Psychedelics Today

Latest Episodes:

PT530 – Meditation, Exploring Spiritual Traditions, and the Wisdom of Plant Medicine, with Jon Reiss Jul 16, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Joe interviews Jon Reiss: critically acclaimed filmmaker, author, and host of the Plantscendence podcast, which tells people's psychedelic stories and is beginning its second season soon.

He talks about his early days of directing Nine Inch Nails and Type O Negative videos, and how Plantscendence was born after he realized that the conversations he was having with people about their most transformative experiences were perfect for a podcast. He discusses his first psychedelic experience with ayahuasca, how microdosing is helping him today, and his realization that people can get to these big experiences in many different ways.

He discusses:

The two episodes of Plantscendence that stand out the most to him
Using the term, 'plant medicine'
His 30 years of meditation practice and how it likely helped him to integrate his first psychedelic experiences
The concept of plant intelligence and how plants can stop you from being a "consciousness tourist"
Kabbalah, Kashmir Shaivism, non-duality, and his Shaktipat experience

and more! For links, head to the show notes page.

PT529 – Difficult Conversations, the Need for Culturally Competent Care, and Why Representation Matters, with Sara Reed & Alex H. Robinson Jul 12, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Vital Psychedelic Conversations, David interviews Sara Reed: Vital instructor, lecturer, and lead psychedelic research therapist at Imperial College London; and Alex H. Robinson: Vital student, integration coach and psilocybin facilitator for Heroic Hearts Project, and distinguished Army SOF combat Veteran with a decade of active duty service.

Reed has worked with MAPS to make clinical trial populations more diverse and is creating culturally sensitive Clinical Research Forms for future research trials, and Robinson spearheaded her unit's Cultural Support Team program and contributed to policy changes to help place women into traditionally male-centric Special Operations roles. Representing marginalized groups themselves, they're both passionate about making psychedelic therapy more inclusive and representative of the general population, and getting more practitioners up to speed to be able to deliver culturally competent care.

They discuss:

The importance of having difficult conversations and calling out bad behavior
The fallacy of zero-sum thinking: Doing something special for a smaller community doesn't take away from the main goal; it adds to it
The benefit of being able to self-reflect and personalize content when most psychedelic education consists of one-sided lectures
The challenge of getting people who don't feel represented to enroll in clinical trials, and how personal stories go a long way

and more! For links, head to the show notes page. Vitalpsychedelictraining.com

PT528 – Chronic Pain and Inducing Neuroplasticity With Psychedelics, with Lynn Watkins, Retired USAF, and C.J. Spotswood, PMHNP Jul 09, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Joe and REMAP Therapeutics Founder, Court Wing, host Lynn Watkins: medically retired USAF JAG & Ops Resource Mgmt Specialist; and C.J. Spotswood, PMHNP: principle psychiatric clinician at REMAP Therapeutics, and author of The Microdosing Guidebook: A Step-by-Step Manual to Improve Your Physical and Mental Health through Psychedelic Medicine.

Watkins tells her story of 20+ years of chronic pain: from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome brought on by a severed nerve to multiple foot surgeries, chest pains, cognitive issues, the inability to move her toes, burning mouth syndrome, and more, which unsurprisingly resulted in depression, anxiety, and being unable to work. Wing and Spotswood talk about their initial assessment, how they figured out how to work with her and her multitude of medications, and the incredible success they saw when combining practiced techniques, neuromodulation, and regular assessments with neuroplastic windows brought on by psilocybin.

They discuss:

How much preparation was done before introducing psychedelics, and the importance of realizing that they were dealing with PTSD
How often a history of chronic pain is related to a history of trauma, whether the patient realizes it or not
Consequences and complications of medications, specifically Clonazepam in Watkins' case
The cascade of ailments and side effects that can happen from just one injury

and more! For links, head to the show notes page.

PT527 – Symptoms as Signals: Trauma and the Role of Inner Healing Intelligence, with Casey Paleos, MD Jul 05, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Vital Psychedelic Conversations, David interviews Casey Paleos, MD: Vital instructor, researcher, psychiatrist with a private practice offering ketamine infusion therapy and KAP, and co-founder of Nautilus Sanctuary, a non-profit psychedelic research, education, and advocacy organization.

Paleos talks about how stress creates trauma, and how the symptoms Western medicine tries to silence are actually signals – a quality assurance mechanism sending an alert that something is wrong, and that when symptoms are labeled as 'treatment-resistant,' is it actually a case of one's own inner healing intelligence outsmarting a medication to make sure that that message is delivered?

He discusses:

MAPS' recent advisory board ruling, past ethical violations, and how training should be done
How consent in a therapeutic relationship is an ongoing process of checking in
How psychedelic-assisted therapy (and maybe all therapy) is simply removing obstacles so one's own inner healing intelligence can do its job
The importance of a culture (and training) that celebrates all therapeutic modalities as complementary: There's a lot of uniqueness in this world, so we should embrace that

and more!

For links, head to the show notes page.

PT526 – Transforming Trauma: Community, Connection, and the Healing Power of Vulnerability, with Peter A. Levine, Ph.D. Jul 02, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Kyle interviews Peter A. Levine, Ph.D.: developer of Somatic Experiencing®, educator, and author of several best-selling books on trauma.

His most recent book, An Autobiography of Trauma: A Healing Journey, is exactly that: a change from more scholarly writing into an extremely vulnerable telling of his early childhood trauma and how he has healed over the years. He talks about how his unconscious convinced him to write the book, how trauma can move into the body, and how he needed a student to identify how his trauma was affecting him. He believes that we all have wounding, but it's how we carry these wounds and tell our truth that matters.

He discusses:

The need to allow space for both Indigenous traditions and evidence-based Western frameworks
The power of having even just one distinct moment of feeling cared for and loved
How Colin Turnbull saw healing differently after living with an African tribe for three years
Why he suggests 15-20 sober experiences with non-ordinary states for each drug experience
Why not having a community or empathetic other makes us more vulnerable to trauma

and more!

For links, head to the show notes page.

PT525 – Women and Psychedelics: History's Untold Stories, with Erika Dyck Jun 28, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Vital Psychedelic Conversations, Johanna interviews Erika Dyck: author, professor, historian, Vital instructor, and research chair in the History of Health & Social Justice at the University of Saskatchewan.

Dyck talks about the book she co-edited: Women and Psychedelics: Uncovering Invisible Voices, which was released in March as a Chacruna anthology, and collects pieces from several different authors highlighting the untold or lesser known stories from women throughout psychedelic history. Albert Hofmann was the first person to intentionally ingest LSD, but who was the first woman to do so? Who were the women assisting in research or sitting with experiencers in the early days who never got the credit for their contributions? Who were the women supporting some of the biggest psychedelic names in history?

She talks about:

The contrast in societal attitudes towards psychedelic exploration based on stereotypical gender roles
Some of her favorite stories from the book, including a woman diagnosed with manic depression becoming one of the first guides in LSD trials
The use of psychedelics in pregnancy and birthing practices across other cultures
Traditional gender attributes: Are women more wired to care for others? Is there something about the psychedelic experience that's inherently feminine?
The importance of moving past the gender binary and implementing more diversity in research – with the challenge of needing to universalize medicine at the same time

and more! For links, head to the show notes page.

PT524 – Building a Unified Psychedelic Future: Ethics, Standards, and a Path to Affordable Access, with Lia Mix, LMFT, CPTR Jun 25, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Joe interviews Lia Mix, LMFT, CPTR: founder and CEO of Delphi, a consulting firm dedicated to the healthy growth of the psychedelic movement.

After many years of working in community mental health and 15 years in the commercial health insurance industry (where she helped to establish coverage for autism), Mix was one of the first graduates of CIIS's training program, and after a very distinct MDMA-assisted therapy session, she wondered: "How can I be of service?" She's since helped to launch The Board of Psychedelic Medicines and Therapies, the American Psychedelic Practitioners Association, and Enthea, and is working every day toward a more unified and uniform psychedelic space, with healthcare frameworks, official boards and certifications, consumer protections, and a general consensus that this is our responsibility to manage – not some outside regulator's. So how can we, as a scattered psychedelic community, come together?

She discusses:

Her path to psychedelics and how nobody was talking about how to bring psychedelics into healthcare
The need for a unified code of ethics for any practitioner of psychedelic therapy
The FDA, Lykos Therapeutics, and how the recent advisory committee's recommendations on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy were largely based on fear
How there actually is a lot of financial possibility if we can all agree on what is absolutely essential right now

and more! For links, head to the show notes page.

PT523 – Self-Care, Destabilization, and the Holistic Nature of Psychedelics, with Kaitlin Roberson & Dr. Michele Cox, DO Jun 21, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Vital Psychedelic Conversations, David interviews Kaitlin Roberson: Vital graduate and co-founder and CEO of Cacti Therapeutics, a psychedelic biotech company developing novel therapies for chronic pain; and Dr. Michele Cox, DO: current Vital student, veteran, physician, and co-founder of LifeBloom, a brand new company focusing on bringing community and connection into women's healthcare.

They talk about their work: Roberson's research on trauma and chronic pain, and why she feels that working in the pharma industry is a calling; and Cox's framework as an osteopath, the value she's found in touch and connection, and how she explains to clients what to expect when undergoing ketamine treatment.

They discuss:

Why psychedelics are such useful interventions
The body's ability to tell us what's wrong, as long we're listening
The destabilization that can occur after a big experience: If you don't have a good support system, is it really the right time?
Self-care and our tendency to never feel like we're good enough
How there is energy in everything and we should all recognize that more

And, as Vital students, they talk about what they hoped to get out of Vital and how it delivered more than expected. If you're just discovering Vital, be sure to check out the website and fill out an application. Secure your spot and take advantage of the Early Bird discount! For links, head to teh show notes page.

PT522 – An Inside look at the FDA and Early Drug Development, with Dr. Amanda Holley Jun 18, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Joe interviews Dr. Amanda Holley: pharmacologist and regulatory consultant in nonclinical drug development, and previously a nonclinical pharmacology/toxicology reviewer at the FDA.

With Lykos Therapeutics working towards FDA approval of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, ICER (Institute for Clinical and Economic Review) recently published its draft evidence report, concluding that they couldn't endorse this modality. While disappointing to the psychedelic space, this report doesn't determine the FDA's official stance, and also really highlights a lot about how the FDA works, the knowledge gap between consumers and regulators, and how clinical studies should be designed in the future. Holley talks about the FDA's dedication to safety and data, and how, essentially, drug development comes down to a risk/benefit analysis.

She discusses:

Misconceptions about the FDA, especially related to psychedelics
The path of a substance in early drug development and how breakthrough status works
The complications with blinding psychedelics, the placebo effect, and how much therapy is a factor
The contrast between productization and harm reduction: Should we be concerned with creating products, or understanding these substances better?
How changing one molecule really does create a different drug

and much more! For links, head to the show notes page.

PT521 – Community, Group Process, and Co-Creation: How to Build a Successful Retreat, with Alice Dommert & Kara Tremain, ACC Jun 14, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Vital Psychedelic Conversations, Kyle interviews two Vital graduates: Alice Dommert: certified breathwork facilitator and co-founder of retreat company, The Infinite Center; and Kara Tremain, ACC: somatic practitioner and growth and development coach.

A huge part of Vital is the experiential aspect of attending a retreat. Students report that being part of a group process, feeling the power of the proper set and setting, taking a journey as both a sitter and experiencer, and separating from the world and connecting with each other has been one of the best parts of the program – even life-changing. With Dommert behind 13 Vital retreats to date, she and Kyle dive into what they've learned in how to run a successful retreat.

They discuss:

Facilitator humility and how important it is for everyone to be on the same page
How much additional activities can add to the experience (tea ceremonies, CrossFit, chanting, fireside chats)
The importance of allowing enough time and space for everything, from personal time with facilitators to possible issues
Co-creation and openness: What can facilitators and people coming to the retreat build together? How do we create the most meaningful time together?

If you're interested in Vital, applications are now open with an Early Bird discount! And if you want to attend a Vital retreat, we have a few spots left in two: a transpersonal breathwork retreat in Pennsylvania, July 9-14, and a cannabis + breathwork retreat in Agoura Hills, CA in October. Head to the Infinite Center's website for details. For links, head to the show notes page.

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