Post Tag: Culture

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Jerry B. Brown and Tom Hatsis – Christianity and the Psychedelic Mushroom: A Debate

Tom and Jerry

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In this unique episode, Joe brings Tom Hatsis and Dr. Jerry Brown together for a psychedelic debate. They go back in forth in conversation on whether there was psychedelic use in medieval or ancient Christianity and if so, was there a secret tradition of including art of mushrooms or psychedelic substances in cathedrals and castles.

3 Key Points:

  1. Jerry Brown makes the claim that there is evidence of visionary plants in Christianity and the life of Jesus found in medieval art and biblical scripture.
  2. Tom Hatsis makes the claim that Christianity is not hiding a giant secret inside the biblical texts about the true hallucinogen at the root of the religion being an Amanita Muscaria.
  3. Jerry and Tom debate back and forth, pulling from art and textual evidence (and lack thereof) to support or deny the claim that Psychedelic Mushrooms are the root of Christian religion.

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Show Notes

Jerry B. Brown PhD.

Anthropologist, Author and Activist
Served as the Prof of Anthropology at FIU in Miami
He designed and taught a course on hallucinogens and culture
He is the Co-Author of Sacred Plants and the Gnostic Church: Speculations on Entheogen use in Early Christian Ritual
The Psychedelic Gospels: The Secret History of Hallucinogens in Christianity

Tom Hatsis

Author, Public Speaker, Roller Derby Player and Potion Maker
He is the Author of three books in Psychedelia;
The Witches Ointment: the Secret History of Psychedelic Magic
Psychedelic Mystery Traditions; Spirit Plants, Magical Practices and Psychedelic States Microdosing Magic: A Psychedelic Spellbook
Partnered with event organizer and short film maker, Eden Woodruff, who runs Psanctum Psychedelia in Portland in the process of winning the Guinness Book of World Record in Magic

Intro

  • The debate is around the early Christian use of psychedelics and mushrooms in Christian art
  • The conversation is on the validity on whether or not psychedelics were used in early Christianity

Dr. Jerry Brown on Psychedelics in Christianity

  • The Miracle of Marsh Chapel – a double-blind experiment conducted by Walter Pahnky in 1962 where 20 students were divided into two groups, half received niacin and the other half received psilocybin
    • 9 out of 10 who took psilocybin had a profound psychedelic experience
    • Brown explains that this is an important part in the entire history of psychedelics
  • After discovering the Amanita Muscaria mushroom (confirmed by Paul Stamets) in a 15th Century Church in Scotland, he realized that there were many entheogenic images in Christian art
  • He says that most church historians do not have training in mycology to recognize entheogens and mushrooms
  • He brings up an image of Adam and Eve standing next to a large Amanita Muscaria mushroom
  • He went to a Parish Church and saw an image of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a Donkey, and one of the youths welcoming Jesus is holding a long mushroom cap
  • He went to churches in England, Germany and France
    • In the drawing of Genesis, he saw God creating plants (psilocybin mushrooms)
  • “When you go back beyond the 3rd century, there are no visual images or Christian art due to poverty and persecution” – Jerry
  • Jerry reads a passage,
    “Jesus said to his disciples, “compare me to someone and tell me who I am like” Thomas said to him, “Master, my mouth is wholly incapable of saying whom you are like.” Jesus said “I am not your master, because you have drunk you have become intoxicated from the bubbling wellspring that I have personally measured out. He who will drink from my mouth will become like me, I shall become like he, and the things that are hidden, should be revealed to him.”

    • He interprets the passage as a reference to drinking a psychoactive mushroom substance
    • Jerry goes on to explain that Jesus realized his feeling of eternal life through the use of psychoactive entheogens
    • He says that this is not a means of dismissing Christianity, but instead to reintroduce Christianity with its original roots

Tom Hatsis on Psychedelics in Christianity

  • Tom says that Jerry makes a lot of assertions, but does not present any evidence. He talks about art, but not anything in scripture
  • Tom is curious why the only artwork that Jerry brings his assertions about mushrooms are from a time where we can’t ask them about it
  • Tom brings up Julie and Jerry’s book and that the first chapter has nothing to do with Christian History at all
  • Tom uses an example of stone mushrooms. Someone doing a cross cultural analysis, might agree that they are mushrooms based on the other findings of cannabis and opioids
    • But, as a historian, Tom looks for evidence and in this case, there are eye witness accounts of its use
  • He brings up the example, the infamous plaincourault fresco of Adam and Eve at the tree of good and evil with the forbidden fruit
    • Using this one example, he wants to prove how critical historical methodology is used to prove unsubstantiated claims on Christian art as wrong
    • Tom urges listeners to view the unaltered versions of the plaincourault fresco at Georgio Samorini’s Flikr page 
    • The paradise tree is a mix of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and a symbol of Christ’s victory over Adam’s transgression. In the play, it was tradition to place small Eucharist wafers on the tree branches so that’s what the white dots are on the tree branches
    • The tree’s shape is not a mushroom cap, it is a parasol of victory

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjS1O7VxrnfAhXzOX0KHWb1BqoQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F119134352618556921%2F&psig=AOvVaw3BA6K9owNViima3VF89Yjp&ust=1545778034649246

Jerry’s Rebuttle

  • Jerry says that the absence of evidence, is not equal, or proof of evidence of absence (just because it’s not written in text, doesn’t mean that its not there in the art)
  • Jerry’s issue with the fresco is that “The Fall” is a New Testament creation, not all the way back in Genesis
  • He says that on their website, they do not ‘alter’ the image, they ‘enhance’ it
  • He says that Tom claims the fruit doesn’t matter, but the fruit does matter (it could be a psychedelic mushroom)
  • He touches on the skeletal appearance of Eve and the meaning of renewal of life
  • Jerry thinks this image is the beginning of the religious experience and symbolism that the soul is immortal and will continue to exist after death
  • He says the serpent is not a depiction of evil entering Eden, but instead a source of knowledge and a spiritual guide to the feminine to help bring man into higher awareness

Tom’s Rebuttle

  • Tom says he didn’t hear any evidence from Jerry, he heard arguments to authority
  • He says that Jerry uses anthropology to uncover history, and opinions of art historians, but medieval historians agree that the mushroom is not present in Christian art
  • He also says he did agree with Jerry about the mushroom in art, but that was last year and he has proven himself wrong and that the mushroom caps are parasols of victory
  • Jerry says that Amanita Muscaria was in the Soma, but Tom says cannabis was, and mushrooms were not
    Chris Bennett’s book on Soma
  • There is zero evidence for mushroom art during medieval times
  • In Jerry’s book, he writes about the Basilica di Aquilea, saying that they are Amanita Muscaria, but Tom says they are not that type of mushroom

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1KGNW_enUS816US816&biw=1348&bih=639&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=zmwhXO2kN-KT0PEPzIGigAw&q=basilica+di+aquileia+mushroom&oq=basilica+di+aquileia+mushroom&gs_l=img.3...1672.3204..3385...0.0..0.110.860.7j2......1....1..gws-wiz-img.......0i19j0i30i19j0i8i30i19._tfD19e9exw#imgrc=S2iNHfH6MFMG3M:

 

 

 

 

 

  • Tom also says that in the play depicted in the plaincourault, that the script literally says the wafers are hung on the tree, and that the little white dots are not the dots from an Amanita Muscaria

Jerry’s Closing Remarks

  • He says that this isn’t just cultural analysis, this is about fieldwork and looking at how native people view this artwork
  • The problem he has with Tom and Church historians is that it is not taking evidence from Ethnobotanists
  • Jerry says he believes that there is a long tradition of entheogenic mushrooms in Christian art and would like this debate to continue

Tom’s Closing Remarks

  • Tom says he still isn’t hearing evidence, he is only hearing assertions and argument to authority and eminent scholars
  • Tom says that Genesis doesn’t matter in the plaincourault, because we know that it’s about the play
  • He has multiple articles debunking these images on his website
  • Tom says the holy mushroom hypothesis fails against all the claims Jerry has made

Links

Tom’s Website
Jerry’s Website

Check out our online course, “Introduction to Psychedelics”

About Jerry

Jerry B. Brown, Ph.D., is an anthropologist, author and activist. From 1972-2014, he served as Founding Professor of Anthropology at Florida International University in Miami, where he designed and taught a course on “Hallucinogens and Culture.” The course examines the use of psychoactive plants by tribal and classical cultures, including Ancient India and Greece, and by and discusses the discoveries of the modern mind-explorers, the “psychonauts of the twentieth century.”

About Tom

Thomas Hatsis is an author, lecturer, and historian of witchcraft, magic, Western religions, contemporary psychedelia, entheogens, and medieval pharmacopeia. In his spare time he visits rare archives, slings elixirs, and coaches roller derby.

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Duncan Autrey – Conflict Transformation and Resolution; Our Role to Play a Part in the Whole

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In this episode, Joe interviews Duncan Autrey, a conflict transformation catalyst and educator. He runs a podcast, Fractal Friends, that covers topics of self-similarity across our diversity. During their conversation, Joe and Duncan discuss ways of resolving conflict in our relationships and society.

3 Key Points:

  1. Duncan Autrey is a conflict transformation educator, working for peace and cultural change.
  2. Conflict happens when one person wants to be heard so much that they stop listening to the other side. It is a product of living in a diverse world.
  3. We have more rights than we think we do when facing law enforcement.

Support the show

Navigating Psychedelics

Show Notes

What is Conflict?

  • Conflict is a product of living in a diverse world
  • Conflict resolution is about how to get different perspectives working together
  • Conflict happens when someone is really passionate about their side of the topic
  • Conflict also happens when one person wants to be heard so much that they stop listening to the other side
  • The ARC of conversation
    • A stands for acknowledge
    • R stands for reflect back
    • C stands for be curious

Resolving Conflict

  • Its okay to be certain about your own experiences, but someone might also be certain about their experiences and the key is to find a mutual ground
  • “How do we understand ecological issues better and work with each other to find how to create better conversation around it?” – Joe
  • In a conversation of conflict, the other side may be the antidote to your extreme
    • Interdependent Polarity – each side has something positive and negative, and each side should acknowledge the negative but aim to pull out the positive of the other side
    • Iceers
  • “It’s better to find a way to navigate the question, rather than to answer the question” – Duncan
  • In a hierarchy of permanence, laws are really low. Laws come and go
  • 3 ways we resolve conflict over time; power, violence and laws
    • But the interest based model includes everyone and all sides and works through conflict to live in and share the same planet with each other

Impressive Resilience in Humans

  • “Shifts happen”
  • People that Duncan works with start thinking to themselves “I’m a good guy facing a bad guy” and the person on the other side of conflict also thinks “I’m a good guy facing a bad guy”
    • Helping guide the people in conflict to just listen to the other person fully is what starts the shift

Law Enforcement and Conflict

  • It’s important to recognize the difference between the system and the individuals
    • Our whole system of television, movies, everything is all feeding into this
  • There are sociopaths in the world (5% of the population), and they are falling into roles like prison guards and CEO’s
  • Duncan brings up a story where he was in a car with someone who got pulled over, and the car got completely searched
    • He had vitamins on him, and the police assumed it was MDMA, so he was arrested and spent 4 days in jail
    • “This is a place where the people who are on the right side of the law, are being treated like assholes, and where people on the bad side of the law, are on their best behavior” – Duncan
    • This is a systemic issue, where the society says that you are a good person for doing something good, and are a bad person for doing something bad
    • But we shouldn’t be defined by what we are ‘caught’ doing, either good or bad
    • People should be able to hold onto their humanity (not be locked up for life) for something like possession of a drug
    • “If we’re going to care about our shared humanity and our right for everyone to be here, we have to figure out the path of restoration” – Duncan
    • “Slavery isn’t okay, unless someone gets convicted of a crime”
    • Victoria’s Secret has people in prison slavery making lingerie in South Carolina
    • People have to pay off debt from their incarceration, before they get a license, to get a job, that they have to apply to as a criminal
    • Society doesn’t make it easy to be human after prison
    • People in grad school with the same amount of debt, have an education, (usually) a job, and have hope for the future

Rights When Getting Pulled Over

  • Right to remain silent is real
  • Right to consent for search – you don’t have to say yes
    • Law enforcement tries to use the fact that you think you’re guilty and will let the search happen
  • You can’t be detained without probable cause (4th Amendment)
    • You can be detained long enough for a traffic citation, but not enough to be caught for another crime
  • Smoke smell in the car is probable cause, even in s state where it is legal
  • Joe mentions dash cams so that there can be recordings on both ends, not just one end (the police’s evidence)
  • Duncan had the thought that maybe once they realize that his vitamins were not MDMA, that they might try to switch out the vitamins with MDMA
    • His attorney said they aren’t that corrupt, or smart

Links

Website
Podcast

Check out our online course, “Introduction to Psychedelics”

About Duncan

Duncan Autrey has worked in facilitation and conflict resolution for over fifteen years in diverse contexts ranging from rural Paraguay and Colombia to cities of Seattle, Washington, DC, Cuenca and Buenos Aires. He approaches conflict from a belief that it arises from the diverse cultural experiences of common human needs. Every conflict or complicated situation, large or small, is an opportunity for deepening our relationships and improving the world we live in. Duncan currently runs a podcast called Fractal Friends covering topics on exploring our self-similarity across our diversity.

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Steve Hupp – Kentucky Ayahuasca and Shamanism in the United States

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In this episode, Joe interviews Steve Hupp, the Host of Kentucky Ayahuasca, a new series on Viceland. Topics include Steve’s background and how he wants to impact the American Ayahuasca scene through his work.

3 Key Points:

  1. Kentucky Ayahuasca is a docu-series on Viceland about Shaman, Steve Hupp as he works with people seeking healing from severe emotional and physical issues.
  2. Steve comes from an unusual background of career criminal and bank robber, and because of his time in prison with a Peruvian Shaman, has decided to bring the tradition to the United States.
  3. Steve is careful not to mock what shamanism is by creating ceremony in the States. He wants facilitation to be done as safely as possible and is simply trying to help people through Ayahuasca ceremony.

Support the show

Navigating Psychedelics

Show Notes

About Steve

  • He was a career criminal who robbed banks
    • It landed him in prison and put him into the same cell of a Peruvian shaman who had overstayed his visa and was probably doing some facilitating in the States
    • His name was Guadalupe and Steve called him Loopy because of the things he was talking about
    • But here and there Guadalupe would say something that would resonate with Steve days and weeks later that just made sense

Prison

  • He spent 4 years in prison
    • He got into the federal system because he had beaten the state system so the federal system picked up the case
    • Steve pleaded guilty and made a deal with them to give them their money back
    • He also agreed not to sue the police for opening fire on him
    • He was one of the first bank robbers released on a bond

Religion and Spirituality

  • Up to that point he was an Atheist
    • He decided that something else was keeping him alive for something because of what he survived during the police chase
  • Steve says he’s seen how religious law worked by seeing gangs turn into congregations
  • He says he is no longer an Atheist after having experience with Ayahuasca
  • He had an epiphany that “anything is possible” and he decided he wanted to bring this to everyone
  • He started to have coincidences that led him to facilitation

Shamanism

  • Steve isn’t trying to defraud what Shamanism is, but he is trying to tailor it to the American way of life
    • He says the Shaman in the jungle has a different context than an American does
  • Joe mentions that people get upset about how the word ‘shaman’ is used
    • Steve says ‘shaman’ comes from the Siberian word, ‘saman’, which means “to know” but has been branded by anthropologists
    • He also says shamanism is the oldest world religion
  • Joe brings up that so many people suggest doing Ayahuasca in the Amazon because that’s where the spirit of the plant is, but he also mentions that the same type of biodiversity exists in Kentucky too

Purpose

  • Steve says they face reverse-racism because they can’t work with native tribes because they are white, but he’s just looking to bring everyone together
  • “If we don’t start helping our little blue sphere heal, it’s all we’ve got” – Steve
  • He said he had more fear transitioning into Ayahuasca facilitation than any bank he’s robbed because he had to put his name on it
  • His intent is not to build a cult, he believes we are at the dawn of a new world and we are all in this together

Helping Addiction with Ayahuasca

  • Steve says he believes there are no addicts, just unbalanced humans
    • Joe says he read recently that the term “addict” keeps people in their problems
    • When he helps people who are addicted to drugs, and they drink Ayahuasca, they realize the drug is not the problem, but the guilt and the shame about using the drug is the problem

Plant Teacher

  • Steve believes we are intergalactic children
  • We could use our technology and knowledge to better us rather than being so distracted by the ‘lines in the sand’
    • He says we could feed everyone on the planet with land the size of Texas
  • What Ayahuasca is trying to teach us is to be kind to each other and we have that choice everyday
  • We need to get past this barbaric attitude of domination
  • “I know I’ve got grandchildren that I may never see, but I’ve got to try to leave them a world better than the one I’ve found” – Steve
    • If we were to teach our kids to teach our grandkids something, we wouldn’t be handing them millions of dollars in national debt
    • Its a non-violent change
    • “What if we collectively manifested accountability in our government?” – Steve

Law Enforcement

  • Steve believes law enforcement shouldn’t be able to have more power than soldiers at war
    • Soldiers in Iraq can’t fire unless they have been fired upon

Shaman University

  • No one has ever done this before, Steve wants to put together a structure to make sure this operation is done ethically
    • He wants to lay the foundation for people to participate in Ayahuasca ceremony safely
    • He says anybody can brew Ayahuasca, but doing it safely and properly is key
  • Joe encourages viewers to check out the series on Viceland
  • Steve also encourages listeners who want to do Ayahuasca abroad to do tons of research before attending to make sure there are proper facilitators, ethical procedures and quality emergency response techniques and resources

Links

Kentucky Ayahusca on Viceland
Website

Check out our online course, “Introduction to Psychedelics”

About Steve

Steve Hupp had spent time in the Military. He was lost in materialism, drug abuse, alcoholism and pride that led him on a 5 year bank robbing spree that ended with him in Federal Prison, where he met his first Shaman, a cellmate. Now he is an Ayahuasca Shaman performing psychedelic healing ceremonies in Kentucky. Steve has worked with Ayahuasca for 15 years, trained by a Shaman from South America on how to work with Ayahuasca. He has spent much of that time working alone and experiencing many visions and entities that called him to found Aya Quest.

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Kevin Matthews – Decriminalize Denver and the Aim to Decriminalize Psilocybin Mushrooms

Kevin Matthews - Decriminalize Denver

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In this episode, Joe sits down with Kevin Matthews, Campaign Manager of Decriminalize Denver, the group looking to decriminalize magic mushrooms. During the show, they cover topics such as the Right to Try Act, therapeutic success and what it might look like to have Psilocybin decriminalized in Denver.

3 Key Points:

  1. Decriminalize Denver’s efforts are aimed to decriminalize Psilocybin Mushrooms in the city of Denver, CO., and are currently getting signatures to be on the May 2019 ballot.
  2. The Federal Right to Try Act allows a person with a life-threatening illness to use any substance that has passed phase one clinical trials.
  3. There is so much research and data on the benefits of Psilocybin Mushrooms, and being in an age of social media sharing, people are waking up to the idea of mushroom decriminalization.

Support the show

Navigating Psychedelics

Show Notes

About Kevin

  • Kevin is a part of the group, Decriminalize Denver
    • The group submitted the ballot initiative called the Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Decriminalization Initiative and they are getting signatures to make the May 2019 ballot
  • Kevin became interested in mushrooms after leaving as a Cadet at the US Military Academy due to major depression
    • He was interested in Psilocybin Mushrooms impact on depression

Talking Publicly about Psilocybin Use

  • “Self-healing from psychedelics” is something most people want to be careful talking about
    • Does it uninspire therapists?
    • Does it ruin the medical model?
  • Kevin states that people are afraid to talk about it because they are a schedule 1 substance
    • Those who are willing to take the risk to talk about it are because they believe that mushrooms might have the best impact on them

Right to Try Act

  • Kevin knows someone with PTSD and tumors who is prescribed to Psilocybin under the Federal Right to Try Act
    • Anyone who has a life-threatening illness can use any substance that has passed phase one under clinical trials
    • His psychiatrist said that the psilocybin has been nothing short of miraculous in its effects
    • He takes 1.5-2 grams of dried mushrooms every 7-10 days
      It puts him in control of his own protocol
    • Trump just signed the Federal Right to Try Act this summer, Colorado has had their own since 2014

Generational Mushroom Use

  • Joe says that the media landscape has really changed in the past few years and so much more research and information is becoming accessible to everyone
  • Veterans for Natural Rights group is supporting this mushroom movement
  • After the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, a lot of people went underground with their use
    • 30 million people in the country have used psychedelics in the last decade
    • More young people now are using psychedelics than the same age group used psychedelics in the 60’s

Decriminalize Denver

  • The goal of the group is to decriminalize the personal use and personal possession of Psilocybin mushrooms, including the propagation of mushrooms for personal use
  • “Our main goal with this is to keep individuals out of prison, help our vets, and help our loved ones who suffer from these traumas” – Kevin

Colorado Always Making Progress

  • Right now, Colorado state legislature is looking at safe injection sites and different kinds of penalty such as rehab instead of incarceration
    • Joe says Denver is a kind of microcosm of the whole nation, it has an interest in both sides of an issue, instead of just one sided
  • “Mushrooms help, in a very profound way. And opening that door is the first step to changing people’s minds, both metaphorically and physically.” – Kevin
    • The medical applications of Psilocybin are huge such as for a stutter, autoimmune issues, anxiety and depression

Talking about Psilocybin

  • Kevin says you can’t have a conversation without two opposing sides
    • He is excited for when the conversation starts because there is a ton of points on why Psilocybin is proven to be effective
    • John’s Hopkins said that Psilocybin should at a minimum be a Schedule 4 (same level as prescription sleep aids) source
  • Schedule 1 means “no medical value and high risk of abuse”
    • From the clinical research and population studies alone on Psilocybin, we know that’s false

Decriminalize Denver’s Current Focus

  • Getting all 5,000 signatures (2,000 so far) by January 7th
  • Coalition building, doing some fundraising
  • Getting volunteers activated
  • After getting all the signatures, then they will be on the ballot. Once on the ballot, the campaign and outreach starts

Using Psilocybin for Therapy

  • Joe brings up a story about his teacher Lenny Gibson who had multiple bouts of cancer and is a psychedelic scholar. Lenny was incredibly mad at Tim Leary because he was in cancer support groups and imagines how many more options cancer patients would have for pain if drugs were not made illegal
  • Looking at decreasing suffering, it would be special for the Denver population to find relief in anxiety and depression before going into a life-threatening surgery, etc.
  • If this turns into a regulatory medical paradigm, licensure is important
    • How do we create the paradigm to open the work in a professional therapeutic manner?

