Psychedelics Today Podcast

In this episode, Joe interviews Devon Phillips: community & partnerships officer for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS).

Phillips works on strategies to tackle the questions: How do we responsibly mainstream psychedelics? And how do we get culture engaged? He's focusing on being the bridge to psychedelics outside of research, facilitating workshops and psychedelic coming-out stories at music festivals and conferences. He talks about harm reduction and drug checking at festivals, the concept of training big names to become trustworthy resources, the differences found in a hop hop crowd compared to EDM, and the power in using psychedelics for pleasure and celebration – not just healing and growth. 

He also discusses: 

• MAPS' involvement with the NFL for their 'My Cause, My Cleats' campaign, and how the San Francisco 49ers' Jon Feliciano is bringing awareness to psychedelic healing
• Details about MAPS' first responders training, fiscal sponsorship program, international therapist education program, and upcoming membership program (launching in June)
• The success of MAPS' Psychedelic Science and his hopes for the 2024 edition, taking place June 16 - 20 at the Denver Convention Center
• Dr. Carl Hart, drug exceptionalism, and the importance of creating safe containers and inclusive drug policy 

and more! For links and more, head to the show notes page.

In this episode, Joe interviews Keeper Trout: archivist, author, photographer, co-founder of the Cactus Conservation Institute, and creator of Trout’s Notes, a website compiling personal research and collected data to help ethnobotanical researchers.

From an interest in cactus taxonomy, Sasha Shulgin urged Trout to go through his files, resulting in a friendship, and eventually, an 8-year project of digitizing all of these files into the ever-evolving Shulgin Archive.

Trout discusses:

• His relationship with Sasha and The Shulgin Farm project, which aims to make the farm a community resource for therapy, research, events, and more
• The messiness of cactus taxonomy, and how he believes we’re nearing the end of being able to properly identify plants
• The perception of LSD as unnatural and why the natural vs. synthetic argument is largely political
• Why repealing the Controlled Substances Act is the path we should take over decriminalization or legalization

and more!

For links and more, head to the show notes page. 

In this episode, Alexa interviews creative entrepreneur, veteran of the cannabis space, and now, founder of SetSet, an educational platform and podcast (picking up where The High Guide left off) for women curious about psychedelics.

With Alexa about to embark on the journey of motherhood, she asks many of the questions parents working with psychedelics have to consider: How do you overcome the stigmas of being a psychedelic parent? How do you talk to your children about drugs? How do you know if a substance is ok to use during pregnancy?

Pride discusses:

• Being dubbed “the weed mom” and why she embraced the nickname
• Parenting children around drug use and how parents lose credibility when they lie (the kids are going to know)
• The need for more research into how substances interact with women’s cycles and changing hormones
• Knowing when to trust your doctor and how more conversations lead to more knowledgeable doctors
• Microdosing psilocybin and the developing SetSet protocol

and more! For links and more, head to the show notes page. 

In this episode, Joe interviews Paul F. Daley, Ph.D., who worked with Sasha Shulgin in his lab for the last seven years of his life, helping him finish (and co-authoring) "The Shulgin Index, Volume One: Psychedelic Phenethylamines and Related Compounds."

He is now the co-founder, Chief Science Officer, and Director of Analytical Science at the Alexander Shulgin Research Institute (ASRI), focusing on the discovery and development of novel psychedelic compounds. While Sasha was passionate about self-experimentation, the Institute is aiming for the next step for these drugs: FDA approval.  

He discusses: 

• Meeting Sasha at the 2nd international conference on hallucinogenic mushrooms in Washington D.C.
• Bonding with Sasha while reviewing the autopsy of researcher Robert van den Bosch for possible foul play
• The two compounds ASRI is closest to being able to test in clinical trials
• The 5-HT2B receptor, risk of valvular disease, and why we will likely be hearing more about this going forward
• How AI and new technology can lead to better safety science  

and more! Click here to head to the show notes page.

In this episode, David interviews Osiris González Romero: philosopher and Postdoctoral researcher on cognitive freedom and psychedelic humanities at the University of Saskatchewan.

Romero believes that our weakest point of research is our knowledge of Indigenous languages, and is focused on highlighting different cultural uses of psychedelics to better inform future drug policy. He’s currently studying more than 100 documents (including one over 400 years old) to establish an honest understanding of why peyote was ever banned.

He discusses:

• Mesoamerican psychedelics and their relevance to cognitive liberty and decolonization
• How the War on Drugs is our main colonial legacy
• The concepts of an ontological turn and ontological pluralism
• The neocolonial, biomedical, and spiritual paradoxes found inside the ‘psychedelic renaissance’
• How imagination is often viewed through a lens of illusion rather than problem solving or creativity

and more!

Click here to head to the show notes page. 

In this episode, Joe interviews Maria Mangini, Ph.D., FNP: researcher, educator, and midwife who has worked closely with many psychedelic innovators and was part of the original social network at Shulgin Farm – where this episode was recorded. She traces her journey from the influence of pioneers like the Wassons, Shulgins, and Grofs, and historic places like Esalen and Millbrook.

She discusses:

• Her early experiences with the Grofs at Esalen and how she met the Shulgins
• Gregory Bateson guiding her to become a midwife
• The similarities between midwifery and psychedelic facilitation
• The unsung work of Denis Berry in saving the Timothy Leary archives
• How the working relationship of the Shulgins is a perfect example of the coequality society should strive for

and more! Click here to head to the show notes page.

In this episode, released on Ann Shulgin’s birthday, Joe interviews Wendy Tucker: Daughter of Ann and Stepdaughter to Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin.

Recorded in Sasha’s old office, she recounts her formative years, giving an insider’s look into her Mother’s openness about psychedelics, working with Sasha in the lab, how the Shulgins made a perfect team, and watching a close-knit circle of self-experimenters start to form at Shulgin Farm – and keep coming back over the years.

She talks about the energy infused into the property from the decades of research and gatherings, and how she is trying to preserve it – not just to capture its history and the pioneering research that happened there, but as a beacon for future generations. She imagines weddings, conferences, other communal gatherings, and more. Imagine taking a chemistry course in Sasha Shulgin’s lab?

To learn more about the project and to donate, head to Shulginfarm.org.

Click here to head to the show notes page and watch the video.

In this episode, Joe interviews Juan Pablo Cappello: co-founder and former CEO of Nue Life Health, whose assets were subsequently acquired by Beckley Waves.

Cappello digs into his recent article which has been making waves across the psychedelic community: “Profit Over Patients? A Critical Look at At-Home Ketamine Therapy.” He created Nue Life with the goal of helping a million people address the root cause of their anxiety, and while the company was successful, he began to see a problematic trend: that using ketamine while providing services of a mental health company is very expensive and resource-consuming, and as companies saw a large percentage of clients requiring maintenance doses, the most profitable business model became essentially slinging ketamine to patients without providing any real integration or aftercare. Are these companies promising healing but really only guaranteeing recurring revenue?

He talks about:

• How this emerging model makes it harder for ethical practitioners to be able to provide their services
• The tools they built at Nue Life for long-term benefit, and why these should be the main focus – not repeated ketamine
• Matthew Perry’s death and how the media was quick to place the blame on ketamine
• The need for companies and communities to come to gather and create ethical industry standards for the at-home ketamine model
• How cannabis was almost decriminalized under the Carter administration

and more!

Click here to head to the show notes page. 

In this episode, David interviews Dr. 1Drea Pennington Wasio: integrative physician, psychedelic-assisted therapy facilitator and psilocybin retreat leader, international speaker, podcaster, and author of several books, including "Sacred Medicine: Exploring The Psychedelic Hero’s Journey."

She discusses her personal metamorphosis and name change inspired by a powerful ayahuasca experience, and how that moved her into a life more inspired by authenticity and self-love. She gives the details of her retreats, explains her PRISM sessions, and talks in depth about the magic of resiliency: How can we not just return to baseline, but experience post-traumatic growth?

She talks about:

• The power of tuning into creativity in times of depression
• The efficacy of narrative therapy and writing in general
• The universal themes of ‘The Hero’s Journey’ and how much agency matters
• The importance of embracing nonfiction, and her upcoming book series, "The Dreamweaver’s Legacy"
• The potential of microdosing psilocybin for menopause and more!

Her new course on trauma-informed psychedelic therapy begins this month, and her next retreat begins May 10. Head to 1drea.com for details. Click here to head to the show notes page. 

In this episode, David interviews Itzhak Beery: author, shamanic teacher, speaker, trip leader, and founder of ShamanPortal.org, an online community and resource for people who want to learn, practice, and teach shamanic traditions.

Beery shares his transformational journey, starting from his upbringing on a kibbutz in Israel, to his disillusioned advertising days in Manhattan, to the life-altering sweat lodge experience in Hawaii that eventually led him to write the book, Shamanic Transformations: True Stories of the Moment of Awakening, and realize his true purpose. He discusses the two major sides of trust: how to know when a healing path has truly become your life purpose, and how to know who to trust as a good healer in a world of self-initiated shamans.

He and David dig into:

• How we all have the innate ability to be a shaman
• How Westerners are often seeking healing too young, before they have the capacity to truly understand lessons they may receive
• His upcoming book which attempts to teach practitioners how to create narratives out of symbols, The Language of Spirit
• The importance in not denying the experiencer’s truth

and more!

Click here to head to the show notes page.

In this episode, Johanna interviews Laura Reeves: Glastonbury-based facilitator and medicine woman trained in craniosacral therapy, somatic experiencing, breathwork, and more, who holds retreats at sacred sites in the U.K. and Peruvian Amazon.

She tells of her journey from serendipitously booking a trip to Ecuador just as she first heard about ayahuasca, to the early ayahuasca experiences that showed her our true interconnectedness, to a heroic dose of psilocybin and a trip to the hospital, to being accepted into training with an Indigenous shaman in the Amazon. With a lifelong love of nature, paganism, and ancient traditions, she stresses the importance of connecting to the natural rhythms of the Earth and harnessing its energy.

She talks about:

• Self-initiated shamans and the dangers that can come from bad actors operating out of integrity and respect for the lineage
• Ayahuasca as a purgative and the power of energetic clearings
• Her experience with shamans using Icaros to channel the sounds of plants
• Shadow work and its role in personal growth and healing
• The energy of Glastonbury, feeling deep connections to sacred places, and how ley lines inspire places of pilgrimage and more!

Click here to head to the show notes page. 

In this episode, Joe and guest co-host Erica Rex interview Elizabeth Anglin: spirit medium, animal communicator, intuitive healer, alien abductee, and author of Experience: Memoirs of an Abducted Childhood.

She talks about her early abduction experiences, the time when she and her father realized they were both being abducted at the same time (from different locations), and the horrifying experience of six beings entering her apartment and realizing she knew one of them. These experiences led her to Budd Hopkins, and eventually John Mack (who did regression work with her) and the John E. Mack Institute, where she became a peer mentor for abductees. She talks about the validity of alien abductions, the concept of spiritual ecology, and the importance of listening to people: There’s so much we don’t know, so is it fair to label experiencers as schizophrenic just because we can’t replicate the experience?

She discusses:

• The commonality of people from the same family being abducted and why some people are lifetime abductees while others are only taken once
• The differences in abductions and how some seem to only be mental while others are physical and extremely painful
• The story of Linda Napolitano and the famous Brooklyn Bridge abduction
• Regressive hypnotherapy work: Are the memories you’re recovering accurate?
• Quantum biology, the Penrose-Hameroff quantum theory of consciousness, parallel realities, time travel, and quantum jumping and so much more! As the X-Files made famous: The truth is out there. And this episode is definitely pretty out there! Click here to head to the show notes page.

In this episode, Christopher Koddermann interviews Dr. Sam Banister: co-founder and chief scientific officer of Psylo, an Australian biotech company developing next-generation psychedelics.

Banister discusses how he got involved in drug development, how Psylo came about, and the hallucinogenic and non-hallucinogenic 5-HT2A agonists Psylo is working on. He talks about the compromise between immediate need and ambition, and the ethical considerations and possibilities behind developing non-hallucinogenic compounds: What can we take from the psychedelic experience for people who aren’t ideal candidates for one? Is the psychedelic experience truly necessary? And for what indications will these new Gen 3 compounds be most useful?

He discusses:

• What we can infer about the volatility of biotech and the state of the psychedelic industry based on recent mergers and acquisitions
• The long-term challenges of drug development and the scalability of treatment options
• How the initial success of Spravato has played a role in allaying fears around new compounds
• Head twitch response and concerns it’s not as accurate of a metric as we’ve believed
• Australia’s decision to down-schedule psilocybin and MDMA, and the speed of implementation and licensing: How long will it be before people have easy access?
• What he sees for the future and why we need to be careful with language around expectations

and more! Click here to head to teh show notes page. 

In this episode, Joe interviews Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris: founder and head of the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London, founding director of the Neuroscape Psychedelics Division at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and founder of the Carhart-Harris Lab.

A legendary researcher, he talks about his psychedelic origins: studying Freud, Jung, and eventually Stan Grof and depth psychology to try and better understand the unconscious. He discusses the growth of psychedelics and the cultural shifts he’s noticed (especially in the U.S.), as well as what he’s working on today: researching the influence of psychedelics on set and setting by studying experiences in both enriched and unenriched environments.

He also talks about:

• Plasticity: how he defines it, how it relates to critical reopening periods, and how it’s a fundamental thing that transcends the metrics we use to measure it
• Early LSD studies, the nervousness surrounding he and David Nutt dosing Ben Sessa, and the youthful energy that kept them going
• How plasticity could be exploited to help relieve chronic pain
• The potential of psychedelics to help with fibromyalgia and anorexia
• How psychedelic-assisted therapy brought care back to health care

and more!

UCSF is seeking survey volunteers, so if you’ve had more than three experiences with ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin (must have experiences with all three) and want to contribute, do so here. Click here to head to the show notes page. 

In this episode, Joe interviews Alyssa Gursky, LPC: artist, research associate and study therapist at the Social Neuroscience and Psychotherapy (SNaP) lab, and founder of Psychedelic Art Therapy LLC, which pioneers ketamine-assisted art therapy.

She talks about her first mushroom experience and how her art and creative process instantly felt different – how the judgment and concern about where the art was going disappeared and was replaced by a freedom; a return to a more childlike way of being, where all that mattered was the fun of the creative process, and expressing her inner world in art. They realized how much the creative process related to true embodiment and the ability to be fully present, and how healing it can be to simply be with other people and create art. 

She talks about:

• The power of being seen in a group, and how the bravery of one person can completely shift the group dynamic
• The need for mentorship in the psychedelic space
• The comfort and freedom found in affinity groups
• The inspiring lives of Genesis P-Orridge and avant-garde filmmaker, Alejandro Jodorowsky
• Rick Rubin’s ability to treat creativity as a spiritual act
• and how attending a live wrestling event aligns with non-ordinary states.

Gursky is launching a virtual education and support group this March for anyone who wants to integrate art into client work or their own process. Visit her instagram for details. Click here to head to the show notes page. 

In this episode, Joe interviews Matthew ‘Whiz’ Buckley: former decorated US Navy F/A-18 Hornet fighter pilot and now, founder and CEO of No Fallen Heroes Foundation, a non-profit focused on healing veterans and first responders with psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Buckley met Joe in D.C. while they were both campaigning for psychedelic therapy to any lawmaker they could speak with. He talks about how the government is spending a fortune on the military, but not paying the total cost, since so much of that is externalized onto the soldiers themselves. He points out how many of them care more about making money than saving lives, and how we need “We the people” moments to wake them up or remove them from office.

He discusses:

• His time in the Navy and his transition back to civilian life, coming to terms with trauma and realizing how much was physical (including tinnitus)
• His life-changing experiences under ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT with the Mission Within
• How we should be teaching veterans about various mental health options (including psychedelic-assisted therapy) as part of their transition process
• The signing of the National Defense Authorization Act and the disappointing amount of money reserved for psychedelic research: Was it all just lip service?
• The complications that arise when trying to get benefits from the VA while also trying to move on: When honesty about mental health isn’t incentivized, when do you tell the truth?
• His experience operating legally in Colorado and how he plans to stay on top of Governor Desantis to bring psychedelics to Florida

and more! Click here to head to the show notes page. 

In this episode, David interviews Saga Briggs: freelance journalist and author of "How to Change Your Body: The Science of Interoception and Healing Through Connection to Yourself and Others."

A collection of interviews, peer-reviewed research, and personal story; the book dives deep into the mind-body connection, how to become more embodied, and our need for social connection – which factors into mental and physical health far more than most of us realize. The nod to Michael Pollan’s book is also a challenge: Have we been focusing too much on our minds and now it’s time to pay more attention to our bodies? How much of the benefit of psychedelic experiences is related to truly experiencing our bodies?

