Psychedelics Today

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Mike Jay - Mescaline: A Global History of the First Psychedelic Dec 17, 2019

Show notes

In today's episode, Joe interviews Mike Jay, Author of the book, Mescaline: A Global History of the First Psychedelic. In the show they discuss Mescaline's origins and the history of Peyote use.

3 Key Points:

Mike Jay is a Cultural Historian and Author whose topics include science, medicine, drugs, madness, literature and radical politics.
Mike's recent book, Mescaline, is a definitive history of mescaline that explores its mind-altering effects across cultures, from ancient America to western modernity.
Over time, Peyote has been used by spiritual seekers, by psychologists investigating the secrets of consciousness, artists exploring the creative process, and by psychiatrists.

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Show Notes About Mike

Mike Jay is a freelance writer, an author and cultural historian
Mike has been interested in Mescaline for a really long time

Indigenous Use

James Mooney is a crucial figure in the transition from indigenous use of peyote to the more current applications
The New Deal made religions respected, protected under the First Amendment for freedom of worship

History

There is a ton of literature before the 60's on psychedelic use
It was obvious that if people were interested in psychoactive drugs, they would take it themselves
Back then, science was much more proactive than it is today, but it is becoming more popular again

Peyote Experience

It's hard to find an ethical source of Peyote
Mike says its unpleasant but warm and tingly and euphoric
By 1970, Mescaline was this legendary substance, but it was hard to find on the streets unless you knew an underground chemist
On the Erowid site, they have a bulletin that the DEA created about all of the street drug seizures He wrote a book 20 years ago called Emperors of Dreams
2CB is not as intense as Mescaline
Mescaline is a phenethylamine
It does not cross the blood brain barrier as easily. So you need to take more of it
- It is a body and mind drug

Indigenous Use

The Comanches were in a reservation in the Wichita mountains
He was notified by the Comanches on some history
- He went to meet with them, and they told him stories on the history
- Peyote use originated inside of a Tipi
- "The way that we see psychedelics in modern Western culture, is not the only way of thinking about it:" - Mike

Native American Church

There is an interesting thing that happened between Mexican/South American Shamanic practice and Native American Church
- In the ceremony, the facilitator is made to not ask like a priest, everyone is their own priest
- It is a healing modality for everybody
The very first peyote experiences in the west encouraged artists to make art
Salvador Dali was apparently anti-drug use
- The surrealist movement had a number of rules
Huichol art is a very psychedelic inspired art

The plant

Peyote is so fast growing, in some places it is growing naturally
San Pedro is way more sustainable than Peyote
There is a lot of demand for Peyote currently
Joe says he thinks that Peyote is not scheduled in Canada

Accounts

The western story is full of first-person experiencesIts based on the personal
- experiences and visions
In the indigenous accounts, there are very little stories on experience or personal matters, its more recording on the collective experience

Links

Website

Twitter

About Mike

Mike Jay is a leading specialist in the study of drugs across history and cultures. The author of Artificial Paradises, Emperors of Dreams, and The Atmosphere of Heaven, his critical writing on drugs has appeared in many publications, including The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The International Journal of Drug Policy. He sits on the editorial board of the addiction journal Drugs and Alcohol Today and on the board of the Transform Drug Policy Foundation. He lives in England.

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Dena Justice - Neuro Linguistic Programming and Non-ordinary States of Consciousness Dec 10, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, Joe interviews Dena Justice from the Ecstatic Collective. Dena and Joe talk about Neuro Linguistic Programming and how it is beneficial to use with non-ordinary states of consciousness.

3 Key Points:

NLP is Neuro Linguistic Programming. Dena Justice is a Lifestyle Design Strategist that uses NLP to help people create their dream, ecstatic life.
93% of communication happens at the subconscious level. NLP training focuses on how we use communication tools to help people in non-ordinary states of consciousness.
Perception is Projection. Our belief of someone else, is a projection of ourselves onto them.

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Show Notes About Dena

Dena grew up with NLP in her life
NLP is Neuro Linguistic Programming
"You get to create your reality, what are you choosing consciously?" - Dena
She became impacted by Tony Robbin's events, and decided to teach NLP
NLP is about language and communication and things that are happening subconsciously
- 93% of communication happens at the unconscious level

