Psychedelics Today

In this episode, Kyle sits down with Dr. Ryan Westrum, Psychedelic Integration Therapist. In the show, they talk about topics and teachings from Ryan's book, The Psychedelic Integration Handbook. 3 Key Points: The Psychedelics Integration Handbook is designed to bring psychedelic experiences into the flow of your life and maximize their potential for helping you create the life you want to live. There is an important part in distinguishing integration from aftercare. Aftercare can look as simple as taking care of your body, getting good rest, eating well. You can't integrate without taking care of yourself first. One of the pillars of integration is PREP (purpose, reflecting on experiences, expectations, potential). 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 Ryan Ryan is a Clinical Psychologist in the Minneapolis area He has been a licensed Marriage Therapist for 15 years He works in the realms of psychedelics and sexuality He has a 14 year old daughter, and likes to take a psychedelic approach to parenting He holds healing circles with mothers and fathers and their child(ren) Psycho-ed and harm reduction are his focus with families This is a group of people that need an honest conversation At a young age he was into Stan Grof and Jungian literature and psychedelic experiences His graduate program was focused on non-ordinary states of consciousness Kyle mentions a good book, The Smell of Rain on Dust: Grief and Praise "As a western civilization, we have really minimized the opportunity for growth, the expansion of consciousness, and to be ourselves." - Ryan These experiences are powerful, and to come back to a culture that does not support it, is hard The goal is being conscious with your confidence of why you're doing this work About the Book The Psychedelics Integration Handbook is designed to bring psychedelic experiences into the flow of your life and maximize their potential for helping you create the life you want to live This is not a book with black and white answers but an offering to individual people who want to explore all the possibilities for being alive and seeking wholeness. The Psychedelics Integration Handbook contains historical perspective, maps of consciousness, approaches for integrating body-mind-spirit, and practical suggestions for all stages of psychedelic exploration. The Psychedelics Integration Handbook The book was written for people to make it their own Its broken into 3 parts, educational, a 'your turn' section, and then integration Its about having a compartment, and then playing within the compartment Everyone has unique nuances, integration looks different to everyone Integration practices don't matter if they don't personally mean something to you Integration The question to help determine the integration needs is, "What does the individual lead with?" It's the mind, body, emotion in the spirit altogether Immediately after a psychedelic experience, some want to talk about it, others embody it Do they lead with thoughts or emotions? There is a part in the book: The difference between integration and aftercare How do we distinguish between self care and integration? Is my body rested? Am I comfortable? Are my needs taken care of? Aftercare is grounding "If you're not taking care of your body, you won't be able to integrate" - Ryan It might not be as complex as it needs to be, its as simple as taking care of yourself An important part of aftercare, is asking yourself when it is okay to practice again Ryan was mentored by James Fadiman, and he believed in taking big doses every 6 months One of the pillars is PREP (purpose, reflecting on experiences, expectations, potential) Ryan says he is not the gatekeeper Controlling willpower is a huge step in integration Some people want to just take psychedelics, but not write, or do yoga, or do any other mindful activity Safety Dose, set and setting are the obvious It's like a goldrush, some just want to jump in blindly You have to understand what safety means to you Ryan thinks we aren't talking enough about the recreational use He is excited about all of the conversation on therapeutic use, but he thinks we are ignoring recreational use He wants to see ritual and reverence in the recreational community Preparation is so important Kyle says that a lot of times after an experience he has all of these ideas for how to live his life, and he tries to practice them, but sometimes he finds himself slipping into old patterns of behavior Ryan says he believes there is still movement and progress, be gentle with yourself Links Healing Souls LLC Psychedelic Integration About Ryan Dr. Ryan Westrum, PhD, LMFT, is an internationally recognized psychedelic integration expert. For more than 15 years, his primary focus has been working with individuals and groups facilitating experiential therapy and integrating psychedelic journeys into healing and personal transformation. Ryan speaks on a myriad of topics and leads experiential groups, like dreamwork integration therapy and psychedelic integration groups. Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday

In this episode, Kyle interviews Jessica DiRuzza, Psychotherapist, Astrologer and Teacher. In the show they talk about how astrology can be used as a tool and framework for navigating and understanding psychedelic experiences. 3 Key Points: Astrology can be used as an integrative tool for psychedelic and other exceptional experiences. The planets are emitting some type of force that are letting us behave a certain way. Astrology is the one thing we have agreed upon across millennia and era. A Saturn Return transit can be a difficult but transformative time in one's life. This transit happens around age 28-31. During this time, we face crises in our life as we take on greater responsibility. It can feel like death and a rebirth. It can correlate to Grof's Perinatal Birth Matrix II ("No Exit" and "Cosmic Engulfment"). 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 Jessica She is a Psychotherapist She teaches and practices Astrology She uses Astrology to help put meaning and understanding to what happens in visionary states She received her bachelors at CIIS and studied and taught with Stan Grof and Richard Tarnes in the Philosophy, Cosmology and Consciousness Program Since the 70's, Stan Grof was following his transits and all the transits of his clients Richard Tarnas and Stan Grof studied astrology as a diagnostic tool for those who would do psychedelics They studied transit astrology By looking at these transits, what they found were archetypal similarities "Our solar system is an extension of our ecosystem here on earth." - Jessica\ "For millennia, the one thing that human beings have agreed upon across cultures and eras, are the meaning of the planets" - Jessica Astrology is the original science Free Will vs. Determinism The planets are emitting some type of force that are letting us behave a certain way They are reflective, what is happening in the sky is indicative of what's happening here Astrology is like a clock, a clock does not make it be a certain time, it just helps us tell the time Interest in Astrology Psychedelics brought Jessica to Astrology Jessica went to her first Burning Man at 20 years old She received an astrology reading there and said it broke her open She went to CA to see the reader that gave her the initial reading She did a high dose LSD