Grand Rounds

  • Doctors will get together around a case study and share it within the medical community
    • It’s a way to share and practice case studies organically and internally
  • With social media alone 30,000 people can be reached a month
    • Typing in to Google “benefits of mushrooms” brings up a ton of research
  • When people hear about John Hopkins, NYU, Harvard, UCLA Medical Center, and all of these companies that have already been doing the research they become more interested
    • Medicalization does not equal rescheduling
    • Carl Hart
  • It takes the breaking up of a family after prison time of a drug offense, 7 generations to recover
    • Joe knows of a case where someone in Colorado who got busted for having mushrooms only ended up serving 2 weeks and didn’t get a felony for it
  • In 2005 New Mexico Court of Appeal said that cultivation of psilocybin mushrooms does not qualify as the manufacture of a controlled substance, as long as they aren’t dried

Mushrooms are Beneficial, Not Harmful

  • How do we ruin fewer lives by legalizing mushrooms and keeping people out from behind bars?
  • Mushrooms can put you in touch with yourself and help connect yourself to others

Feedback

  • Most of the responses are, “Hell yeah I’m going to sign this!” or “This saved my life”
    • Kevin says when someone says no, it’s all about educating them
  • They had 45% support it and 20% maybes

Working with the City

  • The bill would include a Psilocybin Mushroom Policy Review Panel, a city level committee made up of health professionals, Police, Denver Sheriff’s office, city attorneys, etc

Final Thoughts

  • Kevin wants as many people as possible willing to participate to volunteer
  • They will be starting public Q&A twice a month (and live streaming them)

Links

Website
Facebook
Instagram

Check out our online course, “Introduction to Psychedelics”

About Kevin

Kevin Matthews is leading the decriminalization of Psilocybin mushrooms in Denver, Colorado. He and his group of dedicated volunteers are currently collecting signatures to make the May 2019 Ballot.

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Philip Wolf – Terpenes, Social Consumption and the Cannabis Experience

Philip Wolf - Cultivating Spirits

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In this episode, Joe interviews Philip Wolf founder of Cultivating Spirits, a cannabis pairing company. The talk includes topics on Terpenes, Social Consumption and the Cannabis experience industry.

3 Key Points:

  1. Terpenes are the component in cannabis that produce the aroma and ‘mood’ you will be in after smoking.
  2. As more and more places legalize cannabis, the market opportunity for combining food and cannabis grows.
  3. Cultivating Spirits is a cannabis experience and tour company that offers small-batch cannabis, fine wines, and locally sourced gourmet meals. They are a leader in cannabis-infused experiences.

Support the show

Navigating Psychedelics

Show Notes

About Philip

  • Philip has been in the legal industry of cannabis in Colorado for 9 years
    • Cultivating Spirits started in Breckenridge, Colorado in 2014 after legalization
    • He went to a wine experience event and had an epiphany of bringing the cannabis experience to the ‘soccer mom’
    • He walked away from equity in multiple companies because he believed in it
    • Cultivating Spirits is the first company to offer a cannabis pairings experience
    • After learning about terpenes he learned about pairing foods with attributes of cannabis

Terpenes

  • There are 3 components in cannabis that give you certain feelings
    • THC gets you high, gives a euphoric feeling
    • Flavonoids
    • Terpenes produce the aroma of cannabis and it determines the ‘mood’ you will be in after smoking
  • Terpenes are produced in all plants and produce, they attract pollinators and help fight disease within the plant
  • THC-A is non-activated THC, meaning it needs a flame or heat to activate it
  • Michael Pollan’s book – Botany of Desire
  • At the base genetic level, our goal is to reproduce and expand
    • “Are we the workers for this plant?” – Philip Wolf

People’s Reactions

  • They are loving it!
  • The average age for a  person who attends Cultivating Spirits is 45
  • Cultivating Spirits focuses on parties and events
  • Old folks are some of the best clientele, they don’t have jobs and they are done with all of the hassles of making a family and working hard for their job, etc.

Microserving

  • Microserving is one hit
    • Holding cannabis in longer doesn’t get you higher, it’s about the surface area of your lungs
    • So if you expand your lungs very lightly, you will get less high than if you would if you fully expand your lungs when taking a hit

Expansion

  • Cultivating Spirits operates all over Colorado
    • They are working to expand to Las Vegas
  • They also opened up Cannabition
  • They are taking this business to other places with good heart

Cannabis Nightclubs and Social Consumption Lounges

  • Cannabis isn’t the reason for the decline in alcohol sales, but the desire for new experiences
  • Philip believes it will happen first through coffee shops
    • Everyone needs food, so it’s a great market to integrate into
    • “I use cannabis like I use a cup of coffee, I use it, but I don’t use it all day” – Philip Wolf

Cannabis… Psychedelic?

  • There is a psychoactive part to cannabis
    • Philip says he uses cannabis to deepen his meditation and yoga practice
    • He is a Certified Yoga Teacher
    • Although he is certified to teach, he did it for himself and to learn tools he can use during his whole life
  • Cannabis is a mirror – it’s what’s inside already but getting amplified

First Dinner Approved by Municipality

  • The opening of X-games in Aspen, CO in 2015
    • 5 courses, 5 wines, 5 strains of cannabis
    • A DJ from Thievery Corporation deriving beats from where the food dishes come from
    • Jessica Catalano – Infusion Chef

Learning More

Links

Cultivating Spirits Website
Cannabis Wedding Expo
Facebook

Check out this FREE online course, “Introduction to Psychedelics”Navigating Psychedelics: Introduction To Psychedelics (101)

About Philip Wolf

Philip Wolf is one of the world’s first pot sommeliers, an expert and pioneer in the field. In 2014, he opened Cultivating Spirits with a mission to show mainstream America how cannabis should be treated. Setting tables with forks, wine, and pipes, Wolf’s pairings are grounded in the science of interpening, which the institute calls “a method used to identify and understand cannabis variety [by] interpreting … terpenes and flower structure.” Wolf can sniff a bud, identify the strain and terpenes, and interpret both the flavor profile and high. The protocol for his dinner with bud pairings is puff, eat, drink.

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Maria Carvalho and Helena Valente – Kosmicare, Boom and Psychedelic Emergency Services

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Today in the show, Joe talks to Maria Carvalho and Helena Valente, founding members of Kosmicare, a drug testing, and harm reduction service at the Portugal Festival, Boom. Joe talks to Maria and Helena on their personal backgrounds, how they got into Boom, research on recreational use, what harm reduction looks like, and what populations are underserved. Drug use is decriminalized in Portugal, and the focus of risk minimization has been useful in getting the population served versus putting people in prison.

3 Key Points:

  1. Kosmicare is a harm reduction and psychedelic emergency service starting at Boom music festival in Portugal. Working to support other events in Europe.
  2. Boom is in Portugal, where drugs are decriminalized and drug testing is legal. Drug policy has directly affected the number of emergencies that Boom has had.
  3. The Portuguese drug policy has resulted in fewer overdoses, drug-related deaths, and HIV infection. Other countries like the US should consider a drug reform with the current opioid crisis.

Support the show

Navigating Psychedelics

Show Notes

About Kosmicare

  • Kosmicare is a non-profit organization that looks to transform nightlife culture through humanistic, comprehensive and evidence-based policies and interventions
  • They work toward a world where drugs can be used with liberty and wisdom
  • Making festivals safe in Europe

About Maria

  • Psychologist, graduated in 1999 at University of Porto
  • She started working in the field of problematic drug use
    • Growing up in a difficult neighborhood was her purpose for getting into studying psychology and drug use
    • She began focusing on recreational use
    • Her younger brother was into the Electronic Dance scene and positioning himself with using substances
    • She was interested in studying other motivations to use drugs than just using drugs to feed a problem
  • She heard an announcement by MAPS in 2008 recruiting volunteers to do work in psychedelic emergency at Boom
    • It was the perfect match considering her interest in psychology and drug use in recreational environments

About Helena

  • Helena is a Psychologist who was interested in drug use
  • She wanted to have field experience, and she volunteered in a needle exchange program
    • She began working for a harm reduction project to work in recreational settings that needed volunteers
    • She became interested in the potential that drug checking has in the harm reduction strategy
  • They are working toward a ‘drop-in’ where people can show up to a permanent space for drug checking and harm reduction

The Numbers

  • Over 20,000 people showed up to Kosmicare’s information session
  • This year for the first time, Kosmicare had an HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) to identify LSD and pills
    • They tested over 700 drug samples in 6 days
  • Maria says half of the Boom population gets in contact with Kosmicare
    • They serve 1% of the Boom population for psychedelic emergency (about 350 cases out of 35,000 attendees)
    • The episodes usually have to do with psycho-spiritual situations versus just an emergency about the drug taken

Psychedelic Emergencies

  • Boom is a transformational festival that hosts attendees from over 50 countries
  • Boom is different from Burning Man in that Boom is in Portugal which has a much more legal framework which helps with the services that can be offered
    • Drug policy has directly affected the number of emergencies that Boom has
    • Joe states that there are numbers of regulatory police at Burning Man
    • Kosmicare is included in the entire setup of Boom, which helps reduce the number of scenarios that would cause an emergency at the festival, such as providing shaded areas all over
    • It gets up to 43 degrees Celcius (108 Fahrenheit)
    • But there is a water element so people can refresh themselves
  • In the largest dance areas at the festival, they included medical emergency Teepees so attendees could be helped as quickly as possible

Recreational Drug Use

  • They did a survey on recreational drug use and most of the respondents said they use drugs in a beneficial way that doesn’t interrupt their lives in a bad way
    • Similarly with Boom attendees, most of them want to use harm reduction techniques so they have positive experiences and don’t develop problems with their drug use
    • Mat Southwell “drug users are calculated risk takers”
    • “The legal framework has a terrible influence on people’s relationship with drugs” – Helena

Lessons Learned

  • Maria says they have had many groundbreaking challenges
  • In 2016 they had someone die on them while having a psychedelic emergency
    • It made her really question why she was doing this
    • Her first impression was that she was doing this work to save the inexperienced user
    • She was caught off guard by the person who died because they were an experienced user and didn’t taking unadulterated substances
    • “People may go over the top for a wide variety of reasons, it was the biggest lesson I learned working for the Psychedelic Emergency services” – Maria
    • It’s hard to determine people’s ability to calculate risks
    • If the person had collapsed in front of an urban hospital in the city, the Hospital couldn’t have done anything more than what they did at Kosmicare

Collaborations

  • Kosmicare has a collaborative relationship with Zendo
  • MAPS was hired by Boom to direct the harm reduction services
  • They use a lot of Stan Grof techniques for transpersonal psychology
  • They are partnered with many other organizations in Europe that are trying to deliver the same type of psychedelic emergency and harm reduction services

The Risks of Drug Policy

  • Joe points out that there are so many festivals happening without these services
    • The Rave Act prevents companies from attending festivals because it “harbors” drug use
  • In Portugal, the fact that drug use is decriminalized, it opened up a legal framework around harm reduction
    • Portugal is one of the few countries where drug checking is allowed by law
    • The Portuguese drug policy has resulted in fewer overdoses, drug-related deaths, HIV infection, tuberculosis and other things
  • Helena says that the US should rethink their drug policy considering the opioid epidemic
    • In Portugal, there were only 12 overdose cases with heroin and opioids

Portugal before the Drug Policy

  • In the 80’s, there was a heroin epidemic, which had an epidemic of high infection rates and HIV. This motivated the policy change
    • It was evident that prohibition was not working
  • Usually when it affects only poor people, no one cares, but the fentanyl crisis is affecting all sorts of populations

Links

Website
Facebook

Check out this FREE online course, “Introduction to Psychedelics”Navigating Psychedelics: Introduction To Psychedelics (101)

About Maria


Maria Carmo Carvalho, Kosmicare Manager, Boom Festival, Portugal, is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Education and Psychology at the Catholic University of Portugal. She researches if the field of psychoactive substance use and has completed a MSc and a PhD at the University of Porto on the field of psychoactive substance use, youth and recreational environments. She is Vice-President of ICEERS and Kosmicare Boom Festival manager since 2012.

About Helena


Helena Valente began working with people that use drugs in 2004, focusing in nightlife settings. Helena has a vast experience in coordinating national and European projects in the drug field. At the moment she is a researcher and PhD. Candidate at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the Porto University and founding member of Kosmicare Association.

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James Oroc – Burning Man, Bufo and 5-MEO-DMT politics

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James Oroc is the Author of Tryptamine Palace and the New Psychedelic Revolution.
Show topics include Burning Man, visionary art, drug war, and politics around the 5-MEO-DMT experience.

3 Key Points:

  1. James Oroc is cautious about the medicalization of psychedelics. He believes psychedelics do not necessarily heal sick people, but instead bring a new perspective to healthy users.
  2. The 5-MEO-DMT experience is not like the typical psychedelic experience, not everyone should do it, and there are some serious negative side effects that could last for years if not integrated properly.
  3. The Bufo Alvarius desert toad is at risk. With climate change and the demand for using them for their 5-MEO-DMT, there is a lot of pressure on their survival as a species.

Support the show

Navigating Psychedelics

Show Notes

About James

  • James has written a few psychedelic books, and is kind of a psychedelic icon
    • His interests are in noveling and extreme sports journalism
    • He wrote a book for Burning man, and gave away 500 copies at the festival
    • He is a world-class paragliding competitor
    • He believes always being in nature is important
    • In the late 80’s the psychedelic culture had crashed, except for the mountain towns, which is where the psychedelic community ended up
      • Joe lives in the Rockies, and was hanging out in Aspen and ran into an old hippie deadhead who talked about skiing on mescaline, when everyone would typically ski on acid
    • In James new book he goes into psychedelics and extreme sports, about using a dose smaller than the psychedelic dose but larger than a microdose
      • Joe references a movie, Valley Uprising, where most of the climbers would hang out on the side of a mountain face, party all night, drop a bunch of acid and then sprint to the top

James’ Interest in Psychedelics

  • James says that 5-MEO-DMT converted him from to being a scientific, rationalist, atheist to agnostic, being merged and one with the god source, through the classic mystical experience
    • He says it took him multiple years to figure out how a 40-minute trip experience shifted his entire perspective for the rest of his life
    • That’s why he wrote his Burning Man book, as a way to help others relate to the experience and make their own sense of it
      • Joe says James Book is far more fascinating than Michael Pollan’s Book, especially for people that have been in the psychedelic space for a while
      • Michael Pollan states in his book that LSD was given to Tim Leary by Alfred Hubbard, but James says that’s not true, he says that a man by the name of Michael Hollingsworth gave LSD to Leary, after coming to America with a jar of mayonnaise full of LSD
      • James says its amusing for Pollan to form stories to fit his own narrative
        He says Pollan has talked about using psychedelics only four times, and that he doesn’t like the psychedelic culture and by using them we will become more depressed

        • James thinks depression is a result of the paradigm that we are in
        • “I don’t like the idea of psychedelics being used as bandaids to help people except for the current paradigm, I like the idea of psychedelics being dynamite, to help bring the next paradigm shift” – James
        • Smart people are depressed because they are realizing we are screwing this planet up, and we may not have that much time left on it
        • He called it ‘extinction denial’ in his last book, and after writing his last book in 2009, its gotten exponentially worse
        • Joe asks James why he thinks people are denying the extinction narrative
        • James replies saying people feel like they can’t do anything about it, they worry about paycheck to paycheck, and get caught up in all the small distractions of life. He says no wonder people are depressed

Psychedelics aren’t a Medicine

  • James thinks the only reason they didn’t take hold as medicines in the 60’s is because they were difficult to use, and didn’t fit in the medical model
    • “The problem with medicalization is it puts psychedelics in one box, I’m more interested in giving psychedelics to healthy people than sick people”
    • They don’t fall under the true classification of medicines
    • James thinks they should be called therapy, instead of medicine
    • He understands the interest of why people want to use them as medicines, but that shouldn’t be the only way they are used
  • Joe adds that the medicalization doesn’t mean rescheduling – via drug policy alliance
    • James says that last year alone had the most arrests for cannabis than any other year, even as more states are ‘legalizing’
    • Joe mentions a comment from Brian Normand who runs Psymposia, “Is cannabis really legal, if you can only have 6 plants? It’s just heightened regulation.”
    • James thinks that keeping cannabis illegal in the south is the main tool for racial profiling, it’s the gateway drug to prison
      • Brooklyn wants to release 20,000 cannabis offenders

America

  • James thinks living in America is like living in the belly of the beast
    • There are so many forces at work in the US, James thinks the best thing for the world would be for it to break up in a few smaller countries, although it’s probably not going to happen
      • “It’s not where you want to be, its where they’ll have ya” – James
  • The data that John Hopkins comes up with is what we need to fight the cognitive liberty we should have to take psychedelics
    • Roland Griffith
    • Joe says Stan Grof became uninterested in the research of psychedelics and became more interested in visionary art
      • Creativity is what could help us survive
      • “Art could be the next religion” – Alex Grey

Reemergence of Spirit

  • James thinks we are in an interesting time in history, all of the models and structures are collapsing, we are getting to an individualized view of everything.
  • We have the right to create our own spirituality and religion. If we all go find what we find and then come together in clusters of like findings, that is a way for our spirituality to grow
    • Daniel Pinchbeck mentions cloistering up in small subculture communities focused on individual sub-aspects of what interest you
    • The reemergence of spirit is important and can happen with the democratization of psychedelics
    • Psychedelics play a role in inner reality and outer reality
    • “Psychedelic perspective is the worldview that we take on as a psychedelic user, and its the perspective that the planet needs to survive. Whether as a society that we can shift to that perspective quick enough, is the issue. But the tools are in hand.” – James

Burning Man

  • James tells a story of this wealthy CEO who attends Burning Man, and gets back and realizes he’s a rich asshole and starts contemplating how he can make his company better for the world and be better to his employees
    • Burning Man has a lot of potentials like psychedelics do, but it was easier back then Burning Man has blown up and isn’t what it used to be
      • These highly impactful experiences are more influential when they are small
    • Boom, a festival in Portugal is a free environment because everything is legal, there is no paranoia
      • Burning Man used to be free, but because things are still illegal, it has more of a defensive posture now
      • There are so many resources, police, undercovers, put into Burning Man for how little of crime that happens
        • Joe says its a means to scare the people
  • There’s a report that the administration put out recently that agreed that climate change is happening but they don’t want to do anything about it

Psychedelics

  • James says he is a very interested observer to see psychedelics ‘come out of the closet’
  • Is medicalization a means to take the fangs off of the drug war, or take power away from the psychedelic culture?
    • James says medicalization is just a financial opportunity
    • MDMA is leading the push toward legalization
      • US Military is super interested in MDMA because of the PTSD
      • Drone operators suffer from depression when they realize they are bombing people they’ve never even seen
      • But the MDMA could keep these operators at the desk

History of government’s involvement in psychedelics

  • Robert Forte – The Dark History of Psychedelics
  • MK Ultra did happen
  • Robert believes Albert Hofman was in charge
  • OSS – Office of Strategic Services
  • John Perry Barlow – founder of EFF Electronic Freedom Foundation
  • John Gillmore – had the largest civil suit against the US govt. for phone tapping
  • If you have an intense psychedelic experience, take some time and integrate it
    • “The first place you go after a major psychedelic experience is the library”
  • James says 5-MEO-DMT was the greatest intellectual adventure of his life
    • He couldn’t grasp the concept of quantum physics, after 5-MEO-DMT it was one of the only things that made sense
  • Alexander Shulgin – plus four
    • James had a paradigm shift after the first time smoking 5-MEO-DMT
    • He says 5-MEO-DMT is extremely powerful, he doesn’t do it as much anymore, because he appreciates how powerful it is
    • He also believes that it’s wrong for ‘shamans’ to take the drug while facilitating
    • LSD is considered not powerful because its been dialed down
      • People don’t take the same dose that people used to in the 70’s
  • Every community should have its own psychonaut
  • James thinks people should not start with 5-MEO-DMT, but start with something less intense like mushrooms and a walk in the woods
    • Joe did a lot of holotropic breathwork before taking psychedelics
    • So many people go right to ayahuasca because they are out of the psychedelic culture and are being advertised to
    • James is annoyed with people calling drugs medicine out of context, like at a festival
    • He thinks toad is a sacrament, or therapy, not medicine. It hasn’t healed anybody
    • He believes that the ‘toad shaman’ culture will be eliminated once chemists start to synthesize 5-MEO-DMT
      • The toads are coming from an overly populated desert, and with climate change, there is a lot of pressure on these species survival

Final Thoughts

  • James suggestions
    • The 5-MEO-DMT experience is unique, it’s not like the typical psychedelic experience, not everyone should do it, and there are some serious negative side effects that could last for years if not integrated properly
    • Start with classic psychedelics like LSD or mushrooms, and go for a walk outside
  • Stan Grof’s house/library burnt down, Terence McKenna lost two libraries, and Jonathan Ott’s library burnt down. Decades of research burnt down

Check out this our online course, “Introduction to Psychedelics”

Links

About James

Journalist, photographer, and artist James Oroc was born in the small South Pacific nation of Aotearoa. Since 1998 he has been pursuing and reporting on the cutting edge of extreme sports in more than 40 countries around the globe, his work appearing in magazines, films, and on MTV Sports. He has been a member of the Burning Man community since 1999, and he is also involved in the documentation and advancement of “Alternative Culture.”

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Tom Hatsis – Microdosing, Magic and Psychedelic History

Tom Hastis

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Tom Hatsis is an intellectual, occultist, psychedelic user and advocate from Portland, Oregon. In the show, Joe and Tom talk about his new book about microdosing. Joe prepares listeners about the controversial topic, magick, which is highly discussed in the show. Witch craft, western shamanism, old religion and magick are all mentioned during the conversation. Tom is a coordinator for Sanctum Psychedelica, a psychedelic club in Portland.

3 Key Points:

  1. Tom’s book Microdosing Magic is a book of templates for people to fill in the blank according to what works for them
  2. Magic isn’t the ‘hocus pocus’ witchy stuff that people always assume, it’s actually mind hacking, reframing and neurogenesis, that every individual is born with the ability to tap into
  3. Magic is a great way to create containers to frame our psychedelic experiences

Support the show

Navigating Psychedelics

Show Notes

About Tom

Tom’s Book – Microdosing Magic: A Psychedelic Spellbook
Tom thinks having a childlike wonder and being curious helped him write his book
He has written 4 books, 3 have been in psychedelic topics
Tom’s background – a part of the Roller derby background since 2005
His first book was called The Roller Derby: A Sensation that caused a Book, the Confessions of a Roller Derby Mascot.
Then he got into psychedelic history and wrote The Witch’s Ointment, Psychedelic Mystery Traditions and his newest book, Microdosing Magic.
Portland is a great place for the psychedelic renaissance

Microdosing Magic

Tom said we should be using psychedelics in a magical way
Joe agrees saying when using psychedelics we should be flexible philosophically
Joe mentions the Robert Anton Wilson reality tunnels
We all have a B.S. (Belief System) and then reality tunnels are the marxist sunglasses and the capitalist sunglasses and feminist sunglasses, instead of having 40 glasses to see behind bias, we all have our own pair of shades
Microdosing is a tool that helps people become childlike, more genius

Magic

Microdosing Magic is a book of templates for people to fill in the blank to what works with them
Tom never tells people what to do with psychedelics, he is offering insight and techniques
Using his own techniques, him and his partner are about to win a guinness world record
“If microdosing is like a healthy diet and magic is like exercise, that’s great. But what happens when you put healthy diet with exercise? You have something far more powerful than those two things could have been by themselves. That’s how microdosing magic works.”
Magic = mind hacking, re-framing and neurogenesis

The Four Gifts

Tom talks about ‘The Four Gifts’ in his book
They make up the beginning of his personal magical system that he has cultivated over his lifetime
Carl Sagan quote, “The cosmos are within us, we are a way for the universe to know itself”
Tom agrees strongly with that saying, he thinks we are microdoses of that cosmic magic and from it, we’ve received 3 immaterial gifts, Intellect, Emotion and Will, however, due to our evolution in physical bodies, we’ve inherited a fourth gift, action
The magical system is about aligning your intellect, emotion and will, so that when we take action, we are acting in pure magic
Magic is super powerful, not something that happens at Disney World. It’s a very real thing that every individual is born with the ability to tap into
Orenda – the magic that you are born with
Microdosing Magic is Tom’s small contribution to bettering the world
Joe says there are so many people that practice subtle magic and don’t even know it; in catholic religion, in yoga practice
Tom has a friend who ‘doesn’t believe in magic’, who is a hardcore material reductionist, who has a ‘lucky hat’
Tom – “This isn’t for people with claws and fangs, magic is for anybody who recognizes their own power and wants to harness their power to make their lives and the world around them a better place”
Neurogenesis, better firing, and re-framing happens in a person’s brain after consuming Psilocybin, Lions Mane and Reishi
Tom says he was addicted to coffee, and after using Microdosing Magic, he hasn’t needed a cup of coffee on 8 months because of his new neural pathways
Joe jokes about overdosing on coffee for a few months on his coffee addiction
Tom jokes back that he’d just drink it out of the pot

Creative Genius

Dr. George Land study – 98% of 5 year old scored in the creative genius category in the same test that 32 year-olds only scored 2%
The modern education system robs us of our creative genius that we all had when we were kids, but at no fault to the teachers. The education system, buys these education models that just don’t work
Tom – “You have to use the internet wisely and not foolishly, to educate yourself and not de-educate yourself”

The Book Tour

Joe asks about the most interesting questions Tom has received on tour
Most people ask about dose sizes and safety questions
Tom explains that he gets nervous about certain questions because he isn’t a medical professional or a therapist
Tom “If you wouldn’t take a psychedelic dose, don’t start microdosing”

Microdosing

Tom has been microdosing on and off for over 20 years
“We didn’t call it microdosing, we called it being broke, we could only afford 1/8th of acid, so we split it up. We felt way more energy, I started writing way more songs, I couldn’t put my guitar down. It sparks that creativity”
Joe says it’s never been a better time for the psychedelic and microdosing renaissance
Cannabis is now legal in 13 states
FDA just approved mushrooms for PTSD in Canada
MDMA is in phase 3 testing
Tom says people in Silicon Valley, and believes people in Congress and DC are microdosing, they just can’t talk about it
He mentions a talk he just did in Salem, a very conservative place, and no one had any questions. And then after the talk, everybody came up to him privately and asked him their questions
Tim Leary made a joke on Liberals not wanting to ‘risk face’
Joe comments on Tom’s book saying it was playful, inspiring, and not threatening like some magic can be
Tom says we don’t have villages for support anymore, we have community which has replaced that
Sanctum Psychedelia’s main focus is community building
Tom uses an example of people going to Peru, taking ayahuasca, and because they don’t have that mystical framework, they come back to their regular lives and say “now what”? That’s why integration and community are so important
Tom says he’d love to see ayahuasca and ibogaine clinics with all the great results people have received from their heroine or cigarette addictions
Tom’s favorite presentation ever was Mark Haden’s blueprint on the future of psychedelics psychotherapy Mark Haden’s Presentation on Psycehdelics
Mark Haden Psychedelic Reneissance

Cannabis and the War on Drugs

Tom likes to buy his cannabis directly from his farmer, he prefers to not have the government interfere
He says Gene Simmons from KISS has been so anti cannabis and now all of a sudden is promoting cannabis
Joe brings in the drug war issue, or the issue of people being put in jail for nonviolent crimes (cannabis)
Tom brings in another issue, saying that if a person is charged for drugs at one point in time that later becomes legal, they aren’t allowed freedom because of the fact that they did the crime during the time where it was illegal
Racism and the war on drugs really bothers Tom

Amanita and the True History of Christian Psychedelic History

Predominant Paradigm – the ‘Holy Mushroom’
Tom says there aren’t mushrooms in Christian art after doing the historical research
Source
He has debunked the Amanita Muscaria Santa Claus connection
Psychedelic Santa
Debate with John Rush
The Mushroom in Christian Art: The Identity of Jesus in the Development of Christianity
People say the Amanita Muscaria and Santa Claus outfit are the same colors, but Santa’s outfit comes from the American Flag
Carl Ruck
Dionysus in Thrace: Ancient Entheogenic Themes in the Mythology and Archeology of Northern Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey
Psychedelic Christianity – a scholarly debate
a scholarly debate pt. 2

Final Thoughts

Tom – “Psychedelics are an excellent way to change your mind and yourself”
Magic is a great way to create containers to frame difficult psychedelic experiences. It’s about putting new frames on your reality

Links

Tom’s website
Instagram
Facebook
Youtube
Tom’s Book

Check out this FREE online course, “Introduction to Psychedelics”Navigating Psychedelics: Introduction To Psychedelics (101)

About Tom

Tom Hatsis.

Thomas Hatsis is an author, lecturer, and historian of witchcraft, magic, Western religions, contemporary psychedelia, entheogens, and medieval pharmacopeia. In his spare time he visits rare archives, slings elixirs, and coaches roller derby.

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The Ethical and Ecological Considerations of Inhaling Bufotoxins from Incilius Alvarius

by Malin Vedøy Uthaug

The consumption of 5-MeO-DMT by inhaling bufotoxins from the Colorado River toad (lat. Incilius Alvarius), also known as “Bufo Alvarius”, “El Sapo/Sapito”, “Bufo”, and “Toad”, has become increasingly popular in a variety of underground ceremonial settings in recent years. Furthermore, due to the realization of the potential 5-MeO-DMT holds for therapy it has also become a new interest in psychedelic research.

When I started psychedelic research for my dissertation at Maastricht University in fall 2017, there was no research addressing the subjective effects from inhalation of bufotoxins in humans. Thus, I brought it upon myself to investigate this further as the consumption of the so-called “toad-medicine” was booming worldwide.

The primary aim of the study was to investigate whether the bufotoxins from the toad, which is known to contain significant amounts of 5-MeO-DMT, as well as other compounds, produces long-lasting changes on affect and thinking style. The second objective was to assess whether the acute and long-term effects of the bufotoxins depend on the degree of ego dissolution and altered states of consciousness that was experienced during the ceremony. The preliminary evidence of this study was presented at the Beyond Psychedelics conference in Prague in June, and the recording of this presentation is now circling around on the web.

Even though the study results are very interesting and important to highlight due to the consumption of the “toad-medicine” worldwide, I think it is of equal importance, if not more, to shed light on another side of the story. A side of the story that for once does not focus on humans.

This article aims to share information, increase awareness, and stimulate reflection about how the consumption of bufotoxins affect the toad.

5-methoxydimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is a potent, fast-acting, natural psychoactive indolealkymine substance, which acts as a serotonin (5-HT-1-A/5-HT-2A) receptor agonist (Shen, Jiang et al. 2010, Szabo, Kovacs et al. 2014). 5-MeO-DMT was initially isolated from the bark of Dictyoloma incanescens (Pachter 1959), and has also been found in the milky-white secretion that protects the Incilius Alvarius toad against predators (Weil and Davis 1994).

This toad, also known as Bufo Alvarius, has become well-known worldwide as a “5-MeO-DMT-making-machine”. Its secretion, when inhaled through vaporization, has proven to be powerfully psychoactive within 15 seconds, causing an experience of unity reported by participants in underground ceremonies in the most repeated soundbite “we are all one” (Weil and Davis 1994).

The presence of 5-MeO-DMT in the secretion is not the only substance that makes the toad so interesting. In fact, it is also the only species whose skin contains 5-methoxyindolealkylamines as well as 5-hydroxyindole-O-methyl transferase activity (Erspamer, Vitali et al. 1967). This enzyme, among other reactions, converts bufotenine (5-OH-DMT) to the potent hallucinogen 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) (Weil and Davis 1994).

That being said, bufotoxins are the name of a collection of compounds which can be found on the toad’s skin, and in the two glands behind the eyes called the parotid glands (Tyler 1976). Several types of toxic and non-toxic substances can be found in the bufotoxins and they include the following; cardioactive agents such as for example bufagins (bufandienolides), catecholamines such as epinephrine and norepinephrine, indolealkylamines such as bufothionine, serotonin, cinobufotenine, bufotenine and dehydrobufotenine, and finally noncardiac sterols, which are non-toxic, such as cholesterol, provitamin D, gamma sitosteral and ergosterol (Chen and Kovaříková 1967). Moreover, as illustrated in the work for Erspamer and colleagues (1967) using paper chromatography, the bufotoxins include not only 5-MeO-DMT but also many other compounds. As previously mentioned, these compounds protect the toad from predators, and can, for this reason, have fatal consequences as demonstrated by reports of animals that have died after biting toads.

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Although these bufotoxins are a natural defense mechanism of the toad, humans have found a way of using them for a different purpose. At the present time, a number of people are smoking bufotoxins at underground ceremonies. Moreover, many also make use of 5-MeO-DMT from plant extract (i.e. yopo) or from a synthetic origin. A recent survey by Johns Hopkins demonstrates that use of 5-MeO-DMT, from either toad, plant extract or synthetic origin, is used infrequently and primarily for spiritual exploration (Davis, Barsuglia et al. 2018). Anecdotal, and empirical evidence demonstrates that people also use 5-MeO-DMT for treating psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder and substance abuse (Psychedelic Times, 2016). The resulting subjective effects appear to be due to the compounds ability to induce mystical experiences which have been demonstrated to have lasting beneficial effects (Garcia-Romeu, R Griffiths et al. 2014).

To be able to inhale the bufotoxins one would have to “milk the toad.” It is worth noting that the toads hibernate for most of the year, and generally appear just before summer showers, and congregate when the rains begin for reproduction (Fouquette Jr 1970). This is the time when they can be found and milked. The pamphlet titled “Bufo Alvarius, the Psychedelic Toad of the Sonoran Desert” outlines detailed instructions for collecting and drying the venom;

“You hold it [wearing gloves] over a flat glass plate or any other smooth, nonporous surface at least 12-inches square, the toad is held in front of the plate, which is fixed in a vertical position. In this manner, “the venom can be collected on the glass plate, free of dirt and liquid released when the toad is handled” (Most 1984).

Moreover, from the article Weil and Davis from 1994:

“One Bufo Alvarius yield 0.25-0.5 gram of dried venom. Since concentrations of 5-MeO-DMT may be as high as 15% one toad may yield 75 mg of an hallucogenic drug that, when smoked, is effective in humans at doses of 3-5 mg. In other words, a single toad produces 15 or more doses of one of the most potent psychoactive drugs found I nature. A matchbox sized container would represent thousands of effective doses.”

With this in mind, it is no wonder that the harvest and consumption of the toad’s bufotoxins have increased.

The harvesting of the toad’s bufotoxins happens not only from the hands of facilitators of ceremonies, or consumers but also from toad-hunters such as the ones filmed in “Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia: The Psychedelic Toad” who after harvesting the bufotoxins sell it (VICELAND 2017). In the video clip, the toad-hunters report that they have collected around 500 grams of bufotoxins over the years. This equals 5,000 doses if one dose is 100 milligrams of bufotoxin, and means that in order for one person to have the experience at least two toads must be milked.

Colorado river toad (Incilius alvarius), also known as the Sonoran desert toad.

Now how does the harvesting and consumption of bufotoxins impact the toad?

At this point in time (October 2018) the toads are classified as “least concern” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Hammerson & Santos-Barrera, 2004). Although this may be true, these assessments are from 2004, and is therefore very likely to be outdated. A new assessment about the toad’s population size is highly warranted given the attention the toad has received and the consumption of the toads’ bufotoxins worldwide.

Nevertheless, it is not old news that the amphibian population worldwide is declining. Actually, their global decline was first recognized in the early 1990s (Wake 1991). As of 2010, 32% of the world’s nearly 6600 amphibian species are threatened with extinction, 43% are experiencing declines and for another 22%, there are insufficient data (Stuart, Chanson et al. 2004). This phenomenon represents the Earth’s sixth mass extinction (Wake and Vredenburg 2008). That being said, there is no single cause to the global amphibian decline, rather there may be several contributing factors (Hayes, Falso et al. 2010). As outlined in the paper by Hayes and colleagues, there are three levels of possible factors for the amphibian decline.

The first level involves 1) death (or removal) of individuals and 2) reduced recruitment within a population. (Editors note: recruitment occurs when juvenile organisms survive to be added to a population, by birth or immigration, usually a stage whereby the organisms are settled and able to be detected by an observer. Source – Wikipedia

The second level involves 1) increased disease rate, 2) decrease in nutrition, 3) predation, 4) human exploitation 5) “other mortality”, which represent everything from the death of older individuals, incidental death, to catastrophic events.

Finally, the third level involves 1) atmospheric change, 2) environmental pollutants, 3) habitat loss, 4) invasive species, and finally 5) pathogens. These levels are also suggested to interact with one another.

It is not rocket science that the above-mentioned factors also have an impact on the toad. The increasing demand for the bufotoxins for inhalation has made the toad susceptible to not only ecological disturbance through the invasion of habitat and excessive milking, but also amphibian-trafficking and black-market dynamics. Additionally, according to herpetologist Robert Anthony Villa, the largest toads are most likely to be spotted and collected over smaller toads, and if you remove the biggest toads, you remove the population’s ability to sustain itself as the bigger toads have a lot of eggs (Psychedelic Today 2018). Moreover, based on studies on snakes, we know that 80% of snakes die if you catch them, move them to a different territory and let them go. Similarly, toads have an inner-GPS that they rely on, and if a toad is taken out of their territory for milking, and then set free elsewhere, they are very likely to die because they are either simply lost, could get run over by a car, or eaten by predators. The latter is more likely to successfully happen when the toad has been deprived of their main defense mechanism.

Along with that, Villa reports that the toad is very likely to be impacted negatively by pathogens, such as for example chytridiomycosis, which is exposed to them by people when they are collected for milking and can spread to the rest of the toad population. Additionally, as the surviving toads depend on the genetic variety of other populations to sustain themselves, the toads would inbreed themselves to extinction if there are no other populations to copulate with. Finally, keeping a toad as a pet, or many in large conservations for breeding, is a huge disservice to the toad as they do not do well in captivity, and due to the factors previously stated.

Given the circumstances, it seems to me that the harvesting and consumption of bufotoxins or so-called “toad medicine” is very much the case of the “double effect” principle; with a good act, comes a bad consequence. The aforementioned are all alarming factors that could very well lead toward population decline and so to extinction. This is all startling information that calls for action.

A discontinuation of “toad medicine” in favor of synthetic 5-MeO-DMT use can diminish the current unnecessary and excessive harassment of the Incilius Alvarius species. Switching from using toad bufotoxin to synthetic 5-MeO-DMT is better for many other reasons. First, synthetic 5-MeO-DMT does not contain a cocktail of other compounds and is therefore much safer to use. Likewise, it will be much easier for researchers to re-schedule and legalize a pure substance for medical use than a complex bufotoxin. Second, synthetic 5-MeO-DMT is not any different from “toad-medicine”. In fact, the argument that “toad-medicine” is better than synthetic is a claim that is drawn from personal experience and is not a good enough argument to extend to a generality.

I personally think it is important that we start to reflect upon the implications our actions have on the toads and take action. It is not necessary to wait until the toads are classified as endangered before we act.

My hope and wish for the future is that all of us, be it, consumers, researchers, organizers, or facilitators, will think twice about whether experiencing 5-MeO-DMT at the expense of a species’ continued presence on this planet is worth it. Especially when there is an alternative way which is much safer to use, not any different from the effects of the bufotoxins, and does not contribute to ecocide.

The book “Homo Deus; A Brief History of Tomorrow” highlights several important and interesting topics. One of them is the power human beings have, and how this power can affect the future of the planet. One thing that Harari points out, which seems to be very fitting for this moment, is that humans have the capability to do many things, but that question is not “what we can do?”, but rather; “what should we do?” (Harari 2015). 

References

Chen, K. and A. Kovaříková (1967). “Pharmacology and toxicology of toad venom.” Journal of pharmaceutical sciences 56(12): 1535-1541.

Davis, A. K., J. P. Barsuglia, R. Lancelotta, R. M. Grant and E. Renn (2018). “The epidemiology of 5-methoxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) use: Benefits, consequences, patterns of use, subjective effects, and reasons for consumption.” Journal of Psychopharmacology: 0269881118769063.

Erspamer, V., T. Vitali, M. Roseghini and J. M. Cei (1967). “5-Methoxy-and 5-hydroxyindoles in the skin of Bufo alvarius.” Biochemical pharmacology 16(7): 1149-1164.

Fouquette Jr, M. (1970). “Bufo alvarius.” Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (CAAR).

Garcia-Romeu, A., R. R Griffiths and M. W Johnson (2014). “Psilocybin-occasioned mystical experiences in the treatment of tobacco addiction.” Current drug abuse reviews 7(3): 157-164.

Harari (2015). Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow.

Hayes, T., P. Falso, S. Gallipeau and M. Stice (2010). “The cause of global amphibian declines: a developmental endocrinologist’s perspective.” Journal of Experimental Biology 213(6): 921-933.

Most, A. (1984). Bufo alvarius: The psychedelic toad of the Sonoran desert, Venom Press.

Pachter, I. J. Z., D.E.Ribeiro, O. (1959). “Indole alkaloids of acer saccharinum (the Silver Maple), Dictyoloma incanescens, Piptadenia colubrina, and Mimosa hostilis.” J Org Chem 24: 1285-1287.

Shen, H. W., X. L. Jiang, J. C. Winter and A. M. Yu (2010). “Psychedelic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine: metabolism, pharmacokinetics, drug interactions, and pharmacological actions.” Curr Drug Metab 11(8): 659-666.

Stuart, S. N., J. S. Chanson, N. A. Cox, B. E. Young, A. S. Rodrigues, D. L. Fischman and R. W. Waller (2004). “Status and trends of amphibian declines and extinctions worldwide.” Science 306(5702): 1783-1786.

Szabo, A., A. Kovacs, E. Frecska and E. Rajnavolgyi (2014). “Psychedelic N, N-dimethyltryptamine and 5-methoxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine modulate innate and adaptive inflammatory responses through the sigma-1 receptor of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells.” PloS one 9(8): e106533.

Psychedelic Today (2018). Psychedelic Today’s 5-MeO-DMT Course; https://psychedelicstoday.teachable.com/, Psychedelic Today (Unpublished).

Tyler, M. J. (1976). Frogs, Collins.

VICELAND (2017). The Psychedelic Toad. Hamiltons pharmacopeia. https://www.viceland.com/en_us/video/hamiltons-pharmacopeia-the-psychedelic-toad/59cd5cd7c6e1eb5725458fdc, Vice.

Wake, D. B. (1991). “Declining amphibian populations.” Science 253(5022): 860-861.

Wake, D. B. and V. T. Vredenburg (2008). “Are we in the midst of the sixth mass extinction? A view from the world of amphibians.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Weil, A. T. and W. Davis (1994). “Bufo alvarius: a potent hallucinogen of animal origin.” Journal of ethnopharmacology 41(1-2): 1-8.

About the Author

Malin Vedøy Uthaug is a Ph.D. student at the University of Maastricht, Department of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology. She has a background in health and social psychology and is currently researching psychedelic (ayahuasca, 5-MeO-DMT, DMT, and mescaline) and yoga-induced improvements of mental health. On the side of being a student and researcher, she is a life coach and public speaker. She started her coaching project titled Love & Gratitude in September 2016 which serves as a platform to spread information related to positive psychology, and transpersonal psychology. Love & Gratitude has also become a way to bring about information about psychedelics and help to destigmatize them. She has since September 2016 delivered talks, webinars and workshops in Belgium, The Netherlands, Czech Republic, Norway, United States of America, and Colombia.

You can find more from Malin on Psychedelics Today here.

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Brian Pace, M.S. – Find The Others Project

Brian Pace - Find The Others

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Joe Moore interviews Brian Pace. He studies Evolutionary Ecology, is a science consultant at The Third Wave, and is the director of the project, Mind Manifest Midwest, and instigator of the “Find the Others” project.

3 Key Points:

  1. Psychedelics are not just illegal, they are also taboo, and Brian’s efforts are aimed to create spaces that make it more comfortable to talk about psychedelics.
  2. Online resources are great, but having local, and real psychedelic societies to create community will help people “come out” and be comfortable talking about their experiences.
  3. Brian’s interest evolved from ecology to psychedelics when he realized the issue of global warming. The top environmental problems are selfishness and greed, and changing people’s minds with psychedelics is a big hope for the planet.

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Show Notes

  • Getting Involved with The Third Wave
    • Met Paul Austin of The Third Wave at the Global Ibogaine Therapy Alliance Conference.
    • The conference was foundational in him becoming outspoken about psychedelics.
  • Ibogaine – last resort option for people suffering from addiction.
  • Brian and the team built The Third Wave with the goal to bring the conversation about psychedelics to be more comfortable among the general public.
    • It has been good about building bridges to invite all types of people to the community, not just white males. It’s important to be inclusive in this space.
  • Find the Others
    • Started at Psychedelic Science, to talk about what psychedelic societies are.
    • Aware Project by Ashley Booth (www.awareproject.org)
    • Psychedelics are not just illegal, they are also Taboo – Michael Pollan
    • “Were having a cultural hangover from the upheavals we’ve had in the late 60’s and early 70’s.” – Brian
  • “We can fight taboos when we can have conversations – about that which was taboo – in the grocery store, in the bar, with our parents. I think that’s definitely what’s needed with psychedelics.” – Brian
    • Had the first psychedelic society meeting at a bar that included a presentation about plant secondary compounds and human health and ended with storytelling.
  • 20% of Americans over the age of 15 have had some experience with psychedelics, 11% with LSD. (source unsure)
  • Mitch Gomez from Dance Safe – more than 50% of the population of the U.S has done illegal compounds at age 15 and up. Psychedelics have taken a big chunk of that number.
  • Cannabis is a great help for football players and traumatic brain injury.
  • “If psychedelics are ever going to be reintegrated meaningfully in society, we are going to need some kind of mentorship.” – Brian
  • Timothy Leary – “You’re born with the right to fly”. If you start driving on LSD, you might lose that right.
  • Find the Others, Mind Manifest Midwest, The Third Wave
    • A collaborative project that allows people to speak in their own words what they are doing in their psychedelic societies.
    • Psychedelic Societies are real, local and create community.
  • MDMA for PTSD will be passed at the Federal level very quickly.
  • Evolutionary Ecology
    • Psilocybin – PhD focused on plant secondary compounds.
    • The mycorrhizae network – “the Earth’s natural internet” – Paul Stamets
  • Climate change
    • Consumption – eating meat and driving cars
    • The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy. Changing people’s mindsets with psychedelics could be an only hope.
    • “Given that psychedelics have reliably induced mystical and/or religious experiences in people throughout time and across a variety of contexts, it seems natural that we should start organizing communities that help unpack and contextualize these experiences.” – Brian
  • The status of our society
    • Why do we have to work 55 hours a week to barely afford a 2 bedroom apartment?
    • Guaranteed minimum income – an experiment in other countries.
    • What does our society look like when it is less stressed?
  • Timothy Leary
    • “Who knows what you might learn from taking a chance on conversation with a stranger? Everyone carries a piece of the puzzle. Nobody comes into your life by mere coincidence. Trust your instincts. Do the unexpected. Find the others…”
    • Helped create the importance of set and setting.
    • Saw the inside of 36 prisons for possession of marijuana.