She discusses:

• How neuroscience is starting to look more at brain-body interactions, and the psychedelic space’s growing interest in somatics
• The minimal and narrative selves: Do psychedelics make the minimal self traverse over the narrative self?
• Flexible switching and applying interoception to a social context
• Her concept of a ‘possibility space’ and new ways of perceiving
• The benefit of adding embodiment practices to psychedelic assisted therapy – especially during preparation and integration

and more! Click here to head to the show notes page. 

In this episode, Joe interviews Steve Rio: psychedelic guide, performance and transformation coach, musician, and co-founder of Enfold, a retreat center in BC, Canada.

While Enfold caters each experience to each client, they largely work with 5-MeO-DMT (which is unregulated in Canada); partly because of its power, and partly because Rio realized how much was missing in terms of safety and process when using the substance. They are trying to fill in the gaps, working with the University Health Network Centre for Mental Health to analyze measurements of mindfulness, DAS tests, the Brief Inventory of Thriving survey, and language used when describing experiences to collect as much qualitative data as possible. He discusses their screening process, why they work with synthetic 5-MeO-DMT, why they encourage everyone to go to a group session, and how 5-MeO seems to bypass psychological processes and largely be related to somatic release.

He talks about:

• The power of 5-MeO and being humble and honest with yourself: Are you stable enough to handle the dysregulation?
• 5-MeO bad actors and 'Drive-by 5' people who show up, do the drug, and leave
• The plight of Sonoran Dessert toads and the need for more data around their declining populations
• How 5-MeO seems to connect people with a higher power, and the need for the experiencer to find their own context for it
• The importance of creating a clean and open container for spirituality and meeting the client where they are

and more!

Click here to head to the show notes page.

In this episode, Joe interviews Ayize Jama-Everett: author, educator, filmmaker, and therapist with a long history of work in substance use and mental health services.

When Jama-Everett was last on the show, “A Table of Our Own” – a film focusing on healing, psychedelics, and bonds within the Black community – was still in its infancy. It’s now complete, and he and others behind the film are touring with it, with showings coming up in Detroit, LA, and Boston. A free follow-up discussion hosted by CIIS’ Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research is happening Feb. 15, and, from February 15-16 only, the film is available to rent online.

He gives his full origin story: growing up around substance use, how he got into therapy and healing people through journeys, how “A Table of Our Own” came about, and how it was influenced by mushrooms. Then he discusses a lot more, with a much-needed critical eye:

• His experiences with some notorious bad actors in the facilitation space
• Decriminalization and how we celebrate small wins while ignoring steps back
• Drug exceptionalism, the Drug War, and the demonization of crack
• Power dynamics and the dangerous concept of letting go
• Why the Black community is so skeptical of psychedelics

And he talks about why it’s so important to meet people where they are – that what works for one person or one community won’t necessarily work for another, and the above-ground, corporatized, overly medicalized model will never work for everyone. Click here to head to the show notes page. 

In this episode, Joe interviews Dr. Peter Grinspoon: primary care physician and cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, TedX speaker, certified physician life coach, and author of the new book, Seeing Through the Smoke: A Cannabis Expert Untangles the Truth about Marijuana.

He tells his story of growing up in a house where academics like John Mack and Carl Sagan regularly smoked cannabis, and being inspired by the groundbreaking books of his father, Lester Grinspoon. An outspoken advocate for drug policy reform and embracing different, non-AA paths to recovery, he talks about how he got there: his opiate addiction, fall from medicine, subsequent return, and learning just how deep the stigma against drugs goes, and how much the medical establishment is another arm of the Drug War. Seeing Through the Smoke aims to tell the truth about cannabis, especially on benefits and real and debunked harms. How can we get more physicians and lawmakers on our side if all they know is propaganda?

He discusses:

-The challenge in speaking honestly with physicians about drug use -Why physicians are in support of researching psychedelics but not cannabis -Stigmatized language and Drug War vibes in medical software -The truth about cannabis, schizophrenia, and the risk of drug-induced psychosis -Portugal and the ‘Rat Park’ model -The importance of listening to what patients are saying – especially when we don’t have enough good data

and more! Click here to head to the show notes page.