Psychedelics Today

In today's Solidarity Friday's Episode with Kyle and Joe, they talk mostly about Corpora-delic, companies and wealthy individuals investing in the psychedelic industry. Support the show Patreon Leave us a review on iTunes Share us with your friends – favorite podcast, etc Join our Facebook group - Psychedelics Today group – Find the others and create community. Navigating Psychedelics Show Notes Psychedelics Company Orthogonal Thinker Closes $6M Seed Round The company is valued at 111 million The CEO, Jason Hobson says, "The current health pandemic has resulted in a societal shift in the way we think about our health and the importance of access to treatment, both physical health and mental health. Ei.Ventures believes this is the right time to lean into mental health issues such as mood disorders and addiction, and eventual access to therapeutic treatments from innovations in botanical compounds that have been around for thousands of years." Joe and Kyle say that there is so much money coming in, and it worries the psychedelic community because they aren't used to seeing capitalism Joe says that he hopes that some patents don't equate to ruining access Thiel Backs Psychedelic-Drug Startup in Latest Funding Round "Are these companies going to bully the smaller organizations out of existence so that diversity doesn't really exist in the way we think it should?" - Joe Medical is a great model, but it should be reduced to that only Kyle says the sacred-ness feels like it may be taken away, and big companies just look at it as a commodity Medical Researchers Worry Silicon Valley Could Screw Up Psychedelics "Not everyone sees this opportunity for entrepreneurship as a good thing. For researchers looking into the efficacy of psychedelics for therapeutic purposes, these substances are far more than a market opportunity—they're potentially life-saving medications. And after decades of prohibition, psychedelics are just barely gaining mainstream acceptance.' - from the article People are bold enough to stand up to companies they don't agree with It's no joke how much money was spent on making Tim Leary look bad DARPA Wants Benefits of Psychedelics but Without Hallucinations The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is launching a new drug program for treating soldiers with PTSD, depression, anxiety, and drug addiction, and it is drawing inspiration from psychedelic research. Kyle mentions that this is tricky, its both a biochemical and experiential thing Will eliminating the hallucinations ruin the experience? Joe says that there are some people that are so unstable that a psychedelic experience can be really a lot Joe also says that there arent alot of drugs that their use needs to be supervised (medically) and psychedelics are some of them How Climate Justice Could End the Drug War Joe recorded with Erica Darragh from Sunrise Movement Their talk was about how climate justice could end the drug war They talked about more equitable ways of including people of less power, influence or privilege into the world of psychedelics The more ahead we are of the government, the more likely we are to influence policy, Joe says it's best to just stay informed A North Star for the Emerging Psychedelics Industry If we aren't coming from psychedelic values when bringing these substances into the mainstream, then what are we doing? What are psychedelic values? Valuing the planet, valuing your place in the planet, a sense of connection, cooperation vs. competition, how do we honor a lineage or where these medicines come from? these could be some psychedelic values Following the permaculture principles and applying them to life is a great tool for systems thinking About Kyle Kyle's interest in exploring non-ordinary states of consciousness began when he was 16-years-old when he suffered a traumatic snowboarding accident. Waking up after having a near-death experience changed Kyle's life. Since then, Kyle has earned his B.A. in Transpersonal Psychology, where he studied the healing potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness by exploring shamanism, plant medicine, Holotropic Breathwork, and the roots/benefits of psychedelic psychotherapy. Kyle has co-taught two college-level courses. One of the courses Kyle created as a capstone project, "Stanislav Grof's Psychology of Extraordinary Experiences," and the other one which he co-created, "The History of Psychedelics." Kyle completed his M.S. in clinical mental health counseling with an emphasis in somatic psychology. Kyle's clinical background in mental health consists of working with at-risk teenagers in crisis and with individuals experiencing an early-episode of psychosis. Kyle also facilitates Transpersonal Breathwork workshops. About Joe Joe studied philosophy in New Hampshire, where he earned his B.A.. After stumbling upon the work of Stanislav Grof during his undergraduate years, Joe began participating in Holotropic Breathwork workshops in Vermont in 2003. Joe helped facilitate Holotropic and Transpersonal Breathwork workshops while he spent his time in New England. He is now working in the software industry as well as hosting a few podcasts. Joe now coordinates Dreamshadow Transpersonal Breathwork workshops, in Breckenridge, Colorado. Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday

Amanda Feilding, the Founder of The Beckley Foundation, discusses psychedelic research, policy work, and the benefits of psychedelics in a mental health crisis. She advocates for evidence-based drug policies and highlights the neuroplasticity effects of LSD. Amanda shares her journey of scientific and policy work, emphasizing the distinction between psychedelics and other drugs. The podcast delves into cognitive enhancement with psychedelics, research challenges, and the evolving attitudes towards psychedelics globally.

In today's Solidarity Fridays Episode with Kyle and Joe, they talk about current topics in the news including MindMed, psilocybin synthesis, treating climate grief with psychedelics, psychedelic decriminalization and more. Support the show Patreon Leave us a review on iTunes Share us with your friends – favorite podcast, etc Join our Facebook group - Psychedelics Today group – Find the others and create community. Navigating Psychedelics Show Notes MindMed Psychedelic Pharmaceutical Company MindMed Develops LSD Neutralizer Technology To Shorten and Stop LSD Trips MindMed is a psychedelic Pharmaceutical company that is exploring LSD and patenting anything they find during the research Joe comments and says that organizations like Zendo are able to do optimal work and we don't necessarily need a Pharma company to help in recreational/festival settings But in a clinical setting, this is more necessary "Are these big companies coming into the space as allies are not?" - Joe Joe says he thinks they are part of the ecosystem, for better or worse Joe says, imagine if drugs were legal, they would be so much safer Kyle questions what legalization would look like not in a capitalistic market Scientists Turn Yeast into Psychedelic Psilocybin Factories There is a lot of reason why people choose not to play in commodified markets "How do we know what is true? How do we know what is helpful for us?" - Joe Joe says lets not have a quick easy answer "It's infeasible and way too expensive to extract psilocybin from magic mushrooms and the best chemical synthesis methods require expensive and difficult-to-source starting substrates" - a quote from the article Can Psychedelics Treat Climate Grief? 20 years is when it's going to be really bad for climate change It's been more prominent, people getting therapy for trauma of what's happening in nature The question of a conference that Joe and Kyle attended was, "Can extraordinary experiences help save us from planetary, ecological collapse?" We are able to make people feel more connected to ecological systems with psychedelics We have to be able to feel the grief, but we have to be able to act Are we stewards of the earth, or do we want to work pointless jobs and be a part of consumerism? D.C. Would Vote To Decriminalize Psychedelics, Poll Shows If COVID wasn't a thing currently, it looks like decrim would happen in the belly of the beast, in D.C. Despite the public health crisis, its looks like citizens want to reassess entheogenic use "When there is hardship, creativity seems to spike" - Joe Joe says to check out the microdose VR by Android Jones About Kyle Kyle's interest in exploring non-ordinary states of consciousness began when he was 16-years-old when he suffered a traumatic snowboarding accident. Waking up after having a near-death experience changed Kyle's life. Since then, Kyle has earned his B.A. in Transpersonal Psychology, where he studied the healing potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness by exploring shamanism, plant medicine, Holotropic Breathwork, and the roots/benefits of psychedelic psychotherapy. Kyle has co-taught two college-level courses. One of the courses Kyle created as a capstone project, "Stanislav Grof's Psychology of Extraordinary Experiences," and the other one which he co-created, "The History of Psychedelics." Kyle completed his M.S. in clinical mental health counseling with an emphasis in somatic psychology. Kyle's clinical background in mental health consists of working with at-risk teenagers in crisis and with individuals experiencing an early-episode of psychosis. Kyle also facilitates Transpersonal Breathwork workshops. About Joe Joe studied philosophy in New Hampshire, where he earned his B.A.. After stumbling upon the work of Stanislav Grof during his undergraduate years, Joe began participating in Holotropic Breathwork workshops in Vermont in 2003. Joe helped facilitate Holotropic and Transpersonal Breathwork workshops while he spent his time in New England. He is now working in the software industry as well as hosting a few podcasts. Joe now coordinates Dreamshadow Transpersonal Breathwork workshops, in Breckenridge, Colorado. Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday

In this episode, Kyle interviews Melissa Stangl and Daniel Cleland, Co-founders of Soltara Healing Center. They talk about integration, Shipibo healing lineage, accessibility of psychedelics, and psychedelic tourism. 3 Key Points: Soltara is a Healing Center dedicated toward integration as well as practicing and preserving the Shipibo tradition of Ayahusca healing. It doesn't make sense to take nature based traditions and turn it into instant gratification and business. The further you get from tradition, the less beneficial it may be. Tourism for Ayahuasca can bring both harm and benefits to the local community. Reinforcing the heritage, paying the healers very well and giving back to the forests in terms of sustainability are all ways that Soltara is using Ayahuasca tourism to help the local communities. Support the show Patreon Leave us a review on iTunes Share us with your friends – favorite podcast, etc Join our Facebook group - Psychedelics Today group – Find the others and create community. Navigating Psychedelics Show Notes About Melissa Melissa originally comes from the STEM field She was working in corporate America and was in search for a deeper meaning She met Dan and after joining one of his initial ayahuasca journeys into Peru, it changed her mindset about healing Dan looked for someone to help him after starting up his first ayahuasca center in Peru, and so she dropped everything and moved to the jungle to make it happen After witnessing the healing potential working within the Shipibo tradition, and the need for integration within the community, she later founded Soltara with Dan in Costa Rica About Daniel Daniel grew up in a small town in Canada He followed the typical life trajectory, go to school, go to college, get a job, etc He didn't have big ambitions at the time, very in line with the middle class area that he grew up in After entering the work-force, he was in un-ambitious jobs He thought "are there just 30 years of doing this until this is over?" He felt a strong pull towards South America He was very close to nature in his upbringing He got a job leading tours He had a personal crisis that led him to do some soul searching Within the span of a few years, the trajectory pushed him to build his own healing center in Peru Pillars of Soltara They feel very strongly about having the Shipibo healers lead the ceremony, and everything that they (Mel, Dan and the team) do is to help honor the tradition They focus a lot on integration For the Shipibo culture, their life is integraton, but for a lot of people that are coming from the Western world and other places, that is not the case They started collaborating with clinical psychologists to help create a program that puts the retreat at the start of the program, the work comes after Soltara includes a workbook for integration afterward Our transition times in modern life are shamed, getting your period, having a mid life crisis, having a psychedelic experience, but these experiences can be very sacred "Connecting to the sacredness of life is so healing and so needed for modern-day society" - Melissa Container for Safety and Integration The sensationalism is more around the experience itself People think that you just go in and have the experience and then your life is changed forever and that is not the case A place where people not only can find who they are, but then be who they are in that container, and meet people and create community, is so powerful Kyle said when he attended his retreat there, he can't shake how safe he felt He said it really stood out to him, for someone who is looking at integration and so involved in this field "I would like to bring people to this tradition in a way that is accessible, and I think that starts with safety" - Melissa Corporadelic There are new products, treatment centers, etc The further away you get from tradition, the less beneficial it may be Dan says it doesn't make sense to take nature based traditions for instant gratification, monopoly, and business The ceremony is the healing part, the ayahuasca allows one to connect with the plants, and that it is just the songs in ceremony that really create the healing Melissa says she understands that the science is helping the movement, but she is so afraid that big corporations will just run with this and ruin tradition around it Kyle says during his experience at Soltara, he just felt flooded with gratitude to experience the medicine healing in nature and in the Shipibo culture, where it is natural Ayahuasca Tourism Tourism for Ayahuasca causes harm but also brings benefits to the community too Dan says they are expanding the work, they are not taking away from the traditions It takes a certain capacity to travel to the jungle, speak the language, figure out where to go, how to get there, and how to receive healing is not typically possible for the vast majority of people The Shipibo is receiving really good pay doing this work, which isn't typically possible for the indigenous people This is also reinforcing the heritage, encouraging the children to continue the traditional path Now it's not only a cultural heritage, it's also a way to make a living for the community members You don't cut down trees to grow ayahuasca, you grow ayahuasca among the trees, so it's protecting the jungle In recent years there has been more information and collective awareness to ask the hard questions, Bia Labate has been on the forefront of this, asking the indigenous leaders the important questions of how to keep Ayahuasca tourism sustainable, beneficial and protected Sustainability They just completed a fundraiser for the Amazon They have been collaborating with Amazon Watch, and they raised over $10,000 They are working to plant new Ayahuasca, not to harvest but just to put back into the jungle Final Thoughts Melissa suggest listeners to watch Reconnect, a movie about a man's journey to Soltara Links Soltara Website About Melissa Stangl After taking a leap of faith in September 2015 to step out of Corporate America and into the Amazon jungle, Melissa has since used her background in engineering, science, and management to help advance the plant medicine and psychedelic movements – first by helping run a top-rated ayahuasca center in Peru as Operations Manager, and then as Director of Business Development – and now as Founding Partner and COO for Soltara. She is passionate about using her technical, managerial, and problem-solving skills to help bridge the gap between the Western world and the incredible healing potential of plant medicines and holistic health. Melissa is honored to be a part of this project and working with such a high-quality team that understands the importance and sacredness of this work. Her ethos is one of authenticity, professionalism, respect for tradition, transparency, and high-quality service. These mutual tenets are the team's vision for Soltara as a whole, and she is grateful to take part in creating a space that is a strong conduit for healing, sustainability, and knowledge, empowering each guest to become global beacons for positive change. About Daniel Cleland Daniel Cleland is the Founding Partner/Chairman and CEO of Soltara Healing Center. He is an international entrepreneur, traveller, and author of the book, Pulse of the Jungle: Ayahuasca, Adventures and Social Enterprise in the Amazon. Originating in Walkerton, Ontario, he has spent over a decade globe-trotting and hosting group tours all over Latin America and in the deepest parts of the Amazon to work with traditional indigenous medicine practices. After completing his Master's of Intercultural and International Communication, Daniel founded the company Pulse Tours, a company operating in Peru which became one of the highest rated shamanic retreat centers in the world before he sold it completely in 2017. He believes in supporting sustainability initiatives around the world, such as a free solar power installation that he spearheaded for an entire village in the Amazon in 2017, and the work being done by Amazon Rainforest Conservancy, a Canadian NGO wherein Daniel sits as a member of the advisory board. Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday

In today's Solidarity Fridays Episode with Kyle and Joe, they talk about the Shadow Panel, embracing the weird in psychedelia, what is real, re-examining 'normal', and more. Support the show Patreon Leave us a review on iTunes Share us with your friends – favorite podcast, etc Join our Facebook group - Psychedelics Today group – Find the others and create community. Navigating Psychedelics Show Notes Shadow Panel Topics in the Panel include Ayahuasca retreat centers Maximization culture to use psychedelics for optimization Ketamine therapy and shadow as aspects of character The collective shadow and astrology and much more! Erik Davis Joe and Erik just had a call and they talked about his book High Weirdness: Drugs, Esoterica, and Visionary Experience in the Seventies (The MIT Press) It is a study of the spiritual provocations to be found in the work of Philip K. Dick, Terence McKenna, and Robert Anton Wilson It's a really nice survey of the weird "Are you acknowledging what you're getting by believing something is true? It's a part of your analysis" Joe says if you're into the weird stuff in psychedelics, this book is for you. If you are only into the clinical stuff, then this is good for you. Kyle says sometimes we don't give enough credit to the weirdness in the psychedelic space Corporadelic is a means of spiritual bypassing The weirdness is core to what the psychedelic experience is What is Real? Psyche means more than just mind When its mind, body, spirit, breath, it seems more accurate It is worth reading Alfred Whitehead and James Fadiman, Philosophy is important We are trying to understand and have helpful language around the psychedelic experience "There are no whole truths, there are only half truths" Kyle said that at the core of our being, how do we know what is true and real? At the fundamental truth of what real is, Kyle says that sitting in the CAT scan machine and being on the brink of death, that's the only place where truth sits for him Psychedelic Liberty Summit Saturday and Sunday April 25th and 26th Receive a discount here This is a psychedelic conference that turned virtual due to COVID-19 Group Work Breathwork, retreat centers, etc are at an undetermined standstill because we don't know how this is going to plan out The Navigating Psychedelics Today Online class has students learn the information first and then come together to talk about it There are so many means of transmission Kyle mentions he read something about COVID being transmitted on the soles of shoes We will probably need additional shelter in place measures all the way until 2022 We are almost hitting 9/11 death toll numbers on a daily basis Re-examining Normal Do we want to go back to the way things were? Or do we want to take this weird/uncertain time and do something with it? The worst of climate change is only a mere 20 years out It's easy to have emotional heartbreak when ecological destruction happens Eco-psychology is a huge field Mind Medicine Australia Australians crippled by anxiety from the coronavirus crisis 'should be treated with MDMA and magic mushrooms', charity claims Final Thoughts Navigating Psychedelics for Clinicians and Therapists, May co-hort is SOLD OUT The wait list for the next co-hort can be found here Psychedelics and the Shadow: A Series Exploring the Shadow Side of Psychedelia Enroll Today! About Kyle Kyle's interest in exploring non-ordinary states of consciousness began when he was 16-years-old when he suffered a traumatic snowboarding accident. Waking up after having a near-death experience changed Kyle's life. Since then, Kyle has earned his B.A. in Transpersonal Psychology, where he studied the healing potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness by exploring shamanism, plant medicine, Holotropic Breathwork, and the roots/benefits of psychedelic psychotherapy. Kyle has co-taught two college-level courses. One of the courses Kyle created as a capstone project, "Stanislav Grof's Psychology of Extraordinary Experiences," and the other one which he co-created, "The History of Psychedelics." Kyle completed his M.S. in clinical mental health counseling with an emphasis in somatic psychology. Kyle's clinical background in mental health consists of working with at-risk teenagers in crisis and with individuals experiencing an early-episode of psychosis. Kyle also facilitates Transpersonal Breathwork workshops. About Joe Joe studied philosophy in New Hampshire, where he earned his B.A.. After stumbling upon the work of Stanislav Grof during his undergraduate years, Joe began participating in Holotropic Breathwork workshops in Vermont in 2003. Joe helped facilitate Holotropic and Transpersonal Breathwork workshops while he spent his time in New England. He is now working in the software industry as well as hosting a few podcasts. Joe now coordinates Dreamshadow Transpersonal Breathwork workshops, in Breckenridge, Colorado. Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday

In this episode, Joe interviews Michelle Janikian, Author of Your Psilocybin Mushroom Companion. In the show, they talk about Michelle's book, the need to speak about the unspoken, and how psychedelic experiences differ for everyone. 3 Key Points: Michelle Janikian is Author of the book, Your Psilocybin Mushroom Companion, an easy-to-use guide to understanding magic mushrooms, from tips and trips to microdosing and psychedelic therapy. Psychedelics can help people, but they don't solve all problems. Doing the homework after an experience is so important. The psychedelic subculture has a lot of repressed stuff going on like sexual abuse. We need to speak about the things that aren't necessarily good for the movement, we need to talk about all of it. Support the show Patreon Leave us a review on iTunes Share us with your friends – favorite podcast, etc Join our Facebook group - Psychedelics Today group – Find the others and create community. Navigating Psychedelics Show Notes About Michelle Michelle was originally a cannabis journalist Then she was a staff writer for Herb She then started writing her own book, Your Psilocybin Mushroom Companion So much has been happening with mushrooms lately, and Michelle thought we really needed a resource on how to use mushrooms safely Ulysses Press did a few Cannabis books Michelle was approached by them, they wanted to do a mushroom guide She first took mushrooms when she was 17 She took them for fun, but had so many deep and meaningful experiences too Michelle believes there are multiple right ways to use psilocybin, either therapeutically, ceremonially, recreationally, etc. "As long as you're being safe with your surroundings, and with yourself, anyway is the right way (except for the fact that they are still illegal)" - Michelle In places where mushrooms are decriminalized, she mentions it totally changes your comfort level and experience when you're not so afraid to have them on you Retreat Michelle just volunteered as a trip sitter at a week long women's retreat in Mexico at Luz Eterna Retreats She says she doesn't have all the answers, but the group environment can be really great for some, and not good at all for others She suggests, "do what feels right for you" Routes of Administration There isn't one ideal form of administration across all drugs Joe says one route of administration may be good for one person, and not for another You can powder the mushrooms and put them into capsules, put them on food, eat them plain, make a tea out of them, etc Michelle says she has a great recipe in her book for mushroom tea to prevent nausea Different for Everyone Michelle felt a calling to write the book because she says many other books and publications were coming out, and she didn't want some people to feel upset when psychedelics didn't just 'heal them' She says psychedelics help her, but they don't solve all of her problems Doing the homework after an experience is so important The Unspoken She says she feels uninspired to write about the 'black and white', the same old, stereotypical narrative She wants to write about the grey, the unexpected, the in-between Michelle asks how do we talk about the things that aren't right for the movement? Like the sexual abuse that happens in this space This psychedelic subculture has a lot of repressed stuff going on, and how do we talk about it? We need to keep learning in this field to keep improving, it is dense and detailed Michelle leaves us with a final thought, "read more books written by women!" Links Your Psilocybin Mushroom Companion: An Informative, Easy-to-Use Guide to Understanding Magic Mushrooms―From Tips and Trips to Microdosing and Psychedelic Therapy Website About Michelle Janikian Michelle Janikian is the author of Your Psilocybin Mushroom Companion, the down-to-earth guide that details how to use magic mushrooms "like an adult." As a journalist, she got her start writing about cannabis for publications like High Times, Rolling Stone and Herb. Now, she writes a column for Playboy on all things drug related and also contributes regularly to DoubleBlind Mag, MERRY JANE, Psychedelic's Today and others. She's passionate about the healing potential of psychedelic plants and substances, especially psilocybin and cannabis, and the legalization and de- stigmatization of all drugs. Michelle studied writing and psychology at Sarah Lawrence College before traveling extensively in Latin America and eventually settling down in southern Mexico. Born in New York City and raised in New Jersey, Michelle ventures back to the States a few times a year to give talks and workshops on safe mushroom use and other cannabis and psychedelic related topics. Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday

In today's Solidarity Friday's episode with Kyle and Joe, they cover current events on psychedelics for treatment of COVID-19 trauma, an article on single dose psilocybin effects, psychedelic investments, self care and more. Support the show Patreon Leave us a review on iTunes Share us with your friends – favorite podcast, etc Join our Facebook group - Psychedelics Today group – Find the others and create community. Navigating Psychedelics Show Notes A Single High Dose of Psilocybin Alters Brain Function Up to One Month Later It was a small study of only 12 people The article states, the researchers found that self-reported emotional distress was reduced one week after psilocybin administration, but returned to baseline levels at one month after psilocybin administration Doctor Calls for "Temporary Approval" of Psychedelics to Treat COVID-19 Trauma There were a few doctors and people that didn't understand the value of psychedelics being used as psychiatric tools Kyle thinks especially of all of the first-responders that are working non stop, without a break, for weeks on end, witnessing tons of people dying daily, and then trying to come back and process this The mental health, long term of these people is going to be so impacted Then we have to think about the people that can't come together for a funeral after they lose someone This pandemic is going to be traumatizing for people Joe says this looks like a global ego death, all of the systems that we have had before are not adequate The Spanish flu of 1918 was only a few years away from the Great Depression We know that traumas influence health and behaviors, but we have tools and technologies to get ahead of this, from an epigenetic standpoint Psychedelic Investments Kyle and Joe talk for a while about psychedelics and money and research and funding It's a tricky thing, because we want there to be funding to make this accessible, but we want people to invest with integrity and to not start a monopoly on the funding Joe says we (as a company) have been approached by investors, but we have been hesitant to stay with our vision, keep our integrity and stay on track with our mission Self Care Kyle says stay in the present moment, limit news consumption (watch it maybe once a day to know what's going on, but then put the phone down and not drown in it) It's helpful to develop more of a spiritual practice in this time (yoga, meditation) Self care is going to look different for everybody Joe says 'Maslow it', get good sleep, drink good water, satisfy basic needs, those are first step during this time Kyle says that he uses movement, somatic work, breathing into places in the body that are tense, etc Kyle says that those who are doing a lot of online work, take time to move and stretch This is a time to do a lot of work we have put off, but at the same time, its okay to give our bodies a break, take time to rest, get outside, find movement, etc It's important not to take on too much or do too many things Psychedelics and the Shadow: A Series Exploring the Shadow Side of Psychedelia Enroll Today! About Kyle Kyle's interest in exploring non-ordinary states of consciousness began when he was 16-years-old when he suffered a traumatic snowboarding accident. Waking up after having a near-death experience changed Kyle's life. Since then, Kyle has earned his B.A. in Transpersonal Psychology, where he studied the healing potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness by exploring shamanism, plant medicine, Holotropic Breathwork, and the roots/benefits of psychedelic psychotherapy. Kyle has co-taught two college-level courses. One of the courses Kyle created as a capstone project, "Stanislav Grof's Psychology of Extraordinary Experiences," and the other one which he co-created, "The History of Psychedelics." Kyle completed his M.S. in clinical mental health counseling with an emphasis in somatic psychology. Kyle's clinical background in mental health consists of working with at-risk teenagers in crisis and with individuals experiencing an early-episode of psychosis. Kyle also facilitates Transpersonal Breathwork workshops. About Joe Joe studied philosophy in New Hampshire, where he earned his B.A.. After stumbling upon the work of Stanislav Grof during his undergraduate years, Joe began participating in Holotropic Breathwork workshops in Vermont in 2003. Joe helped facilitate Holotropic and Transpersonal Breathwork workshops while he spent his time in New England. He is now working in the software industry as well as hosting a few podcasts. Joe now coordinates Dreamshadow Transpersonal Breathwork workshops, in Breckenridge, Colorado. Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday

Dena Justice, NLP practitioner and founder of the Ecstatic Collective, dives deep into the transformative power of Neuro-Linguistic Programming. She emphasizes that up to 95% of our daily behaviors are unconscious, highlighting how harnessing this can lead to significant personal change. Dena explains the difference between being at cause versus effect and shares how early programming shapes our beliefs. With practical tools like reframing and clear communication, she illustrates how NLP and psychedelics can catalyze rapid and lasting change.

In today's Solidarity Friday's episode with Kyle and Joe, they cover current events on COVID-19, social media narratives, a new world, psycho-pharma, psychedelic VICE articles, movies about acid and more. Support the show Patreon Leave us a review on iTunes Share us with your friends – favorite podcast, etc Join our Facebook group - Psychedelics Today group – Find the others and create community. Navigating Psychedelics Show Notes Coronavirus Joe and his girlfriend are recovering from being sick, potentially coronavirus (they weren't allowed to be tested without being hospitalized) Joe said he was really sick in a new and novel way Kyle is located in New Jersey (currently around 19,000 cases, close to 250 deaths) He has a weak immune system, so he is trying to be super careful by staying isolated (he hasn't left the house in weeks besides to go on a walk outside) Joe says this whole thing is really going to impact humanity and life on earth The ecosystem of commerce is fragile and this is a strong way of showing it Kyle says that Drumpf estimated 250,000 deaths in the US Joe says we are going to get through this, and life will go on, but what will that look like? How can the conscious show up as leaders? When we are in a fear state, we don't make rational decisions Narratives Kyle says all of the psychedelic people that he is connected to on social media are posting so much on 5G right now There are dual narratives, like people dying, but also a lot of info on conspiracies What do we pay attention to, and what is really happening? Joe said that he played in the conspiracy, occult area for a while, and he couldn't find any solid ground In times like this, the conspiracy media ramps up, because people are afraid, and that impairs cognition There is a lot of media saying that COVID-19 is a biological weapon There is a lot of unknowns, and how do we not panic? Processing All of This We were not evolved for this moment Now, how do we evolve to handle this stuff? How do we build resilience? As ecosystems collapse, some organisms start to mingle with other organisms and then viruses like this can come up, and will pop up more in the future We are in a spiritual emergence-y right now, we need to bring up our shadow and do the work What can I actually do in my life right now? Instead of worrying about everything A New World 90% of products in the consumer economy right now are completely non-essential We are on a finite planet with finite resources don't mesh with infinite growth Hopefully this is the emergency that we need to re-imagine the future There is a role that the psychedelic community plays in this The psychedelic culture is familiar with sitting with shadow, doing the inner work, and taking a creative approach at alternative systems and reimagining the future Kyle says this feels psychedelic, having new ideas about what the future could look like, what we can offer the future A lot of the things that we wish for are starting to unfold, in some sense, the collective has been wishing for the things that are happening When we take substances, we are upgrading our operating system Psycho-Pharma MindMed (Mind Medicine) call themselves a leading neuro-pharma company for psychedelic inspired medicines Right now they are working on a compound, essentially an iboga-like drug There is a lot of suffering happening in the world, and whatever tools that can help with the suffering will do There is a roller coaster of the psychedelic experience If every experience was just rainbows and happiness, it would just devalue the human experience Vice Researchers got people to hallucinate from fake psychedelics Kyle says think about it, that sitting in a chair for a few hours with music can easily induce a psychedelic experience Joe says "the experience is within you, the drug is a key to help unlock that" Shadow Panel Kyle is co-hosting a Shadow Panel with Ido Cohen and takes on a Jung approach to process the shadow They host interviews with doctors and other speakers on the topic They explore a lot of somatics in the shadow It is a donation based course right now, potentially paid in the future Final Thoughts Joe says we are heavily impacted by COVID-19, a ton of breathwork events all had to be cancelled But we have a ton of online courses and resources available, from integration books, to online guided therapist and clinician courses, to psychedelic online courses, coaching, and more Joe said he had a fun conversation with a film producer (Malibu Road) on the acid scene in the 70's The film cant be streamed yet, but the trailer is out About Kyle Kyle's interest in exploring non-ordinary states of consciousness began when he was 16-years-old when he suffered a traumatic snowboarding accident. Waking up after having a near-death experience changed Kyle's life. Since then, Kyle has earned his B.A. in Transpersonal Psychology, where he studied the healing potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness by exploring shamanism, plant medicine, Holotropic Breathwork, and the roots/benefits of psychedelic psychotherapy. Kyle has co-taught two college-level courses. One of the courses Kyle created as a capstone project, "Stanislav Grof's Psychology of Extraordinary Experiences," and the other one which he co-created, "The History of Psychedelics." Kyle completed his M.S. in clinical mental health counseling with an emphasis in somatic psychology. Kyle's clinical background in mental health consists of working with at-risk teenagers in crisis and with individuals experiencing an early-episode of psychosis. Kyle also facilitates Transpersonal Breathwork workshops. About Joe Joe studied philosophy in New Hampshire, where he earned his B.A.. After stumbling upon the work of Stanislav Grof during his undergraduate years, Joe began participating in Holotropic Breathwork workshops in Vermont in 2003. Joe helped facilitate Holotropic and Transpersonal Breathwork workshops while he spent his time in New England. He is now working in the software industry as well as hosting a few podcasts. Joe now coordinates Dreamshadow Transpersonal Breathwork workshops, in Breckenridge, Colorado. Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday

In this episode, Kyle sits down with Dylan Beynon, founder of Mindbloom, NYC based mental health and wellbeing platform. In the show they talk about how Mindbloom differs from other centers, paving the way for accessibility and affordability. 3 Key Points: Mindbloom is a next-generation mental health platform, catered to accessibility and affordability. They use ketamine tablets, different from lozenges and any other method. The tablets are held in the mouth and then spit out to avoid entering the liver, causing a sedation-like experience. Mindbloom differentiates themselves from other psychedelic therapy options by using a patient-choice model, to keep it affordable for those who need it. They offer the 4-week therapy model and give patients the option to choose 'add-ons' like extra integration. 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Navigating Psychedelics Show Notes About Dylan Dylan is not a clinician or a doctor, he is an entrepreneur and a psychedelic medicine and therapeutic ketamine patient These medicines have been transformative in his life and he wants to bring their benefits to the public He grew up in a family that suffered greatly from mental illness He lost his mother to addiction He discovered positive psychology When learning about the science of happiness, he realized that he wasn't happy He was in business school and wanted to be a banker and make a ton of money He soon realized that money doesn't buy happiness, and he thought maybe everything he was doing was a lie He was self medicating with psychedelics About 5 years ago he heard about psychedelic therapy About 18 months ago he started working with a clinician doing ketamine therapy He saw that when it's done in a therapeutic context, it can have a profound effect for people to get the most out of it "Recreational vs therapeutic use is a false dichotomy" - Dylan Mindbloom The goal is to build the next-generation mental health platform Right now they are doing Ketamine therapy They are trying to make it accessible by making it affordable They are trying to bring an elevated client experience, which they do with the space and software Software Background Voters Friend - a platform to help inform voters on the candidates, to increase access to democracy Mighty - increasing access to social justice Mindbloom - increase access to psychedelic medicines Differentiation The protocols that Mindbloom are using are capped They are increasing access to the medicines, making it affordable They keep it at $150-$250 a session, where at most Ketamine Therapy centers, it can range from $1000-$2000 a session Dylan says he makes this possible by bringing in technology and software tools to make the sessions for efficient and effective They use patient choice care, where the patient can use their best judgement on how in depth they want their treatment They can 'add on' extra integration time onto the therapy session, or choose not to This keeps the price down and accessible for each individual patient if need be Mindbloom is a 4 session program, usually 1-2 months They use the platform to have the client practice using the information in the weeks between each session, so they can practice integration even when not with a therapist or in session The Program The clinician prescribes a 4 week Ketamine Therapy session for anxiety and depression The clinician will schedule a video interview to learn their symptoms Then they will meet in person and build an integration program if needed Its $1000 for the 4 session program and $600 for the renewal program They use Ketamine tablets (similar to lozenges but faster acting) They're not swallowing it, they spit it out after If they swallow it, it breaks down in the liver into nor-ketaine, and that produces a sedative effect After they spit it out, there is about an hour of music with no vocals After the session, they move to an integration room where they are journaling The protocols at Mindbloom were based on the MAPS protocol They don't have a clinician in the room during the experience, only for after the experience Dylan is looking to expand to other locations A lot of people request couples or group therapies, so they will be taking that into consideration when building new locations Final Thoughts The more people who are thinking critically about this and putting their intentions into making this more accessible the better There needs to be more gentle conversation around psychedelics and therapy, especially around the people that are still so unaware about this field We should bring sacredness, specialness, and care to the conversation with those who might still be afraid about it Links Website About Dylan Beynon Dylan is the Founder & CEO of Mindbloom, an NYC-based mental health and wellbeing startup helping people expand their human potential with clinician-prescribed, guided psychedelic medicine experiences. There, he is partnering with clinicians, technologists, researchers, and patients to increase access to science-backed treatments, starting by reducing the cost of ketamine therapy for depression and anxiety by over 65%. Dylan is a 10-year psychedelic medicine patient and 3-time tech entrepreneur with both $100M+ in funding and an exit in his prior startups, which were focused on increasing access to justice and democracy. Dylan graduated from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania. Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday