Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation podcast Plants of the Gods: S8E3 Can Psychedelics Treat "Incurable" Trauma? (Dr. Pamela Kryskow, Part 1)
Mar 23, 2026
Dr. Pamela Kryskow, a medical doctor specializing in mental health and psychedelic-assisted therapy and medical lead for Roots to Thrive, explores using psilocybin and ketamine to reach deep trauma. She contrasts synthetic psilocybin with whole mushrooms, discusses entourage effects and patient experiences, and considers therapy models versus profit-driven medicine.
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Firefighting Career and Accumulated Trauma
- Pamela Kryskow described moving from seasonal forestry firefighting to full-time firefighting in 1994 and the intense physical and psychological demands of the job.
- She explained firefighters are hired at peak fitness, face repeated traumatic events, and often accumulate unprocessed trauma over years leading to substance use and relationship breakdowns.
Offer Psychedelic Sessions Early And Preventively
- Kryskow recommends offering psychedelic sessions early and periodically to first responders as preventive care to process trauma before it accumulates.
- At Roots to Thrive she proposes an initial session on hiring and follow-ups when irritability, anger, or substance use increases.
Preexisting Trauma Plus Job Trauma Creates Breakdown
- Kryskow argues first responders enter jobs already carrying developmental trauma which then layers with job trauma, creating a predictable breakdown if untreated.
- She and Mark Plotkin both point to indigenous ritual practices (e.g., ayahuasca) as models for regular communal cleansing that Western systems lack.