Link

Mind Manifest Midwest

Find The Others Project

Aware Project

 

Check out this FREE online course, “Introduction to Psychedelics”Navigating Psychedelics: Introduction To Psychedelics (101)

About Brian

Brian Pace - Find the Others Project

Brian Pace, M.S. is a scientist by training and psychonaut by inclination. His interest in biology was piqued acutely as a teenager while experimenting with his own neurochemistry. For more than a decade, Brian has worked on agrobiodiversity, food sovereignty, urban cycling, and climate change in the US and Mexico. Brian is the co-founder of Mind Manifest Midwest (facebook.com/mindmanifestmidwest), a Columbus, Ohio based psychedelic society and the instigator of the Find the Others Project (findtheothersproject.org), a global collaboration of the burgeoning psychedelic society movement. Since 2016, he has contributed as a strategist for The Third Wave (thethirdwave.co). At The Ohio State University, he co-created a graduate-level class entitled: Cannabis: Past, present, and future cultivation for fiber, food, and medicine. He spent a year slogging around oil and wastewater pits left by Chevron-Texaco testing mycoremediation techniques in the Ecuadorian Amazon. All pipelines leak. Plant medicine is indigenous technology. Brian completes his Ph.D. in Plant Evolutionary Ecology this semester at OSU.

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Kyle and Joe – The Cost of Spiritual Emergence: Psychedelics, Spirituality and Capitalism

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In this episode of Psychedelics Today, Kyle and Joe dig into and create conversation over an email received about the cost of psychedelics, the facets of capitalism and about feeling isolated after a psychedelic experience.

3 Key Points:

  1. Capitalism in psychedelics is a complex topic and includes factors such as the schooling system, the medical system, monopoly, trade, and other facets that go into the cost of psychedelics.
  2. There are other forms of therapy that don’t have to involve psychedelics or lots of money.
  3. Feeling isolated after an experience is sometimes our own blockage, by refusing to create community because a person hasn’t had the same experience as us. Psychedelics aren’t always needed for a psychedelic experience.

Support the show

Navigating Psychedelics

Navigating Psychedelics

Show Notes

Email concern: Some psychedelic experiences seem segregated by a price bracket.
Ketamine Therapy – believed it would help with their depression, but ended up spending a thousand dollars every two weeks.

Joe – curious that ketamine lozenges may be a cheaper option that could help.
Kyle – although the drug itself may be cheap, you’re not just paying for the lozenges, you’re paying for a therapist or a psychiatrist.
Kyle – in America, healing is a privilege. We work hard to pay for health insurance, or even if we are insured through work or family, it gets hard to pay for because of the premiums.
“I would rather pay for taking care of myself, than going out and partying with friends.”
Healing may have to be a choice sadly, you may have to ask yourself “do I want this or do I need this?”
Joe – One treatment of ketamine is beneficial for a short-term intervention in an urgent state
One session of ketamine therapy helps the user understand the situation clearer and can reduce the thoughts of suicide
Kyle – “some of my greatest healing experiences were done through my own work, with myself or with friends”

“How do you feel about the resurgence of spirituality and psychedelics and it’s capitalism?”
Joe – Going from the states to Peru to do ayahuasca to reach spiritualism isn’t the only means of spirituality. There are so many other options than capitalist outlets to find spiritual development.
Kyle – “I want to offer a lot of help, and do free workshops, but need money to survive.”
Joe – Jokingly “You’re three months behind on your rent Terrence!”


A person doesn’t need hundreds of trips to be complete and happy, Aldous Huxley says you need three to four strong trips throughout your life.
“How do we protect the planet, and how do we maintain freedom?”

To talk about Capitalism and psychedelics, we are assuming that something needs to mediate the trade or exchange for therapy. Let’s continue to educate ourselves so that we don’t blame capitalism on the fact that therapy has a cost. It’s a hard conversation to have, it’s a complex topic.
Joe – pro-socialized medicine
$30,000 for a first responder to take an overdose death away
$20-$30 for a Narcan
Let’s prevent and heal more. Capitalism does incentivize doctors and healers.
Kyle – “how can we use these as tools and not toys?”
Medicalization of psychedelics may have a potential tie to capitalism
The difference between doing it legally for an extremely high price, versus paying the market price for a gram of mushrooms (illegally) and doing the work (therapy) on your own.
Joe – Monopoly=capitalism
Kyle – the Education system
Student loan debt can be a half a million dollars to be a doctor or therapist
That debt plays an effect on how much those doctors or therapists charge

“How do you deal with isolationism that certain psychedelic experiences bring forward?”
Kyle – “this has been a huge issue in my life, this resonates with me. After having my near-death experience, I didn’t know to talk to people, how to function in the world. A near-death experience is one of the most psychedelic things. To slowly slip away and ‘die’, and come back to this place and not feel like this is where I belong, how do I exist here? It can lead to isolation. It can be extremely heavy.”
“We’re all experiencing this reality through our own lens, so we have to meet people where they are.”
The reason these experiences can make us feel lonely is that of the lack of community. Kyle believes in not just constantly going into these experiences, but more about the integration of the experiences.
Joe – Tim Leary says “Find the others”. But there are a lot of psychedelic people out there who don’t take psychedelics that can be a part of your ‘community’.
Kyle – it makes sense to feel like you need to connect with someone who has done psychedelics in order for them to understand, but we can connect with other people who may not have had psychedelic experiences.
The psychedelic experience isn’t the only way. We can also experience spiritualism and healing without psychedelics, too.
Kyle – Experience in Jamaica, the Rastas talking about home and family, “if the oil splashes up and burns me, my family isn’t here to help me, but you’re here to help me, and you can help me.”
The people around me are family, they don’t always need to have had experienced the same things as me in order to help me
Joe – group strengthens self
Robert Anton Wilson’s habit – he would order magazine subscriptions and most subscriptions aligned with his interests, and the other half were of subscriptions way outside of his interests, so he wouldn’t develop a bias.

Check out this FREE online course, “Introduction to Psychedelics”Navigating Psychedelics: Introduction To Psychedelics (101)

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Marisa Novy – Art, Psychedelics and Shambhala

Marisa Novy

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In this episode, Joe Moore interviews Marisa Novy, a wonderful psychedelic artist living and working in Breckenridge, Colorado who has been helping Psychedelics Today with some awesome art and more.

3 Key Points:

  1. Harm reduction was top notch at Shambhala but the festival could have done a bit more.
  2. Early psychedelic experiences added substantial depth to her yoga practice and art.
  3. Marisa has helped us at Psychedelics Today a ton and we are very excited to keep working with her.

Show Notes

  • Martian Curiosities – Instagram
  • Shambhala Festival in BC
    • An electronic music festival with different producers coordinating music and art for each stage.
    • No alcohol is allowed at the festival.
    • Almost promoted as a psychedelic-friendly festival.
    • The biggest win for the festival this year – no fentanyl found in any of the drugs tested.
    • Marisa’s favorite part about Shambhala is the people/community.
    • Shambhala provides harm reduction/drug testing services.
      • Drug testing is done by ANKORS.
      • ANKORS also provides drug safety information.
      • Drug testing helps to clean up the scene because people understand what is found in their substances.

  • Drug testing is illegal or not allowed in the United States
  • Marisa did some outreach for Psychedelics Today at Shambhala festival to promote drug safety, harm reduction, and our course Navigating Psychedelics  
  • Marisa’s favorite artists at Shambhala
  • Marisa’s introduction to psychedelics
  • What would it look like if festivals provided integration services to help process the overall festival experience?

Links

Check out this FREE online course, “Introduction to Psychedelics”Navigating Psychedelics: Introduction To Psychedelics (101)

About Marisa Novy

Marisa Novy

I am Marisa, a 24 year old explorer of consciousness and purpose of life.
I graduated UW-Milwaukee with a BBA in Marketing and International Business with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship. I grew up making art, and for the most part, I am constantly creating. I have my own small creative business for my artwork at MARtianCuriosities on Etsy, and @martiancuriosities on Instagram for more consulting projects. I became interested in Psychedelics after reading some cosmic literature, delving deeper into my yogic practice, and through my search for meaning and enlightenment. Psychedelics have helped my creativity to blossom and to be my truest self.

 

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Duli Wilkins – The Adventures of the Beantown G.H.E.T.T.O Shaman

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During this episode of Psychedelics Today, your host Kyle Buller interviews Duli Wilkins, aka the “Beantown Ghetto Shaman” about his work and future plans. In this conversation, Kyle talks to Duli about his work with sacred plant medicines, how he got involved in this type of work, and also explore the topic of people of color and diversity in the psychedelic world.

Show Notes

  • About Duli Wilkins
    • He’s from the Boston area born and raised.
    • He gives credit to his parents for getting him into what he’s into right now.
    • His dad used to play jazz music and met a bunch of famous musicians.
    • He learned that sound and frequency can be used as a tool for healing.
    • He lived between two warring projects.
      • A lot of his friends got into the gang life.
    • He got heavily into Tai Chi and Chi Kung.
    • He became a multi-dimensional healer
    • He had a friend who gave him a mushroom and that’s when the magic begins.
  • How did everything begin for Duli?
    • His empathic abilities heightened more when he used cannabis.
    • He started getting deeper into the teachings of Rastafarians.
    • In the black community, you didn’t see a lot of people using psychedelics.
      • Using a mushroom was very new to him.
    • Duli’s experience with mushrooms?
      • At first he just felt some tingling and checked on his friend looking at the painting.
      • He started to see things happen before they were happening.
      • He was seeing the fabric of reality.
      • He started having out of body experience and heard drumming from the heavens.
    • “What was it like for you to be involved in this work when the people around you aren’t?”
      • Things are changing, more people across the globe are becoming aware of the benefits of teaching plants.
      • A lot of people report seeing ancestors that have passed away.
      • There’s a resistance to psychedelics in the black community because of the history of drugs.
      • It was easy for the government to shut down everyone but their own children.
      • We have to be patient and time will bring things to the surface.
    • Discussion about the pharmaceutical system.
      • It’s great when you have a broken bone, etc.
      • The pharmaceutical establishment is a business and it runs like a business.
      • When we deal with ancestral memory or epigenetics the medical industry can’t touch it.
      • Safety in a teaching plant ceremony is key.
    • Discussion about the dark night of the soul.
      • Work in the shadow is important if you want to become whole.
      • We’re all walking around with trauma.
      • He’s had a lot of past life experiences, even one where his son died very young.
      • It takes a lot of courage to try psychedelics and you have to have a good setting.
    • “Do you see a lot of spiritual bypassing?”
      • Yes, people try to hide behind things.
      • Some people hide behind the psychedelics.
      • Psychedelics and teaching plants are tools, how are you using the tools?
      • When we deal with wealthy people, maybe it’s the lack of struggle to obtain psychedelics.
      • There’s much more to us and as time goes by we’re going to have disclosure.
    • Duli talks about some experiences with extraterrestrials during psychedelic trips.
      • We’re going through cycles and making the same mistakes every time.
    • Last words?
        • Find him on Facebook under @abdukwilkins
        • Find him on YouTube under The Beantown Ghetto Shaman

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Episode Quotes

  • Something inside me said, I should take the mushroom and that was the gateway to shamanism.
  • Things are changing, more people across the globe are becoming aware of the benefits of teaching plants.
  • We have to have a re-education and awareness around teaching plants.

About Duli Wilkins,  a.k.a Duli Tha Beantown G.H.E.T.T.O Shaman

  

Abdul K. Wilkins a.k.a Duli Tha Beantown G.H.E.T.T.O (Gifted. Hearts. Equal. Towards. Total. Oneness) Shaman is a Boston Native…He grew up in the Inner City of Roxbury where he overcame an environment of gang street violence, neighborhood drug abuse, and police brutality! Duli was influenced at a young age by both of his parents in the interest of spirituality, mysticism, natural healing etc.

While attending College at Northeastern University he had a very mystical experience with psilocybin mushrooms and has been using mushrooms and other psychedelics as a tool for healing and conscious awareness ever since! He is a father of 2 and does massage therapy and natural healings in his community!

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Robert Forte – The Hidden History of Psychedelics

The Hidden History of Psychedelics

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Kyle and Joe interview Robert Forte who has been around the psychedelic world for decades as a writer, facilitator and researcher. He has known or has worked with most of the biggest names in psychedelic history including Dr. Stanislav Grof and Timothy Leary among others.

The interview covers a lot of ground and will likely ruffle some feathers.

Robert has extensively studied the history of psychedelics and has drawn some conclusions about the origins of the field.

Psychedelics as Weapons

From the early days, scientists have been working with psychedelics to weaponize them. From project artichoke to MK Ultra, the US government and many foreign governments have spent a tremendous amount of effort researching these powerful compounds and likely still are.

Robert states that various governments particularly the United States government have groups that are using drugs to derange the public to make it easier for these groups to meet their desired outcomes – less democracy, increased plutocratic power, etc. Think Brave New World and Brave New World Revisitied.

Deranged from Miriam Webster:
1: mentally unsound : crazy
2: disturbed or disordered in function, structure, or condition
  • My leg was propped up on a library chair at the time, as it was too deranged to bend.
    3: wildly odd or eccentric

He makes a compelling argument, but we want you the listener and reader to “Think for Yourself and Question Authority”. That was a Leary line that we think is valuablein situations like this. Read books on the subject, question the purpose behind them, think critically and see where you want to go with it.

After recording this interview Joe Moore read the amazing and comprehensive 2016 history The Devil’s Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America’s Secret Government. The book filled in some gaps for me (Joe) but didn’t really change my mind much on the topic of psychedelics specifically.

Please enjoy the episode and if you want to discuss it, please join us at our facebook group here.

Links & Show Notes

Timothy leary outside looking in

 About Robert Forte

Robert Forte

James Fadiman calls Robert Forte, “a major but not well known hero of the psychedelic movement.”  A scholar, editor, publisher, professor, researcher of the subject for over 3 decades, Forte has come to some disturbing realizations about the psychedelic renaissance that he helped to start.  Huston Smith called his first book, Entheogens and the Future of Religion, “the best single inquiry into the religious significance of chemically occasioned mystical experience that has yet appeared.” Forte was introduced to psychedelics in 1980 by Frank Barron, who initiated Timothy Leary and started the Harvard Psilocybin Project with him. From the University of California Forte was invited to Esalen to study with Stanislav Grof, before going to the University of Chicago to study the history and psychology of religion under Mircea Eliade. Over the years Forte has worked closely with many of the most prominent leaders of the psychedelic movement, including R. G. Wasson, Albert Hofmann, Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner, Alexander Shulgin, Claudio Naranjo, and many others. His early MDMA research in 1981-85 turned on 100s of people to this new medicine. Though this project led to the creation of MAPS, Forte is a vocal critic of MAPS government collusion and deceptive policies. His second book is a rounded view of Timothy Leary, Outside Looking In:  Appreciations, Castigations, Reminiscences.  He first experienced ayahuasca in 1988, and conducted ayahuasca research with cancer patients in Peru, yet he is now suspicious of the globalizing of ayahuasca as an form of “spiritual colonialism.”   He is a enthusiastic supporter of conscious, independent psychedelic healing and recreation, and an equally fierce opponent of  psychedelics for mind control, profiteering, and social engineering by political and economic elites.

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Richard Grossman PhD – Exploring Ayahuasca, Acupuncture and Healing

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During this episode of Psychedelics Today, Kyle Buller interviews Dr. Richard Grossman, an ayahuasca ceremony facilitator and expert with a background in healing and acupuncture.

Episode Quotes

  • I find mystical poetry to be an amazing aid in ceremony work.
  • Is it the vision or the emotion that you feel and then the vision comes?
  • In my work, the psychedelic experience is about going beyond the visionary state.
  • The core of all creation is in the heart and breath.

 

Show Notes

  • About Dr. Richard Grossman
    • Has a long background in healing.
    • He used to be a macrobiotic chef.
    • Primeval meditations and licensed acupuncturist.
    • Works with ayahuasca and San Pedro.
  • How did Richard get involved in ayahuasca?
    • A friend brought some up from Peru and his life changed in one night.
    • It took him years as an acupuncturist learning more about healing.
    • He’s been doing this for about thirty years.
  • Do you integrate your acupuncture practice into ceremony?
    • Not so much with ayahuasca – that’s done traditionally.
    • He had a lot of experience with the Shipibo Tradition.
    • With the San Pedro method, the body change happens in one day.
  • Opinions on psychedelic visions.
    • Many people want them and they’re a distraction.
    • The real thing is that the source of everything is within.
    • If a person can experience that for an instant, their life changes.
    • There are a lot of things happening on subtle levels.
    • The psychonaut and healing processes are quite different.
  • What are some examples of ideas you’ve seen in the psychedelic community?
    • People trying to draw in gods and goddesses.
    • You need to see how deep a human being can go, it’s an infinite journey.
  • What is it like to go deeper and deeper?
    • If you can imagine a series of curtains parting over and over and over again.
    • You begin to see places of illusion.
    • During one of his trips, he visualized himself in a Nazi concentration camp.
      • A voice told him to trust and forgive.
      • He began to question what forgiveness and trust mean.
    • Some people are seeking spirituality and not really healing within.
      • Ayahuasca tourism is a fairly good thing, rather than people coming and ruining the jungle.
    • How would you define a healing process?
      • It’s a complex subject, he likes the idea of a series of concentric circles.
    • Do you work with a person’s energy?
      • People get very relaxed.
      • If there is someone who can’t get relax he calms them with acupuncture.
    • Do you think intoxicants affects the chi?
      • San Pedro or ayahuasca are not considered intoxicants.
      • He sees that ayahuasca is only good for the body.
      • Psilocybin has a rough effect on the liver.
      • The tannins in ayahuasca are valuable and bind toxins in the body.
    • Do you have to worry about any cardiovascular problems?
      • It is a stimulant so he screens people before doing the ceremony.
      • Beauty is a healing process, beauty heals.
    • Is there anything you’re excited about in the psychedelic world?
      • When the community comes together to heal it’s powerful.
      • We’re all going to a place of more love, peace, joy, and healing.
      • What’s the outcome of thousands of people experiencing love and joy?
    • What’s the ayahuasca ceremony structure?
      • Constant music, keeping things from going totally wonky.
      • There’s a point in the ceremony that it could go in either direction:
        • Total group insanity or total group healing.
      • Iowaska ceremonies can be dangerous.
        • It’s something to be respected with its own spirit.
      • You must hold close to the traditions of generations.
      • There’s always a point during the ceremony where he feels it’s the most important and beautiful place he’s ever been.
      • Drama’s not necessary, our culture wants the drama.
      • We need to outgrow externalizing the blame.
      • Life in our heart is meant to be enjoyed.
      • Suffering to heal just doesn’t work.
    • Culture seems to dwell on suffering, is that conditioning?
      • The worst thing a human can possibly do is feeling guilty.
        • “Guilt can’t fly and God wants you to fly.”
      • The nature of reality is joy and love.
      • You need to be willing to let go of the things that don’t work.
      • Psychedelics can be used as a guiding light.
    • Any final advice, events?
      • Find him on his website or on Facebook.
      • Heartfeather.com – Dr. Richard Grossman’s website.
      • Don’t stop, just keep going.

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About Richard Grossman, L.AC., O.M.D., Ph.D.

   

Richard Grossman studied Oriental Medicine at the California Acupuncture College in Los Angeles and received his post-graduate acupuncture training in Beijing, in a course sponsored by the World Health Organization and attended by physicians from around the world. He earned a Masters in Acupuncture, a Doctor of Oriental Medicine degree, a Ph.D. in Oriental Medicine, a Diplomat in Acupuncture, a Diplomat of Pain Management, and a Diplomat in Acupuncture Orthopedics.

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Exploring Race-Based Traumatic Stress and MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy – Dr. Monnica Williams and Dr. Will Siu

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During this episode of Psychedelics Today, your hosts Joe Moore and Kyle Buller interview Dr. Monnica Williams from the University of Connecticut and Dr. Will Siu a psychiatrist in private practice based in Manhattan,  and a therapist on MAPS’s MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD clinical trials at the University of Connecticut. They join us to discuss race-based trauma, people of color in psychedelics, and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

Show Notes

About Dr. Will Siu

  • He’s a psychiatrist and therapist on the MDMA for PTSD clinical trials with the supervision of Dr. Monnica Williams.
  • Based in NYC and has a private practice.
  • Does some work in emergency psychiatry at a local hospital.

About Dr. Monnica Williams

  • Associate professor at the University of Connecticut.
  • Does graduate teaching and multicultural psychology and research in the health center.
  • Currently doing a study on MDMA assisted psychotherapy for PTSD.
  •  What is race-based trauma?
    • There had been some studies previously.
    • When people become traumatized by experiences of racism, oppression, marginalization based on their perceived identity.
    • Often because of ongoing experiences, like microaggressions
    • Eventually, people have so many of these experiences that they start to have symptoms of PTSD.
    • People get so distressed and afraid that they act in a way that might harm them.
    • You have to think about trauma in a non-single event way.
  • Exploring the topic epigenetics.
    • Trauma has been passed down from generation to generation.
    • Layer epigenetics on top of what’s currently going on and trauma is understandable.
  • How has recruiting been going for the MDMA study?
    • It’s challenging, they’re not drawing from the same population the other sites are.
    • They’re creating a culturally safe, welcoming environment for people of color.
    • There is fear and misinformation that requires them to do a lot of education on the front end.
    • Research abuses haven’t stopped, they’re still continuing today.
    • Psychedelic drugs are almost exclusively used by white people.
  • Are there any big problems you’re trying to tackle now in prepping the study?
    • Traditionally there has been no compensation for study participants, but it’s needed for this study.
    • Another layer is paying via direct deposit vs. cash and getting the university on board.
    • How do you send someone back into the trauma you’re trying to heal.
  • How do you support people in the study?
    • Support them as much as possible during the study.
    • Continue to follow-up with people after the treatment is over.
  • There is a lack of people of color in the therapy field, especially MAPS.
    • Often people of color don’t have a good experience with white therapists.
  • Why do you think there aren’t very many people of color in psychedelics?
    • People of color haven’t had the same advantages to become therapists.
      • It’s not safe to talk about substances when your license is on the line.
    • Culturally, psychedelics haven’t played as big of a role with people of color.
  • What does an ideal training model look like for you?
    • Watching the videos of people getting well was a big game changer.
    • The training needs a fuller understanding of what people from other ethnic and cultural groups need.
    • Monica is altering the training to be more relatable.
  • Talk about enrollment.
    • They have people at all different stages right now.
    • They have about 18 people total who have gone through the stages.
    • They still have to follow the guidelines of an indexed trauma to be accepted.
  • How big is your team right now?
    • Three therapist pair teams.
    • A few other people who assist in various ways.
    • Several people are doing double-duty.
  • How can the psychedelic community be more inclusive of people of color?
    • Make some close friends who are not white.
  • Do you have any fantasy projects you’d like to see play out?
    • Start a master’s program with a specialty track in minority mental health and psychedelic therapy.
    • All scholarships for people of color.
  • Any advice you’d give to a young person or professional?
    • There’s a lot of work to be done and we need enthusiastic minds.
    • Change won’t happen overnight or be easy, but it’s worth it.
    • Be involved in the community

Episode Quotes

The psychedelic community is a very, very white community – most people of color haven’t had an experience with psychedelics.

Ultimately, psychedelics and psychotherapy will be an accepted, licensed form of treatment.

About Monnica Williams

  

Monnica Williams, Ph.D. is a board-certified, licensed clinical psychologist, specializing in cognitive-behavioral therapies. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Connecticut, and Director of the Laboratory for Culture and Mental Health Disparities. She is also the Clinical Director of the Behavioral Wellness Clinic, LLC in Mansfield, Connecticut, and she has founded clinics in Kentucky, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Will Siu, MD, DPhil

I grew up in southern California, where I completed college at UC Irvine and medical school at UCLA. Midway through medical school, I pursued research interests at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, DC and ultimately completed a doctoral degree at the University of Oxford. After finishing medical school I moved to Boston to complete my psychiatry residency at the Massachusetts General and McLean Hospitals, after which I continued to work for two years while faculty at Harvard Medical School. I moved to New York City in 2017 where in addition to having a private practice, I am a therapist on clinical trials using MDMA-assisted psychotherapy to treat PTSD.

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Matthew Pallamary – Exploring Ayahuasca Shamanism

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Introduction

In this episode of Psychedelics Today, host Joe Moore and Kyle Buller interview Matt Pallamary, and have a discussion with him about his writing, research, and ayahuasca experiences. He also shares his concerns about self-proclaimed gurus and some issues that have been emerging because of the popularity of ayahuasca.

3 Key Points:

  1. Science fiction writer Ray Bradbury was a mentor of Matt Pallamary.
  2. There are pros and cons to ayahuasca shamanism in Peru.
  3. The more in touch with the natural world you are the more balanced you are.

Show Notes

  • Matt Pallamary was part of the early psychedelics podcast scene.
  • Matt grew up in Dorchester near Boston, and he began early experiences with sniffing glue, weed, and getting acid from a chemist from M.I.T..
  • He has almost 20 years experience with ayahuasca.
  • Too many people have a couple of ayahuasca experiences and claim to be a guru.
  • Famed science fiction writer Ray Bradbury was a mentor of Matt Pallamary.
  • Everything is energy—the whole universe exists between our eyes.
  • Matt labels shamans as the first storytellers, the first musicians, the first performers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and first performers.
  • Being in touch with the natural world makes a person more balanced.
  • The boundaries between your conscious and subconscious are blurred, overlapping your visions, dreams, and waking life.
  • When going through an ayahuasca experience, you have to be in a safe place where you can be vulnerable and around people you can trust.
  • For ayahuasca experiences, be sure to get references from people that have successfully worked with a group.

Resources Mentioned:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCKedqiAQ7g]

About Author

   

Author, Editor, and Shamanic Explorer Matthew J. Pallamary is an award winning writer, musician, and sound healer who has been studying shamanism all of his life. He incorporates shamanic practices into his daily life as well as into his writing and teaching. He has over a dozen books in print that cover several genres, many of which have been translated into foreign languages.

His book on writing, Phantastic Fiction: A Shamanic Approach to Story took First Place in the International Book Awards Writing and Editing Category, and his popular Phantastic Fiction Workshop has been a staple of the Santa Barbara Writers Conference and the Southern California Writer’s Conference for over twenty five years. He has also lectured about writing and shamanism at numerous venues throughout the United States.

Matt has spent extended time in the jungles, mountains, and deserts of North, Central, and South America pursuing his studies of shamanism and ancient cultures. Through his research into both the written word and the ancient beliefs of shamanism, he has uncovered the heart of what a story really is and integrated it into core dramatic concepts that also have their basis in shamanism.

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Psychedelic Professionalism: Exploring Ethics, Boundaries, Self-Care, and More

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In this episode of Psychedelics Today, Kyle and Joe discuss professionalism in the psychedelic field. It has been brought to our attention that there are a number of people out there doing unprofessional things. As this field continues to develop and grow, it is important to be aware of what professionalism could look like, what self care, ethics, and boundaries look like in this world that we are all actively developing.

This episode is about raising the topic of professionalism in a new growing field rather than providing answers. We all need to be self-reflective in our development and question whether or not harm is being done by certain practices.

Some concerns were brought to attention via the Psilly Rabbits blog, Exploring Psychedelics 2018: Reviewing Zealotry and Apologetics within the Field of Psychedelic. If you want to listen to the episode where Cody discusses this blog more in-depth, check out the Psychedelic Zealotry episode.

Have any thoughts, comments, or feedback? Leave them below or send us an email!

In light of festival season, we are offering a $30 off coupon for our online store with every purchase of our course,  Navigating Psychedelics: Lessons on Self-Care and Integration throughout the month of June. If you are a student, please email us with your university email address to receive a special discount!

Joe and Kyle will also be offering some special live online course options. If you want to stay up-to-date about these offerings, sign up for our email list.

If you’re interested in learning more about DMTx, you can enroll in the DMTx 4-week Psychonaut Training. Proceeds go towards the DMTx project.

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Navigating Your Way Through the Psychedelic Field: How to Get Involved

Psychedelics: A Re-Emerging Field

As psychedelic research re-emerges from its dark ages, the world is beginning to learn about their healing potential for various psychological disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and near-death anxiety due to terminal illness. The research is fascinating, exciting, and seems to be catching a lot more mainstream attention.  The preliminary research shows that psychedelics may be promising tools for mental health and could be the future of medicine. So the question is, how does one get involved in this work?

Joe and Kyle had the opportunity to talk with Ingmar Gorman, Ph.D.about how people can get involved in psychedelic research or in the field of psychedelics in general. Ingmar shared with us some really great information and we would like to recap some highlights. Some of the information provided is a mix between our own thoughts and what Ingmar mentioned.

Important Disclaimer: This is a fairly new field, so it is important to remember that the future of this work is not set-in-stone. Psychedelics are still illegal within the United States and many other countries around the world. While we remain optimistic for the future of psychedelic research, the landscape can shift at any moment. There is still a lot of work to be done!

First Thing First:

  1. Ask yourself, “Why am I interested in entering into the field of psychedelic research?”
  2. Do you want to get your foot in the door because you had an experience that changed your life or inspired you in some way? Did you have a healing experience that you want to share with others?
  3. Do you want to give back to the community in some way by furthering scientific research or inquiry? If so, what is your expertise and area of interest?
  4. What role can you play later on? Are there areas or specialties that need attention or growth?
  5. Understanding and asking yourself, “Why do I want to do this? What is my motive?”

Personal or transformational experiences may not always be the best option for pursuing an active career in researching psychedelics. Psychedelic experiences can be healing, transformative, and magical, but this does not mean you have to enter into the field of science or research. There may be other options that might suit your interests better. Obtaining a professional degree can be a well-worth investment with your time and money if that is surely a path that you wish to pursue. It is important to think outside of the box.

Also, an important thing to note here is that psychedelics are still illegal. While the research and science is happening, obtaining a research position is often difficult considering the limited amount of research. This is not to discourage any of you, but just saying it will require a lot of work! While MAPS is projecting that MDMA will be legal for psychotherapy by 2021, it is still uncertain what the laws and regulations will be. We are hopeful that the future looks bright for psychedelic careers, but it is also important to err on the side of caution as well.

General Information:

Along with asking the questions above, here is some general information or advice for individuals who not wish to pursue a traditional degree. We are all hardwired differently and earning a professional degree may not be in everyone’s best interest.

  • The Non-Traditional Approach: There are other ways to get involved that do not require the investment your time and money for a professional degree. Are you a visual artist? Do you produce music? An interviewer? Are you a product inventor? For example, Joe mentioned during the podcast that he did not feel the need to go on to pursue a mental health degree because he does not feel like being a therapist is the thing that he wants to do right now. Instead, Joe and I are creating this podcast as a resource for the community. The bottom line, is there anything that you can contribute or create for the field? Many researchers and scientists are not artists or graphic designers and the field needs art to help convey the visual experience. Look at Alex and Allison Grey or Android Jones for example.
  • Develop an Expertise: Whether you are taking a traditional or non-traditional approach, I think it is safe to say that developing an expertise is a smart approach. Develop an expertise that can translate well to psychedelic research. Ask yourself, “how can I help or what can I contribute?”
  • Apply Your Skills: Again, think about how you can develop an expertise and think about how your skills can be applied to the field. Are you an accountant or into finances? Maybe if Rick Doblin’s dream of psychedelic treatment centers become real in the future, we are going to need lots of people to manage everything.
  • Volunteer: It does not hurt to reach out and develop a relationship with the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), Erowid, Zendo Project, DanceSafe, Drug Policy Alliance, or any other psychedelic organization. These organizations might be looking for a helping hand in a project or event. Volunteering can help you become connected with an organization, develop a relationship, and maybe help you land a job somewhere! Worst case scenario, you meet some awesome people.
  • Festival Harm Reduction Services: There are various organizations that provide harm reduction services at festivals. This may be a great way to get experience in the field. Check out the Zendo Project, DanceSafe, or Kosmicare for potential future opportunities.
  • Create a Psychedelic Club or Society: Local psychedelic clubs and societies are popping up all over the place. You can create your own too! You can check out our guide Tips on Creating Your Own Psychedelic Group

Get Involved in Research

There are numerous ways to get involved in research projects. From self-report studies to actual participation, there are ways to get involved and possibly become a study participant. Here is a list of a few different options.

For Students:

If you are thinking about trying to get your foot in the door with psychedelic research, it is important to analyze which route you wish to take. There are many paths to choose from and you do not need always need to pursue a degree in science.

Are you currently or thinking about pursuing your Bachelor’s degree?

  • What are your interests? Are you interested in psychology or psychiatry? Neuroscience or neuropsychology? Chemistry? Biology? History or anthropology? Do you want to do therapy at some point? Figure out what interests you.
    It is recommended if you want to do therapy or conduct scientific research to earn a degree in science and psychology.
  • Find a niche or a specialty: If you’re off to an early start, figure out what you may want to focus on. If you’re a psychology student, maybe focus on trauma or addiction. Current psychedelic research is mostly focused on if these substances can be beneficial for certain psychiatric or mental disorders. The research funds are not really there for “how” these substances work, but that might not be the case down the line in a few years. The field is shifting rapidly.
  • Go to conferences: Just in case you missed this in the last section, remember to try and attend a conference or event!
  • Find A School: It is suggested that if you would like to do rigorous academic/scientific research it might be important to seek out applying to a traditional school. There are schools out there doing research and it might not hurt to look into their programs. MAPS has made a list of schools that might make psychedelic research easier.
  • Create a Club: You can always try to create a drug advocacy/policy club at your university. If you are unsure how to go about doing so, you could always check out the Students for Sensible Drug Policy and create a local chapter at your university or school.
  • Training and Education: There are plenty of training opportunities that may be helpful when thinking about adding new skills to your toolbox. Here are some examples of trainings that could be beneficial or helpful.

Harm Reduction

Techniques and Therapies

Some of these trainings/techniques may require advanced credentials and education.

Beyond The Bachelor’s Degree:

If you just had just completed your undergraduate degree, are currently a graduate student, or trying to figure out what is next, here is some advice.

  • Master’s Degree or Ph.D.: Many people get caught up on this decision/topic. Some people believe that pursuing a clinical psychology PhD or PsyD is the best option if they want to get their foot in the door with psychedelic psychotherapy. Earning a Ph.D. or PsyD or even a medical degree such as a Psychiatry is a large investment in both your time and money. This route may not be the best option for everyone and it is important to know what you are interested in or what skills you are strong in. Maybe science and math is not your strong point, so pursuing a clinical psychology degree to become a clinical psychologist may not suit you. Some people just want to be able to conduct psychotherapy and there are plenty of ways to do so, such as getting a master’s degree in clinical mental health or social work. Weigh your options and think about what fits you the best.
  • Specialty and Niche: Like the bachelor’s advice, what is your specialty or expertise? What role can you play later on? The field of psychedelic research is looking for individuals with specialties. Look into the ways how to develop an expertise in the field. If your interest is in trauma, research how to develop a focus in body psychotherapy for trauma disorders. Focus on alternative treatments for addiction.
  • Passion and Drive: Since earning a professional degree or a doctorate degree is both an investment of time and money, you are going to need to be passionate about what you are studying. There are many people who start programs and realize that it is not for them. Know that if you want to pursue a professional career in psychedelics, you’re in it for the long haul!
  • Is There Therapeutic Benefit: If you are interested in research Ingmar mentioned that the funding may not be there for questions like, “how do these substances work?” or “how do they heal?” Even though the Imperial College of London has been doing amazing “how” research (how LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA affect the brain) there is not much of that type of research going on within the United States. The MDMA-assisted psychotherapy study wanted to know not how MDMA cures or helps PTSD, but rather, does MDMA-assisted psychotherapy help with PTSD?
  • Find a Mentor or Professor: It does not hurt to research mentors or professors in the field to see where they are teaching. Katherine Maclean mentioned in our latest interview that she was interested in psychedelic research and knew that Johns Hopkins was researching psilocybin. Look for post-doctorate fellowships, internships, etc. Attend a school that is doing the research
  • Find Grants for Research: If you are enrolled in a program and can find a faculty member that supports your psychedelic mission, try to find grants or scholarship money to support your research program. The Source Research Foundation is a new organization that is helping to provide grant money to students who want to conduct psychedelic research.
  • Training and Education: As mentioned in the “For Students” section above, there are various training/education opportunities that will help you grow and develop new skills. Please view the list above for ideas.

Additional Resources

Organizations

Articles about getting involved

Best of Luck! We wish you the best of luck on your psychedelic journey and hope that you find this information useful. MAPS has a lot of great information and be sure to check out their “resource” section.

Be sure to leave a comment, subscribe to our podcast, and connect with us. We would love to hear from you.

Last Updated: 5/31/2018

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Mike Branc – Mikeadelic, Ayahuasca and Coming Back to America

Mike Branc

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In this 88th episode of Psychedelics Today, host Joe Moore interviews Mike Brancatelli of the Mikeadelic podcast. After returning from a three-month Amazonian ayahuasca sojourn, Mikeadelic himself shares information about this extraordinary experience, how he has gotten involved in psychedelics and his journey.

Show Notes:
● Mike Brancatelli spent his three-month trip in Peru at the Temple of the Way of Lights with their residency program in the heart of the Amazon jungle during an ayahuasca retreat.
● Mike was previously doing stand-up comedy in New York City with his friend Dave Smith called “Part of the Problem.”
● Mikeadelic the podcast began in the spring of 2016.
● Drinking ayahuasca will produce an effect on you, especially when coupled with ceremony and healing songs.
● During an intense healing ceremony, a song cut to the core of the collection of pain that Mike was experiencing, and it felt like he was being unclogged of this negative energy, and it came out in the form of a very vocal purge.
● He feels passionate about ending the war on drugs and the prison industrial complex.
● You can remain filled with passion and compassion without being emotionally attached. Sit with your feelings without letting them control how you respond.
● The information overload of media drowns your spirit.
● A morning routine with meditation is helpful to get centered and focused for the rest of the day.
● The Netflix TV series “Wild Wild Country” is a true story about a controversial cult leader claiming to enlighten people.
● “Enlightenment Now” is a book about the enlightenment philosophy “science, reason and humanism”. It is a contemporary take on that philosophy – you could call Pinker’s take a Modern Enlightenment philosophy. Steven Pinker wrote the book. Joe Moore, suggests it and found out about it from the Bill Gates’s.
● “The Internet of Money” Volume 1 and Volume 2 by Andreas M. Antonopoulos is another interesting read suggested by Joe Moore.
● Before ayahuasca use, listen to your heart to understand why you want to try it.

3 Key Points:
1. During an intense healing ceremony, a song cut to the core of the collection of pain that Mike was experiencing, and it felt like he was being unclogged of this negative energy, and it came out in the form of a very vocal purge.
2. It is incredibly brave to be willing to confront your stress and be willing to stare into your soul and slay your demons.
3. Remain passionate, compassionate, and acknowledge the problems in the world, but don’t stay emotionally attached to them. Become mindful of how you respond.

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Brian Normand – CryptoPsychedelic

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During this episode of Psychedelics Today, your host Joe Moore interviews Brian Normand of Psymposia and coordinator of the Cryptopsychedelic Conference.

Episode Quotes

  • Banks are devaluing currency by charging high fees.
  • With blockchain, you’ve got to think in the long-term.
  • There’s so much going on with crypto, you can’t keep up.
  • What blockchain developer wants to go work for Facebook?

Show Notes

  • Joe and Brian discuss the CryptoPsychedelic Conference the took place in Tulum, Mexico.
  • What is blockchain?
    • A next-gen decentralized ledger.
    • A peer-to-peer border-less, institution-less payment system.
    • Money will be one of the first users of blockchain.
    • Banks are devaluing currency by charging high fees.
    • The whole concept of money will transform, it will be a border-less thing.
  • When Napster came out, peer to peer transfer became a very popular technology.
    • When the record companies worried about being irrelevant, they sued.
    • There could be something like Spotify that pays artists more fairly than Spotify currently does.
    • Social media could be rebuilt.
      • We could no longer be the product being sold, but get paid for our contributions.
  • Could crypto be used to trace the history and purity of substances?
    • Yes, that’s a definite use case.
    • The first voting on a blockchain happened in Sierra Leone.
    • You’ve got to think in the long term.
  • What were some of the more interesting things that came out of the CryptoPsychedelic conference?
    • Some of the new relationships and seeing the potential collaboration between the two communities.
    • Projects in this space need to be taken on.
    • It was a time to question, not really a time for answers.
    • Watch the movie 2001 a Space Odyssey in one sitting.
      • Every time you watch it you come away with a new experience.
    • Cryptocurrencies are border-less, some have minimal fees, and it’s instant.
  • Decentralized systems
    • Information is easier to access, it doesn’t have to climb up a ladder.
    • The DAO is the Decentralized Autonomous Organization – there is no hierarchy.
    • Government could eventually be run via blockchain.
  • How could we use the internet to further the message of psychedelics?
    • Before the internet, the only way you were exposed to information was top down.
      • Networks, authority institutions.
    • Because of the internet, information is moving more horizontally.
    • How do you change incentive structures in the drug war? Could it be these new technologies?
  • The rate of innovation now is way faster than it was when the internet was first coming out.
    • You cannot keep up with what’s going on, there’s too much going on.
    • Look at money as a tool or form of energy.
  • Crypto will change everyone’s concept of paying taxes.
    • Air BnB cut the cities completely out of the picture.
    • Taxes and healthcare or both extremely important and impossible for people to understand.
    • Internet privacy is a big deal in crypto and psychedelics alike.
    • Brian doesn’t think that Facebook will ultimately make it.
  • Developers want to build new tools to take down the giants like Facebook.
    • Recently, Facebook announced a decline in users.
    • What can you do to reverse becoming “uncool”?
    • Reddit’s price per impression is much lower.
    • Steemit has a fascinating model.
    • It would be cool if you could be compensated for putting helpful content online.
  • We assume that the way the internet is now is how it’s always going to be.
    • How can we use the tool to help the people whose lives aren’t privileged like ours?
    • In a lot of refugee camps, you can’t have cash, so crypto is huge for them.
    • What happens when people who are impoverished around the world can now crowdfund?

Resources Mentioned

Brian Normand Viveros
  

Brian Normand is CoFounder of Psymposia, entrepreneur, and advocate of psychedelic science, therapy, and drug reform. He attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst and holds a B.S. in Plant, Soil, and Insect Science, Magna Cum Laude.

 

 

 

 

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Stefanie Jones – Safer Partying and Harm Reduction

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During this episode of Psychedelics Today, your host Kyle Buller interviews Stefanie Jones, the Director of Audience Development at the Drug Policy Alliance.

  • There are risks and benefits to all drug use.
  • Ultimately, you don’t want your teenager to use drugs, but if they do, you want to keep them safe and give them the right information.
  • The festival community needs to be so much more aware of opioid overdose and drug checking.

Show Notes

  • About Stefanie Jones
    • In her role, she oversees communication and outreach to specific communities on drug use and drug policy topics.
    • Personally runs the DPA music fan program.
    • She works on the Safer Partying program which has four goals:
      • Ending stigma against people who use drugs at festivals, concerts, and clubs.
      • Amending the illicit drug anti-proliferation act – aka The Rave Act.
      • Making drug checking happen in as many places and forms as possible.
      • Stopping the criminalization of party-goers.
      • The DPA is launching a pilot study at a school in Brooklyn with more honest and accurate information about drugs.
    • She’s been working for the Drug Policy Alliance for almost 13 years.
      • Stefanie Jones develops materials that bring us closer to drug policy reform.
    • She works with two different audiences:
      • Parents and educators
      • Drug users at events and concerts.
  • Drug education for teenagers and parents goes back a long way at DPA.
    • Marsha Rosenbaum wrote a very famous letter to her son who was about to go into school.
      • She wrote a booklet called “Safety First.” A reality-based approach to teens and drugs.
    • Stefanie Jones put together a harm reduction-based curriculum to be taught in schools.

  • How does Safety First differ from DARE?
    • DARE is more of an abstinence-only policy and doesn’t talk about what happens if you do use drugs.
    • Safety First gives abstinence as an option but also gives options to reduce risk if you do choose to use drugs.
      • The program is designed for 14-year-olds, but it makes things like dose information tricky
      • The class introduces the concept of dose and dosage.
    • It talks about drug classes with a lesson specifically devoted to psychedelics.
      • They talk about reagent drug checking.
        • How this works and how it can help you reduce harm.
    • They’re about to do a pilot of Safety First in a school in New York.
      • The program is in multiple sessions- 14 sessions long.
  • How was pitching Safety First to the school?
    • They were open to it and looking for something different.
  • DPA wanted to put something together that’s not dependent on them, it will be taught by the health teacher.
    • She hopes it replaces DARE.
  • How do you think parents will take it?
    • The parents at Bard high school were very into it.
    • There was one parent who didn’t speak up in the meeting but came up to us afterwards.
    • Their curriculum wants to measure critical thinking skills, concrete strategies, etc.
  • Some drugs tend to have a lot of positive feelings around them.
    • For example, marijuana and psychedelics.
    • In the psychedelics lesson, they had to talk about the different kinds of mushrooms and what you need to know.
  • Which drug classes do you go over?
    • Depressants
    • Stimulants
    • Opioids
    • Psychedelics
    • Marijuana
  • There’s material that she uses at festivals that are great.
    • The tripsit chart
    • She started doing safer partying work first.
    • This community doesn’t get a lot of outreach, a lot of what they do isn’t problematic.
    • Stefanie Jones partners with Insomniac (EDC and other similar events)
      • The idea is to have a place where someone can get drug information and sexual information.
    • There are young people who are trained to walk the space and identify medical issues.
  • What’s one main concern you’ve been seeing in the festival scene?
    • With Project #OpenTalk, the kids are so young going to their first festival.
      • They’ve had little or crappy drug education.
    • The festival community needs to be so much more aware of opioid overdose and drug checking.
    • One of the goals is addressing the stigma around drug use.
    • Another goal is providing accurate, honest information regarding harm reduction.
    • The third goal is having drug checking available and accessible.
    • The fourth goal is around policy reform.
    • De-criminalizing drugs will fix a lot of problems.
  • DPA wants to create supervised consumption spaces along with drug checking.
  • How do you talk to parents about harm reduction?
    • The founder goes first to the issue of safety.
    • Ultimately, you don’t want your teenager to use drugs, but if they do, you want to keep them safe and give them the right information.
  • Is there anything exciting coming up with DPA?
    • Make revisions of the Safety-First program based on data.
    • Will be testing it in the fall with a school in the Bay area.
    • Hoping to expand information about psychedelics into the party arena.
    • Doing a week-long trip to Portugal to see what decriminalization works.
  • Any last thoughts to throw out?

Follow @musicfandpa on Twitter.

Resources Mentioned

Stefanie Jones

Stefanie Jones is director of audience development at the Drug Policy Alliance, based in New York. In this role she oversees communication and outreach to specific communities on drug use and drug policy topics, including on novel psychoactive substances (NPS) and DPA’s youth drug education work.  She personally runs the Music Fan program, which introduces harm reduction principles and drug policy alternatives to partygoers, public health officials and city nightlife regulators across the U.S.

In her prior role within the organization as an event manager, she produced four progressively larger editions of the biennial International Drug Policy Reform Conference, as well as numerous local policy conferences, fundraisers and coalition-building meetings.

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Zach Leary – Trans-humanism, psychedelic use, over-use and taking a break

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Introduction

During this episode of Psychedelics Today, your hosts Kyle Buller and Joe Moore talk to Zach Leary host of the MAPS podcast and It’s All Happening. We have an incredible time talking to Zach and his worldview, experiences, opinions and much more. It was a very fun time recording with Zach and we hope it can happen again in the near future. 

Show Notes

  • Joe and Kyle discuss Zach’s connections with Ram Dass
  • Zach Leary calls himself a futurist and we discuss what a futurist is.
    • A natural way to continue the narrative of our physical evolution and our spiritual development.
    • Cyberspace is an invention as a result of our human condition.
      • The way and the reason we invented it is that we found a need to create another dimension.
    • Futurism and transhumanism and embracing the way technology is augmenting the human experience is a great place to be.
  • Do you see any major problems in psychedelia?
    • Overall, it’s a great time to be into psychedelics.
      • There’s so much research and data available to the end-user and the discussion is improving.
      • Many people are starting to be more open about their beneficial relationship with psychedelics.
      • It’s important to get people in the mainstream aware of their beneficial properties.
      • The Ayahuasca fad going on in the U.S. has many people calling themselves shamans, which raised a red flag to Zach.
      • It used to be that going to the medicine man was a common occurrence in any culture.
      • Mysticism didn’t go away, it just got turned into a more doctrinal practice.
  • The part of the church that bothers Zach is the authoritarian aspect, that there is only one god.
    • There’s an element of fanaticism when someone says there’s only one drug that’s worth taking.
    • April 19 is the 75th anniversary of the first intentional use of LSD (Bicycle Day).
    • We have to start re-thinking about what “natural” means.
      • The human imagination and what it creates is a by-product of nature.
  • There’s no stopping the technological march, the train has left the station.
    • A return to nature can include biodiverse rooftop gardens in New York.
    • It’s very hard to get off the grid.
  • What do we have that’s readily available and sustainable?
    • Mushrooms
    • LSD
    • Other synthetic compounds that don’t bother the rainforest, etc.
  • Drugs that may not be sustainable:
    • Ayahuasca, Peyote, 5-MeO (Sonoran Desert Toad – Bufo Alvarius toad venom)
    • Some people are playing fast and loose with 5-MeO
      • There are people who give do things to “patients” that are non-consensual while they are under the effect of the drug.
  • Psychedelics are often highly individualistic.
    • It’s nice to be able to jump in with a shaman, but to what extent?
  • There is some cultural appropriation here when you take ancient practices and move them into new environments.
    • It’s best not to ignore the roots and traditions of these practices but honor them as best as you can.
  • How do we not make mistakes in psychedelics?
    • There’s so much data, examples and role models now.
    • There are best practices based on data now.
  • Zach would like to see less consumption of MDMA.
    • People over-consume MDMA.
    • More of a concern about bodily harm.
    • 2-3 times a year is probably enough.
  • There are parallel paths going on and if the parallel path of computers and humanity are going on, what does that look like eventually?
  • What are some of your major influences in the psychedelic world?
    • Terence McKenna, Jim Fadiman, Timothy Leary, Aldous Huxley, Dennis McKenna
  • How would you like to see the future of psychedelics evolve?
    • We’re seeing the rumblings of what’s to come.
    • There’s going to be a firmly legitimate place in the psychiatric world for the psychedelic therapy.
    • Hopefully, it carries over into recreational use and cognitive therapy.

Links

About Zach Leary

     

Zach is the host of both the “It’s All Happening with Zach Leary” podcast and “The MAPS Podcast.” They have helped to cement him as one of the most thought provoking podcasters in the cultural philosophy genre of podcasting. He’s also a blogger/writer, a futurist, spiritualist, a technology consultant and socio-cultural theorist.

In all of Zach’s work he blends his roles as a spiritual aspirant and a futurist into a unique identity all his own. His spiritual background has it’s roots in being a practitioner of bhakti yoga as taught through many of the vedantic systems of Northern India, in particular Neem Karoli Baba as taught by Ram Dass. Through the practice of bhakti yoga he has found keys that unlock doorways that allow the soul to experience it’s true nature of being eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. In addition to bhakti yoga, Zach is influenced by many different methods and traditions of consciousness exploration ranging from trans-humanism to buddhism and clinical psychology. Zach is also a frequent pundit on the political systems that are fueling todays economic and cultural structures. At the core of all of Zach’s work is the belief that we have been fused together by the collective practice of using technology to expand our species imagination with spirituality and mysticism to define the very nature of who we are.

Check out our online store

 

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Dennis McKenna and Mark Plotkin – Richard Evans Schultes, Conservation in the Amazon and the ESPD 50

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In this episode of Psychedelics Today, Kyle and Joe speak to Dennis McKenna (of Dennis McKenna fame) and Mark Plotkin founder of the Amazon Conservation Team. We discuss a broad range of subjects. One of the most interesting was a project that Dennis and many others have been working on for over a year at the time of recording this, titled Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs, which was a conference in the UK in 2017. It was a 50-year follow up to the initial event (and later seminal book) that Richard Evan Schultes, Ph.D. helped coordinate and host.

This link will take you to a page where you can see all of the talks that were given at ESPD50. https://vimeo.com/album/4766647

We really think you’ll enjoy the show. Please let us know what you think and if you can, pre-order the ESPD 50 to save some money on the post-release price.

About ESPD 50

From ESPD50.com

“In 1967, a landmark symposium entitled Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs was held in San Francisco, California. It was the first international, interdisciplinary group of specialists – from ethnobotanists to neuroscientists – who gathered in one place to share their findings on the use of psychoactive plants in indigenous societies. Follow-up meetings were intended to be held every ten years, but the War on Drugs intervened.  The findings of the convention were printed in a book entitled with the same name as the gathering.

On the 50th anniversary during the month of June 2017 an international group of specialists gathered again to share their perspectives on past, present, and future research in ethnopharmacology.  The symposium was held at the spectacular Tyringham Hall in Britain.

ESPD50 was organized by a team led by Dennis McKenna, Founder of Symbio Life Sciences, PBC.  Synergetic Press published a collector’s box set including the first edition of 1967 plus a brand new book with the 50th-anniversary symposium’s findings.”

Show Notes & Links

About Mark Plotkin, Ph.D

Dr. Plotkin has led ACT and guided its vision since 1996, when he co-founded the organization with his fellow conservationist, Liliana Madrigal. He is a renowned ethnobotanist who has spent almost three decades studying traditional plant use with traditional healers of tropical America.

Dr. Plotkin has previously served as Research Associate in Ethnobotanical Conservation at the Botanical Museum of Harvard University; Director of Plant Conservation at the World Wildlife Fund; Vice President of Conservation International; and Research Associate at the Department of Botany of the Smithsonian Institution.

Among his many influential writings, Dr. Plotkin may be best known for his popular work Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice (1994), which has been printed continuously and has been published in multiple languages. Other works include the critically acclaimed children’s book The Shaman’s Apprentice – A Tale of the Amazon Rainforest, illustrated by Lynne Cherry, and Medicine Quest: In Search of Nature’s Healing Secrets. His most recent book, The Killers Within: The Deadly Rise of Drug-Resistant Bacteria, coauthored with Michael Shnayerson, was selected as a Discover Magazine book of the year.

In 1998, he played a leading role in the Academy Award-nominated IMAX film Amazon. Dr. Plotkin’s work also has been featured in a PBS Nova documentary, in an Emmy-winning Fox TV documentary, on the NBC Nightly News and Today Show, CBS’ 48 Hours and in Life, Newsweek, Smithsonian, Elle, People, The New York Times, along with appearances on National Public Radio. Time magazine called him an “Environmental Hero for the Planet” (2001) and Smithsonian magazine hailed him as one of “35 Who Made a Difference” (2005), along with Bill Gates, Steven Spielberg, and fellow New Orleanian Wynton Marsalis.

Dr. Plotkin has received the San Diego Zoo Gold Medal for Conservation; the Roy Chapman Andrews Distinguished Explorer Award; an International Conservation Leadership Award from the Jane Goodall Institute; and, with Liliana Madrigal, the Skoll Foundation’s Award for Social Entrepreneurship. In 2010, he received the honorary degree of “Doctor of Humane Letters” from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Plotkin was educated at Harvard, Yale and Tufts University.

About the Amazon Conservation Team

The Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving South American rainforests. This small but robust outfit occupies a unique niche among other environmental non-profits working in the tropics: ACT works hand in hand with local indigenous communities to devise and implement its conservation strategies.

About Dennis McKenna

Dennis Jon McKenna is an American ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer, and author. He is a founding board member and the director of ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute, a non-profit organization concerned with the investigation of the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic medicines. 

McKenna received his Master’s degree in botany at the University of Hawaii in 1979. He received his doctorate in botanical sciences in 1984 from the University of British Columbia,[2] where he wrote a dissertation entitled Monoamine oxidase inhibitors in Amazonian hallucinogenic plants: ethnobotanical, phytochemical, and pharmacological investigations. McKenna then received post-doctoral research fellowships in the Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health, and in the Department of Neurology, Stanford University School of Medicine.

 

Dennis McKenna Links

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Tarif Ahmed – America, Opportunity, and Open Source Experimentation

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Joe recently had the opportunity to interview an old friend, Tarif Ahmed while visiting Long Island, New York. They had the opportunity to record about all sorts of things from diversity, privilege, open source experimentation with different psychedelic regimens, bringing psychedelics safely into Islam and much more.

If you enjoy the episode, please let us know what you think by leaving an iTunes review!

Topics in the show

  • Meeting at Evolver Boston events years ago.
  • Race and privilege
  • Growing up in a Muslim community
  • Bringing in psychedelics into Muslim communities quietly
  • How status could be helpful in the Muslim world
  • Possible psychedelic origins of some aspects of Islam
    • Psychedelic art
    • Sufism
    • Some teachings
  • Open source testing of ideas on places like reddit
  • Tracking experiences and tests in a journal is very important
  • Working with mentors long term to have consistent support over time

Nicholas Powers Ph.D. – Psychedelics, Race, Where They Intersect, and Where They Don’t

Stefanie Jones – Safer Partying and Harm Reduction

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Nicholas Powers Ph.D. – Psychedelics, Race, Where They Intersect, and Where They Don’t

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Nicholas Powers Ph.D. is a poet, journalist, and Associate Professor of English, SUNY Old Westbury. Nick joins us to talk about psychedelics, race, cultural diversity, and the future of psychedelics. Race and diversity within the psychedelic community has been a hot topic lately, and it is an important topic to continue discussing and examining. Unfortunately, the community is exclusive to people of privilege and power, which shows some concern when it comes to the future direction of this field, as it leaves out diverse ideas and beliefs from people from other cultural backgrounds and communities.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Leave us a comment below!

Show Topics

  • Diversity in research
  • Monica Williams – Diversity in the psychedelic research
  • The trust between diverse populations and institutional research
  • History of forced sterilizations and the Tuskegee syphilis study
  • The importance of storytelling and authentically listening to stories of people from other cultural backgrounds
  • Start your own psychedelic community
  • Psychedelics and intergenerational trauma
  • Including minority groups into the psychedelic community

Nick’s Book

The Ground Below Zero: 9/11 to Burning Man, New Orleans to Darfur, Haiti to Occupy Wall Street

Links/Show Notes

About Nicholas Powers, Ph.D.

Nicholas Powers

Nicholas Powers is a poet, journalist and professor. His books, The Ground Below Zero and Theater of War, was published by Upset Press. He has written for The Indypendent, Alternet and The Village Voice. He has spoken and read all over the country. He teaches literature at SUNY Old Westbury and co-hosts the long running New York City College Poetry Slam at the Nuyorican Cafe. If you would like to work with Nick, please contact tara@upsetpress.org.

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Dr. Matt Brown – Chicago Psychedelic Club

Dr. Matt Brown

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Dr. Matt Brown of the Chicago Psychedelic Club and the Psychedelics and the Future of Psychiatry Meetup joins us to talk about his interests and involvement with psychedelics.  We talk about how Dr. Brown got interested in psychedelic research and how he got involved in forming two psychedelic meet up groups in Chicago.

Leave us a comment below and let us know what you think!

Show Notes

  • Perspectives on psychedelics
  • Creating a psychedelic meetup
  • Building community
  • Introducing more voices into the conversation besides medical professionals and students – artists and other creative people can help to provide various insights into the psychedelic conversation.

Show Links

If you enjoy the show, please consider donating to our Patreon!

About Dr. Matt Brown D.O., M.B.A.

Dr. Brown Specializes in whole health psychiatry. This approach differs from many other practitioners who more and more practice symptomatic management when it comes to mental health. Dr. Brown takes the perspective that the body has the ability to heal itself, but from time to time may need assistance through balancing the things that are important for physical health that are also important from mental health. These include, sleep, diet, exercise, meditative/spiritual practice and cultivating positive social relationships. Dr. Brown also has a strong command of how to balance vital nutrients in our body with the aid of supplementation to augment traditional psychopharmacological therapies. Dr. Brown’s method is aimed primarily at the treatment of Depression and Anxiety as well as other mood disorders and ADHD. Dr. Brown is a specialist in the treatment of OCD specifically and is board certified by the ABPN in both adult as well as child and adolescent psychiatry.
​

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Emanuel Sferios – Dance Safe and MDMA The Movie

Emanuel Sferios - MDMA The Movie

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Emanuel Sferios joins us to talk about his upcoming film “MDMA The Movie” along with the founding story of Dance Safe.

Emanuel has a fascinating story that includes.

  • Humble beginnings
  • Lots of media attention
  • Huge amounts of fundraising for harm reduction
  • A film that is going to be incredible. Check out the trailers below!

MDMA was one of the last drugs that the old guard anti drug US government worked to smear with disinformation and outright lies,  using outlets like Oprah and more to stain MDMA’s reputation. While Ophra’s media empire has now come around a bit, MDMA continues to hold parts of the social stigma that Oprah helped to give it. Emanuel tells the story here with on the ground details in ways that Kyle and Joe haven’t heard before.

We hope you love it!

If you enjoyed this episode you may love these other podcasts.

Confessions of an Underground MDMA Therapist
Thomas Roberts Ph.D. – The Broad Future of Psychedelic Research

Show Notes/Links

Want to learn more about psychedelic harm reduction, safety, and integration? Sign up for our online course!

Find MDMA The Movie On Social Media

Facebook
Twitter
Youtube
Instagram
Google Plus

About Emanuel Sferios

Emanuel Sferios is an activist, educator, public speaker and harm reduction advocate. Founding DanceSafe in 1998, Emanuel was an early pioneer of MDMA harm reduction. DanceSafe has volunteer chapters in over two dozen cities across the United States and provides non-judgmental, peer-based drug education and drug checking (a.k.a., “pill testing”) services in the electronic dance music community. Emanuel also started the first public laboratory pill analysis program in 1999 which allowed ecstasy users for the first time to anonymously send tablets to a DEA-licensed laboratory for chromatography analysis. Originally publishing the results on the DanceSafe website, the program still exists today and is hosted at Ecstasydata.org.
Today Emanuel speaks at colleges and universities about MDMA, harm reduction, and drug policy. He lives in Grass Valley, California with his wife and two stepchildren.

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Tips on Creating Your Own Psychedelic Group

As psychedelic research progresses, people are starting to feel more comfortable talking about their life-changing experiences with psychedelic substances and sacred plant medicines. People are beginning to organize meetups, groups, and organizations to raise awareness about the future potential of psychedelics, share stories, and build community.

If you live in a major city, there is a good chance that there is a psychedelic society, group, or meet up in your area. If you do not live in a major city finding “the others” may seem daunting and out-of-reach. That’s ok. There are probably people in your area that are interested, but no one has taken the initiative to get the ball rolling. Or maybe you have had the idea, but don’t even know where or how to get started with this process.

That’s ok! This new field is in its own growth process. We are all trying to figure out this new territory together. This is why we have created a quick document of tips and advice to help you get started! We hope this guide helps and encourages you to get out there and start a psychedelic conversation.

Sign up below for your free guide for tips and advice!

Also, check out our interview with Leia Friedman of the Boston Entheogenic Network – where we talk about the process of starting a psychedelic group: The Boston Entheogenic Network and Tips on Creating a Psychedelic Group

Here are some quick tips for starting your own psychedelic group

  • First, what is the point of the group?
  • What is the purpose or mission?
  • Learn about your local laws and the legal risks
  • Do not condone or facilitate illegal activity
  • Go slow
  • Find the others to help you out
  • Check-in with yourself and the other members of the group
  • Protect your members
  • Start online to gain awareness and then start an in-person meetup
Do you have any other tips or advice for starting your own group? Leave us to comment below and let us know!
Do you have a psychedelic group that you would like listed in our document? Let us know!

Check out our online store!

                                  

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Kwasi Adusei – Psychedelic Month of Service

Psychedelic Month of Service

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Kwasi Adusei of the Psychedelic Society of Western New York joins us to talk about the Global Psychedelic Month of Service campaign. This is a wonderful campaign to help encourage members of the psychedelic community to become more involved in their communities.

About The Global Psychedelic Month of Service

kwasi adusei - psychedelic month of service

Still hiding in the psychedelic closet? Looking for an opportunity to join the movement? This November, find a need in your community, gather your friends, and participate in the Global Psychedelic Month of Service.
In the month of November, the global psychedelic community invites you to take on a need in your community in the name of psychedelics. Psychedelic groups all over the world are joining the cause by giving back.
At the core of the psychedelic movement is a mission of social activism. So take part in seeing this mission through by volunteering at your local soup kitchen, food pantry, or doing a community clean up.
The integration of a psychedelic experience is as important as the experience itself. Transform the feelings of connectedness induced by the psychedelic experience, into actions of connectedness.
How to get involved
 
1. Find a local service organization
2. Reach out to find volunteer opportunities in the month of November
3. Find psychedelic friends to volunteer with
4. Volunteer and send in pictures and number of hours completed
What to join the cause? Email buffalopsychedelic@yahoo.com with your name and location so we can add you to the list of participating individuals.

Kwasi Adusei Show Topics

  • Building community
  • Breaking down stigma
  • Doing psychedelic things
    • Spending time helping
    • Doing compassionate things
  • Psychedelic values and morals
  • Access to expensive MDMA therapies
  • How to bring more diversity into the psychedelic movement
  • Nick Power’s talk at Horizons NYC

[vimeo 237699822 w=640 h=360]

Show Links

About Kwasi Adusei

Kwasi dedicates his work in the psychedelic movement to altering the stigma in mainstream channels by promoting the science, the healing potential of psychedelics, and civic engagement.
Kwasi is a nurse and a doctoral student at the University at Buffalo, studying to be a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. He is the founder of the Psychedelic Society of Western New York and project manager for Psychonauts of the World, an initiative to share meaningful psychedelic stories, with the ultimate goal of publishing them in a book as an avenue to raise money for psychedelic research. He is also one of the administrators for the Global Psychedelic Network, a conglomerate of psychedelic groups and individuals from around the world.
He hopes to use his training and education to become a psychedelic therapist. Born in Ghana and raised in the Bronx, New York, Kwasi hopes to bring psychedelic therapy to communities of color.

 

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Horizons NYC – 2017 – recap

Horizons NYC

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Kyle and Joe report from the scene of the amazing Horizons: Perspectives on Psychedelics conference. We had the chance to interview attendees of Horizons NYC 2017 outside the venue on the closing day.

Horizons NYC

Horizons is a fantastic event at an amazing venue in the heart of Manhattan at the historic venue – “The Cooper Union.” The same podium on stage was shared by Abraham Lincoln, Susan B Anthony, and along with many other important historical figures.

It was an amazing event and we hope that this episode helps share some of the excitement. We talked to past guests, future guests, and also some new friends. You may recognize some of the voices 🙂 Let us know what you think of this episode and if you want to hear similar episodes to this in the future.

Horizons 2017: NICHOLAS BYRON POWERS, Ph.D “Black Masks, Rainbow Bodies: Race and Psychedelics” from Horizons on Vimeo.

In the show, we speak about a lot of things from Horizons NYC including

  • The most interesting thing learned
  • The sense of community inside a conference like this
  • Some problems the movement has that we need to stay aware of
  • Issues with communicating the science of psychedelics with a wider audience
  • Volunteering for events for free tickets

Do you want to listen to Joe and Kyle recap their highlights of the conference and the Psymposia Microdosing event? Support us on Patreon to get exclusive access! Check out the video introduction to this episode – Here

Check out our book giveaway! Books by Grof, Shulgins, Hoffman, and many more!

About Horizons NYC

Horizons NYC

Horizons: Perspectives on Psychedelics is an annual forum that examines the role of psychedelic drugs in science, medicine, culture, and spirituality.

In recent years, a growing community of scientists, doctors, artists, activists, seekers, and scholars have orchestrated a renaissance in psychedelic thought and practice.

Horizons brings together the brightest minds and the boldest voices of this movement to share their research, insights, and dreams for the future.

Horizons was founded in 2007 by Kevin Balktick, with Neal M. Goldsmith, Ph.D., joining as speaker curator and MC in 2008.

Horizons Media, Inc., a 501c(3) not-for-profit educational charity, is currently led by board members Kevin Balktick, Neal M. Goldsmith, Ph.D., James Vasile, Esq., and Ingmar Gorman, M.A.

Having outgrown Judson Memorial Church, its original location, Horizons is now hosted at The Cooper Union Great Hall, which has been a center for public dialogue since its founding in 1858, having hosted such illustrious speakers as Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, and more recently, Barack Obama.

Horizons Media, Inc. conducts no other business besides the annual conference and is funded in solely by registration and concession sales. All profits go towards producing and improving the following year’s event. Its board members are not compensated.

Horizons Media, Inc. is not a political advocacy or scientific research organization, nor does it have any financial relationships with other organizations and businesses that participate as presenters or informational presences.

 

 

Sign up for our online course, “Navigating Psychedelics: Lessons on Self-Care & Integration”

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Aaron & Andras – Cute Animals Doing Drugs

Cute Animals Doing Drugs Banner

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Animals are known to indulge in psychoactive compounds. Humans are not the only species who like to become intoxicated. From bees drinking to fermented nectars to reindeer of the Siberian tundra eating Amanita muscaria mushrooms, Aaron and Andras find a creative way to start a conversation about drug policy, harm reduction, and psychedelics. Aaron and Andras have started a company that produces tshirts depicting cute animals doing drugs. While this may seem like a way to promote drug use using cute animals, Aaron and Andras have a deeper meaning, which is about starting a conversation and trying to shift the cultural narrative about drug use.

If you want to get one of your own t-shirts, use the coupon code: PSYCHEDELICSTODAY25 to receive 25% off your purchase!

                              

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVqObIauPJA]

Enroll Today!

Show Notes/Links

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkCS9ePWuLU]

About Cute Animals Doing Drugs

Cute Animals Doing Drugs was created by two friends to raise awareness around these issues, support drug policy reform, and encourage honest conversations about drugs in everyday life.

We believe individuals have the right to sovereignty over their own consciousness and that there is no reason to deny any adult the safe and beneficial use of psychoactive substances.

We believe social and political change can start from the bottom-up. Our apparel serves as a conversation-starter and a fun, unique way to show your support for an increasingly important social issue.

Cute Animals Doing Drugs is here to call attention to these issues, support psychedelic research, encourage drug policy reform, and promote cognitive liberty for all.

We also donate 10% of our pre-tax profits to MAPS, the Drug Policy Alliance, and other drug-related non-profit organizations.

Check out our current line of apparel here.

Andras L

Andras L is a cofounder of Cute Animals Doing Drugs Apparel, an initiative intended to help shift societal perceptions around drug use. Cute Animals builds on his previous work as a director on the board of Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy, where he advocated for the advancement of harm reduction and evidence-based drug policy reform. He is especially focused on reversing harmful policies and combating stigma. Andras graduated with an M.Sc. in Primary Care Research from McGill University and now researches infectious disease.

Aaron

Aaron co-founded Cute Animals Doing Drugs Apparel with Andras in the summer of 2017. He finished his BA at McGill University in 2014 and has since been traveling the world and working online. Aaron has a longstanding fascination with psychedelics, and is particularly interested in the subjective elements of psychedelics experience as well as the potential broad social impact of mainstreaming psychedelic use, especially in spiritual contexts. He writes about personal development, spirituality, and psychedelic experience at freedomandfulfilment.com.

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Brian Normand – Microdosing, Amazonia, and Horizons Afterparty

Brian Normand - Microdosing

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What is microdosing? Is this a growing trend in the psychedelic community? What do some people in the psychedelic community think about it? Can it really help boost creativity and productivity? While the idea that microdosing can help with depression, creativity, and productivity, these claims are usually backed by self-reported experiences. There is currently no hard science/research that highlights the risks, safety, or benefits of this concept despite the growing trend and loads of anecdotal evidence. If you want to learn more about this current trend, be sure to get your ticket to the upcoming Psymposia Microdosing event. We are sure all of these questions will be laid out on the table, and it will sure be a great night and discussion!

Brian Normand, Co-Founder of Psymposia, joins us again to talk about the Psymposia Microdosing event/Horizons afterparty. The event will be hosted by the one and only, Duncan Trussell. If you have plans to attend the Horizons: Perspectives on Psychedelics conference in NYC, be sure to check out the afterparty. It is always a great time and also a great place to “find the others.”

Save 5 dollars on your ticket with the coupon code psychedelicstoday

We also cover topics revolving around drug policy and Brian’s experience in the Amazon.

Microdosing event

About the Microdosing Event

You’re invited to Psymposia’s 4th annual celebration following day 1 of the Horizons Perspectives on Psychedelics forum in New York City that examines the role of psychedelic drugs in science, healing, culture and spirituality.

This year, Comedian Duncan Trussell joins Hamilton Morris (VICELAND’s Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia), Katherine MacLean, Sophia Korb, and Paul Austin to talk about everything you wanted to know about microdosing and more, surrounded by a live audience in Brooklyn.

Co-sponsored by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies // MAPS

Buy tickets here: https://www.psymposia.com/events/microdosing-duncan-trussell/

Remeber to use coupon code: psychedelicstoday

[vimeo 233615239 w=640 h=360]

Show Notes/Links

About Brian Normand

Brian Normand

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brian Normand is CoFounder, lead designer, and webmaster of Psymposia. He’s a greenthumb, social entrepreneur & occasional trouble maker, focused on changing minds and creating spaces 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.

Navigating Psychedelics

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Becca Segall Tarnas – Jung, Tolkien and Human Imagination

Becca Segall Tarnas

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Joe speaks with Becca Segall Tarnas about her work with Carl Jung’s Red Book and J.R.R. Tolkien. There is a substantial amount of overlap between the two. Why these two in a show about psychedelics? Transpersonal Jungian psychology is the bridge. There appears to be objects or entities beyond the veil of our perception and understanding (so far). We have a collective imagination collective unconscious that these things interact in. Psychedelics and other methods can give us access to these. Becca will be presenting her work to this point at the Prague ITC 2017. This discussion goes all over the world, so feel free to reach out if you have any questions. We really enjoy Becca’s work and hope to have her on again in the near future!

About Becca Segall Tarnas

Becca Segall Tarnas

Becca Segall Tarnas is a doctoral candidate in the Philosophy and Religion department at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Her dissertation research is focused on the theoretical implications of the synchronicity between the Red Books of C.G. Jung and J.R.R. Tolkien. Becca received her M.A. from CIIS, and her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College. Her research interests include ecology, imagination, philosophy, and depth psychology, and she is also co-editor of Archai: The Journal of Archetypal Cosmology.

All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. J. R. R. Tolkien

“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can.” Tolkien – The Fellowship of the Ring

“I indignantly answered, “Do you call light what we men call the worst darkness? Do you call day night?”
To this my soul spoke a word that roused my anger, “My light is not of this world.”
I cried, “I know of no other world!”
The soul answered, “Should it not exist because you know nothing of it?”
― C.G. Jung, The Red Book: Liber Novus

Links – Becca Segall Tarnas

James Hillman

Jorge Ferrer

Navigating Psychedelics

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Lenny Gibson – A brief history of psychedelics in the Western world

Lenny Gibson

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This talk was recorded live in Bolton, Vermont during a MAPS Psychedelic Dinner fundraising event in May 2016.

Lenny Gibson presented a lecture during the event about the brief history of psychedelics in the Western world — surveying the ancient Greek mysteries to the current contemporary psychedelic culture.

“Blessed is he who, having seen these rites,
undertakes the way beneath the Earth.
He knows the end of life,
as well as its divinely granted beginning.”
Pindar

Creatures for a day! What is a man?What is he not? A dream of a shadow Is our mortal being. But when there comes to menA gleam of splendour given of heaven,Then rests on them a light of glory And blessed are their days.
Pindar

I suddenly became strangely inebriated. The external world became changed as in a dream. Objects appeared to gain in relief; they assumed unusual dimensions; and colours became more glowing. Even self-perception and the sense of time were changed. When the eyes were closed, coloured pictures flashed past in a quickly changing kaleidoscope. After a few hours, the not unpleasant inebriation, which had been experienced whilst I was fully conscious, disappeared. What had caused this condition?
Dr. Albert Hofmann – Laboratory Notes (1943)

To fathom hell or soar angelic, just take a pinch of psychedelic.
Dr Humphry Osmond

Show Notes & Links

  • Greek Mysteries
  • Pindar
  • Albert Hofmann
  • Humphrey Osmond
  • Aldous Huxley

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckzfckwiyQ0]

About Lenny Gibson

Lenny Gibson

Leonard Gibson, Ph.D., graduated from Williams College and earned doctorates from Claremont Graduate School in philosophy and The University of Texas at Austin in psychology. Lenny has 50 years of experience working with non–ordinary states of consciousness. He has taught at The University of Tulsa and Lesley College and served his clinical psychology internship at the Boston, MA V.A. Hospital. He also taught transpersonal psychology for 20 years at Burlington College. Lenny serves on the board of the Community Health Centers of the Rutland Region in Vermont. A survivor of throat cancer, he facilitates the head and neck cancer support group at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. He is a past president of the Association of Holotropic Breathwork International.

You can find out more about Lenny at these two links.

Holotropic Breathwork – http://dreamshadow.com

Papers and Discussions – http://www.lennygibson.com/

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Kyle and Joe – Contexts of Psychedelic Use

Contexts of Psychedelic Use

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In this episode, Joe and Kyle discuss the difference contexts of psychedelic use:

  • Therapeutic
  • Recreational
  • Psychospiritual & Self-Discovery
  • Ceremonial & Shamanic

While these categories can be flexible and sometimes merge into one another, we thought that it would be important to give context to the variety of experiences. As MAPS has just received “Breakthrough Therapy” status on the MDMA-assisted psychotherapy research, this is an exciting time for research and therapeutic use of a powerful medicine. However, there may be some confusion about how the therapeutic approach is different from some of these other contexts and ways of using psychedelics. While we believe that all contexts are valid or legitimate and each carry their own risk/benefit, we thought that it would be helpful and fun to talk about our views about this subject.

Become a Patron!

If you want to learn more about navigating the psychedelic experience or learn more about safety guidelines for these different contexts, check out our new online course, “Navigating Psychedelics: Lessons on Self-Care & Integration.”

Navigating Psychedelics

Useful Texts & Resources

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Zoe Helene – Psychedelic Feminism: Women’s Work in The Medicine Space

Psychedelic Feminism

Zoe Helene of Cosmic Sister and Medicine Hunter joins us to discuss feminism, psychedelic feminism and eco feminism, and her organization, Cosmic Sister. During this conversation, we explore ayahuasca safety in general as well as ayahuasca safety for women — from understanding the risks of Toé as an admixture to ayahuasca to traveling in a group to stay safe.

Other Show Topics

  • Synthetic vs Natural compounds
  • Masculine energy in the psychedelic space
  • Ayahuasca Dieta
  • Sex and ayahuasca
    • Working with sexual energy pre and post ceremony
  • Sexual abuse in the medicine space
  • Finding one’s voice and power

What is Psychedelic Feminism?

Psychedelic Feminism is a sub-genre of feminism that embraces the power of the frontier field of psychedelic healing, transformation, inspiration, and mind/body/spirit exploration into altered states of consciousness. Safe, intentional journeying with psychedelics can help women look deeply inside themselves, in part to face core feminist issues in fresh and exciting ways. – Cosmic Sister

About Cosmic Sister

Cosmic Sister® is a network that connects kindred-spirit women in mutually supportive ways, working collectively toward shared goals while enhancing the personal journey of each individual. Cosmic Sister promotes love, higher consciousness, abundance and creativity, and members pledge to hold each other’s best interests at heart as allies and affiliates. We want to see women shine.

We envision a healthy, life-affirming balance of power between genders, worldwide. We envision a well world where women are fully respected globally, where their voices are heard and respected, and where a natural, healthy, life-affirming gender balance is restored. We believe that many of the world’s most critical problems are a result of a gross gender imbalance that has been sustained for thousands of years. We do not want our species to evolve in the direction we see the majority of human beings choosing, and we wish to be part of a global cultural shift that helps us evolve more rationally and with functioning minds, hearts and spirits with respect and love for other life-forms and the planet we all depend on to survive. We are passionate about helping to protect wilderness spaces and wildlife species that are currently in crisis or threatened.

Links

About Zoe Helene

Zoe Helene, MFA, an artist, environmental and cultural activist, and psychedelic feminist, founded Cosmic Sister, an “underground collective” for women who understand that balance of power between genders is the only way to true sustainability—a system in which all parties (human and non-human) thrive. Educational advocacy projects championing women’s frontline voices are a core concept in Cosmic Sister’s approach to creating positive change. Through these projects, Zoe emphasizes our responsibility—as Earth’s apex predator—to evolve ethically. Cosmic Sister’s educational advocacy projects include a trio of psychedelic feminism grants—Women of the Psychedelic Renaissance, Cosmic Sisters of Cannabis and the merit-based immersive Plant Spirit Grant—promote sacred plants (and fungi) such as ayahuasca, cannabis, peyote, and psilocybin mushrooms and our fundamental human right to journey with them. Zoe’s work in the field is focused on how exploring the wilderness of our own psyches with these natural allies can be a profoundly self-liberating experience for females in male-dominated cultures. She also speaks out for cannabis as a sacred plant for journeying and an “ambassador” for promoting the greater plant medicine conversation.

Zoe’s work has been featured in Bust, Vice, Forbes, Outside Magazine, Boston Magazine, Wisdom Daily, Utne Reader, AlterNet, Newsday and others, and her articles and interviews have been published in LA Yoga, Boston Yoga, Utne Reader, Huffington Post, Organic Spa Magazine, Eco Salon, Organic Authority and more. She has presented to audiences ranging from top-tier corporate executives to nonprofit organizations and women’s empowerment gatherings. Most recently, she led a psychedelic feminism talking circle at Bastyr University, and taught about Psychedelic Feminism: Core Concepts and Key Stages for Plant Spirit Journeying and Global Sustainable Medicinal Plant Trade at the 30th Anniversary of Rosemary Gladstar’s Women’s Herbal Conference. For the past decade, Zoe has traveled to remote regions of the globe with her husband, ethnobotanist and Medicine Hunter Chris Kilham, to promote medicinal plants (including sacred plants), environmental protection and cultural preservation and bear witness to the state of women, wilderness and wildlife. She also supports media professionals in communicating messages around global sustainable plant medicine and has worked with NBC Nightly News, The New York Times, The Dr. Oz Show and many others.

For the past decade, Zoe Helene has traveled to remote regions of the globe with her husband and partner Medicine Hunter Chris Kilham, to promote medicinal plants, environmental protection and cultural preservation.

For more information, see www.cosmicsister.com. (@CosmicSister)

#women #psychedelics #psychedelicfeminism #cosmicsister

Be sure to check out our new online course, “Navigating Psychedelics: Lessons on Self-Care & Integration”

Navigating Psychedelics

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Daniel Pinchbeck – How Soon is Now?

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Daniel Pinchbeck, author of the new book, How Soon is Now? joins us this week to talk about the global ecological crisis, climate change, and how psychedelics may play a role in transforming human culture.

If you do believe that we are in a time of great ecological crisis, what are you doing about it? Taking action is the most important step to creating change, but are we willing to take the sacrifices and action to create change?

Daniel shares his insights about how to take action to implement change. While some of these changes may be challenging, i.e., stop traveling as much, it may be necessary to help cut carbon emissions and to slow down the global warming cycle. Or is it too late to even take action?

A recent journal article, “Lifetime experience with (classic) psychedelics predicts pro-environmental behavior through an increase in nature relatedness” states:

Our model controlled for experiences with other classes of psychoactive substances (cannabis, dissociatives, empathogens, popular legal drugs) as well as common personality traits that usually predict drug consumption and/or nature relatedness (openness to experience, conscientiousness, conservatism). Although correlational in nature, results suggest that lifetime experience with psychedelics in particular may indeed contribute to people’s pro-environmental behavior by changing their self-construal in terms of an incorporation of the natural world, regardless of core personality traits or general propensity to consume mind-altering substances. Thereby, the present research adds to the contemporary literature on the beneficial effects of psychedelic substance use on mental wellbeing, hinting at a novel area for future research investigating their potentially positive effects on a societal level.

About How Soon is Now? 


Description of his book from Amazon.com

We are on the brink of an ecological mega-crisis, threatening the future of life on earth, and our actions over the next few years may well determine the destiny of our descendants. Between a manifesto and a tactical plan of action, How Soon is Now? by radical futurist and philosopher Daniel Pinchbeck, outlines a vision for a mass social movement that will address this crisis.

Drawing on extensive research, Daniel Pinchbeck presents a compelling argument for the need for change on a global basis. The central thesis is that humanity has unconsciously self-willed ecological catastrophe to bring about a transcendence of our current condition. We are facing an initiatory ordeal on a planetary scale. We can understand that this initiation is necessary for us to evolve from one state of being – our current level of consciousness – to the next. Overcoming outmoded ideologies, we will realize ourselves as one unified being, a planetary super-organism in a symbiotic relationship with the Earth’s ecology and the entire web of life.

Covering everything from energy and agriculture, to culture, politics, media and ideology, How Soon Is Now? is ultimately about the nature of the human soul and the future of our current world. Pinchbeck calls for an intentional redesign of our current systems, transforming unjust and elitist structures into participatory, democratic, and inclusive ones. His viewpoint integrates indigenous design principles and Eastern metaphysics with social ecology and radical political thought in a new synthesis.

Show Notes/Links

Daniel’s Books

How Soon is Now?

Breaking Open The Head

2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl

Check out more of Daniel’s writing: Here

About Daniel Pinchbeck

    

From Daniel Pinchbeck’s Website

I am the author of Breaking Open the Head (Broadway Books, 2002), 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl (Tarcher/Penguin, 2006), Notes from the Edge Times(Tarcher/Penguin, 2010), and How Soon Is Now (Watkins, 2017). I co-founded the web magazine, Reality Sandwich, and Evolver.net, and edited the publishing imprint, Evolver Editions, with North Atlantic Books. I was featured in the 2010 documentary, 2012: Time for Change, directed by Joao Amorim and produced by Mangusta Films. I founded the think tank, Center for Planetary Culture, which produced the Regenerative Society Wiki. I hosted the talk show Mindshift on GaiamTV. My essays and articles have been featured in The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Rolling Stone, ArtForum, The New York Times Book Review, The Village Voice, Dazed & Confused, and many other publications.

Check out our upcoming course, Navigating Psychedelics

Learn about harm reduction practices, self-care, and ways to integration your experience

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Sara Gael, M.A., Director of Harm Reduction, Zendo Project, Psychotherapist

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Sara Gael joins us on this week’s episode. Sara is the Director of Harm Reduction at the Zendo Project. We get into some great stuff including some of Zendo’s biggest wins, how Zendo works, how to discuss harm reduction with festival organizers, and how to manage difficult experiences that arise in the Zendo.  Something interesting that we learned during this talk was how law enforcement at Burning Man has really been interested in learning more about Zendo and their services, and requested Zendo to help train their staff.

Sara also shares her experience and insights working on the MAPS Phase 2 MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD trials and how she got involved in psychedelic research. We also explore how transpersonal psychology can serve as an important framework for working with psychedelic experiences.

We hope you enjoy this episode. Be sure to leave us a comment below and share this episode!

The Zendo Project

The Zendo Project is sponsored by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Zendo provides harm reduction services to the community and to festivals. Zendo strives to:
  • Reduce the number of psychiatric hospitalizations and arrests.
  • Create an environment where volunteers can work alongside one another to improve their harm reduction skills and receive training and feedback.
  • Demonstrates that safe, productive psychedelic experiences are possible without the need for law enforcement-based prohibitionist policies.

Psychedelic Harm Reduction

Show Notes/Link

Sara Gael, M.A., Director of Harm Reduction, Zendo Project

Sara Gael
Sara received her Master’s degree in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology at Naropa University. She began working with MAPS in 2012, coordinating psychedelic harm reduction services at festivals and events worldwide with the Zendo Project. Sara was an Intern Therapist for the recently completed MAPS Phase 2 clinical trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD in Boulder, CO. She maintains a private practice as a psychotherapist specializing in trauma and non-ordinary states of consciousness. Sara believes that developing a comprehensive understanding of psychedelic medicines through research and education is essential for the health and well being of individuals, communities, and the planet.

Community is an important part of integration. One of the most difficult aspects of integration is returning to a society that doesn’t understand or support psychedelic exploration. In fact, re-entering society can feel like a stark contrast between the interconnected, transpersonal state of the psychedelic experience. Therefore, one of most important tools for successful integration is a supportive, understanding community. We encourage our Guests to connect with and build supportive communities around themselves when they return home from the event. We support them in seeking professional help if necessary.

-Sara Gael, Zendo Project Coordinator
source

Sara Gael – Links

Sara’s Professional Practice site – Re-membering

Sara’s Profile on Psychology Today

Mikedelic Podcast – October 5, 2016 

Understanding and Working with Difficult Psychedelic Experiences – MAPS Bulletin

Entheogen Show – Psychedelic First Aid 

Be sure to check out our upcoming course: Navigating Psychedelics

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Cognitive Liberty, The War on Drugs, & Personal Freedom

Psychedelics Today - Cognitive Liberty, The War on Drugs, and Personal Freedom

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It is the week of the 4th of July. That means the United States is celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence, breaking free from the British Empire, and becoming an independent nation.  With the holiday underway, it seems like a great time to reflect on the concept of freedom (including cognitive liberty) and what it means to each and every one of us.

In honor of Independence Day and the Declaration of Independence, here is a quote by Terence McKenna:

Terrence McKenna - Cognitive Liberty
Photo from: http://www.cannalawblog.com/they-said-it-on-marijuana-quotable-saturday-part-cxxvi/

In this episode, Joe and Kyle reflect on the concept of personal freedom, cognitive liberty, and the impact that the War on Drugs has on the American people. It seems to be the consensus that the War on Drugs is failing. The policy has huge negative consequences on people across the globe, and significantly marginalizes minority groups and people of color.

Cognitive Liberty

As psychedelic research continues to progress in the academic and scientific realm, many people are still subjected to arrest and imprisonment because of this failed policy. Kyle and Joe share their thoughts about the pursuit for cognitive liberty and personal freedom.

The unexamined life is not worth living – Socrates

Do you think that exploring one’s own consciousness, whether through plants or other drugs, be illegal? Why should a person have to “ask permission” to have an experience with their own body, mind, and spirit?

Let us know your thoughts about this topic.

Joe and Kyle also talk about their new upcoming course, Navigating Psychedelics: Lessons on Self-Care & Integration. Be sure to check out this course and sign up TODAY!

We are giving away a SPECIAL offer just for the 4th of July! Receive 10% off our Earl-Bird special with the coupon code “freedom” when you check out. You do not want to miss this offer!

