.
- Yet how important the academic work in top schools is.
- The Psymposia Afterparty at this years Horizons: Perspective on Psychedelics Conference
- This year’s after party includes guest speakers such as Duncan Trussell and Rick Doblin.
- The legal status of psychedelics in the USA and internationally.
- Some loose discussion about Portugal.
- Leveraging the globe for legal research on Psychedelics.
- John C. Lily’s LSD, Ketamine and float tank research.
- How to get involved in Psychedelic work of different kinds.
- Speculation on how to take advantage of different legal systems globally to move research forward.
- Singing to the plants – Steve Beyer
Katherine MacLean – Imagining Interesting Futures
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In this episode we talk about the following:
- Katherine’s path to becoming involved in psychedelic research
- Bias in Research
- Mental state required to be a researcher
- Impact to worldview after
- Privilege
- Harm reduction
- Paying participants involved with psychedelic research
- Future best uses of psychedelics
- Medicalization of birth and death
- Taking away human life from humans and giving that power to institutions
- Katherine’s work with Ingmar Gorman at the Center for Optimal Living
- Integration circles
- Happyacres.farm
Bio via Psymposia – Katherine MacLean is an academically trained research scientist and meditation practitioner with a long-standing interest in the brain, consciousness and the science of well-being. As a graduate student at the University of California, Davis, Katherine was supported by a prestigious National Science Foundation research fellowship to study the effects of intensive meditation training on concentration, emotional well-being and brain function.
As a postdoctoral fellow and faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, she was one of the only scientists in the world studying psilocybin — a psychedelic chemical found naturally in certain types of mushrooms. Her groundbreaking research on psilocybin and personality change suggests that psychedelic medicines may be the key to enhancing mental health and promoting openness and creativity throughout the lifespan.
Ingmar Gorman – MDMA Psychotherapy and how to get Involved with Psychedelic research
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In this episode we talk to Ingmar about some great topics that included.
- Harm Reduction
- Psychedelic Science 2017
- Upcoming Zendo Training in NYC
- Czech Psychedelic Medical History
- MAPS MDMA Psychotherapy Video Archive
- Group work to help support Processing
Ingmar Gorman, M.A. is a currently unlicensed doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at the New School for Social Research. His clinical work is supervised by licensed clinical psychologists at his training sites. After receiving his B.A. in Psychology from the New College of Florida. Ingmar completed a pre-doctoral externship at Bellevue’s Chemical Dependency Outpatient Program and Dual Diagnosis Inpatient Unit, where he obtained specialized training in treating people living with substance use disorders. He has also gained extensive experience treating severe mental illness at South Beach Psychiatric Hospital’s Heights Hill Outpatient Clinic. Ingmar has trained in individual and group psychotherapy at Beth Israel Medical Center’s Psychiatric Inpatient Services, as well as the Brief Psychotherapy Research Program. Ingmar uses an integrative approach to treatment utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Psychodynamic principles. When treating substance misuse, Ingmar draws on his extensive training with Dr. Andrew Tatarsky and Dr. Jen Talley, in Harm Reduction Psychotherapy and Mindfulness based approaches.
Links
Center for Optimal Living – Psychedelic Program
Upcoming Zendo Training in NYC (Training for harm reduction at festivals)
Joe – Holotropic States, Philosophy and Healing
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This episode features Joe Moore, co-host of Psychedelics today. Joe was a student at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire and is now working in the software industry as well as hosting a few podcasts and coordinating Transpersonal Breathwork workshops mostly in Breckenridge, Colorado.
LINKS
Dreamshadow – Holotropic Breathwork in Vermont
CAPS PTSD scoring system
VICE article on Tony Macie – MDMAPTSD
Djinn Thompson – Psychedelic Parenting
Kyle and Joe speak with Djinn Thompson about their podcast Psychedelic Parenting and the future of the Psychedelic Parenting organization. Other topics that were covered include:
- Talking about psychedelics and substances with teenagers and children
- The Aftercare Project and psychedelic integration, and holding space.
- How to pass on the values of the psychedelic experience through spirituality, conscious living, social justice, free expression, and radical honesty.
- Children’s books that describe marijuana.
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It’s Just a Plant: http://www.justaplant.com/
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Stinky Steve Explains Causal Cannabis: https://www.amazon.com/Stinky-Steve-Explains-Medical-Marijuana/dp/0615867049
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- The Religious Freedom Restoration Act and religious sacraments/medicine
- A video of the Ashland, Oregon Santo Daime Church: https://vimeo.com/6821805
- Psychedelic summer camp, rites of passage, breathwork, and cacao ceremonies.
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“Psychedelic Summer Camp” presentation:
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Djinn has over 20 years’ experience with psychedelic plants and has been trip sitting in a professional capacity for over a decade, having served as a facilitator for legal psilocybin retreats in Jamaica and other venues. Djinn specializes in working with victims of childhood trauma, those with treatment-resistant depression, and issues related to LGBTQ identities. Djinn came out as a nonbinary trans person in 2017. They are currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Social Work. Djinn was previously the host of the Psychedelic Parenting Podcast under their birth name, and has been a speaker on psychedelics and family life at multiple conferences, both in the USA and abroad.
Psychedelic Parenting: http://www.psychedelicparenting.org/
Contact: psychedelicparenting@gmail.com
Hope everyone enjoys this episode. We really enjoyed talking to Djinn and feel blessed by their wealth of knowledge and wisdom. Let us know what you think!
- 5 Psychedelic Family Values:
http://www.psychedelicparenting.org/?p= 300 - What EXACTLY Do You Mean by “Psychedelic Parenting”
http://www.psychedelicparenting.org/?p= 55 - How Old is Old Enough?: http://www.
psychedelicparenting.org/?p= 204 - Motherboard Vice article by Djinn: http://motherboard.vice.com/
read/psychedelic-parenting-is- about-more-than-just-drugs - PrimeMind – Psychedelic Parenting: https://primemind.com/
parenting-with-psychedelics- 994e2776583a#.e5ahzw10o
Raven Renee Ray – The Aftercare Project
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Kyle and Joe speak with Raven Renee Ray about the Aftercare project. Here is a short description of the project from it’s facebook site.
The Aftercare Project is dedicated to the psychological and spiritual well-being of people reintegrating after challenging psychedelic experiences.
The conversation is fun and wide ranging. We hope it is helpful and informative to academics, therapists, counselors and psychiatrists who are interacting with people coming back from difficult experiences.
Here is a slightly longer description of the ACP.
Given the fact that ayahuasca has shown promise in research studies, we feel we not only have the humane duty to help those in need, but also the responsibility to ensure the reputation of ayahuasca and her traditional stewards among decision-makers in our own culture. This will allow us to continue holding space for research to continue, while protecting traditional practices. Because of the colossal challenges inherent in navigating multicultural spaces and the lack of understanding outside of the anthropological community regarding conflicting paradigms of urban capitalism and jungle reciprocity, we must do our best as North Americans to prepare those in our own communities who are called to this experience prior to their trip. This preparation will include full, informed consent, education on safety, cultural expectations and differences, and what to do in the case that further care is required upon return.
Raven is also fundraising for the Aftercare Project. You can find a page for the fundraising effort here.
Lex Pelger – Ibogaine, Ketamine, Research and Knowing Your Dose
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Lex, Kyle and Joe discuss MAPS, Psymposia, Ibogaine, Mushrooms, Ketamine, LSD, Cannabis, and loads more. Lex is working on a book related to the supremely complex neurochemistry of cannabis.
“Whales, Cannabis and Neurochemistry”
Lex — http://www.lexpelger.com/
Tea Farie Iboga Story https://www.erowid.org/columns/teafaerie/2014/12/18/hard-reset/
Dimitri — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvEv5trIdrg
Nese — http://www.psymposia.com/magazine/preview/nese-devenot-coming-out-of-the-psychedelic-closet
Ketamine — https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00088699
Bluebird Botanticals — https://www.bluebird-botanicals.com/
Kyle’s Story
In this episode of Psychedelics Today, Joe interviews the co-host of the show, Kyle Buller. As hosts of the show, we thought that it would be fun to dig a little deeper into our own personal narratives to give our listeners an idea of who we are. This episode offers the opportunity for Kyle to share his story about how he became interested in psychedelics and other non-ordinary states of consciousness.
From Kyle of Psychedelics Today
I became interested in non-ordinary states of consciousness at an young age. One event that sparked my interest in these topics stems from suffering a near-death experience when I was teenager. This experience changed the trajectory of my life and also left me with asking myself many questions about life and death.
Tune into this episode as Joe asks me about my history with non-ordinary states of consciousness, the development of a psychedelic course at Burlington College, my interest in Holotropic Breathwork, and much more.
Thanks for listening!
Elizabeth Gibson – Dreamshadow Holotropic Breathwork
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Kyle and Joe get to talk with Elizabeth regarding her experience with MDMA assisted psychotherapy, Holotropic Breathwork, and her work with Stan and Christina Grof in the Grof Transpersonal Training program. Elizabeth also discusses the importance of bodywork such as working with people who “aren’t back” from their experience, doing breathwork/bodywork with other experienced facilitators, observation of bodywork, and the lack of bodywork in psychedelic psychotherapy. Elizabeth will be facilitating some Dream Work at her next Holotropic Breathwork workshop.
Mentions
Petra and Ken Sloan | Sandra Phocas | Jack Kornfield
Insight and Opening Retreats (for historical reference)
Michael Mithoefer & Annie Mithoefer (2013) – YouTube
Lenny Gibson – Whitehead and Holotropic Breathwork – Part 2
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This is a continuation of our last episode with Lenny Gibson.
In it we discuss psychedelics, Spring Grove Psychiatric Hospital, Holotropic Breathwork, Agency, and Philosophy.
Let us know what you think.
Lenny Gibson – Whitehead and Holotropic Breathwork
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Philosophy and psychedelics brought Lenny to Holotropic Breathwork. Since then he has co-facilitated countless sessions with even more people mainly in Vermont, but also in Massachusetts and Maine. Lenny and Elizabeth (his wife) have helped foster Kyle and Joe’s interest in Holotropic states and facilitating breathwork sessions. We are thankful and happy to share this two part interview with Lenny Gibson.
From his website
Lenny Gibson is a philosopher and clinical psychologist concerned with issues that bridge both disciplines:
- Practices that foster experiential understanding of philosophy, historically and contemporarily.
- Transpersonal psychology, particularly Holotropic Breathwork.
Brett Greene
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Brett Greene is the co founder of Psymposia. Kyle and I talk to him about how Psymposia is different from events currently being put on and important for the psychedelic world. Story telling of people in the psychedelic world is just as important as doctors and academics giving presentations. Psymposia is having their busiest year yet. Check them out here to keep track of their upcoming events.
https://vimeo.com/143491234