Psychedelics Today

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"

Download In this episode of Psychedelics Today, Joe interviews Shane LeMaster, Therapist and host of the new Podcast, Conversations with the Mind. In this discussion, we cover personal journeying, changing behavioral processes, Jiu Jitsu and where we are headed as a collective consciousness. 3 Key Points: Psychedelics can be a helpful tool for personal journey work. Each type of psychedelic works as its own tool. They are all useful in their own context and should not be compared to each other as better or worse. Shane has used psychedelic therapy to help rewire past imprinted constructs of his mind to learn new behaviors in his Jiu Jitsu practice and his daily life. 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 Using Psychedelics for personal journey work How we can enhance growth using these substances Big journey work sessions bring large insights "Recently, I've been working on softening my hard edges" Construct – the scared child. Our childhood leaves imprints that effect our behavior as adults. Hyper-masculinity is a result of repressing past issues. Are there different messages after a journey in ketamine versus peyote? Substances produce a different feeling as if there is an "other" or "entity" that sends the messages where with breathwork it's more of a self realization Drug chauvanism "my drug is better than your drug" "Is lsd worse than mushrooms for spiritual development? Or breathwork? We can't say yes or no definitively." -Joe Stan Grof – "why would you do breathwork if you have lsd?" "There is something special about the group work process in breathwork, that deeper sense of connection is hugely valuable." -Joe Some substances are better when done alone in some circumstances, and substances used in a community setting as better for different circumstances. We have a choice in which tool "You can't build a house with just a hammer. If lsd is a hammer and ketamine is a saw, you can't say a hammer is better than a saw, they are both essential." Ketamine in Fort Collins, CO Dr. Scott Shannon Shane Therapist, making great changes but small changes, looking to make a greater impact through social work, helping people to better themselves. Interest in mindfulness, positivity interventions, helping people see their power to fix their own issues The changing landscape of how we understand consciousness DMT vape pens Make it more convenient for the consumer Democratizes the experience, knocks down barriers to be able to have a profound experience Podcasts – creating conversation about a shift in consciousness Elon musk – our intelligence is heightened through proper use of the cell phone Stan Grof – technology of the sacred (ex. Breathwork) Tim Leary – "hedonic engineering" how to live a maximally more pleasurable life Positive psychology meets wearable technology – developing the steps to the most enjoyable life Tim Ferriss twitter feed - "Creation is a better means of self expression than possession, it is through creating not possessing that life is revealed." "Be a creative force in the universe, it feels so good to create, and bring something to fruition, and share it with everybody, not to possess it." -Shane Conversations with the mind – Shane's podcast "One mind having a conversation with another mind. Two minds interacting, sharing knowledge, sharing distress, sharing solution, and adding the sum of the two parts coming together, and sharing it with the collective mind." - Shane on the purpose behind his podcast Guests on the show How psychedelics help in jiu jitsu PhD credential people PTSD patients Advice from Stan Grof 30-60 days without alcohol is needed before using Breathwork for therapy when treating alcoholism Analogy – default brain behavior like sledding down a hill, we always choose the same route. With psychedelics, it helps us see a new route. You stand up, and for the first time, you look up and take a 360 degree turn and see so many new routes that you have the choice to take. Analogy used to reprocesses trauma, brings new options to think about the experience differently Microdosing helps bring out new patterns of behavior to learn new skills "In wrestling, the last place you want to be is on your back, that's when you get pinned, that's when you lose a match. In jiu jitsu, being in your back is a good place to be, because there's a lot of options from there. So I had to unlearn the fear of being on my back. It's all about retraining my neural pathways, retraining my thinking." -Shane Jiu Jitsu It's been said, earning a black belt is as much time and effort as earning a PhD The transferable skills of Jiu Jitsu can be used in therapy, breathwork and integrating psychedelic experiences. It's all consciousness work. Link www.mind-ops.com Conversations with the Mind - Shane's podcast https://anchor.fm/shane-lemaster Check out this FREE online course, "Introduction to Psychedelics" About Shane Shane earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO, completed extensive coursework towards a Master of Arts Degree in Sport & Performance Psychology at the University of Denver, and earned his Master of Arts Degree in Sport & Exercise Psychology from Argosy University. Shane is nationally certified as a Sport Psychology Consultant and a licensed mental health clinician in the state of Colorado. Having worked in community non-profit mental health since 2008, Shane has gained experience working with the entire spectrum of mental disorders and with all populations and age groups. Shane plans on attending a Ph.D program in Counseling Psychology where his interest in Resiliency, Mental Toughness, and Mindfulness Training Program Development can be explored and further developed. He is a life-long athlete having competed at various levels in more than a dozen different sports. Because of his passion for warrior cultures of past and present, Shane has been ardently developing his own "Warriorship," training in various forms of Martial Arts for 25 years. Shane feels that the self-discipline, the philosophy of non-violence, the innumerable mental and physical benefits, and the enjoyment that he gains from the Martial Arts is what helped drive his passion in the field of Psychology. His personal interest in Eastern Philosophy stems from his adoption of a Buddhist lifestyle and blends well with his training in Western Psychological Science. Clients describe Shane as an out-of-the-box clinician that is easy to get along with, knowledgeable on a variety of topics, credible with lived experience, and as having the ability to make therapy fun and interesting.

Download In this episode, Joe Moore interviews Mike from the podcast "End of the Road". Its a great podcast covering psychedelic and spiritual topics that are probably of interest to you. Mike is an attorney and he joins us to share some insights around patent law in the psychedelic space. Kyle and Joe were even feature on the show a few months back. Disclaimer - This interview is for informational purposes only, not for obtaining legal advice. "Opinions expressed by me, at my own only, and not my firms." 3 Key Points: Patent law is worth understanding and shouldn't be ignored in our current psychedelic era. It can be used to help protect inventions and innovations that took time and money to develop. Patents aren't all bad. They can help protect the small guy as well and large corporations. 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 Patent on Ayahuasca 1986 Boston College Law review article (source) Warren Miller, scientist and entrepreneur obtained a patent on a strain of ayahuasca vine. 400 indigenous tribes challenged the validity of the patent. Controversy over the patent created hostility between Ecuador and US. Patent criteria A patent must be a process, machine, or manufacture or composition of matter. A patent does not depend on whether a composition of matter is living or non-living, but rather that it is altered and is not a naturally occurring substance. Taking a plant from South America, and not altering it should not receive a patent. Organizations owning a genome? Transgenic modification – able to be patented Plant patent – specific category Psilocybin Compass pathways – applied for a patent for growing psilocybin – "good manufacturing practice" global standard for manufacturing pharmaceuticals, know your dose each time, etc Compass Pathways applied for a British patent called the "Preparation for Psilocybin" FDA requires that you meet certain standards when you test a product for purity. Trying to patent a pure form of psilocybin. "Non naturally occurring" Using the patent as justification to cover the cost for FDA trials. Group of scientists who created a statement on open practice – 4 point manifesto. (Ram Dass supports it) Trying to make it non-capitalistic – so no one can create a monopoly on it. Full rights can bring the risk of unfair pricing moves Martin Shkreli – marked up a life-saving drug by 3000x Previous groups have decades of open sharing. Compass does not have the same origins Scare – Compass marks up psilocybin. Could be unethical things happening within Compass, but not much journalism done here yet. Once a patent is made, harder to make a similar patent. Broad-based patents make it harder to create further patents down the line since they have to be novel or significantly different and precisely new The process Compass is trying to patent is not the only way to produce GMP psilocybin, there are many other ways. May pull a move that gives them special access to administer Paul Stamets – psilocybin patent application Using psilocybin and niacin for neural regeneration – a neural regenerated composition based upon constituents isolated from or contained within mushroom fruit bodies or psilocybin or the corresponding synthetic molecules combined with niacin Google patents – US PTO 154914503 filing date April 23, 2017, another in 2018 Claims - Mushrooms have improved memory, cognition, motor skills, complex computer coding challenges, hearing, sensory, vision, learning, promote neurogenesis. Therapeutic applications of psilocybin. A broad patent that covers a large variety of application for using psilocybin therapeutically, not approved yet. Probably would capitalize on the patent. Keen for data sharing and being public with his work. Previous patent: Pesticide replacement – fungi that infects ants and brings them back to their homes. More effective than pesticide. Good he applied for a patent – it would mean that it wouldn't block people from accessing it or developing their own Andrew Chadeayne – inventor and patent attorney Has psilocybin patent update blog Applied for patents in the psilocybin space Monopoly law If there is a popular drug used in the market, a drug company wanting to capitalize – it will cover all their bases with a patent Daniel Pinchbeck – theories that could work (Marxist society) Cuba – healthcare model – government funds certain health care practices for the public good/applications that the US would not. A model that Marxists could use to get these products on the market vs capitalist model The basic idea of patents: Inventor – creates a patent to protect the invention, not to dominate the market. International Administration of Ketamine to treat Depression – Yale Method for treating depression University of California – scientists using "compounds for increasing neural plasticity"non-hallucinogenic catalog of psychedelic compounds Novel devices for administration Intranasal or inhalant administration method for THC, ketamine, etc. SYQE – developed method of a delivery subject for Patent Protection Full spectrum whole plant extract – different from a vaporizer Pctil 2015 050676 Syqemedical.com Smoking – route of administration dosing precision standard is 30%, their dose delivery is at 70% Tel Aviv Israel – producing the lowest price per gram in the world of cannabis All cannabis being researched in the country must come from one specific facility – set the US back German patent – synthetic ayahuasca DE201610014603 Open source model Common law copyright and trademark protection Laws changed in 2013 – first to file the patent first, gets the invention Important to get patent protection early in the process Provisional, and non-provisional patent. Provisional gives a year grace period to file non-provisional without all of the details of the full application. Infusion pump technology – method of delivery (ex. DMT) controls the level of a substance in the blood for an undefined, extended period of time. Insulin pumps – monitor and deliver Raspberry pie devices – can buy a computer and program it to do specific functions. Ex. automated brewing system with temp controls. DMTx – same computer could be programmed and applied to control the levels of DMT in the bloodstream Joe Rogan and Elon Musk on a podcast – space travel and psychedelics talk Peter Theil - Hyper capitalist. Super rich. Book: Zero to One. Make a product 10,000 times better than the competition, so that they will buy it. (Soft monopoly) Tim Ferris – most billionaires he interviewed claim they have had substantial psychedelic experiences. Patent activity Adding cannabinoids to beer, etc. Huge market opportunity for cannabis. Links End of the Road Podcast - iTunes End of the Road Podcast - LibSyn Skqe Medical Paul Stamets Patent - Compositions and methods for enhancing neuroregeneration and cognition by combining mushroom extracts containing active ingredients psilocin or psilocybin with erinacines or hericenones enhanced with niacin Check out this FREE online course, "Introduction to Psychedelics" About Mike Exploring the Horizons we never touch, because we are already there....with Michael. Mike is a patent lawyer with a long history in trial law. He has a great podcast that you should check out - End of the Road

Download In this episode, Joe Moore interviews Marisa Novy, a wonderful psychedelic artist living and working in Breckenridge, Colorado who has been helping Psychedelics Today with some awesome art and more. 3 Key Points: Harm reduction was top notch at Shambhala but the festival could have done a bit more. Early psychedelic experiences added substantial depth to her yoga practice and art. Marisa has helped us at Psychedelics Today a ton and we are very excited to keep working with her. Show Notes Martian Curiosities - Instagram Shambhala Festival in BC An electronic music festival with different producers coordinating music and art for each stage. No alcohol is allowed at the festival. Almost promoted as a psychedelic-friendly festival. The biggest win for the festival this year - no fentanyl found in any of the drugs tested. Marisa's favorite part about Shambhala is the people/community. Shambhala provides harm reduction/drug testing services. Drug testing is done by ANKORS. ANKORS also provides drug safety information. Drug testing helps to clean up the scene because people understand what is found in their substances. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcEoMUYtug4] Drug testing is illegal or not allowed in the United States Marisa did some outreach for Psychedelics Today at Shambhala festival to promote drug safety, harm reduction, and our course Navigating Psychedelics Marisa's favorite artists at Shambhala CharlestheFirst Liquid Strangers DeFunk Marisa's introduction to psychedelics Cosmic Trigger by Robert Anton Wilson What would it look like if festivals provided integration services to help process the overall festival experience? Links Shambhala Festival Marisa's site Martian Curiosities Marisa on Instagram Etsy Shop Check out this FREE online course, "Introduction to Psychedelics" About Marisa Novy I am Marisa, a 24 year old explorer of consciousness and purpose of life. I graduated UW-Milwaukee with a BBA in Marketing and International Business with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship. I grew up making art, and for the most part, I am constantly creating. I have my own small creative business for my artwork at MARtianCuriosities on Etsy, and @martiancuriosities on Instagram for more consulting projects. I became interested in Psychedelics after reading some cosmic literature, delving deeper into my yogic practice, and through my search for meaning and enlightenment. Psychedelics have helped my creativity to blossom and to be my truest self.

Download In this episode of Psychedelics Today we interview Emanuel Sferios, founder of DanceSafe and host of the new Drug Positive Podcast. The discussion mainly revolves around what "drug positive" means, MDMA, and harm reduction. 3 Key Points: The history of MDMA is different than we have been taught. MDMA is quite safe and the harms are very low. Risk reduction is a more appropriate term at times. Emanuel is positive that his early drug experiences substantially helped improve his life. Show Notes There is an largely unknown history of MDMA. Sasha Shulgin apparently was not the first to synthesize it in the modern era. He created a new synthesis method. MDMA was the first designer drug in a sense. MDA became illegal and chemists decided to change the molecule Manuel Noriega of Panama used MDMA at least once and gave permission to some chemists to manufacture in Panama shortly before the US invasion. Harms from MDMA are quite minimal and small. Parents who have lost a child can be natural allies to the drug positive movement. Best practices for drug testing MDMA and Cocaine. It is going to be really hard to convince the public to legalize drugs other than cannabis. About Emanuel Sferios Emanuel Sferios is an activist, educator and harm reduction advocate. Founding DanceSafe in 1998 and starting the first laboratory pill analysis program for ecstasy users that same year (now hosted at Ecstasydata.org), Emanuel pioneered MDMA harm reduction services in the United States. His MDMA Neurochemistry Slideshow has been viewed over 30 million times and remains a primary educational resource for physicians, teachers, drug abuse prevention counselors and MDMA users alike. Emanuel resigned from DanceSafe in 2001 and went on to work in other areas of popular education and harm reduction. He has recently come back as a volunteer. Oh! And he's making a movie. Links Drug Positive Independent - Meet the Man Who Wants your to Him him Legalise MDMA DanceSafe - Wiki DanceSafe MDMA The Movie

Download Introduction During this episode of Psychedelics Today, your host Kyle Buller interviews Robin Kurland-West, a licensed marriage and family therapist based out of California. Kyle and Robin chat about challenges and other questions in regard to providing psychedelic integration services. Psychedelic integration is a new territory, and there are plenty of questions to still answer and cover. Show Notes Psychedelic Support Psychology Today About Robin Kurland-West She offers integration services through her therapy practice. Robin had questions about how to create an introduction practice and how to follow up. She was licensed in 2010 and graduated from the California Institute of Integral Studies in 2006. About a year ago she decided to do a karma cleanse and began to talk to a friend about psychedelics. Her friend sent her a podcast that spoke to her. She was doing some shadow work and dealing with her addiction experiences. She said a prayer over the psilocybin and was open to what it would show her. A spirit appeared and the forest started sending her messages. It was a female spirit and used two trees to illustrate the inside of her brain. It taught her that her mind was holding onto negative beliefs. She taught her that she needed to let go, that it was "all so absurd." What has been the difference between experimenting in college vs. doing the work as an adult? In college, it was seen as a party drug. She had a hard time having conversations with people. She doesn't see it as a party drug anymore, it's something that you honor. She now views it as a medicine that heals parts that have been cut off. Having had a history of addiction, some people are afraid psychedelics might be addictive. Psychedelics are non-addictive because other drugs are about escaping, and psychedelics are about being fully present. What is integration work for you and how do you approach it? This is new territory for her after having her own experience. She joined a network called the psychedelic support network. Because it's not yet legal, it's a bit of a struggle. She offers pre and post ritual services. People meet with her and do a pretty thorough assessment. They set the intention for the experience. Afterward they look at what some of the messages were and how to incorporate it into their daily lives. Do you help with dosage? She focuses more on intention setting because she's still new at this. She refers people to resources to help with other things. Is there a therapeutic approach you use with people? She uses expressive arts therapy to tap into the unconscious and subconscious. She always uses family systems, there's usually a root to behavior. She uses CBT and DBT. She uses journaling and narrative therapy. It's an opportunity to rewrite your story - a new perspective to an old story. She uses mandala work and drawing. She has them stand up and move around. Utilizing movement to integrate is huge. After having her profound experience with psychedelics, she finds it to be a warm blanket she can reach for to remind you that things are different now. What type of challenges have you had providing integration services to people? She wants to know how soon she should see a client after they start on this journey. How many times should she see a client after, and how many times? It could be more individual. She started to do psychotherapy to go deep and heal. It's possible to put your medical license at risk by providing certain services. She can't sit with people when they have their experience and has to be clear that it's a decision that they're making. She has to detach herself from a lot of it. She likes the idea of immediacy in following up with clients. She sees a client 3-4 times beforehand to make sure they're healthy enough and set intention. Afterward she wants to see them soon so they can hold onto the gold they discovered in the journey. How do you choose the right psychedelic experience for a person? The idea of doing a diagnosis to find out what will work is tricky. Throw it back on the person to see what they're looking for. It's not a scary experience, but you want to make sure you're with someone who's trained. There's a couple that wants to come in and do integration therapy together. She wants to meet with them individually and together beforehand. People are in therapy to discover themselves and they might find something different than they've been looking for. How do you approach people who think integration specialists can get them drugs or be a guide during experiences? She says it isn't about her telling them to use illicit drugs and she doesn't do drugs with them or hook them up. The difference between integration therapy and a guide: A guide is someone you trust who sits with you. An integration therapist is just pre and post where she's not involved in the drug. Have you had any clients reach out trying to integrate a really difficult experience? Not yet, but she's looking forward to it. She would ask questions about what they saw and felt. She would bring in the arts to map it out and they can look at it together. You can have a psychedelic experience without having psychedelics. Is there anything you're looking forward to with clients? In traditional therapy right now, she's coming up against blockage in some of her clients. She sees a lot of people being stuck, and that's the hardest part. She's excited to see the light turn back on in people's eyes and see them be healed. She wants to see people be present with themselves and each other so they can have a fuller life. How do you approach therapy and coaching? She just does the psychotherapy, asking questions. She appeals to a clients inner resources. Do you do any online work? She only does in-person work, every once in a while she does a phone session. She works holistically, so people don't just focus on the mind, also the body and the spirit. Do you get people reaching out from all over the place? Yes, because her name is on the psychedelic support list. She filled out an application and had some correspondence with the organization. What are some of your favorite podcasts and resources? The Psychedelic Salon Podcast Episode Quotes I don't see psychedelics as a party drug anymore, it's something that you honor, a medicine. I like to see my clients soon after their experience so they can hold onto the gold they discovered on their journey. People are in therapy to discover themselves and they might find something different than they've been looking for. Resources Mentioned So, You Want to Find a Psychedelic Guide - Article Psychedelics Today Episode with Katherine MacLean Joe Rogan Experience interviewing Amber Lyon 8 Common Psychedelic Mistakes Course Erowid Archive The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide - Risks, Micro-Dosing, Ibogaine, and More About Robin Kurland-West, LMFT Robin Kurland-West received her license in 2010. Prior to becoming licensed she has worked in non profit agencies and inpatient recovery centers as clinical director, supervisor and lead therapist. Through this journey she has focused her expertise on trauma and addictions. Currently Robin has a private practice in the Sacramento area and works with individuals, families, couples and groups. Her passion to explore consciousness and the healing potential of psychedelics has been prominent through out and is committed to making a difference with those suffering from PTSD and addictions through the use of plant medicines and psychedelic integration therapy.

Download During this episode of Psychedelics Today, your host Kyle Buller interviews Duli Wilkins, aka the "Beantown Ghetto Shaman" about his work and future plans. In this conversation, Kyle talks to Duli about his work with sacred plant medicines, how he got involved in this type of work, and also explore the topic of people of color and diversity in the psychedelic world. Show Notes About Duli Wilkins He's from the Boston area born and raised. He gives credit to his parents for getting him into what he's into right now. His dad used to play jazz music and met a bunch of famous musicians. He learned that sound and frequency can be used as a tool for healing. He lived between two warring projects. A lot of his friends got into the gang life. He got heavily into Tai Chi and Chi Kung. He became a multi-dimensional healer He had a friend who gave him a mushroom and that's when the magic begins. How did everything begin for Duli? His empathic abilities heightened more when he used cannabis. He started getting deeper into the teachings of Rastafarians. In the black community, you didn't see a lot of people using psychedelics. Using a mushroom was very new to him. Duli's experience with mushrooms? At first he just felt some tingling and checked on his friend looking at the painting. He started to see things happen before they were happening. He was seeing the fabric of reality. He started having out of body experience and heard drumming from the heavens. "What was it like for you to be involved in this work when the people around you aren't?" Things are changing, more people across the globe are becoming aware of the benefits of teaching plants. A lot of people report seeing ancestors that have passed away. There's a resistance to psychedelics in the black community because of the history of drugs. It was easy for the government to shut down everyone but their own children. We have to be patient and time will bring things to the surface. Discussion about the pharmaceutical system. It's great when you have a broken bone, etc. The pharmaceutical establishment is a business and it runs like a business. When we deal with ancestral memory or epigenetics the medical industry can't touch it. Safety in a teaching plant ceremony is key. Discussion about the dark night of the soul. Work in the shadow is important if you want to become whole. We're all walking around with trauma. He's had a lot of past life experiences, even one where his son died very young. It takes a lot of courage to try psychedelics and you have to have a good setting. "Do you see a lot of spiritual bypassing?" Yes, people try to hide behind things. Some people hide behind the psychedelics. Psychedelics and teaching plants are tools, how are you using the tools? When we deal with wealthy people, maybe it's the lack of struggle to obtain psychedelics. There's much more to us and as time goes by we're going to have disclosure. Duli talks about some experiences with extraterrestrials during psychedelic trips. We're going through cycles and making the same mistakes every time. Last words? Find him on Facebook under @abdukwilkins Find him on YouTube under The Beantown Ghetto Shaman Sign up for our free online course Episode Quotes Something inside me said, I should take the mushroom and that was the gateway to shamanism. Things are changing, more people across the globe are becoming aware of the benefits of teaching plants. We have to have a re-education and awareness around teaching plants. About Duli Wilkins, a.k.a Duli Tha Beantown G.H.E.T.T.O Abdul K. Wilkins a.k.a Duli Tha Beantown G.H.E.T.T.O (Gifted. Hearts. Equal. Towards. Total. Oneness) Shaman is a Boston Native...He grew up in the Inner City of Roxbury where he overcame an environment of gang street violence, neighborhood drug abuse, and police brutality! Duli was influenced at a young age by both of his parents in the interest of spirituality, mysticism, natural healing etc. While attending College at Northeastern University he had a very mystical experience with psilocybin mushrooms and has been using mushrooms and other psychedelics as a tool for healing and conscious awareness ever since! He is a father of 2 and does massage therapy and natural healings in his community!

Download Kyle and Joe interview Robert Forte who has been around the psychedelic world for decades as a writer, facilitator and researcher. He has known or has worked with most of the biggest names in psychedelic history including Dr. Stanislav Grof and Timothy Leary among others. The interview covers a lot of ground and will likely ruffle some feathers. Robert has extensively studied the history of psychedelics and has drawn some conclusions about the origins of the field. Psychedelics as Weapons From the early days, scientists have been working with psychedelics to weaponize them. From project artichoke to MK Ultra, the US government and many foreign governments have spent a tremendous amount of effort researching these powerful compounds and likely still are. Robert states that various governments particularly the United States government have groups that are using drugs to derange the public to make it easier for these groups to meet their desired outcomes - less democracy, increased plutocratic power, etc. Think Brave New World and Brave New World Revisitied. Deranged from Miriam Webster: 1: mentally unsound : crazy2: disturbed or disordered in function, structure, or condition My leg was propped up on a library chair at the time, as it was too deranged to bend.3: wildly odd or eccentric He makes a compelling argument, but we want you the listener and reader to "Think for Yourself and Question Authority". That was a Leary line that we think is valuablein situations like this. Read books on the subject, question the purpose behind them, think critically and see where you want to go with it. After recording this interview Joe Moore read the amazing and comprehensive 2016 history The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government. The book filled in some gaps for me (Joe) but didn't really change my mind much on the topic of psychedelics specifically. Please enjoy the episode and if you want to discuss it, please join us at our facebook group here. Links & Show Notes Colin Ross - Researcher Psychiatrist John Potash | Drugs as Weapons Against Us MK Ultra - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_MKUltra Acid Hype -American News Media and the Psychedelic Experience (History of Communication) Henry Luce Theodore Shackley - CIA Officer Reinhard Galen Samuel Russell - Russell Trust opium \ skull and bones Brave new world revisited - https://www.huxley.net/bnw-revisited/ Entheogens and the Future of Religion The Devil's Chessboard Allen Dulles 10 Global Businesses That Worked with the Nazis http://www.businesspundit.com/10-global-businesses-that-worked-with-the-nazis/2/ JP Morgan Bank complicit in financial crimes in WWII The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade Mossad Israeli Mafia One Nation Under God: The Triumph of the Native American Church J. Tony Serra (born December 30, 1934) is an American civil rights lawyer, activist and tax resister from San Francisco - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Serra About Robert Forte James Fadiman calls Robert Forte, "a major but not well known hero of the psychedelic movement." A scholar, editor, publisher, professor, researcher of the subject for over 3 decades, Forte has come to some disturbing realizations about the psychedelic renaissance that he helped to start. Huston Smith called his first book, Entheogens and the Future of Religion, "the best single inquiry into the religious significance of chemically occasioned mystical experience that has yet appeared." Forte was introduced to psychedelics in 1980 by Frank Barron, who initiated Timothy Leary and started the Harvard Psilocybin Project with him. From the University of California Forte was invited to Esalen to study with Stanislav Grof, before going to the University of Chicago to study the history and psychology of religion under Mircea Eliade. Over the years Forte has worked closely with many of the most prominent leaders of the psychedelic movement, including R. G. Wasson, Albert Hofmann, Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner, Alexander Shulgin, Claudio Naranjo, and many others. His early MDMA research in 1981-85 turned on 100s of people to this new medicine. Though this project led to the creation of MAPS, Forte is a vocal critic of MAPS government collusion and deceptive policies. His second book is a rounded view of Timothy Leary, Outside Looking In: Appreciations, Castigations, Reminiscences. He first experienced ayahuasca in 1988, and conducted ayahuasca research with cancer patients in Peru, yet he is now suspicious of the globalizing of ayahuasca as an form of "spiritual colonialism." He is a enthusiastic supporter of conscious, independent psychedelic healing and recreation, and an equally fierce opponent of psychedelics for mind control, profiteering, and social engineering by political and economic elites.

Download During this episode of Psychedelics Today, Kyle Buller interviews Dr. Richard Grossman, an ayahuasca ceremony facilitator and expert with a background in healing and acupuncture. Episode Quotes I find mystical poetry to be an amazing aid in ceremony work. Is it the vision or the emotion that you feel and then the vision comes? In my work, the psychedelic experience is about going beyond the visionary state. The core of all creation is in the heart and breath. Show Notes About Dr. Richard Grossman Has a long background in healing. He used to be a macrobiotic chef. Primeval meditations and licensed acupuncturist. Works with ayahuasca and San Pedro. How did Richard get involved in ayahuasca? A friend brought some up from Peru and his life changed in one night. It took him years as an acupuncturist learning more about healing. He's been doing this for about thirty years. Do you integrate your acupuncture practice into ceremony? Not so much with ayahuasca - that's done traditionally. He had a lot of experience with the Shipibo Tradition. With the San Pedro method, the body change happens in one day. Opinions on psychedelic visions. Many people want them and they're a distraction. The real thing is that the source of everything is within. If a person can experience that for an instant, their life changes. There are a lot of things happening on subtle levels. The psychonaut and healing processes are quite different. What are some examples of ideas you've seen in the psychedelic community? People trying to draw in gods and goddesses. You need to see how deep a human being can go, it's an infinite journey. What is it like to go deeper and deeper? If you can imagine a series of curtains parting over and over and over again. You begin to see places of illusion. During one of his trips, he visualized himself in a Nazi concentration camp. A voice told him to trust and forgive. He began to question what forgiveness and trust mean. Some people are seeking spirituality and not really healing within. Ayahuasca tourism is a fairly good thing, rather than people coming and ruining the jungle. How would you define a healing process? It's a complex subject, he likes the idea of a series of concentric circles. Do you work with a person's energy? People get very relaxed. If there is someone who can't get relax he calms them with acupuncture. Do you think intoxicants affects the chi? San Pedro or ayahuasca are not considered intoxicants. He sees that ayahuasca is only good for the body. Psilocybin has a rough effect on the liver. The tannins in ayahuasca are valuable and bind toxins in the body. Do you have to worry about any cardiovascular problems? It is a stimulant so he screens people before doing the ceremony. Beauty is a healing process, beauty heals. Is there anything you're excited about in the psychedelic world? When the community comes together to heal it's powerful. We're all going to a place of more love, peace, joy, and healing. What's the outcome of thousands of people experiencing love and joy? What's the ayahuasca ceremony structure? Constant music, keeping things from going totally wonky. There's a point in the ceremony that it could go in either direction: Total group insanity or total group healing. Iowaska ceremonies can be dangerous. It's something to be respected with its own spirit. You must hold close to the traditions of generations. There's always a point during the ceremony where he feels it's the most important and beautiful place he's ever been. Drama's not necessary, our culture wants the drama. We need to outgrow externalizing the blame. Life in our heart is meant to be enjoyed. Suffering to heal just doesn't work. Culture seems to dwell on suffering, is that conditioning? The worst thing a human can possibly do is feeling guilty. "Guilt can't fly and God wants you to fly." The nature of reality is joy and love. You need to be willing to let go of the things that don't work. Psychedelics can be used as a guiding light. Any final advice, events? Find him on his website or on Facebook. Heartfeather.com - Dr. Richard Grossman's website. Don't stop, just keep going. Sign up for our free course, "Introduction to Psychedelics" About Richard Grossman, L.AC., O.M.D., Ph.D. Richard Grossman studied Oriental Medicine at the California Acupuncture College in Los Angeles and received his post-graduate acupuncture training in Beijing, in a course sponsored by the World Health Organization and attended by physicians from around the world. He earned a Masters in Acupuncture, a Doctor of Oriental Medicine degree, a Ph.D. in Oriental Medicine, a Diplomat in Acupuncture, a Diplomat of Pain Management, and a Diplomat in Acupuncture Orthopedics.

Download During this episode of Psychedelics Today, your hosts Joe Moore and Kyle Buller interview Dr. Monnica Williams from the University of Connecticut and Dr. Will Siu a psychiatrist IN private practice based in Manhattan, and a therapist on MAPS's MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD clinical trials at the University of Connecticut. They join us to discuss race-based trauma, people of color in psychedelics, and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Show Notes About Dr. Will Siu He's a psychiatrist and therapist on the MDMA for PTSD clinical trials with the supervision of Dr. Monnica Williams. Based in NYC and has a private practice. Does some work in emergency psychiatry at a local hospital. About Dr. Monnica Williams Associate professor at the University of Connecticut. Does graduate teaching and multicultural psychology and research in the health center. Currently doing a study on MDMA assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. What is race-based trauma? There had been some studies previously. When people become traumatized by experiences of racism, oppression, marginalization based on their perceived identity. Often because of ongoing experiences, like microaggressions Eventually, people have so many of these experiences that they start to have symptoms of PTSD. People get so distressed and afraid that they act in a way that might harm them. You have to think about trauma in a non-single event way. Exploring the topic epigenetics. Trauma has been passed down from generation to generation. Layer epigenetics on top of what's currently going on and trauma is understandable. How has recruiting been going for the MDMA study? It's challenging, they're not drawing from the same population the other sites are. They're creating a culturally safe, welcoming environment for people of color. There is fear and misinformation that requires them to do a lot of education on the front end. Research abuses haven't stopped, they're still continuing today. Psychedelic drugs are almost exclusively used by white people. Are there any big problems you're trying to tackle now in prepping the study? Traditionally there has been no compensation for study participants, but it's needed for this study. Another layer is paying via direct deposit vs. cash and getting the university on board. How do you send someone back into the trauma you're trying to heal. How do you support people in the study? Support them as much as possible during the study. Continue to follow-up with people after the treatment is over. There is a lack of people of color in the therapy field, especially MAPS. Often people of color don't have a good experience with white therapists. Why do you think there aren't very many people of color in psychedelics? People of color haven't had the same advantages to become therapists. It's not safe to talk about substances when your license is on the line. Culturally, psychedelics haven't played as big of a role with people of color. What does an ideal training model look like for you? Watching the videos of people getting well was a big game changer. The training needs a fuller understanding of what people from other ethnic and cultural groups need. Monica is altering the training to be more relatable. Talk about enrollment. They have people at all different stages right now. They have about 18 people total who have gone through the stages. They still have to follow the guidelines of an indexed trauma to be accepted. How big is your team right now? Three therapist pair teams. A few other people who assist in various ways. Several people are doing double-duty. How can the psychedelic community be more inclusive of people of color? Make some close friends who are not white. Do you have any fantasy projects you'd like to see play out? Start a master's program with a specialty track in minority mental health and psychedelic therapy. All scholarships for people of color. Any advice you'd give to a young person or professional? There's a lot of work to be done and we need enthusiastic minds. Change won't happen overnight or be easy, but it's worth it. Be involved in the community Episode Quotes The psychedelic community is a very, very white community - most people of color haven't had an experience with psychedelics. Ultimately, psychedelics and psychotherapy will be an accepted, licensed form of treatment. About Monnica Williams Monnica Williams, Ph.D. is a board-certified, licensed clinical psychologist, specializing in cognitive-behavioral therapies. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Connecticut, and Director of the Laboratory for Culture and Mental Health Disparities. She is also the Clinical Director of the Behavioral Wellness Clinic, LLC in Mansfield, Connecticut, and she has founded clinics in Kentucky, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Will Siu, MD, DPhil I grew up in southern California, where I completed college at UC Irvine and medical school at UCLA. Midway through medical school, I pursued research interests at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, DC and ultimately completed a doctoral degree at the University of Oxford. After finishing medical school I moved to Boston to complete my psychiatry residency at the Massachusetts General and McLean Hospitals, after which I continued to work for two years while faculty at Harvard Medical School. I moved to New York City in 2017 where in addition to having a private practice, I am a therapist on clinical trials using MDMA-assisted psychotherapy to treat PTSD.