session She re-lived her birth experience, and gave birth to her new self The person who gave her the reading was teaching with Stan Grof and Richard Tarnas at CIIS She dropped out of college and moved to attend CIIS She was in a Uranus conjunct Ascendant transit Through these experiences she uprooted her entire life Astrology Lingo Sun represents our sense of self, our identity in the world, egoic consciousness Moon represents our relational matrix, our early childhood experiences, our emotions and experiences, and a deep sense of belonging Rising represents who we are from moment to moment, how we initially meet existence Zodiac means belt of life Each aspect carries a different quality Conjunct means new moon, representing a new beginning A full moon represents when the sun is opposite than the moon, a blossoming or fruition. Astrology is a language, the language of the stars There are so many ways to speak this language, and so many schools of thought What really matters is the cosmology that goes behind the description "Both astrology and psychedelics are a tools for self reflection, that hopefully we are using to become more kind and more caring" - Jessica "Astrology provides a world view or a cosmology to hold what happens in those visionary states, it's a grounding place to integrate and make meaning of what's happening" - Jessica Saturn Return Saturn return happens from age 28-31 During our Saturn Return, we face crises in our life and take on greater responsibility It can feel like a death, but also like a birth "The greater the death, the greater the rebirth" - Jessica The 4 bpms correspond to the four outer planets It's not just in entheogenic spaces that this is applicable "Working with the resistance consciously, actually helps us move into what the divine or the universe wants us to step into our life, karmically, what we are here to do" - Jessica Astrology and Psychedelics Kyle asks about using astrology to pick a time of when to do psychedelics Jessica responds saying that if you have a strong calling to do so for healing and balance, and you have all the components for proper integration, then it's a good time Then, astrology can be used to help find themes and help dissect the experience Your Saturn transits contain a difference component in each person The sense of responsibility grows in you "My deepest calling in this life is to bring Astrology and Psychology together in one unified field" - Jessica Final Thoughts Jessica is so proud of the honest integrity that people are bringing to this work She send best wishes in the great reckoning, and the great becoming Links Website About Jessica Jessica is a licensed psychotherapist, astrologer, and teacher. Her life is guided by a passion for engaging with people, understanding relationships, and staying connected to the larger world around us. This passion and curiosity led her into the healing profession as a counselor in 2007. For over a decade she has worked collaboratively with individuals, couples, and groups on their transformative journeys. Helping people on their path of exploration and healing is the privilege of a lifetime. Jessica received her Master's in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She completed her undergraduate degree at California Institute of Integral Studies, where she studied and taught archetypal astrology and transpersonal psychology. Her greatest joy is working in sacred and revolutionary ways with people in psychotherapy, teaching, and astrological consultations. She also shares her work through podcasts and writing on her site. Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday

In this episode, Kyle sits down with Rob Heffernan, an independent researcher and activist. In the show, they talk about churches, Ayahuasca, accessibility and the Psychedelic Liberty Summit by the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. Rob is also part of Chacruna's Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants. The Council for the Protection of Sacred plants is "an initiative of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines that endeavors to advocate for the legality of sacred plant medicines among indigenous peoples and non-indigenous communities, encourage legal harm reduction practices that protect those who use them, educate about conservation of plant species, document relevant legal and social issues, and consult on legal cases including possible litigation. " 3 Key Points: The Psychedelic Liberty Summit is a gathering on legal, cultural, and political issues around the emerging psychedelic renaissance. Accessibility is not just about whether or not people can afford psychedelic therapy, people cant even afford regular therapy, the whole healthcare model is an issue. A lot of churches get a bad name, but really most churches are built around community. Psychedelics can help revitalize churches. 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 Rob Rob is a member of the Chacruna Council for protection of sacred plants He is an integrative sound and music practitioner He is involved in the Santo Daime He has been drinking Ayahuasca for over 20 years He began to ponder and ask a lot of questions about involvement with medicine communities Psychedelic Liberty Summit Rob will be hosting a talk on religious exemptions and more There will be speakers of all different initiatives, from decriminalization to indigenous relations There are a lot of investors interested in the psilocybin market The issue is complex because there is this ongoing cultural history of the US and other countries exploiting those cultures and removing resources (oil, medicines, etc) Ayahuasca The first time Rob drank Ayahuasca was back in 2000, where there weren't Ayahuasca retreats going on then People who lived in the area were not familiar with Ayahuasca use People started coming from around the world to use Ayahuasca There are feedback loops between the cities and the forests People typically think integration is what happens afterwards, but really it is also the sacrifice from the start, the preparation, such as a dieta We need to honor what we have learned from the indigenous, and give back Traditional dietas don't involve actually drinking the Ayahuasca, the culture has come a long way Accessibility While these medicines are relatively safe, you can get in trouble using these substances recreationally, there is a role for the therapeutic support It's not just about whether or not people can afford psychedelic therapy, people cant even afford regular therapy, the whole healthcare model is an issue Santo Daime It was founded in the 1930's in Brazil The reason that the Santo Daime looks more white in the USA is due to the segregation There are all sorts of ways that the Santo Daime may look When Rob first got involved in drinking Ayahuasca, he wasn't sure that he wanted to get involved in the Santo Daime, but he said the container was so strong There are hymns sung, and it's very structured It allows you to really go deep Sometimes it can look like drumming, dancing, and fire, but there is also a style of sitting in silence There is a profound ethical foundation which is really important All of the elements make for a really important container In the traditional form, you do not touch anyone, unless there is a certain circumstance, and a prior consensual agreement, and waivers signed, etc There have been issues of sexual abuse in the psychedelic realm, the Santo Daime takes many precautions against this Churches There are legal churches in the US through the Daime and the UDV (União do Vegetal) The Daime has 5 churches that are explicitly legal The government has decided not to pursue or prosecute Ayahuasca for those other churches From Shock to Awe Someone tragically died at the Soul Quest Church, but it wasn't related to ayahuasca There are a lot of people that claim to be a part of a Native American church that are not A lot of people reach out to Chacruna on how to become a part of the Native American Church to hold ceremonies, and it's not easy, you almost have to already be a part of it, instead of just joining Some people don't like the word church, but it originates from the words 'congregation' and 'assembly' "The problem is the controlled substances act, that these things are illegal in the first place" - Rob "The experience in all those settings is about community. The goal isn't to have spiritual experiences, its to have a spiritual life" - Rob Psychedelics and entheogens could be central to creating a new hub It is possible to create psychedelic churches outside of the Santo Daime The Ayahuasca tradition really uses the potential of group process "How individual is the psychedelic experience, where you need some one-on-one work?" - Kyle Psychedelic Liberty Summit April 25-26 in San Francisco Discount Code: PsychedelicsToday for 10% off at checkout Links Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicine Psychedelic Liberty Summit About Rob Heffernan Rob Heffernan has been involved in the Peruvian curandero tradition and the Santo Daime for the last 16 years. He was a member and chairman of the North American Santo Daime Legal Committee for a number of years. He has been engaged in independent research and active in ad hoc groups promoting legal clarity and ethical integrity in the Ayahuasca Community. He is also a certified Integrative Sound and Music Practitioner; Shamanic Breath Work Facilitator; and a long time student and practitioner of Buddhist Dhamma. He has a BA in Communications and Social Studies from Fordham University, and works in the AV/IT communication industry. Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday

In this episode, Joe interviews Clinical Psychologist, Alicia Danforth. In the show, they cover topics including how to get involved in the space, consent, research, MDMA, Autism and more. 3 Key Points: Alicia Danforth is a Clinical Psychologist who will be having a talk on Ethical Challenges in Psychedelic Medicine at the ICPR Conference in the Netherlands, April 2020. There is a possibility for MDMA to have a non-responder effect. No one has done research dedicated to why some people don't react at all to MDMA. Psychedelic science is very hard to talk about. We have the language of science that studies the psychopharmacological effects of drugs but no language that holds the effects of an altered state of consciousness yet. 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 Alicia Her path to her current place is such a random road that led her to where she is She was going to burning man and getting into harm reduction when she realized the untapped value of psychedelics, its where her interest began She began volunteering, doing administrative work for a doctor She was offered to be a study coordinator She got introduced to the power of psilocybin as a medicine, for dying cancer patients The patients had a prognosis from 6 months to a year To see how this state of consciousness helped people transition to the end of life so smoothly, that is what inspired her 5 months after she started working on the study, she got a cancer diagnosis Getting Involved in the Space Alicia would always get people approaching her about how to get in the field and she tells them "what field?" Her Power Point making skills, are what technically got her involved in this field "You never know what skill may be needed in this field" - Alicia Alicia encourages people to look into their own collection of skills, and dig deep into that, find your niche, and then use that to contribute to the movement Clinical therapists and psychologists are not the only people in this field We need accountants, marketers, etc Consent People start to get really religious around this field Joe mentions a story where someone performed non-consensual reiki Current Research She is currently looking at why psychedelics appeal to people who typically like to abuse power She did a talk at burning man about 'coming down from the psychedelic power trip' She tries to cite as many references and research as possible Her talk at ICPR is going to be the very professional, version of that talk Why are individuals who seek to abuse these tools so irresistibly drawn to psychedelics? "If someone gets abused, and people say don't come out about it because it's not good for the movement, then what kind of movement is that?" - Joe Empathogens MDMA is known as an Empathogen Can empathogens help people who are not empathetic, become empathetic? Cohen's D is the measure of effect size Big pharma uses this all the time, to determine the effects of one drug compared to another The Cohen's D is how large that difference is Non-response MDMA There is a known, non-responder effect with MDMA There was a few double-blind sessions, where the patient received MDMA, and they didn't react, their vitals didn't change At the end, it was revealed that they truly received MDMA, and then even to be sure, they would do a blood test, and it showed up in the blood No one has done research dedicated to why some people don't react at all to MDMA It's probably common, that for people who are relying on MDMA to work as their last resort option and try it and not feel anything at all, to end their life afterward Media and Support It's the most difficult thing in dealing with the media When you are entirely dependent on funding, if you don't talk about what you're doing, then you can't get funding at all There is a crisis in science on the replicability on these studies Joe says its cool to have these studies replicated outside of the US "Psychedelic science is very hard to talk about due to the subjective nature of the psychedelic experience. We have the language of science that studies the psychopharmacological effects of drugs. There is no language that holds the effects of an altered state of consciousness yet." - Alicia The rapport that the patient and facilitator have, and the effect of that relationship, is a variable Links Website About Alicia Danforth Alicia received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto in 2013. Since 2006, she has worked in clinical research at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center on clinical studies for adults with anxiety related to advanced-stage cancer and with autistic adults who experience social anxiety. She is currently a lead clinician and supervisor for a clinical trial at UCSF for psychological distress in long-term survivors of HIV/AIDS. She is also certified in Trauma-Focused CBT and Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy. Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday

In this episode, Kyle and Joe interview Mike Margolies of Psychedelic Seminars. In the show, they cover topics including guests and conversations from the Psychedelic Seminars, the decriminalization of all drugs, and the importance of allowing psychedelic use to be a part of training therapists for psychedelic therapy. 3 Key Points: Psychedelic Seminars is an educational conversation series deepening awareness of the benefits, risks, and complexities of psychedelics. There are large topics of decriminalizing psilocybin or the movements for 'decriminalize nature', but the conversation on decriminalization of all drugs is rare, which is what's really important. Some companies (MAPS for example) allow the option to use MDMA as a part of their therapist training program while other companies who are training therapists for psilocybin therapy, don't have the option to use it. This leaves the question, "Should the psychedelic experience be part of the psychedelic therapy training?" 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 Mike Mike used to work as a chemical engineer in corporate America, and then he did Ayahuasca When he returned, he thought to himself about what he wanted to do with the rest of his life He took a look at the pulse of the country and looked at what it needed There wasn't anyone organized locally in Baltimore, so he started Psychedelic Seminars Now he is living in the Bay Area, doing events locally He has been interviewing people and putting the videos out globally Psychedelic Seminars They will be having some Indigenous people at the seminar It's hard to get Indigenous people to seminars and conferences, because, what's in it for them? The goal is to ramp up the project and do a seminar every month, where it usually takes place every few months They are doing it all in a home, privately The whole project is donation dependent, they are doing it all for free You can support the mission here After Michael Pollan, they did one with Jim Fadiman He did another with Ayelet Waldman The talks were on microdosing and the unknowns of microdosing Just because there is no real harms taking a large dose of LSD, doesn't mean there aren't any harms taking a low (micro) dose of LSD frequently Mike thinks that the term Jim Fadiman uses is its 'sub-perceptual', in that you have a noticeable effect on the mood, but no other way of noticing it Decriminalization Drug Policy tends to stay in the realm of psychedelics only There are large topics of decriminalizing psilocybin or the movements for 'decriminalize nature', but no one likes to talk about the decriminalization of all drugs, which is what's really important Poppy is not considered in decriminalize nature, which is selective nature decriminalization It's not a real decriminalization, it's just a low priority for law enforcement He's been asking in his conversations, opinions on decriminalizing all drugs Different drugs have different risk profiles "Just because you're not using criminal justice as your mechanism for reducing risks of drugs, doesn't mean you do nothing. The last thing we want to do is add criminalization to those who are already suffering, this is why we should decriminalize all drugs" - Mike Laws should be written in terms of what are you not allowed to do, not what you're allowed to do He is allowed to walk down the sidewalk, but not punch someone he walks past, but the law shouldn't be to get a license for walking down the street so long as you don't punch someone The communities that are marginalized continue to be marginalized by the drug war Psychedelic Therapy and Experience with Use With MAPS, there is an option to do MDMA as a part of the training With psilocybin, at least with Compass Pathways, there is not an option to use psilocybin. Mike says that's a huge issue When you scale treatment, there is the risk of losing the quality of care "We aren't going to solve the problems of our future by mass distributing psychedelics" - Mike The fact that we have such mass amounts of widespread depression, means that we have a deeply ingrained systemic issue at hand Psychedelics treat the symptoms, but we still need to fix the underlying cause "If you are distributing psychedelics, but still exacerbating the same underlying issues, you now have the problem and solution in the same hefty package" - Mike "Psychedelic experience is intrinsically something spiritual. How can you guide someone in spiritual practice if you haven't experienced it yourself?" - Mike "Inducing a state intentionally, and guiding someone through a process, its completely unethical to guide someone through a spiritual process that you haven't been through yourself." - Mike New Economy Burning man is not a barter economy, it's a gift economy, where things are given without an expectation of receiving something in return We are far from that economy What if we had a world where instead of trying to extract value, we were trying to create value? Links Psychedelic Seminars Website Psychedelic Seminars Patreon About Mike Margolies Since 2015, Mark has worked full-time in the psychedelic community, starting and contributing to a number of projects as an event and media producer, connector, and advisor. He is the Founder of Psychedelic Seminars, an educational conversation series deepening awareness of the benefits, risks, and complexities of psychedelics. On the PsychSems stage, he has interviewed a range of leaders including bestselling author Michael Pollan, Dr. James Fadiman and Ayelet Waldman on microdosing, and therapeutic ketamine expert Dr. Raquel Bennett. He started the project in 2015 after returning to his home city of Baltimore to build community for open and honest conversations about psychedelics. The project now operates primarily out of the San Francisco Bay Area and livestreams globally. Through his psychedelic community work in Baltimore, he seeded the Baltimore Psychedelic Society. He has sparked and mentored similar Psychedelic Societies around the world from Washington DC to San Francisco to Portugal. He helped start the Global Psychedelic Network to connect them. Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday

In this Episode, Kyle sits down with Elizabeth Nielson and Ingmar Gorman, Co-founders of Fluence, Training in Psychedelic Integration. They are both therapists on the MAPS clinical trial for MDMA Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD. 3 Key Points: Elizabeth and Ingmar are co-founders of Fluence, an online Psychedelic Integration Training program. If psychedelic treatments become available more widely, the fear is that therapists won't be as educated on how to handle their patient interactions based on the behavior of each psychedelic. Psychedelic Integration Therapy Training is so important. There are 3 phases to the MDMA for PTSD clinical trial. Phase 1 would be pre-clinical data about the chemistry of a drug, Phase 2 is where you begin to test your treatment in a patient population, and Phase 3 is where you get the data to demonstrate that the treatment is superior to a placebo and other treatments in general. 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 Ingmar Ingmar is a previous guest of the show He is a private Investigator for the MAPS MDMA trial He is a therapist and the Co-founder of Fluence About Elizabeth Elizabeth is a Clinical Psychologist She has a long history in working with clinical trials as a therapist She is part of the psychedelic education and continuing care program She does a lot of supervision and training for therapists The Trial The approval of expanded access by the FDA includes 50 people in total They are near the end of MAP 1 (out of MAP 1 and MAP 2) When they transition into MAP 2, it will be a little more refined MAP 2 is different participants than MAP 1 There are 3 phases Phase 1 would be pre-clinical data about chemistry of a drug and how it metabolises, if its poisonous, etc Phase 2 is where you begin to test your treatment in a patient population Phase 3 is where you get the data to demonstrate that the treatment is superior to a placebo and other treatments in general They are done as a double-blind trial, both the therapist and patient don't know if the patient is receiving the treatment or now Take-aways There is a lot of information that has to be shared effectively The therapists are very much in the lives of the participants on top of just the MDMA Instead of learning from the trials of what to do on a practical level, its about inspiring them to bring this as an actual treatment for people The multiple ways that PTSD can manifest and look like, and the may ways that MDMA can look like when administered, have some commonalities The deepening, the broadening, the way they communicate, can all be the same Ingmar holds the belief in the inner healing intelligence of all people One of the first things he does when he begins with a new patient, he says that this is something he really believes in, and his role as a therapist to help them in their own healing process and mechanism What Elizabeth wanted to learn, know and practice while she was going through school, isn't what she she thought it was until she found it She says this work really requires them to trust people's minds and experiences There is something that they tell their patients, "Don't get ahead of the medicine" - Elizabeth There is an interesting paradox between not knowing and following intuition, to having an actual method and following that There is a sweet spot between following a script to following your intuition as a therapist You want to trust that inner healer process of the patient, but also need to know when to intervene (usually from a safety standpoint) Fluence 3 days after Horizons, Elizabeth was at home with a cold, and talked to Ingmar that morning curious for a name for the project Fluence means, magical or mystical power or source of power It can also refer to the density of particles of energy They teach about harm reduction and integration with their patients in their practice They aren't teaching protocols in the workshops, they just think the harm reduction is important The last part of integration is mindfulness Ingmar's biggest influence are his clients and patients, he is so inspired by them A large piece of the motivation for creating Fluence is from patients just looking for someone to talk about their experience with The Why A mother whose teenage daughter with depression, reached out to Ingmar with trouble trying to treat her depression The family decided it would be a good idea to use Ketamine therapy, which was successful She was doing so well, so well that she then went to a therapist to integrate it The therapist that she went to then instead of responding positively, decided to fire the teen for further therapy, and report the parents to child care services for providing ketamine therapy Ingmar says their position is not that everyone needs psychedelic integration therapy, its specifically for those that don't feel supported by family or community, and it gives them a professional service as an option "Psychedelics are not 10 years of change in one night, they are 10 years of insight in one night. integration is so important." - Elizabeth The goal is to support people in making a change that feels safe and right for them If the treatments become available more widely, the fear is that therapists won't be as educated on how to handle their patient interactions based on the behavior of each psychedelic Mental health practitioners can be a great source for working through those experiences Menla Training Menla Training They could really take their time with the process and training The trainings that they had gone to has made their own Fluence courses better In 2019 they had 5 of the trainings for clinicians, and the trainings will be better and better as they go Ketamine Infusion Therapy The experience is not dose dependent The purpose of the workshop is to educate both therapists and doctors about what can happen in psychotherapy Links Fluence Psychedelics 101 and 102 Workshop at ICPR 2020 About Elizabeth Dr. Elizabeth Nielson is a co-founder of Fluence and a psychologist with a focus on developing psychedelic medicines as empirically supported treatments for PTSD, substance use problems, and mood disorders. Dr. Nielson is a therapist on FDA approved clinical trials of psilocybin-assisted treatment of alcohol use disorder, MDMA-assisted treatment PTSD, and psilocybin-assisted treatment of treatment resistant depression. Through Fluence, she provides continuing education and training programs for therapists who wish to engage in integration of psychedelic experiences in clinical settings. Her program of research includes qualitative and mixed-methods projects designed to further understand the phenomenology and mechanisms of change in psychedelic-assisted therapy, including the experiences of trial participants and of the therapists themselves. Having completed an NIH postdoctoral fellowship at NYU, she has published and presented on topics of psychedelic therapist training, therapists' personal experience with psychedelics, and including psychedelic integration in group and individual psychotherapy. About Ingmar Dr. Ingmar Gorman is a co-founder of Fluence and a psychologist who specializes in assisting populations who have a relationship with psychedelics. He is the site co-principal investigator and therapist on a Phase 3 clinical trial studying MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. Dr. Gorman is a board member of Horizons Media, Inc., a not for-profit educational charity and organizer of the Horizons Conference: Perspectives on Psychedelics. After completing his NIH postdoctoral fellowship at New York University, Dr. Gorman stepped down as director of the Psychedelic Education and Continuing Care Program to focus his efforts on Fluence and the training of future therapists. Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday

In this episode, Joe interviews Jon S. on his experience in the psilocybin-assisted trials for alcohol dependency at NYU. In the show, they dive into Jon's background and how psilocybin assisted therapy helped him out of his alcohol dependence and into a new life. 3 Key Points: Jon participated in the NYU Double-Blind Trial of Psilocybin-Assisted Treatment of Alcohol Dependence. The study was double-blind. In each session, he didn't know if he was going to receive psilocybin or Benadryl. The sessions helped him so much with this dependence on alcohol, he believes he is a better father, husband, and human overall. He hasn't had a drink in 5 months (or a desire to). 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 Jon He is based in New York Jon is the father of 2 kids He spent a lot of his life DJing, so he has spent a lot of time around alcohol He found out about a psychedelic therapy study at NYU from someone at a Holotropic Breathwork Retreat The study took place in New York City He had always wanted to explore the psychedelic side of things He read Michael Pollan's book and it said in the book that the Holotropic Breathwork community would be a great group to help find a guide The Trial In his assessment, he found out truly how much he was drinking He would crack a beer before even playing with his kids He was into craft beer and at 8% a beer, his 3 beers were more like 5 He was asked to not have his sessions recorded so he could be as open as he could be The session was very focused on curbing drinking His wife knew he was going down the path of psychedelic healing "I'm not doing this to have a good time, I'm doing this to be a better person" - Jon His trial was double-blind He was never told when he was receiving the psilocybin at each session He was told that he was either going to get 1 or 3 doses in the trial The First Session The first session with the eye shades on (on psilocybin), was very visual In that first session he kept seeing this pirate ship underwater His sons would say "come on daddy, lets play on the pirate ship" He would go to the pirate ship with his sons and then say "I need to go back down and do some work", and he would swim back into the depths He came home that day, and his youngest son greeted him at the door, and said let's play power rangers, I'll be the red power ranger and you be the pirate It hit him in a float tank session, the message of that session was to play with his sons more He had a moment in his first session of rebirth Integration There is a 2 hour integration session the very next day He didn't think it was going to be as important as it turned out to be He had the choice to keep it at the same dose or up it He upped the dose to 40mg instead of 25mg He was told his second session wouldn't be anything like his first The medicine was so intense the second time, he couldn't even remember the music In his second session, he saw a body being chopped up (realizing it was his body) He realized that he was one with the universe, love is the only thing that matters He wanted to be a part of everything He was compensated about $100 per session "When the university gives you financial compensation, you buy everyone in the ice cream shop ice cream" - Jon Jon says he has a new baseline for anxiety He never thought he had anxiety, but after his sessions, he found that he is way less anxious than he was, even though he really wasn't He didn't have a desire to drink, he hasn't had a drink in 5 months He has never felt better or happier He's a much better dad, and husband Life After the Experience He is re-reading Aldous Huxley and is finding a whole new meaning to it all He is spending more time with his family and being present with the He spends a ton of time with his kids now Stuff that used to worry him, doesn't worry him anymore His experience was everything he hoped for and more He genuinely believes, that whatever he got out of a session, is what he needed Final Thoughts He is talking to the Decrim Nature in NY He appreciates the platform (Psychedelics Today) for the space to talk about his experience He appreciates everyone at NYU for the work they are doing Use code PSYTODAY at Onnit for a discount on all products except fitness equipment Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday

In this episode, Joe interviews Joost Breeksema from the Netherlands to talk about the Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research. In the show they cover topics on ICPR 2020, and the importance of accessibility. 3 Key Points: The Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research takes place April 24-26, 2020 in the Netherlands. It's important to acknowledge the indigenous, ethical, and political dimensions to psychedelic use at conferences. Although this conference will be catered toward mainstream science and research, personal experiences and stories are important too. 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 Joost Joost is a part of the OPEN Foundation ICPR is a huge conference Nobody before was doing research on psychedelics in the Netherlands William James work sparked Joost's interest in psychedelics ICPR Starting with the OPEN Foundation, the conference has been very scientific It is interdisciplinary, but also taken very seriously This field is so broad, you could really never get bored Wade Davis, Alicia Danforth, Matt Johnson and more will be speaking at the conference There will be over 80 speakers Joost expects it to be a pretty international conference, half local, and half from abroad Psychiatrists are usually short on time, and they like things compressed more It's really easy and cheap to grow psilocybin as mushrooms or truffles Even in Mexico, they need to use GMP Psilocybin Accessibility "If this is going to be the treatment, how are we going to help people afford it?" - Joe There is some tricky stuff happening, companies trying to patent different parts of psilocybin to use it for therapeutic use Ketamine has been off patent for years, but you can develop a new route of administration, patent that, and make a ton of money Spravato is making it to the UK Conference Themes Joost is both excited and scared that they are bringing indigenous practitioners to the conference It's important to acknowledge the indigenous, ethical, and political dimensions to psychedelic use Talking about concepts and approaches to healing is going to be an important aspect The goal would be to do research with the indigenous communities to be able to address the needs of psychedelic use There are also a few neuroimaging people coming For mainstream scientists, the conference has to be as close to a scientific conference as possible, they may be turned off to the cultural aspects of psychedelics It's the conservative nature of psychedelia Joost also says that although the scientific research is important, it is really cool to hear the personal experiences Joe brings up a previous episode of a therapist and patient from the MDMA trials Stories are much more convincing than just data People's experience with psychedelics may be completely different from each other It's important to share the bad stories with the good stories If we don't share the stories and data and research, then we can never learn Joe hopes that there will be a growth of citizen science in the near future Links ICPR About Joost Joost Breeksema is a part of the OPEN Foundation, which from it came the Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research. His current research focuses on the experiences of patients that are undergoing therapy assisted by psychedelic substances. His aim is to better understand psychological mechanisms of action/change, to tease out salient themes, and finally to learn about what works and what does not work in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Use code PSYTODAY at Onnit for a discount on all products except fitness equipment Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday

In this episode, Kyle invites a guest interviewer, Hallie Rose of the Thought Room Podcast, to interview him on his recent experience at Soltara. In the show, they talk about Soltara, Kyle's experience with the plant medicine, and important topics like privilege. 3 Key Points: Eastern attendees have a different integration need than Western attendees. In the West, attendees come back to more hustle and bustle, more time is needed for integration. Soltara does a really good job at providing that time for integration. With Psilocybin and other psychedelics, there is this one big door, you eat the mushrooms and open the door and get to experience it heavily. With Ayahuasca, there is a smaller doorway to penetrate through, you have to create a relationship with the medicine first. If the people that really need the help can't even afford it, then how do we have mass healing? Peer support movements are a way forward in this issue. 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 Hallie Hallie interviewed Kyle after his first 4 experiences with Ayahuasca Kyle's episode on The Thought Room Podcast about his Near Death Experience The Thought Room Podcast was inspired by Hallie's first Ayahuasca experience She had typically pushed away anything psychedelic in nature, even alcohol before coming to Soltara as a guest "A lot of the paradigms I had been working with were flipped upside down on their head" - Hallie The message that really spoke to her was to create a podcast 2 ceremonies later she had some things come up about family and career, and again, the message 'podcast' came up again When she went over her integration notes from her experience at Soltara, she kept coming back to the podcast thing She describes her journal entry message as a black hole, a void She felt like she was in rooms, some were bright and rainbow-y, and others were dark and lonely The rooms were rooms for thoughts, thought rooms She owns the start up company Lunar Wild Soltara Hallie mentions that she was blown away by the amount of effort that it takes to uphold a medicine center like Soltara Kyle says right from the start from arrival to the location, he was greeted with such warmth and it reminded him of his breathwork background The ground rules that they laid down right at the start made him feel so safe She said it's amazing to see the amount of healing that happens in that space "When it comes to your own medicine work, your own journey work, only you know what's right for you" - Hallie Hallie is part of a mastermind group through Aubrey Marcus, the CEO of Onnit She is connected to a bunch of people as a part of this group She was introduced to Dan Cleland, a co-founder of Soltara, who invited her to come down Yes they had the traditional Shipibo aspects, but they also did a fantastic job of adding in the Western concepts to cater to the western needs Hallie mentions that coming from the West, we have the need to integrate the experience in a different way than those coming from the East, and Soltara does a really good job with that kind of integration The First Session Kyle said the tea was actually tasty You drink a lot of it where you override the system to where the body wants to purge Kyle drank 5 cups of the tea over all the nights The purging is to clear the system out of toxins and clean it out energetically Soltara built in pre-ceremony sessions like yoga or meditation to help ease into the actual sessions Kyle said that the Ayahuasca experience was familiar Everything felt very green behind his eyes There was a serpent weaving in and out of his DNA The experience felt so healing Kyle didn't purge (vomit) but did do a little crying He said he did not experience much anxiety The serpent was healing him and stitching parts of himself back together "There is something intelligent here working on very subtle levels" - Kyle The next two ceremonies were very gentle, some crying, going through family dynamics, but always in the background, there was that same serpent Kyle said the first 3 sessions felt really easy, compared to previous experiences with psychedelics The spirit said to him "oh you think this was going to be easy, that you would just drink this and that I would show you all this stuff. Well we have to get to know each other first" With Psilocybin, there is this one big door, you eat the mushrooms and open the door and get to experience it heavily, with Ayahuasca, there is a smaller doorway to penetrate through, you have to create a relationship with the medicine first Final Ceremony It was during the full moon in Cancer and lunar eclipse, the energy was already intense For the 4th ceremony, Kyle was already feeling high energy, and did not want to go too strong, so he started with ¾ of a cup Kyle felt like he was sober, the medicine told him to ask for a second dose The facilitator gave Kyle ¼ of a cup more That ¼ of a cup really blasted him off After the singing, he laid down and that's when things took off All of a sudden, he saw himself back in the CAT scan machine (referring back to his NDE as a teen) He always tells the story as blissful and beautiful, but this time was so different He saw himself back in the CAT scan machine as a child, and was terrified, and he began shaking He felt this pain in his pelvic area as he felt during his NDE He was shivering and so cold, it brought him right back into that state He was re-experiencing the fear in a new way during the ceremony He went into his body and felt the scar tissue and felt that shake and stretch and kind of brought in some healing there After his actual surgery/NDE, as he was healing he was always really afraid to move in certain ways in the fear that movement would re-open some of the healing wounds He got a clear way of looking at how the body holds trauma, especially after surgery That trauma is tied to the way we hold ourselves, the way we walk and talk and in so many ways This ceremony helped Kyle view somatic body work in such a new light The ceremony was not scary, he allowed his body to process the fear, but not attach to the fear and become fearful Yoga can also bring that out, stillness and vulnerability can bring up some body trauma and put you into that fight or flight response Even when you think you're done processing something, there are always more layers to dig into and see something differently to bring more clarity Preparation Hallie said what she is learning with this medicine, is that she doesn't need to make anything happen, she needs to just let it happen That feeling of relaxing things is scary because it means giving up control It's a practice and its a lot easier said than done The most important part is the set (mindset), because the set is you "Having your set figured out, when the going gets tough, you're safe still" - Hallie Kyle said that Aya always told him to wait, he didn't need to jump into trying it right away, he waited over 10 years to process his NDE trauma Hallie says it's just like marriage, you can get married easily, but it's not always going to work out if you don't have the tools and the skill sets to maintain it Ayahuasca is similar in needing the right tools and time to do it right The dieta and the prep itself is so hard People are turned off by the idea of doing something disciplined These experiences can be so much different when we go through the process of giving something up It's not to punish ourselves, it's to heal ourselves "There is a whole other side of us, that opens up when we cut out some of the things that numb us" - Hallie The dieta strips away the illusions, the plant medicines help us remember who we are Hopi Creation Story The great creator said "I have a gift for the human beings, but I need to hide it somewhere until they are ready to find it" It is "the gift of the knowing that they can create anything, they can create their own reality" The creator asked the earth where he should hide it The eagle said he will bring it to the moon The fish said he will bring it to the bottom of the sea The buffalo said he will bring it to the edge of the plains The creator said no to all of them, they will find it there So the great grandmother who lives in the breast of the earth said, put it inside of them And the creator said "it is done" It brought Kyle back to his fourth ceremony, the Ayahuasca was a reminder that everything he needed was already inside of him Privilege It's hard to tell people of their only legal options for healing, which most of them are leaving the country, which is not an option for some people We are all worthy of finding relief of our suffering through psychedelics Is therapy only going to be for the rich and elite? There are so many people who really need it Yes, you can grow mushrooms, but then you're at risk of the law The system is so complex and we need a more humane way of moving forward in this field and offer experiences like this to the people that need it Therapy is a privilege Most people that need therapy are in survival mode that don't have the privilege of access to therapy Peer support movements are a way forward in this issue If the people that really need the help can't even afford it, then how do we have mass healing? There are great healers out there that never became healers because they didn't have the privilege to Kyle says he escaped a lot of suicidal ideation after his near death experience, it took a lot of time to call earth his home "Just to wake up and be a part of this, even that is magical in itself" - Kyle "The stars come out every night, and we watch television" - Hallie Authentic Self Hallie has recently had her 12th Ayahuasca experience "I am no longer breathing, I am being breathed" - Hallie "Hatred does not exist, it is only a resistance to love" - Hallie Even being hard on ourselves is only a resistance to loving ourselves Its love with nowhere to go People that have a lot of self hatred toward their bodies or themselves, the medicine always comes back to the self, it teaches people to love and take care of themselves "You really can't love anything outside of yourself until you love yourself" - Hallie Kyle says that the people who he looks up to (ex, Stan Grof), what if they never showed up for themselfves? What if they never stood up for what they believe in? Links $200 off coupon code for Soltara: THOUGHTROOM Soltara Healing Center Hallie's Instagram Thought Room Podcast About Hallie Hallie Rose is an author, speaker, educator, and relationship coach from New York City. She is the host of The Thought Room Podcast and also the founder & CEO of the company Lunar Wild which aims to reclaim the sacred feminine and address a modern need for a Rite of Passage into womanhood. The Thought Room is a combination of edge-of-your-seat storytelling and groundbreaking interviews with celebrated thought-leaders from around the world. The show covers a breadth of topics including psychology, spirituality, sex & relationships, psychedelic science & plant medicine, bio-hacking, fitness, nutrition, alternative health, business & entrepreneurship, mindfulness, yoga, and meditation. Use code PSYTODAY at Onnit for a discount on all products except fitness equipment Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday

In this episode, Kyle and Joe interview previous guest of the show, Daniel Greig. In the show, he goes in depth into the meaning of enlightenment and previews the new book he is writing with Dr. John Vervaeke, The Cognitive Continuum. 3 Key Points: Insight, flow and mystical experiences are all facets of working toward enlightenment. Enlightenment is really a fundamental grip on reality. It's about maintaining a relationship with the transcendent, it's not about just constantly escaping this body life. The mystical experience is a glimpse at consciousness. The most important part of having a mystical (psychedelic) experience is coming back into our bodies and developing better relationships with ourselves, others and the world. 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 The Cognitive Continuum There will be a crowdfunding campaign launched for the book The book will be a combination of art and science He is writing it with Dr. John Vervaeke Youtube - Awakening for the Meaning Crisis The core of cognitive continuum is insight There is also the flow state There are also mystical states Insight, flow and mystical experiences all have something to do with enlightenment If we can train people on how to access this cognitive continuum, they can become enlightened Enlightenment It is important to see the truth "How can we take our natural ability to attach to things, and learn to step back and care about the greater good?" - Daniel Cognitive flexibility is important to understand the needs of the greater collective "Enlightenment means to apprehend truth and act in relation to truth" - Daniel Mind does not equal brain Gut Feeling EGG - electro gastro grams There is a singular resting state network between the brain and the stomach You're never really able to access this network, but when we have 'gut feelings' it's typically coming from neurons in your stomach Being grounded in those sensations of the stomach is a huge part of problem solving and guidance in truths We need to get back to 'feeling' something as actually meaning something Mystical Experience Enlightenment is really a fundamental grip on reality It's about maintaining a relationship with the transcendent, it's not about just constantly escaping this body life Daniel uses a lot of Roberto Unger's theories in his new book There is the absolute reality and illusory reality The mystical experience is a glimpse at consciousness The most important part of having a mystical experience is the coming back into our bodies, having better relationships with ourselves and others Psychedelics don't do anything by just sitting there, they take a perceiver to matter and make a difference It's the person, the body, that really holds the power to embodiment Psychedelics and Enlightenment People say that psychedelics are a shortcut to enlightenment Daniel says that psychedelics can help take people out of depression style states A mystical experience can help you, but you're going to hit a plateau if you don't integrate and interpret these experiences For those practicing a lot of psychedelic work, they should balance with body work like yoga There needs to be a balance in all practices in order to keep escalating toward enlightenment Links Website About Daniel Greig Daniel is an educator, organizer and artist living in Toronto. He studied Cognitive Science and Philosophy at the University of Toronto, specializing in wisdom, consciousness, and spiritual belief and experience. In 2015, he founded the Mapping the Mind conference that occurs annually in Toronto, which raises much needed funds for psychedelic research. Daniel regularly host lectures and workshops, on topics in cognitive science. He is currently writing a book with Dr. John Vervaeke on the science of enlightenment, which will be published in 2020. When not contemplating the realm of the intellect, Daniel delves in the sonic perturbations of music, writing and producing progressive metal. Use code PSYTODAY at Onnit for a discount on all products except fitness equipment Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday