Psychedelics Today

In this episode, Joe and Kyle interview Jake Mitchell from the Flight of Thoughts Podcast. Jake has spent 4 years as a Paramedic in Canada and leads trainings around mental health, first aid and is bringing better practice of psychedelics into the psychedelic space. 3 Key Points: It's so important to know your substances and get a testing kit so you know its not laced and you know exactly what you're taking. More people seek help when they look at an overdose or a difficult experience as if they are suffering versus breaking the law. Decriminalization at the least, would help make people be seen as a patient and not a criminal. Most police aren't trained on mental health issues, and they have shot and killed people because they don't know how to correctly respond to issues like schizophrenia. We need more mental health training among our law enforcement. 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 Jake He had major depression and didn't know it, and started to use cannabis as a useful tool for his depression He started to notice some of the first responders use MDMA and Psilocybin off-duty to help with their PTSD "PTSD for those who have been in combat is more understood than for first responders with it, people think that we can just handle it." - Jake There are levels of trauma that don't qualify daily for PTSD, but for police and firefighters and such, they can be triggered by certain events It's hard to say what percentage of first responders use cannabis, MDMA and psilocybin for personal therapeutic use Jake says he knows of at least a quarter of first responders who have been open about their use There is a new initiative that if police use cannabis, even right before their shift, as long as they are 'fit for duty' they won't be scrutinized CBD CBD counteracts the effects of THC, THC binds to CB1 receptors, and CBD binds to CB2 receptors CBD is similar to Advil If someone has taken too many edibles, they can take Advil to counteract the effect of the THC It counteracts the THC similar to how CBD does People used to say to have a good night, eat a pot brownie, but it's a better idea to smoke for the first time than to eat an edible Harm Reduction - Teaching People How to Respond to Overdose They are teaching people about harm reduction kits or when to call an ambulance Know your substances, and get a testing kit so you know its not laced and you know exactly what you're taking Know what breathing technique you want to use if you "feel the fear" setting in If you know someone is on a clean substance, you can try to help them through it, but if it could be laced (with fentanyl, etc) call an ambulance If someone is unresponsive, that's a sign they could be overdosing You can rub as hard as you can with your knuckles on their chest and scream their name, and if they don't wake up, that's a good sign to call 911 Always turn them on their side so that their air passages open up and they don't asphyxiate on their tongue or vomit If you are informed on how to use narcan and you think they are overdosing on fentanyl, use it If they are awake and are psychologically freaking out, just sit them down and simply ask them "how can I help?" They might want something as simple as some water or to go for a walk Knowing your dose is so important LSD and psilocybin don't have cardiac effects, they don't shut off breathing, so you shouldn't have a reason for feeling like your going to actually die unless it's been laced MDMA is one you have so worry about but you'd have to take hundreds and hundreds of milligrams Fentanyl test strips are $2 They are only $1.50 if you buy 100 or more Drug Showmanism The first option should always be cannabis Usually the only reason that people overdose on heroin is because it's laced with pharmaceuticals Advil and Tylenol work similar to opioids Sometimes we have emotional trauma and it comes out as physical pain More people seek help when they look at it as that they are suffering versus breaking the law Narcan costs $20-$40 An overdose death costs $30,000 In Canada, the pharmacist will inform you on how to use Narcan Jake says he hopes that the US will catch up Narcan availability and use The grinding of the teeth after taking MDMA may be a sign that it contains amphetamine Decriminalization at the least, would help make people be seen as a patient and not a criminal A Healthcare Issue, Not a Crime The Good Samaritan Act in Canada says if you have minor possession of a substance and not a traffic-able amount, and you call the ambulance for an overdose, you will not be searched or charged Most police aren't trained on mental health issues, and there have been situations of people with schizophrenia having a moment in public, and because the police don't have education on signs to look for, they have shot and killed the victim 23 and Me, the gene testing company has found that over 180,000 genes tested have been linked to schizophrenia High THC levels can make schizophrenia worse, where CBD can counteract it Serotonin Toxicity Jake says he's been hit in the face by someone on PCP It took 6 police to hold one person down. Another time, there was a guy who was wearing underwear in freezing weather, punching cars driving at almost 40 miles an hour They were snorting Wellbutrin, an antidepressant that works as a stimulant when snorted Serotonin syndrome is super dangerous Ketamine is used in the ER for scenarios like this Does taking MDMA too frequently ruin your serotonin system? Emanuel Sferios - the number one risk of using MDMA is you might not get high from it anymore Addiction Type II Diabetes is a symptom of sugar addiction Sugar and carbs create bacteria in the gut that releases plaque in the blood Technology addiction - Jake had a patient that sliced an artery and was texting and on candy crush and Snapchat Links Instagram Facebook Check out this FREE online course, "Introduction to Psychedelics" About Jake Jake is a Primary Care Paramedic with experience in emergency response, evidence-based research practice, harm reduction techniques, and crisis intervention. He is the Founder of The Psychedelic Society of First Responders and Emergency Workers.

In this interview, Brian Pace interviews Dr. Jason Slot at Ohio State University. In the show, they talk about Jason's contributions of the psilocybe genus. Jason is in the faculty at OSU in the department of plant pathology. 3 Key Points: There are over 200 species of mushroom forming fungi that produce psilocybin, and Jason studies how and why these organisms produce the psychoactive compound. Animals seek altered states of consciousness as a potential evolutionary mechanism. Mushrooms use horizontal gene transfer to pass on their psychoactive properties. 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 Jason "There weren't many mycology job postings in the area, and a job came up for someone to study the evolution of fungal genomes" - Jason It all just fell into place What is Neurochemical Ecology Ecology is the interaction among organisms and their interaction with their environment Neurochemical ecology is a special case where the chemicals are specifically targeted to processes of nervous systems in animals There is an opportunity for plants and fungi to produce drugs and compounds that manipulate their behavior or inhibit their eating Species that Produce Psilocybin There are over 200 species of mushroom forming fungi that produce psilocybin Jason has found many more Distribution of Psilocybe Mushrooms were anatomically modern There were flowering forests and wood that spanned to each of the poles The supercontinent would have broken up after that and as the continents separated, so did the mushrooms Humans have been distributing psilocybe through the dung of migrating animals Columbian Exchange During colonization from the old world to the new world, there was the biggest exchange of fungi If the amount of biomass and dung expands, then the number of fungi species evolves and grows The underlying change in the climate that changes the planet from forested to open grasslands also has an impact During human evolution, psilocybe has been around the whole time These neurochemicals have dated human genus Serotonin Serotonin is analogous to psilocybin Bacteria was the first organism making serotonin Insects produce serotonin "Serotonin is a great key, it fits into a lot of different locks and is used in a lot of different ways" - Jason It's in plants, its in amoebas, and its in animals In animals, they have specialized a lot of different receptors that respond to serotonin Serotonin only interacts with one type of receptor in the body Altered States of Consciousness "It must be like something to be a bat, and it must be different than what it's like to be a human, what must it be like to be a bat under the influence of psilocybin, is it anything like a human?" -Brian Animals seek altered states of consciousness Bees seek out fermented grapes We have video footage of foxes taking huge bites out of Amanita Muscaria Seeking out intoxication is a natural human drive Maybe the desire to seek out these altered states of consciousness is an evolutionary mechanism that is happening If you search out new ways of perceiving the world, you may come upon a new pattern that your group of species learns how to live better If ants come back to the hive too drunk, they get punished and get bit Language One of the ways humans distinguish ourselves We have specialized vocal chords, and tongues that make our language unique Terrence - Stoned Ape Theory - the thesis was that psilocybin mushrooms were a part of the diets of the hominids There was some kind of co-evolutionary relationship that may have resulted in human language Psilocybin's role in our development "What kind of role did psilocybin mushrooms play in our development?" The hominids came down from the trees and now they are standing upright We have to look at opportunity, constraints, etc. If the ape eats psilocybin, it may have an idea or understands its environment better It may help the ape acquire more food or expand into new territory The access to food and changes in locomotion are huge forces in our evolution Having fire to cook our meat and change our availability to nutrients is one of the biggest forces in evolution of human consciousness than mushrooms Horizontal Gene Transfer Vertical transfer of information means from parent to offspring Horizontal transfer of genetic information happens between species One bacteria has a gene to resist an antibiotic, and another doesn't. One bacteria can obtain that gene from the antibiotic resistant bacteria (ex. Antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus) Gene transfer can happen in multicellular creatures like mushrooms Fungi are exchanging genes through different species Paneolis Mushrooms did not inherit the biosynthetic pathway to produce psilocybin, they received it from a totally different genera KT Extinction A comet impact that caused havoc and climate change that resulted in the extinction of dinosaurs Mega herbivores, putting out tons of herbivore dung The genes to make psilocybin were acquired by a dung loving Paneolis from a dung loving Psilocybe Dung attracts flies, but it doesn't kill the insects that eat psilocybin Psilocybin is one of the safest drugs for consumption The amatoxin in Amanita Muscaria (The Destroying Angel, commonly mistaken with Matsutake), interrupts the central part of cellular metabolism Identifying Genes in Psilocybin He sequenced 3 different species of mushrooms that make psilocybin, and then looked at one species that didn't make psilocybin They take two pieces of DNA and then compare them They all have those genes, but how did they get them? Validated the biosynthesis of psilocybin Mediated Horizontal Gene Transfer When fungi are under stress they take the DNA from their environment Cicada Parasitism There are cicada pathogens that infect the cicadas before they emerge from their 'underground' and their rear end is transformed into these spore producing structures They fly around and drop their spores all over Are these plants or fungi are using any of these neurochemicals in house for cognition? Turing test - a computer can convince you that it's human Link Website Check out this FREE online course, "Introduction to Psychedelics" About Jason Jason Slot is an Evolutionary Biologist that studies topics in three major areas, the genomic and metabolic bases of fungal adaptation and niche, horizontal gene transfer mechanisms and the evolution of symbioses. He is in the Department of Plant Pathology at Ohio State University.

Download In this episode, Joe interviews Philip Wolf founder of Cultivating Spirits, a cannabis pairing company. The talk includes topics on Terpenes, Social Consumption and the Cannabis experience industry. 3 Key Points: Terpenes are the component in cannabis that produce the aroma and 'mood' you will be in after smoking. As more and more places legalize cannabis, the market opportunity for combining food and cannabis grows. Cultivating Spirits is a cannabis experience and tour company that offers small-batch cannabis, fine wines, and locally sourced gourmet meals. They are a leader in cannabis-infused experiences. Support the show 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 Philip Philip has been in the legal industry of cannabis in Colorado for 9 years Cultivating Spirits started in Breckenridge, Colorado in 2014 after legalization He went to a wine experience event and had an epiphany of bringing the cannabis experience to the 'soccer mom' He walked away from equity in multiple companies because he believed in it Cultivating Spirits is the first company to offer a cannabis pairings experience After learning about terpenes he learned about pairing foods with attributes of cannabis Terpenes There are 3 components in cannabis that give you certain feelings THC gets you high, gives a euphoric feeling Flavonoids Terpenes produce the aroma of cannabis and it determines the 'mood' you will be in after smoking Terpenes are produced in all plants and produce, they attract pollinators and help fight disease within the plant THC-A is non-activated THC, meaning it needs a flame or heat to activate it Michael Pollan's book - Botany of Desire At the base genetic level, our goal is to reproduce and expand "Are we the workers for this plant?" - Philip Wolf People's Reactions They are loving it! The average age for a person who attends Cultivating Spirits is 45 Cultivating Spirits focuses on parties and events Old folks are some of the best clientele, they don't have jobs and they are done with all of the hassles of making a family and working hard for their job, etc. Microserving Microserving is one hit Holding cannabis in longer doesn't get you higher, it's about the surface area of your lungs So if you expand your lungs very lightly, you will get less high than if you would if you fully expand your lungs when taking a hit Expansion Cultivating Spirits operates all over Colorado They are working to expand to Las Vegas They also opened up Cannabition They are taking this business to other places with good heart Cannabis Nightclubs and Social Consumption Lounges Cannabis isn't the reason for the decline in alcohol sales, but the desire for new experiences Philip believes it will happen first through coffee shops Everyone needs food, so it's a great market to integrate into "I use cannabis like I use a cup of coffee, I use it, but I don't use it all day" - Philip Wolf Cannabis… Psychedelic? There is a psychoactive part to cannabis Philip says he uses cannabis to deepen his meditation and yoga practice He is a Certified Yoga Teacher Although he is certified to teach, he did it for himself and to learn tools he can use during his whole life Cannabis is a mirror - it's what's inside already but getting amplified First Dinner Approved by Municipality The opening of X-games in Aspen, CO in 2015 5 courses, 5 wines, 5 strains of cannabis A DJ from Thievery Corporation deriving beats from where the food dishes come from Jessica Catalano - Infusion Chef Learning More Lemonine makes your mind energized and Alphapinine and Betapinine will help you focus Leafly Essential oils are made up of terpenes Doterra Max Montrose - Trichome Institute Daniel McQueen - Medinical Mindfulness Links Cultivating Spirits Website Cannabis Wedding Expo Facebook Check out this FREE online course, "Introduction to Psychedelics" About Philip Wolf Philip Wolf is one of the world's first pot sommeliers, an expert and pioneer in the field. In 2014, he opened Cultivating Spirits with a mission to show mainstream America how cannabis should be treated. Setting tables with forks, wine, and pipes, Wolf's pairings are grounded in the science of interpening, which the institute calls "a method used to identify and understand cannabis variety [by] interpreting … terpenes and flower structure." Wolf can sniff a bud, identify the strain and terpenes, and interpret both the flavor profile and high. The protocol for his dinner with bud pairings is puff, eat, drink.

Download Today in the show, Joe talks to Maria Carvalho and Helena Valente, founding members of Kosmicare, a drug testing, and harm reduction service at the Portugal Festival, Boom. Joe talks to Maria and Helena on their personal backgrounds, how they got into Boom, research on recreational use, what harm reduction looks like, and what populations are underserved. Drug use is decriminalized in Portugal, and the focus of risk minimization has been useful in getting the population served versus putting people in prison. 3 Key Points: Kosmicare is a harm reduction and psychedelic emergency service starting at Boom music festival in Portugal. Working to support other events in Europe. Boom is in Portugal, where drugs are decriminalized and drug testing is legal. Drug policy has directly affected the number of emergencies that Boom has had. The Portuguese drug policy has resulted in fewer overdoses, drug-related deaths, and HIV infection. Other countries like the US should consider a drug reform with the current opioid crisis. Support the show 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 Kosmicare Kosmicare is a non-profit organization that looks to transform nightlife culture through humanistic, comprehensive and evidence-based policies and interventions They work toward a world where drugs can be used with liberty and wisdom Making festivals safe in Europe About Maria Psychologist, graduated in 1999 at University of Porto She started working in the field of problematic drug use Growing up in a difficult neighborhood was her purpose for getting into studying psychology and drug use She began focusing on recreational use Her younger brother was into the Electronic Dance scene and positioning himself with using substances She was interested in studying other motivations to use drugs than just using drugs to feed a problem She heard an announcement by MAPS in 2008 recruiting volunteers to do work in psychedelic emergency at Boom It was the perfect match considering her interest in psychology and drug use in recreational environments About Helena Helena is a Psychologist who was interested in drug use She wanted to have field experience, and she volunteered in a needle exchange program She began working for a harm reduction project to work in recreational settings that needed volunteers She became interested in the potential that drug checking has in the harm reduction strategy They are working toward a 'drop-in' where people can show up to a permanent space for drug checking and harm reduction The Numbers Over 20,000 people showed up to Kosmicare's information session This year for the first time, Kosmicare had an HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) to identify LSD and pills They tested over 700 drug samples in 6 days Maria says half of the Boom population gets in contact with Kosmicare They serve 1% of the Boom population for psychedelic emergency (about 350 cases out of 35,000 attendees) The episodes usually have to do with psycho-spiritual situations versus just an emergency about the drug taken Psychedelic Emergencies Boom is a transformational festival that hosts attendees from over 50 countries Boom is different from Burning Man in that Boom is in Portugal which has a much more legal framework which helps with the services that can be offered Drug policy has directly affected the number of emergencies that Boom has Joe states that there are numbers of regulatory police at Burning Man Kosmicare is included in the entire setup of Boom, which helps reduce the number of scenarios that would cause an emergency at the festival, such as providing shaded areas all over It gets up to 43 degrees Celcius (108 Fahrenheit) But there is a water element so people can refresh themselves In the largest dance areas at the festival, they included medical emergency Teepees so attendees could be helped as quickly as possible Recreational Drug Use They did a survey on recreational drug use and most of the respondents said they use drugs in a beneficial way that doesn't interrupt their lives in a bad way Similarly with Boom attendees, most of them want to use harm reduction techniques so they have positive experiences and don't develop problems with their drug use Mat Southwell "drug users are calculated risk takers" "The legal framework has a terrible influence on people's relationship with drugs" - Helena Lessons Learned Maria says they have had many groundbreaking challenges In 2016 they had someone die on them while having a psychedelic emergency It made her really question why she was doing this Her first impression was that she was doing this work to save the inexperienced user She was caught off guard by the person who died because they were an experienced user and didn't taking unadulterated substances "People may go over the top for a wide variety of reasons, it was the biggest lesson I learned working for the Psychedelic Emergency services" - Maria It's hard to determine people's ability to calculate risks If the person had collapsed in front of an urban hospital in the city, the Hospital couldn't have done anything more than what they did at Kosmicare Collaborations Kosmicare has a collaborative relationship with Zendo MAPS was hired by Boom to direct the harm reduction services They use a lot of Stan Grof techniques for transpersonal psychology They are partnered with many other organizations in Europe that are trying to deliver the same type of psychedelic emergency and harm reduction services The Risks of Drug Policy Joe points out that there are so many festivals happening without these services The Rave Act prevents companies from attending festivals because it "harbors" drug use In Portugal, the fact that drug use is decriminalized, it opened up a legal framework around harm reduction Portugal is one of the few countries where drug checking is allowed by law The Portuguese drug policy has resulted in fewer overdoses, drug-related deaths, HIV infection, tuberculosis and other things Helena says that the US should rethink their drug policy considering the opioid epidemic In Portugal, there were only 12 overdose cases with heroin and opioids Portugal before the Drug Policy In the 80's, there was a heroin epidemic, which had an epidemic of high infection rates and HIV. This motivated the policy change It was evident that prohibition was not working Usually when it affects only poor people, no one cares, but the fentanyl crisis is affecting all sorts of populations Links Website Facebook Check out this FREE online course, "Introduction to Psychedelics" About Maria Maria Carmo Carvalho, Kosmicare Manager, Boom Festival, Portugal, is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Education and Psychology at the Catholic University of Portugal. She researches if the field of psychoactive substance use and has completed a MSc and a PhD at the University of Porto on the field of psychoactive substance use, youth and recreational environments. She is Vice-President of ICEERS and Kosmicare Boom Festival manager since 2012. About Helena Helena Valente began working with people that use drugs in 2004, focusing in nightlife settings. Helena has a vast experience in coordinating national and European projects in the drug field. At the moment she is a researcher and PhD. Candidate at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the Porto University and founding member of Kosmicare Association.

Download In this episode, Lori shares her first hand experience of MDMA Therapy assisted by Therapist, Shari Taylor. Shari Taylor is a PhD, MSN and RYT(Registered Yoga Teacher). Both from New Orleans, Lori Tipton was Shari's MDMA patient who suffered from traumatic life experiences and PTSD. 3 Key Points: Lori shares her heartfelt story about her experience in healing her PTSD in MDMA Therapy Before her therapy, Lori says she struggled with loving herself, and the fact that she loves herself now after her healing is the reason she is alive today Lori says she wants people to understand that this is a legitimate form of therapy, and wants this to be accessible to everyone 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 Lori Lori has a love/hate relationship with social media She saw on Facebook that they were opening the phase 3 trials for MDMA therapy in New Orleans Sent an email on a whim and Shari replied They looked for people who suffered from significant traumatic events in their lives Lori lost her brother to a drug overdose, her mother killed two people and she was the one to discover their bodies, and she was raped by someone she trusted and got pregnant and then had an abortion Lori says there was an extensive screening process and psychometric testing "You become more of a manifestation of the disorder, and it starts to become who you are" - Lori She felt so 'untethered' and removed from everyone and everything because of her PTSD Day one of Therapy There are many sessions before even taking MDMA to get to know each other first Set and setting are so important Lori says she went in with an open mindset, but was so skeptical She had seen psychologists, psychiatrists, endocrinologists, dietitians, taken anti anxiety meds and antidepressants, went vegan, became a yoga teacher, and even saw a witch doctor But she was nervous that she was going to go into the sessions and come out a different person, which had her start to question who she really was Taking the MDMA She was offered the MDMA, and she accepted it She lied there, started to feel the effects, listened to the music playing and it reminded her of a film she had seen Buddy Boulden a trumpet player, who passed away at 30 at a mental institution in Louisiana So this just popped into her head and then she told Shari about it and then next thing she knew she was telling her about her mother and her rape The way that MDMA worked for her in the first session is that when she had a memory, she could feel it, and she hadn't truly felt the feelings from those memories before As the session ended, it was anticlimactic She said it was like dipping the corner of a towel in water, the water would eventually cover the whole towel The amygdala is getting shut down in therapy, so you're able to bring up these memories without getting overwhelmed Days Following Therapy Lori said after the first session, it was awesome! She went and got pizza and it was the best pizza she has ever had in her life! The first session of MDMA allowed her to experience life in a way she hadn't been in years Her partner noticed her enjoying the world, and noticed the changes the most Lori wrote a lot before going into the sessions, and writing has helped her with her healing The Second Session Having PTSD led her to repress her feelings When she locked up her fear and anxiety, she unfortunately locked up happiness too In the second session she took more MDMA, and it really helped her She felt she was able to really separate herself from her memories and feelings and emotions "It was like taking off a pair of foggy glasses and it was so empowering" - Lori Joe mentions that after his one and only ayahuasca session, he got a strong message that he needed to reconnect to his family He says MDMA is so special in that it allows you to feel love in such a strong way, unbounded Lori says she struggled with loving herself, and the fact that she loves herself now is the reason she is alive today She says her experience is proof that MDMA is not a schedule 1 drug Joe says he hopes that the testing goes well to move MDMA into an accessible space Lori agrees and wants this to be accessible for everyone in her life She believes its revolutionary for psychology After the second session, she didn't want to run away from her feelings, she didn't want to kill herself Healing isn't always pretty, sometimes it looks like crying on the couch for 6 hours of the day She knew she had to be with those feelings Her therapist and her tarot card reader both said she would be more of herself after the therapy The Third Session She believes in the power of the drug, but it was also the support of the therapists. The combination of the two is where magic happened After walking into her mother's death, she couldn't remember so many parts of those moments In that third session, she revisited that memory, and was more present in her memory than what she saw in that moment in her real life She remembered things she wasn't able to remember from her life from over a decade She was able to have such empathy for herself in that situation In that moment, she would have been full of so much shame or blame and she was able to empathize with herself and forgive herself "These types of experiences transcend words of how it feels to release that pain" - Lori With the feeling of the release about her memory with her mother, she then began to talk about her rape and her whole demeanor shifted She was talking about it in an angry tone She had triggers post rape, when trying to have sex with someone she loved and it felt like a tiger entered the room, just frightened and in fear Certain yoga poses also triggered this PTSD response In the therapy session, Shari asked her to try entering into the yoga poses that gave her those feelings Lori was overcome with anxiety, fear, she cried, and felt like she was in hell Shari asked "what are you feeling?" Lori said she felt afraid and full of fear And Shari looked at her and asked "what does that feeling need?" Lori responded and said "it just needs to be heard" After that moment, she felt this huge release "There are very few moments in my life that are so profound and beautiful and meaningful to me" - Lori Joe said there is some magic in yoga to unveil certain energies when working through PTSD Afterglow She stayed the night each time after a session The morning after she had an integrative session She felt like she accomplished more than she even thought was possible There was not a part of her that understood how magnificent her experience was going to be She has been given the gift of being present in the moment She now has the ability to be with the people she loves, it changed her life To a therapist, who really wants people to be their best selves, this has to be a beautiful thing to see Joe says we are seeing movement with this kind of therapy With trials, publications, and people coming forward with their stories, its changing the mental health narrative Lori wants people to understand that this is a legitimate therapy "To deny this therapy is a disservice to human kind" - Lori Life for Lori After MDMA Therapy Startle response is so low She works in a bar, and things are dropped and she used to jump at everything, and now she doesn't anymore She's less quick to get angry because she's not thinking about all of the horrible stuff that could happen at the next moment Her ability to be present in the moment has helped her raise her son She doesn't have triggering moments when she is aroused She is feeling joy and happiness in a way she hasn't felt in over a decade Shari's Thoughts Hearing Lori's story gave her a new passion in her field Chipping away at the barriers through MDMA therapy is so remarkable Therapists create a safe environment with trust and the ability for patients to allow their barriers to fall down so that their inner healer can come out, to help them heal themselves She feels so lucky to be a part of this type of therapy Stan Grof - inner healer The same way that your body knows how to heal a wound on your hand, your mind also knows how to heal your psyche After Hurricane Katrina, suicide rates tripled Shari gets hundreds of emails from people wanting to be in this study, she hopes or it to become more available for people in the future For people who are more interested in learning about these trials, get on the MAPS mailing list Joe says or someone with PTSD symptoms, it's not always the best idea to go down to Peru and do ayahuasca, they could get re-traumatized Joe hopes for expanded access sooner than completion of phase 3 testing He says for therapists interested in MDMA therapy, he really hopes they dive in and learn a lot Final Thoughts Having discussions like this, storytelling, has the ability to change many people's mindsets Taking MDMA away from counterculture will be the quicker we can see drug reform Whether we see decriminalization, or given expanded access, we need to be aware of what that looks like so everyone can have access to this experience It's important to break the stigma of psychedelics so people are more open to their benefits Main Goals We want doctors to be able to use these drugs We want people to to use these drugs without going to jail We want a flourishing underground provider network that are skilled We need to keep working toward re-scheduling Links Lori https://medium.com/@LoriTipton Shari info.nolaresearch@gmail.com The Mind-Body Project Check out this FREE online course, "Introduction to Psychedelics" About Lori Tipton Lori Tipton is an MDMA Assisted Therapy patient who suffered from traumatic life experiences and PTSD. About Dr. Shari Taylor Dr. Shari Taylor holds a PhD in Psychology from Northcentral University, a Master's of Science in Nursing from the University of South Alabama, and a Post-Master's of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison specializing in the field of child/adolescent psychology. She is a Registered Yoga Therapist and teaches yoga both privately and in a class setting. Dr. Taylor is an avid participant in the art, music, and culture scene in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is continually enrolled in courses and workshops to expand her knowledge of nutrition, psychology, wellness, and spirituality.

Download James Oroc is the Author of Tryptamine Palace and the New Psychedelic Revolution. Show topics include Burning Man, visionary art, drug war, and politics around the 5-MEO-DMT experience. 3 Key Points: James Oroc is cautious about the medicalization of psychedelics. He believes psychedelics do not necessarily heal sick people, but instead bring a new perspective to healthy users. The 5-MEO-DMT experience is not like the typical psychedelic experience, not everyone should do it, and there are some serious negative side effects that could last for years if not integrated properly. The Bufo Alvarius desert toad is at risk. With climate change and the demand for using them for their 5-MEO-DMT, there is a lot of pressure on their survival as a species. Support the show 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 James James has written a few psychedelic books, and is kind of a psychedelic icon His interests are in noveling and extreme sports journalism He wrote a book for Burning man, and gave away 500 copies at the festival He is a world class paragliding competitor He believes always being in nature is important In the late 80's the psychedelic culture had crashed, except for the mountain towns, which is where psychedelic community ended up Joe lives in the Rockies, and was hanging out in Aspen and ran into an old hippie deadhead who talked about skiing on mescaline, when everyone would typically ski on acid In James new book he goes into psychedelics and extreme sports, about using a dose smaller than the psychedelic dose but larger than a micro dose Joe references a movie, Valley Uprising, where most of the climbers would hang out on the side of a mountain face, party all night, drop a bunch of acid and then sprint to the top James' Interest in Psychedelics James says that 5-MEO-DMT converted him from to being a scientific, rationalist, atheist to agnostic, being merged and one with the god source, through the classic mystical experience He says it took him multiple years to figure out how a 40 minute trip experiences shifted his entire perspective for the rest of his life That's why he wrote his Burning Man book, as a way to help others relate to the experience and make their own sense of it Joe says James Book is far more fascinating than Michael Pollan's Book, especially for people that have been in the psychedelic space for a while Michael Pollan states in his book that LSD was given to Tim Leary by Alfred Hubbard, but James says that's not true, he says that a man by the name of Michael Hollingsworth gave LSD to Leary, after coming to America with a jar of mayonnaise full of LSD James says its amusing for Pollan to form stories to fit his own narrative He says Pollan has talked about using psychedelics only four times, and that he doesn't like the psychedelic culture and by using them we will become more depressed James thinks depression is a result of the paradigm that we are in "I don't like the idea of psychedelics being used as bandaids to help people except the current paradigm, I like the idea of psychedelics being dynamite, to help bring the next paradigm shift" - James Smart people are depressed because they are realizing we are screwing this planet up, and we may not have that much time left on it He called it 'extinction denial' in his last book, and after writing his last book in 2009, its gotten exponentially worse Joe asks James why he thinks people are denying the extinction narrative James replies saying people feel like they can't do anything about it, they worry about paycheck to paycheck, and get caught up in all the small distractions of life. He says no wonder people are depressed Psychedelics aren't a Medicine James thinks the only reason they didn't take hold as medicines in the 60's is because they were difficult to use, and didn't fit in the medical model "The problem with medicalization is it puts psychedelics in one box, I'm more interested in giving psychedelics to healthy people than sick people" They don't fall under the true classification of medicines James thinks they should be called therapy, instead of medicine He understands the interest of why people want to use them as medicines, but that shouldn't be the only way they are used Joe adds that the medicalization doesn't mean rescheduling - via drug policy alliance James says that last year alone had the most arrests for cannabis than any other year, even as more states are 'legalizing' Joe mentions a comment from Brian Normand who runs Psymposia, "Is cannabis really legal, if you can only have 6 plants? It's just heightened regulation." James thinks that keeping cannabis illegal in the south is the main tool for racial profiling, it's the gateway drug to prison Brooklyn wants to release 20,000 cannabis offenders America James thinks living in America is like living in the belly of the beast There are so many forces at work in the US, James thinks the best thing for the world would be for it to break up in a few smaller countries, although it's probably not going to happen "It's not where you want to be, its where they'll have ya" - James The data that John Hopkins comes up with is what we need to fight the cognitive liberty we should have to take psychedelics Roland Griffith Joe says Stan Grof became uninterested in the research of psychedelics and became more interested in visionary art Creativity is what could help us survive "Art could be the next religion" - Alex Grey Reemergence of Spirit James thinks we are in an interesting time in history, all of the models and structures are collapsing, we are getting to an individualized view of everything. We have the right to create our own spirituality and religion. If we all go find what we find and then come together in clusters of like findings, that is a way for our spirituality to grow Daniel Pinchbeck mentions cloistering up in small subculture communities focused on individual sub aspects of what interest you Reemergence of spirit is important and can happen with the democratization of psychedelics Psychedelics play a role in inner reality and outer reality "Psychedelic perspective is the worldview that we take on as a psychedelic user, and its the perspective that the planet needs to survive. Whether as a society that we can shift to that perspective quick enough, is the issue. But the tools are in hand." - James Burning Man James tells a story of this wealthy CEO who attends Burning Man, and gets back and realizes he's a rich asshole and starts contemplating how he can make his company better for the world and be better to his employees Burning Man has a lot of potential like psychedelics do, but it was easier back then Burning Man has blown up and isn't what it used to be These highly impactful experiences are more influential when they are small Boom, a festival in Portugal is a free environment because everything is legal, there is no paranoia Burning Man used to be free, but because things are still illegal, it has more of a defensive posture now There are so many resources, police, undercovers, put into Burning Man for how little of crime that happens Joe says its a means to scare the people There's a report that the administration put out recently that agreed that climate change is happening but they don't want to do anything about it Peter Thiel has been bragging about buying a whole country, New Zealand Psychedelics James says he is a very interested observer to see psychedelics 'come out of the closet' Is medicalization a means to take the fangs off of the drug war, or take power away from the psychedelic culture? James says medicalization is just a financial opportunity MDMA is leading the push toward legalization US Military is super interested in MDMA because of the PTSD Drone operators suffer from depression when they realize they are bombing people they've never even seen But the MDMA could keep these operators at the desk History of government's involvement in psychedelics Robert Forte - The Dark History of Psychedelics MK Ultra did happen Robert believes Albert Hofman was in charge OSS - Office of Strategic Services John Perry Barlow - founder of EFF Electronic Freedom Foundation John Gillmore - had the largest civil suit against the US govt. for phone tapping If you have an intense psychedelic experience, take some time and integrate it "The first place you go after a major psychedelic experience is the library" James says 5-MEO-DMT was the greatest intellectual adventure of his life He couldn't grasp the concept of quantum physics, after 5-MEO-DMT it was one of the only things that made sense Alexander Shulgin - plus four James had a paradigm shift after the first time smoking 5-MEO-DMT He says 5-MEO-DMT is extremely powerful, he doesn't do it as much anymore, because he appreciates how powerful it is He also believes that it's wrong for 'shamans' to take the drug while facilitating LSD is considered not powerful because its been dialed down People don't take the same dose that people used to in the 70's Every community should have its own psychonaut James thinks people should not start with 5-MEO-DMT, but start with something less intense like mushrooms and a walk in the woods Joe did a lot of holotropic breathwork before taking psychedelics So many people go right to ayahuasca because they are out of the psychedelic culture and are being advertised to James is annoyed with people calling drugs medicine out of context, like at a festival He thinks toad is a sacrament, or therapy, not medicine. It hasn't healed anybody He believes that the 'toad shaman' culture will be eliminated once chemists start to synthesize 5-MEO-DMT The toads are coming from an overly populated desert, and with climate change, there is a lot of pressure on these species survival Final Thoughts James suggestions The 5-MEO-DMT experience is unique, it's not like the typical psychedelic experience, not everyone should do it, and there are some serious negative side effects that could last for years if not integrated properly Start with classic psychedelics like LSD or mushrooms, and go for a walk outside Stan Grof's house/library burnt down, Terence McKenna lost two libraries, and Jonathan Ott's library burnt down. Decades of research burnt down Check out this FREE online course, "Introduction to Psychedelics" James Facebook Typtamine Palace Facebook Instagram Youtube Book About James Journalist, photographer, and artist James Oroc was born in the small South Pacific nation of Aotearoa. Since 1998 he has been pursuing and reporting on the cutting edge of extreme sports in more than 40 countries around the globe, his work appearing in magazines, films, and on MTV Sports. He has been a member of the Burning Man community since 1999, and he is also involved in the documentation and advancement of "Alternative Culture."

Download Tom Hatsis is an intellectual, occultist, psychedelic user and advocate from Portland, Oregon. In the show, Joe and Tom talk about his new book about microdosing. Joe prepares listeners about the controversial topic, magick, which is highly discussed in the show. Witch craft, western shamanism, old religion and magick are all mentioned during the conversation. Tom is a coordinator for Sanctum Psychedelica, a psychedelic club in Portland. 3 Key Points: Tom's book Microdosing Magic is a book of templates for people to fill in the blank according to what works for them Magic isn't the 'hocus pocus' witchy stuff that people always assume, it's actually mind hacking, reframing and neurogenesis, that every individual is born with the ability to tap into Magic is a great way to create containers to frame our psychedelic experiences 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 Tom Tom's Book - Microdosing Magic: A Psychedelic Spellbook Tom thinks having a childlike wonder and being curious helped him write his book He has written 4 books, 3 have been in psychedelic topics Tom's background - a part of the Roller derby background since 2005 His first book was called The Roller Derby: A Sensation that caused a Book, the Confessions of a Roller Derby Mascot. Then he got into psychedelic history and wrote The Witch's Ointment, Psychedelic Mystery Traditions and his newest book, Microdosing Magic. Portland is a great place for the psychedelic renaissance Microdosing Magic Tom said we should be using psychedelics in a magical way Joe agrees saying when using psychedelics we should be flexible philosophically Joe mentions the Robert Anton Wilson reality tunnels We all have a B.S. (Belief System) and then reality tunnels are the marxist sunglasses and the capitalist sunglasses and feminist sunglasses, instead of having 40 glasses to see behind bias, we all have our own pair of shades Microdosing is a tool that helps people become childlike, more genius Magic Microdosing Magic is a book of templates for people to fill in the blank to what works with them Tom never tells people what to do with psychedelics, he is offering insight and techniques Using his own techniques, him and his partner are about to win a guinness world record "If microdosing is like a healthy diet and magic is like exercise, that's great. But what happens when you put healthy diet with exercise? You have something far more powerful than those two things could have been by themselves. That's how microdosing magic works." Magic = mind hacking, re-framing and neurogenesis The Four Gifts Tom talks about 'The Four Gifts' in his book They make up the beginning of his personal magical system that he has cultivated over his lifetime Carl Sagan quote, "The cosmos are within us, we are a way for the universe to know itself" Tom agrees strongly with that saying, he thinks we are microdoses of that cosmic magic and from it, we've received 3 immaterial gifts, Intellect, Emotion and Will, however, due to our evolution in physical bodies, we've inherited a fourth gift, action The magical system is about aligning your intellect, emotion and will, so that when we take action, we are acting in pure magic Magic is super powerful, not something that happens at Disney World. It's a very real thing that every individual is born with the ability to tap into Orenda - the magic that you are born with Microdosing Magic is Tom's small contribution to bettering the world Joe says there are so many people that practice subtle magic and don't even know it; in catholic religion, in yoga practice Tom has a friend who 'doesn't believe in magic', who is a hardcore material reductionist, who has a 'lucky hat' Tom - "This isn't for people with claws and fangs, magic is for anybody who recognizes their own power and wants to harness their power to make their lives and the world around them a better place" Neurogenesis, better firing, and re-framing happens in a person's brain after consuming Psilocybin, Lions Mane and Reishi Tom says he was addicted to coffee, and after using Microdosing Magic, he hasn't needed a cup of coffee on 8 months because of his new neural pathways Joe jokes about overdosing on coffee for a few months on his coffee addiction Tom jokes back that he'd just drink it out of the pot Creative Genius Dr. George Land study - 98% of 5 year old scored in the creative genius category in the same test that 32 year-olds only scored 2% The modern education system robs us of our creative genius that we all had when we were kids, but at no fault to the teachers. The education system, buys these education models that just don't work Tom - "You have to use the internet wisely and not foolishly, to educate yourself and not de-educate yourself" The Book Tour Joe asks about the most interesting questions Tom has received on tour Most people ask about dose sizes and safety questions Tom explains that he gets nervous about certain questions because he isn't a medical professional or a therapist Tom "If you wouldn't take a psychedelic dose, don't start microdosing" Microdosing Tom has been microdosing on and off for over 20 years "We didn't call it microdosing, we called it being broke, we could only afford 1/8th of acid, so we split it up. We felt way more energy, I started writing way more songs, I couldn't put my guitar down. It sparks that creativity" Joe says it's never been a better time for the psychedelic and microdosing renaissance Cannabis is now legal in 13 states FDA just approved mushrooms for PTSD in Canada MDMA is in phase 3 testing Tom says people in Silicon Valley, and believes people in Congress and DC are microdosing, they just can't talk about it He mentions a talk he just did in Salem, a very conservative place, and no one had any questions. And then after the talk, everybody came up to him privately and asked him their questions Tim Leary made a joke on Liberals not wanting to 'risk face' Joe comments on Tom's book saying it was playful, inspiring, and not threatening like some magic can be Tom says we don't have villages for support anymore, we have community which has replaced that Sanctum Psychedelia's main focus is community building Tom uses an example of people going to Peru, taking ayahuasca, and because they don't have that mystical framework, they come back to their regular lives and say "now what"? That's why integration and community are so important Tom says he'd love to see ayahuasca and ibogaine clinics with all the great results people have received from their heroine or cigarette addictions Tom's favorite presentation ever was Mark Haden's blueprint on the future of psychedelics psychotherapy Mark Haden's Presentation on Psycehdelics Mark Haden Psychedelic Reneissance Cannabis and the War on Drugs Tom likes to buy his cannabis directly from his farmer, he prefers to not have the government interfere He says Gene Simmons from KISS has been so anti cannabis and now all of a sudden is promoting cannabis Joe brings in the drug war issue, or the issue of people being put in jail for nonviolent crimes (cannabis) Tom brings in another issue, saying that if a person is charged for drugs at one point in time that later becomes legal, they aren't allowed freedom because of the fact that they did the crime during the time where it was illegal Racism and the war on drugs really bothers Tom Amanita and the True History of Christian Psychedelic History Predominant Paradigm - the 'Holy Mushroom' Tom says there aren't mushrooms in Christian art after doing the historical research Source He has debunked the Amanita Muscaria Santa Claus connection Psychedelic Santa Debate with John Rush The Mushroom in Christian Art: The Identity of Jesus in the Development of Christianity People say the Amanita Muscaria and Santa Claus outfit are the same colors, but Santa's outfit comes from the American Flag Carl Ruck Dionysus in Thrace: Ancient Entheogenic Themes in the Mythology and Archeology of Northern Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey Psychedelic Christianity - a scholarly debate a scholarly debate pt. 2 Final Thoughts Tom - "Psychedelics are an excellent way to change your mind and yourself" Magic is a great way to create containers to frame difficult psychedelic experiences. It's about putting new frames on your reality Links Tom's website Instagram Facebook Youtube Tom's Book Check out this FREE online course, "Introduction to Psychedelics" About Tom . Thomas Hatsis is an author, lecturer, and historian of witchcraft, magic, Western religions, contemporary psychedelia, entheogens, and medieval pharmacopeia. In his spare time he visits rare archives, slings elixirs, and coaches roller derby.

Download Key Takeaways Bluebird Botanicals is leading the industry in third-party testing and Lab results, green initiatives and a stand on hemp policy. CBD helps cushion the psychoactive impact of THC on CB1 receptors, making for a less intense 'high'. Lex has a lot of hope for the 2018 Farm Bill, and believes hemp has widespread uses that will open many market opportunities in the future. Intro Joe interviews Lex Pelger, Science Director of Bluebird Botanicals, a Colorado-based company. They talk about CBD and the issues with the FDA talking about health benefits. The use cases of hemp and drug war are discussed. Who is Lex Pelger? He is a Science Director of Bluebird Botanicals. Lex moves from New York to Colorado. He did a psychedelic storytelling open mic tour (Blue Dot tour) across the USA and it culminated at the MAPS Psychedelic Science Conference. Moved from the hustle of New York to Colorado to have his baby. The Cannabinoid Lex gets excited the more he learns about how intricate the endocannabinoid system is to humans and all mammals Bluebird Botanicals doesn't make any medical claims CDB supports health and homeostasis The cannabinoid system was discovered in the body only 25 years ago Opium and Cannabis were the two oldest plants used in the body There isn't anyone connection for cannabis, because there are so many receptors in the human body There is a ton of research happening on cannabinoids Lex thinks the research ban on phytocannabinoids is unfortunate Cannabis and cannabinoids are the most studied drugs in the US CBD functions as a homeostasis molecule Anandamide was the first endogenous cannabinoid discovered in the human brain in 1991 by a team led by Raphael Mechoulam in Israel Raphael Mechoulam discovered the final structure of THC in 1963 CB1 Receptor in the brain was discovered in 1991 also CB1 Receptor If the CB1 receptors are blocked in a human or animal, they won't get 'high' on weed The presence of CBD doesn't allow THC to fully bind to the CB1 receptor, so when CBD is present in THC, you won't get quite as high Lex thinks it's unfortunate that because weed has been in prohibition, it has been bred so hard to only have THC He thinks all weed should have a little bit of CBD to cushion the psychoactive nature of THC The Endocannabinoid System Joe says there is no profile to test the endocannabinoid system to know if a person is deficient or not, that he knows of Lex says if you get your genetic results from a company like 23 and me, it will tell you about your cannabinoid alleles A bad trip to a young brain can damage it forever The activists that annoy Lex are ones that refuse the obvious negatives Weed should not be given to all children The 'Right to Fly' Jonathan Thompson - Psychedelic Parenting Blog and Podcast How to create a community on psychedelics Noah Potter - Psychedelic Law Blog An open-source thought experiment in psychedelic law and policy "This plant is tied down by so many regulations" - Lex In the state of Colorado, you can't make new genetics Lousy laws made it hard to diversify the cannabis plant Lex believes Aldous Huxley's book The Island is the best blueprint for what a sane integration of psychedelics and psychoactive might look like. Lex says people taking mushrooms in the woods together is so special, simply because a group of people is spending 6-8 hours with nature and with each other. Bluebird Botanicals Many different products - isolates, oils, vape juice, and topicals will be back soon Independent Lab Verification Leading the industry with third-party lab results Transparent about ingredients, NO pesticides used! Paired with Eurofins - world's biggest testing lab Bluebird partners with the farmers, packaging partners, etc to be green and more eco-friendly always CEO Brandon hears about a new point of quality to be added, he goes for it Passed 99% inspection quality, CGMP Lex thinks its so nice to work for a company that focuses on giving back to the customers, focusing on employees, quality, the planet, and just giving back CBD Drug Law Changes in California The regulations restrict being able to add CBD to food, which goes is against the 2014 Federal Farm Bill Bluebird is on the board for the US Hemp Roundtable - Hemp Policy Jonathan Miller - Lawyer of the group and writer to address misinterpretation of the law "It's foolish to have the 1950's 1960's mindset of cannabis" - Joe Marijuana vs Hemp Both are cannabis plants Cannabis is the species, THC is more than .3% THC, Hemp is less than .3% THC "If a state inspector comes in and tests 6 samples and the results come up as .4% or .5%, they make you burn it. They don't burn it for you, you have to burn it yourself while you watch." - Lex Cannabis is tricky to grow for commercial use It takes 3 generations for the plant to get used to the environment "Thank you, farmers, for being farmers" - Joe 2018 Farm Bill Mitch McConnell majority leader of the Senate, is pushing this because he comes from Kentucky, the Hemp state. The Senate version of the Farm Bill is correct, the House version has none of the correct language in it. McConnell and the pro-hemp committee will hash out the differences between the two bills. This Bill expands on all of the rights so it makes it look more enticing and safe for big businesses like Whole Foods and Banks. This bill is going to open up many markets. Hemp as an Industrial Product "What's really cool about hemp is how widespread the uses are" - Lex The Hemperor, Jack Herer discovered all of the uses for the hemp plant Oil and plastic did win, hemp did not win as a top 10 commodity It's a hard plant to work within the processing stage Thomas Jefferson stopped growing hemp because the retting stage was too hard on his slaves Hemp is not going to change all the markets it's been said it will transform Lex says hempcrete is fascinating. Using hemp as lubricants, bath bombs, and just the seeds are fascinating uses The Russians and the English fought in a war over access to hemp Hemp is a rope that doesn't get destroyed by saltwater, fueled the world's Navy Fiber is so important, and hemp as a fiber was widespread Hemp seeds are a perfect mix of essential fatty acids Hemp seed made pigeons breed more Joe says there was a huge tradition of people eating pigeons Agriculture is so bad for topsoil, hemp can help repair our lands for us to keep surviving Hemp is a holy material in Korea Joseph Needham layed out all of China's inventions and explained that the founders of Daoism had a cannabis-induced 'dream' and envisioned the first Daoist school where Yin and Yang came from Lex's job as a Science Director for Bluebird Lex does a lot of education around CBD, Cannabinoid science conferences His passion for cannabis stems from his grandma's medical condition He wanted to find a way to describe the cannabinoid system for elders to understand Lex is thankful for groups like Erowid, who sit down and interview our elders Lex tells a story about a man who took LSD in the woods, and fell to the ground and felt one with the trees, felt himself rooting down, and felt complete. He never forgot that feeling Lex thinks that a person should be stable before embarking on a psychedelic journey "Huxley says that therapists are attracted to psychedelics because of their own dark icebergs" - Lex. He thinks that therapists should be A gatekeeper, not THE gatekeeper Joe has been trying to get in touch with Dana Beal who popularized ibogaine "Dana Beal was an old-time, cowboy pot smuggler to fund yippie political activism, outreach, and political activism, so he could make the way that he made money, illegal" - Lex He used the system against itself Cannabis can cause catalepsy in people - which makes one 'blackout' 90% of cointel pros were against the Black Panthers Hoover feared them because they were black and he was racist They were extremely effective Lex explains that the war on cannabis has a racist framework, Nixon said "Because black people use cocaine and hippies use cannabis, we can use it against them" Lex goes on to talk about the history of the CIA, which puts its money into drug trade because it's untraceable, they protect the drug lords to use it for their own financial benefit He says the CIA and DEA are inefficient bureaucracies "Our belief at Bluebird, is we have to end the war on drugs. It's not a war on drugs, it's a war on people. The war on drugs is incredibly effective at doing what it was designed to do, and that was to hold, certain people groups down" Joe comments saying that there are babies being born and being brought into this world. He appreciates Bluebird for having proper business practice Final Thoughts Lex finished his Moby Dick Pot books about the endocannabinoid system and the war on drugs He says he based them on Moby Dick because it was the only thing large enough to fit the entire history of cannabis and war on drugs He does the Greener Grass Podcast for Bluebird which includes topics on cannabis and green initiatives. He is also a part of the Psychedelic Salon http://www.lexpelger.com/ https://bluebirdbotanicals.com/

Joe Moore interviews Brian Pace. He studies Evolutionary Ecology, is a science consultant at The Third Wave, and is the director of the project, Mind Manifest Midwest, and instigator of the "Find the Others" project. 3 Key Points: Psychedelics are not just illegal, they are also taboo, and Brian's efforts are aimed to create spaces that make it more comfortable to talk about psychedelics. Online resources are great, but having local, and real psychedelic societies to create community will help people "come out" and be comfortable talking about their experiences. Brian's interest evolved from ecology to psychedelics when he realized the issue of global warming. The top environmental problems are selfishness and greed, and changing people's minds with psychedelics is a big hope for the planet. 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 Getting Involved with The Third Wave Met Paul Austin of The Third Wave at the Global Ibogaine Therapy Alliance Conference. The conference was foundational in him becoming outspoken about psychedelics. Ibogaine - last resort option for people suffering from addiction. Brian and the team built The Third Wave with the goal to bring the conversation about psychedelics to be more comfortable among the general public. It has been good about building bridges to invite all types of people to the community, not just white males. It's important to be inclusive in this space. Find the Others Started at Psychedelic Science, to talk about what psychedelic societies are. Aware Project by Ashley Booth (www.awareproject.org) Psychedelics are not just illegal, they are also Taboo - Michael Pollan "Were having a cultural hangover from the upheavals we've had in the late 60's and early 70's." - Brian "We can fight taboos when we can have conversations - about that which was taboo - in the grocery store, in the bar, with our parents. I think that's definitely what's needed with psychedelics." - Brian Had the first psychedelic society meeting at a bar that included a presentation about plant secondary compounds and human health and ended with storytelling. 20% of Americans over the age of 15 have had some experience with psychedelics, 11% with LSD. (source unsure) Mitch Gomez from Dance Safe - more than 50% of the population of the U.S has done illegal compounds at age 15 and up. Psychedelics have taken a big chunk of that number. Cannabis is a great help for football players and traumatic brain injury. "If psychedelics are ever going to be reintegrated meaningfully in society, we are going to need some kind of mentorship." - Brian Timothy Leary - "You're born with the right to fly". If you start driving on LSD, you might lose that right. Find the Others, Mind Manifest Midwest, The Third Wave A collaborative project that allows people to speak in their own words what they are doing in their psychedelic societies. Psychedelic Societies are real, local and create community. MDMA for PTSD will be passed at the Federal level very quickly. Evolutionary Ecology Psilocybin - PhD focused on plant secondary compounds. The mycorrhizae network - "the Earth's natural internet" - Paul Stamets Climate change Consumption - eating meat and driving cars The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy. Changing people's mindsets with psychedelics could be an only hope. "Given that psychedelics have reliably induced mystical and/or religious experiences in people throughout time and across a variety of contexts, it seems natural that we should start organizing communities that help unpack and contextualize these experiences." - Brian The status of our society Why do we have to work 55 hours a week to barely afford a 2 bedroom apartment? Guaranteed minimum income - an experiment in other countries. What does our society look like when it is less stressed? Timothy Leary "Who knows what you might learn from taking a chance on conversation with a stranger? Everyone carries a piece of the puzzle. Nobody comes into your life by mere coincidence. Trust your instincts. Do the unexpected. Find the others…" Helped create the importance of set and setting. Saw the inside of 36 prisons for possession of marijuana. Link Mind Manifest Midwest Find The Others Project Aware Project Check out this FREE online course, "Introduction to Psychedelics" About Brian Brian Pace, M.S. is a scientist by training and psychonaut by inclination. His interest in biology was piqued acutely as a teenager while experimenting with his own neurochemistry. For more than a decade, Brian has worked on agrobiodiversity, food sovereignty, urban cycling, and climate change in the US and Mexico. Brian is the co-founder of Mind Manifest Midwest (facebook.com/mindmanifestmidwest), a Columbus, Ohio based psychedelic society and the instigator of the Find the Others Project (findtheothersproject.org), a global collaboration of the burgeoning psychedelic society movement. Since 2016, he has contributed as a strategist for The Third Wave (thethirdwave.co). At The Ohio State University, he co-created a graduate-level class entitled: Cannabis: Past, present, and future cultivation for fiber, food, and medicine. He spent a year slogging around oil and wastewater pits left by Chevron-Texaco testing mycoremediation techniques in the Ecuadorian Amazon. All pipelines leak. Plant medicine is indigenous technology. Brian completes his Ph.D. in Plant Evolutionary Ecology this semester at OSU.

In this episode of Psychedelics Today, Kyle and Joe dig into and create conversation over an email received about the cost of psychedelics, the facets of capitalism and about feeling isolated after a psychedelic experience. 3 Key Points: Capitalism in psychedelics is a complex topic and includes factors such as the schooling system, the medical system, monopoly, trade, and other facets that go into the cost of psychedelics. There are other forms of therapy that don't have to involve psychedelics or lots of money. Feeling isolated after an experience is sometimes our own blockage, by refusing to create community because a person hasn't had the same experience as us. Psychedelics aren't always needed for a psychedelic experience. Support the show 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 Email concern: Some psychedelic experiences seem segregated by a price bracket. Ketamine Therapy - believed it would help with their depression, but ended up spending a thousand dollars every two weeks. Joe - curious that ketamine lozenges may be a cheaper option that could help. Kyle - although the drug itself may be cheap, you're not just paying for the lozenges, you're paying for a therapist or a psychiatrist. Kyle - in America, healing is a privilege. We work hard to pay for health insurance, or even if we are insured through work or family, it gets hard to pay for because of the premiums. "I would rather pay for taking care of myself, than going out and partying with friends." Healing may have to be a choice sadly, you may have to ask yourself "do I want this or do I need this?" Joe - One treatment of ketamine is beneficial for a short-term intervention in an urgent state One session of ketamine therapy helps the user understand the situation clearer and can reduce the thoughts of suicide Kyle - "some of my greatest healing experiences were done through my own work, with myself or with friends" "How do you feel about the resurgence of spirituality and psychedelics and it's capitalism?" Joe - Going from the states to Peru to do ayahuasca to reach spiritualism isn't the only means of spirituality. There are so many other options than capitalist outlets to find spiritual development. Kyle - "I want to offer a lot of help, and do free workshops, but need money to survive." Joe - Jokingly "You're three months behind on your rent Terrence!" A person doesn't need hundreds of trips to be complete and happy, Aldous Huxley says you need three to four strong trips throughout your life. "How do we protect the planet, and how do we maintain freedom?" To talk about Capitalism and psychedelics, we are assuming that something needs to mediate the trade or exchange for therapy. Let's continue to educate ourselves so that we don't blame capitalism on the fact that therapy has a cost. It's a hard conversation to have, it's a complex topic. Joe - pro-socialized medicine $30,000 for a first responder to take an overdose death away $20-$30 for a Narcan Let's prevent and heal more. Capitalism does incentivize doctors and healers. Kyle - "how can we use these as tools and not toys?" Medicalization of psychedelics may have a potential tie to capitalism The difference between doing it legally for an extremely high price, versus paying the market price for a gram of mushrooms (illegally) and doing the work (therapy) on your own. Joe - Monopoly=capitalism Kyle - the Education system Student loan debt can be a half a million dollars to be a doctor or therapist That debt plays an effect on how much those doctors or therapists charge "How do you deal with isolationism that certain psychedelic experiences bring forward?" Kyle - "this has been a huge issue in my life, this resonates with me. After having my near-death experience, I didn't know to talk to people, how to function in the world. A near-death experience is one of the most psychedelic things. To slowly slip away and 'die', and come back to this place and not feel like this is where I belong, how do I exist here? It can lead to isolation. It can be extremely heavy." "We're all experiencing this reality through our own lens, so we have to meet people where they are." The reason these experiences can make us feel lonely is that of the lack of community. Kyle believes in not just constantly going into these experiences, but more about the integration of the experiences. Joe - Tim Leary says "Find the others". But there are a lot of psychedelic people out there who don't take psychedelics that can be a part of your 'community'. Kyle - it makes sense to feel like you need to connect with someone who has done psychedelics in order for them to understand, but we can connect with other people who may not have had psychedelic experiences. The psychedelic experience isn't the only way. We can also experience spiritualism and healing without psychedelics, too. Kyle - Experience in Jamaica, the Rastas talking about home and family, "if the oil splashes up and burns me, my family isn't here to help me, but you're here to help me, and you can help me." The people around me are family, they don't always need to have had experienced the same things as me in order to help me Joe - group strengthens self Robert Anton Wilson's habit - he would order magazine subscriptions and most subscriptions aligned with his interests, and the other half were of subscriptions way outside of his interests, so he wouldn't develop a bias. Check out this FREE online course, "Introduction to Psychedelics"