 

Show Links

Geoffery Schwartz presents: Cognitive Liberty and Entheogenic Freedom for ERIE

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Shane LeMaster, B.A., M.A., LAC, CC-AASP – Peyote, Veterans and Flow States

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Shane LeMaster joins us to talk about his work with veterans, enhancing human performance and traditional use of peyote.

Show Topics
  • Psychedelics and martial arts.
  • Martial arts / JuJitsu for Veterans.
    • Exposure therapy
  • Flow states and psychedelics.
  • Psychedelic Integration and groups.
  • Opinions on MDMA being a psychedelic drug or not.
  • Doing work with veterans and gaining their trust for therapeutic relationships.
  • Traditional approaches to ayahuasca.
  • First hand accounts of what the Peyote world is like.
  • Shifting away from the predominant Newtonian Cartesian paradigm after psychedelic use and understanding that we know very little about what is really happening here in the world.
  • Sustainability in the Peyote habitat.
Show Links

About Shane LeMaster, B.A., M.A.,  LAC, CC-AASP

Bio from Mind-OPS

Shane earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO, completed extensive coursework towards a Master of Arts Degree in Sport & Performance Psychology at the University of Denver, and earned his Master of Arts Degree in Sport & Exercise Psychology from Argosy University.

Shane is nationally certified as a Sport Psychology Consultant and a licensed mental health clinician in the state of Colorado.  Having worked in community non-profit mental health since 2008, Shane has gained experience working with the entire spectrum of mental disorders and with all populations and age groups.  Shane plans on attending a Ph.D program in Counseling Psychology where his interest in Resiliency, Mental Toughness, and Mindfulness Training Program Development can be explored and further developed.

He is a life-long athlete having competed at various levels in more than a dozen different sports.  Because of his passion for warrior cultures of past and present, Shane has been ardently developing his own “Warriorship,” training in various forms of Martial Arts for 25 years.  Shane feels that the self-discipline, the philosophy of non-violence, the innumerable mental and physical benefits, and the enjoyment that he gains from the Martial Arts is what helped drive his passion in the field of Psychology.

His personal interest in Eastern Philosophy stems from his adoption of a Buddhist lifestyle and blends well with his training in Western Psychological Science.  Clients describe Shane as an out-of-the-box clinician that is easy to get along with, knowledgeable on a variety of topics, credible with lived experience, and as having the ability to make therapy fun and interesting.

Interested in learning more about psychedelic self-care and integration? Check out and sign up for our new online course!

 

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Leia Friedman – The Boston Entheogenic Network and Tips on Creating a Psychedelic Group

Leia Friedman

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In this episode, Kyle talks with Leia Friedman, co-founder of the Boston Entheogenic Network (BEN) and also known as “The Psychedologist.” Kyle recently was invited to facilitate an “Introduction to Transpersonal Breathwork” workshop for BEN. Joe also was in town for the weekend and presented a talk about “Breathwork, Psychedelics, and Ecological Collapse.” It was a great psychedelic weekend in Massachusetts.

After the workshop, Kyle had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Leia about her interests in the psychedelic field, feminism and eco-feminism, and how she got involved with starting a psychedelic group in Boston. She provides some helpful tips and advice for creating/starting your own local group.

Tips for starting your own psychedelic group:

  • First, what is the point of the group?
  • What is the purpose or mission?
  • Learn about your local laws and the legal risks
  • Do not condone or facilitate illegal activity
  • Go slow
  • Find the others to help you out
  • Check in with yourself and the other members of the group
  • Protect your members
  • Start online to gain awareness and then start an in-person meet up

Sign up below to get your FREE download “How to Create Your Own Psychedelic Group”

We hope you enjoy this episode and let us know what you think!

Leia Friedman
Kyle and Leia holding space for the breathwork circle

Leia Friedman
Breathwork on the river.

Leia Friedman
Joe and Kyle presenting, “Breathwork, Psychedelics, and Ecological Collapse” in Lowell, MA, USA

Show Notes/Links

About Leia Friedman

Leia Friedman is a professor, clinician, writer and the cofounder of Boston Entheogenic Network. Her present focus is an amalgamation of psychology, ecology, and experiences of altered consciousness as tools for deeper self-understanding. She is also involved in local social and climate justice activism, alphabet soup, and body positivity.

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Psychedelic Science 17 Recap

Psychedelic Science 17

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Psychedelic Science 17 in Review

We discuss our recent trip to MAPS‘s Psychedelic Science 2017. It was incredibly fun and we loved being able to connect with so many with this shared interest. Many attendees are actively working to progress the case of psychedelic substances.

This was the largest psychedelic conference ever in recorded history attended by over 3000 people from 42 countries. There were discussions around ayahuasca, peyote, DMT, salvia, MDMA and many other substances. Some of the most interesting discussions were around ibogaine treating people with addiction. Turns out there are far more things that can be treated with ibogaine than simply opiate addiction.

I was very excited to discuss drug testing and harm reduction with the people from DanceSafe. We were also able to check out some really interesting technology – lights and music – that triggered some of the most intense visuals of my life.  Illuminated SF put that demonstration together. It is highly recommend.

The experience of Psychedelic Science 17 was so incredible and encouraging that I cannot wait to go to the next one. Being around the movement was truly humbling and gratifying. Connecting with people from as far as Brussels, Poland and Hong Kong gave extra context to how far and wide this movement is spreading and that there is real depth in the movement.

We hope you enjoy the episode. If you want to connect with us please feel free to reach out using the contact page. If you want to stay in touch with us please join our mailing list and we will send some interesting links to you on a semi regular basis.

Links

https://www.solarwolfenergy.com/

MAPS.org – Support Psychedelic Science

MAPS made available a tremendous amount of the talks for free on youtube. You should spend some time digging through the talks for things you may find very interesting.

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Psychedelics, Philosophy, Transhumanism and Peter Sjöstedt-H

Psychedelic Philosophy and Peter Sjöstedt-H

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Peter is a psychedelic philosopher focusing on panpsychism, psychedelics, Whitehead, Nietzsche and some other heavy weights. We discuss Peter’s psychedelic philosophy and influences from psychedelic liberty cap mushrooms found in a field in England, his influence on the famous comic author Warren Ellis, his essay Neo-Nihilism, transhumanism and much more. We really look forward to having Peter on the show again in the future!

Show Notes/links

Whitehead Quotes

‘The terms morality, logic, religion, art, have each of them been claimed as exhausting the whole meaning of importance. Each of them denotes a subordinate species. But the genus stretches beyond any finite group of species.’ (MT)

‘Philosophy is an attempt to express the infinity of the universe in terms of the limitations of language.’ (Autobiog.)

‘The doctrines which best repay critical examination are those which for the longest period have remained unquestioned.’ (MT)

‘[I]n the development of intelligence there is a great principle which is often forgotten. In order to acquire learning, we must first shake ourselves free of it. We must grasp the topic in the rough, before we smooth it out and shape it.’ (MT)

More on Peter’s site here 

Peter’s Social Media

Instagram
Twitter
Facebook

Warren Ellis

The Brink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMyMbQAgiVc

About Peter

Peter Sjöstedt-H is an Anglo-Scandinavian philosopher who specialises in the thought of Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and Whitehead within the fields of Philosophy of Mind and Metaphysics – especially with regard to panpsychism and altered states of sentience. Peter received a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and a Master’s degree in Continental Philosophy from the University of Warwick, where he was awarded a first-class distinction for his dissertation on Kant and Schelling in relation to ‘intellectual intuition’. He subsequently became a Philosophy Lecturer in London for six years but is now engaged in his PhD at Exeter University where he also teaches philosophy modules and writing skills. Peter is the author of Noumenautics and an inspiration behind the new inhuman philosopher Marvel Superhero, Karnak.

In the words of futurist, philosopher and pop star Alexander Bard: ‘One of our favourite contemporary philosophers, Peter Sjöstedt-H…think a psychedelic Nietzsche’.

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Lex Pelger – Endocannabinoids and the Blue Dot Tour

Lex Pelger - Psychedelic writer and thinker

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Psymposia’s MC and Host, Lex Pelger, joins us again on Psychedelics Today to talk about Psymposia’s upcoming Blue Dot Tour. Lex also talks about his graphic novel about cannabis, the endocannabinoid system, and the War on Weed.

What is the Blue Dot Tour?

(From Psymposia.com)

The Blue-Dot Tour is our two-month open-mic Psychedelic Stories road trip across the continent starting on the way to the Psymposia Stage Psychedelic Science 2017 in Oakland.

Our goal is to hit blue cities in red states that serve as such pressure cookers of activism, education, and art. But also blue cities in blue states, red towns in red states, purple villages in green states, and anywhere we can find a host from Mexico to Canada.

We’ll also be screening Robert Barnhart’s excellent film ‘A New Understanding – the Science of Psilocybin.’

Blue Dot Tour Dates (Subject to Change)

For the most up-to-date schedule check out the schedule at Psymposia.com 

4/21-23 Psychedelic Science
4/26 Los Angeles, CA
4/27 San Diego, CA

Don’t see your city on the tour schedule? Reach out to Psymposia to host them in your town/city for an event: hi@psymposia.com

Show Notes/Links
About Lex Pelger:

Lex is Host of Psymposia. He’s also a drug writer and scientist based in Brooklyn.

His current project, Anandamide or: the Cannabinoid a graphic novel about cannabis (based on Moby Dick), illustrates the beauties of the endocannabinoid system (the Whale), the brutalities of the racist War on Weed (Ahab), and the staggering benefits of medical marijuana to ease the aging of our grandparents

He graduated from Boston University with a BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

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Interview with Natalie Ginsberg: Global Psychedelic Policy and Advocacy

“Through my lens, so many problems in this world are driven by people acting from a reactionary place of fear and pain instead of from a place of compassion or love.” – Natalie Ginsberg

Joe and Kyle spoke with Natalie Ginsberg, Policy and Advocacy Manager at Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Natalie provides us with a summary on facets of the current state of global drug policy. She also discusses the role of racism and privilege in the psychedelic community in America. The following is an excerpt from our interview.  

Edited by: Alyssa Gursky

Natalie: This past year, the UN General Assembly met for the first time in 20 years to revisit international drug treaties. A special session was called on the world drug problem. There were a series of different meetings. Vienna hosts something called the, Commission on Narcotic Drugs, every year. First, there is a big gathering in Vienna where reformers, non-reformers, and people working both from civil society on drug policy come to meet with delegates from around the world and educate them.

They tried to move drug policy from a criminalization approach to a more public health and harm reduction kind of approach.That was also pretty inspiring, and it was definitely a bit frustrating in terms of progress.We would’ve liked the outcome document to reflect much more progressive drug policy stances, but they’re very influenced by countries like Russia and China, who are really not open to the harm reduction approaches at all.

Being there, you meet so many global representatives. For example, the so-called drug czar, but he doesn’t like that name. The National Drug Coordinator of Czech Republic, for example, is really supportive of psychedelic advocacy and was able to host a lot of more innovative, progressive events. The Colombian health minister gave a really powerful speech on the floor of the United Nations (UN), basically saying the drug war… using that Einstein quote, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.” It was really epic for the minister from Columbia to be saying that to the whole UN.

Source: http://www.maps.org/news/update/6024-newsletter-february-12,-2016

Overall, for me, what was so, so valuable was really this coming together of the international reform community. Now, I work super-closely with advocates from Afghanistan, Mexico, and Nigeria. We’re much more in the same loop of what’s going on and learning about how we’re doing work in different countries is important because the UN is a really slow body that is quite reactionary, and it’s really driven forward by individual countries’ progress. The more we can support individual countries moving forward, the better chance we have for them to kind of influence the UN later.

Joe: Are there any star countries that you noticed that are really doing stuff that might not be on the radar yet?

Natalie: Bolivia actually legalized coca leaves and has done some really important work around protecting cultural indigenous plant medicines, like promoting the traditional use of these substances.

As I mentioned, the Czech Republic is really, I’d say, the leader on all things psychedelic that are not traditional, indigenous use. I would also say that even though Portugal gets a lot of attention for decriminalizing drugs, they actually weren’t the first place to do that. The Czech Republic has been decriminalizing drugs longer than Portugal, as has Spain. Portugal received a great deal of attention because they did it in response to a big opiate crisis. There’s some incredible results to show how dramatically things have shifted, but other countries have kind of taken that stance for a while, so there isn’t as much of a shift. But, they do have really promising results from not having a crazy drug war.

Spain is also really cool because of their cannabis social clubs. I was lucky to spend a few weeks in Barcelona this fall. They have these incredible spaces that basically was like a mix between coffee shop, co-worker space, maybe a little bar worked in there — just like a community space where you can go and become a club member.

Sourced: http://www.maps.org/news/bulletin/articles/410-bulletin-winter-2016/6399-catharsis-on-the-mall

Also, keep an eye on Colombia. When Ismail and I, my colleague from the policy team, were at the UN, we spoke to the Colombian health minister about MDMA therapy. He said, “Yeah, that sounds really promising.” I’m optimistic about that. They’re kind of still in the process of reforming their drug policies, and though they haven’t made as dramatic of strides as the other countries, a lot of the ministers and people doing work in Colombia are a lot more conscious. They see all of the horrible impacts of the drug war on their country and want to improve it. I think they will continue to do this work and lead some reform in South America.

Then also of course Canada is leading the way in so many ways on the drug policy front. From legalizing cannabis to really strongly supporting harm-reduction measures in response to opiate crises. I think Canada is going to be the leader on drug policy reform, and probably on a lot of other policies as well.

Joe: What else is going on in your world? Are you projected a couple years out to be working on some other interesting projects, or what do you see happening?

Natalie: I can speak about something that’s really near to my heart. In context of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, we are working to develop a study that would be focused on racial trauma, or PTSD from racism. We are working on another focusing on PTSD in trans communities as well. I’m really interested in talking about how social injustice can manifest in an individual as PTSD. I think that’s going to be a really important conversation.

Anti-racist work within the psychedelic community is really important. A lot of people I know are these peace-loving, hippie types who have really beautiful ideals, but don’t necessarily know the details or the reality of certain situations. I’ve heard from so many amazing, well-intentioned people in this community, “I don’t see race. All people are the same.” I think the concept is beautiful and well-intentioned, but that’s also really ignoring the experience of people of color in this country.

Unfortunately, police officers do see race. Breaking that conversation open I think is immensely important. If we’re a community that really talks about healing and working in solidarity with other social justice movements, I think that is really essential. I have seen more and more progress on that front, but I just want to definitely flag that because I think we have a lot of room to improve in that space.

Joe: What does that look like to you? How could we heal a bit? I know the research itself is very white, really kind of bland, but in terms of diversity, how do we heal that? What do you see?

Natalie: Yes, the research is quite white, unfortunately. This study focusing on racial trauma, we’re working with Dr. Monica Williams in process, but she’s a leading researcher on PTSD from racism. Working with experts and therapists of color to do outreach to their own communities. We have to work with communities and not just go in and be like, “Why don’t you come into our space?” We have to be willing to meet people where they are and really listen, and hear what different communities need from us and how we can best work with them. I think really the best way, when you ask how can we heal, it’s really we as white, psychedelic enthusiasts need to do our own work  We need to do our own reading and need to start asking questions. And not questions just of people of color, and asking them to do this emotional labor for us, but maybe other white people who are doing this work who might be able to help support this process.

It’s a really long, difficult process that requires a lot of self-reflection, which is why I think there’s so much potential in our psychedelic community.We’re a community so focused on being conscious and self-reflection. All of these things that are essential to understanding racial consciousness, and the impact of racism on white people. There’s a lot of hugely harmful impacts of racism in white people, the way that sexism deeply harms men in patriarchy. I think it’s really important that we are doing some of our own work. That is a difficult process but a healing one, The more conscious we are of things, I believe that is really a way to move towards healing.

Returning war veterans are incredibly traumatized and don’t have adequate support, but yet compared to someone living in a poor, black neighborhood in Atlanta … There was a study that returning war veterans had way lower rates of PTSD than people living in this community. These people are also underdiagnosed, and don’t have the resources that even… It’s just interesting context because certainly, we dramatically need to improve our support for veterans as well, but even just stepping back and seeing that there’s so many people suffering from PTSD who have no access, or no even language to understand what they’re going through.

Kyle: Do you have any last-minute advice for students or anyone that is interested in getting involved with policy work? Because now, maybe, with this fear of the new administration taking over, we don’t really know what the climate is going to look like.

Natalie: In this political climate, it’s more important than ever to do work also outside of the so-called direct political system. Advocacy even means talking to your family or friends, creating a cultural space to support this political work is the most important thing we can do. This ties back into the conversation about the whiteness and privilege of the psychedelic space. I totally understand that there are such a span of people who are able to speak openly about this in certain contexts. You can be at risk for losing your job, your children, and certainly people of color are far higher risk for being arrested for drugs or things like that. I think that’s a really powerful part of recognizing being conscious of your privilege in this community — if you feel safe enough to speak in certain communities and speak out, that it’s super-important to do that and use that privilege to move the conversation forward. There’s so many ways for people to get involved. MAPS alone has a million volunteer opportunities, or we’ll help you host a global psychedelic dinner if you want help inviting people in your community, and having things to talk about. I encourage people also to just think of whatever they’re most passionate about and do that, and see how psychedelics can intersect with that, and how they can speak in their space.

Check out the full audio interview with Natalie Ginsberg here.

Transcribed by: Rev.com

About Natalie Ginsberg

Natalie earned her Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University in 2014, and her Bachelor’s in History from Yale University in 2011. At Columbia, Natalie served as a Policy Fellow at the Drug Policy Alliance, where she helped legalize medical marijuana in her home state of New York, and worked to end New York’s racist marijuana arrests. Natalie has also worked as a court-mandated therapist for individuals arrested for prostitution and drug-related offenses, and as a middle school guidance counselor at an NYC public school. Natalie’s clinical work with trauma survivors spurred her interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy, which she believes can ease a wide variety of both mental and physical ailments by addressing the root cause of individuals’ difficulties, rather than their symptoms. Through her work at MAPS, Natalie advocates for research to provide evidence-based alternatives to both the war on drugs and the current mental health paradigm.

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Ed of Psychedelic Milk- Drugs, Hong Kong, Trump, & Trickster Medicine

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In this episode, Joe and Kyle chat with Ed Liu of the podcast, Psychedelic Milk. It has been great to connect with other folks that host podcasts, and are doing whatever they can to spread the message about psychedelics and the psychedelic movement. We really enjoyed talking with Ed and appreciated his honesty as well as the conversations he is bringing to the field.

Show Notes

PsychedelicMilk.com is an independent media collective that takes a deeper look into the world of psychedelics through interviews and discussions. Our mission is to bring more awareness and understanding to alternative medicine and different ways of thinking to our our audiences through young and exciting ways. Psychedelic Milk also aims to investigate old and new consciousness opening technologies to see what roles they can play in our modern world. We believe psychedelic technologies are not just limited to plant medicines, but can be accessed through meditation, movement, knowledge, and many more. If you like the podcast, leave us a review on iTunes! (will help us tremendously)

          

About Ed Liu

Ed Liu is a podcast host and a music producer – previously charted on the Beatport Top 100. He is currently the host of the Psychedelic Milk podcast, a long form conversational interview with interesting and influential guests from all over the world to discuss topics of consciousness, psychedelics, and new emerging technologies.

 

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Paul Austin – Psychedelia and The Third Wave – Psychedelic Media

Psychedelia Podcast - The Third Wave - Psychedelic

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Kyle and Joe speak with, Paul Austin, psychedelic educator, founder of The Third Wave and Psychedelia. Paul is a super fun guy to talk to. He tours both in the US and internationally to speak about microdosing. Microdosing is becoming incredibly popular and seems to be making psychedelics more popular in the mainstream. Microdosing can help with creativity, therapy and many other things without any of the burden of a “full” dose.

What is the psychedelic Third Wave? Paul describes it as:Psychedelia Podcast - The Third Wave - Psychedelic

A new era of psychedelic use. It is an era of psychedelic use defined by practical, measured use for specific purposes. It is an era, not for ‘dropping-out’ of society, but for integrating psychedelics into the mainstream. It is an era, not to fear psychedelics for their possible negative repercussions, but to embrace psychedelics for their tremendous upside.

Some insight from DR. JAMES FADIMAN
“For some people, it is helpful to identify your goals. Your goals may be spiritual: to have direct experience with aspects of your tradition or another tradition, to transcend prior beliefs, even to transcend belief itself. You may hope to have what is called a “unity experience,” in which there is no separation between your identity and all else. Your goals may be social: to improve relationships with your spouse, children, siblings, parents, colleagues, friends, and spiritual and secular institutions. Your goals may be psychological: to find insight into neurotic patterns, phobias, or unresolved anger or grief.”

We get into some great psychedelic topics such as:

About Paul Austin:

As an entrepreneur and avid psychedelic explorer, Paul believes in the power of rational dialogue and community engagement in stripping Paul Austin - Psychedelic Educator away the stigma around psychedelic use.

He understands the power of responsible psychedelic use in aiding psycho-spiritual development, and believes in sharing this message with others.

When not ruminating on his next psychedelic project, Paul enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time outside.

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Psychedelic Shine – Boulder Theater Featuring Dennis McKenna

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Joe talks about his recent experience at the Psychedelic Shine event in Boulder CO that featured Dennis McKenna.

Super fun time and was very thankful to connect with the Colorado Psychedelic community.

 

Here are some links to some folks I ran into at the event.

Dennis’s book

Links

Antlife

Psychedelic Club

The Rooster – Reilly Caps

Trichome Institute  (Max)

Kimba Arem

Knew Revolution

 

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Kyle and Joe review a new documentary – The Sunshine Makers

The Sunshine Makers - Review by Psychedelics Today

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Joe and Kyle talk at length about the recently produced documentary titled “The Sunshine Makers” created by Cosmo Feilding-Mellen and starring both Nick Sand and Tim Scully.

Let us know what you think about this and if it was interesting to you at all. Please rent or purchase the documentary through our amazon link here to support Psychedelics Today.

The Movie
Amazon – rent or buy

IMDB

Links 

Tim Scully

Nick Sand

Orange Sunshine

Brotherhood of Eternal Love

 

Video of Kyle and Joe recording this discussion

 

 

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Psychedelics Today – Kyle and Joe – Year End Recap

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It is the start of a New Year. People are saying 2016 has been pretty horrible, but 2016 has been pretty decent in regards to psychedelic science and research. We are hoping that 2017 will be a fruitful year as well.

In this episode Kyle and Joe run through the year in review — thoughts about the podcast and project as well as recap just a few of the psychedelic highlights of 2016. Continue reading “Psychedelics Today – Kyle and Joe – Year End Recap”

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Kyle and Joe Talking About The Interview with Dimitri Muganis and the Field

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Kyle Buller - Psychedelics Today

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

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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”

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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

Dimitri’s site
Instagram
Facebook

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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.
  • 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

Brian Normand

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Djinn Thompson – Psychedelic Parenting

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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:

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

Here’s the link to Psychedelic Parenting MAPS donation page: https://store.maps.org/np/clients/maps/donation.jsp?campaign=59

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!

Links and articles mentioned: 
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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.

Main site for Aftercare Project – Facebook

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Brett Greene

Psymposia

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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