Neuro Linguistic Programming

Perception is projection
- "If I have a belief about someone else, that is my projection of myself onto them" - Dena
The big no-no in NLP is to say things like don't or not
- Say it the way you intend it
- What messages do you want to enforce when in an altered state? You want it to be positive
- "What is someone creating in their reality based on their unconscious communication?" - Dena
It's important to take NLP and combine it with non-ordinary states because they are more powerful together than the sum of them separately
- The 'aha' moment happens because we have neural networks in every single cell in our body
- Resistance is always a sign of a breakthrough
Virginia Satir is known for translating people's representational systems
- In the Hierarchy of Ideas, Virginia was all about 'chunking down'
- When someone says "I'm upset" then you ask "how specifically?"
On the opposing side, Milton Erickson focuses on abstraction, chunking higher to get to trance
- Dena uses the Milton model of hypnosis to bring people into trance states

NLP Training

Dena offers NLP training that focuses on how we use communication tools to help people in non-ordinary states of consciousness
- It's so important to understand the 93% of communication that is happening at an unconscious level
Timeline therapy is a process that utilizes the unconscious mind to get rid of negative emotions such as anger, sadness and guilt
Every part of her training concludes with NLP coaching
The Milton model and hypnosis is really beneficial when focusing on its delivery specifically
- Hypnosis is important because its using everyday words but with intention and volition to put people into a trance state
- We reduce resistance in communication when we move up in abstraction

Links

Website

About Dena Justice

As a master manifester, Dena has created a beautiful life for herself. She been financially responsible since age 15 including putting herself through college, two masters degrees and purchasing her own home in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has made over $1M in her life through a fulfilling career as a facilitator, educator, trainer, mentor and coach working with thousands of people across the country. She loved her career, yet hit a point where she felt empty. Near the top of her career ladder, she was a classic case of a high performer and leader hitting burnout. She chose a powerful pivot out of her J-O-B and into her own business. Now, she helps other high performers who have hit burnout and are scared to admit they've hit a plateau or a wall. She helps them get the eff out of their own way and move to the next level to increase their impact so they feel fulfilled and inspired again, as well as helping them create more wealth and the relationships they want in their lives. She helps people experience new levels of success, increase/improve focus and performance, abolish FOMO, evolve communication skills, develop transformational leadership skills, create amazing relationships, increase financial abundance and live life on their own terms.

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Raquel Bennett - KRIYA Conference Recap: Ketamine in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Dec 03, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, Kyle sits down with Raquel Bennett to recap on the KRIYA Conference. Kyle attended the conference, which is to bring people together with dedication to understanding the better use of Ketamine.

3 Key Points:

The more recent KRIYA Conference was the last of its kind. The goal is to make information on ketamine more accessible to more people in the future.
At KRIYA Institute, they believe that there is not one right way to use ketamine, different patients are best served by different treatment strategies.
Intramuscular ketamine is usually 93% bioavailable, while nasal and lozenge based ketamine is usually only 40% bioavailable. The less variability the better when working with a powerful medicine for therapy.

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Show Notes KRIYA

KRIYA is an international conference focused on ketamine and its therapeutic potential
- The goal of KRIYA is to get people of all different ketamine backgrounds in the same room
- Different people benefit from different things, and different doses and methods matter
There is a symbiotic relationship between therapeutic and spiritual practice of ketamine
She wanted to create a place where researchers and clinicians could come together
- This last conference was the last one
- The conference is CME accredited, which means physicians can get units for their education
- Raquel picks people from different backgrounds, therapists who use low dose ketamine for therapy, to those who do full blown spiritual work with ketamine
Ketamine is a relational medicine - which is about having a relationship with the substance

Ketamine Therapy

Ketamine Therapy Lessons
- Wisdom Teaching
- A Loving Relationship
- The Medicine
The medicine is adjunct to the entire process, it's not just about the ketamine, it's about the relationships, the wisdom teaching, etc. And each are powerful on their own, and even more powerful when all combined
- When people are using ketamine in absence from the other components, people are not getting the full effect that they could
"Ketamine when done correctly, when administered in the right setting, with the correct support, enhances resilience." - Raquel
Therapy is an important mechanism to teach coping skills needed in psychotherapy

Highlights of KRIYA

When Raquel first started running this conference in 2015, the clinicians were afraid to even come, they were afraid to talk about Ketamine
- This past year, there were hundreds of applicants and so much excitement around talking about ketamine
In 2014, a whole bunch of psychiatrists stood up and said they have been using ketamine for their patients and it worked
A doctor talked about combining meditation with ketamine to heal substance use disorder
- When ketamine is offered in a structured context, its highly beneficial
Another doctor talked about using ketamine to treat those who are acutely suicidal
- People who are severely psychiatrically distressed benefit from ketamine treatment
Another doctor talked about combining ketamine with EMDR to treat patients with PTSD

Bioavailability

Raquel says she prefers intramuscular ketamine over lozenges
- It's the cheapest way of doing it
- Its super precise, you have a great control of the bioavailability of the ketamine to the patient
With IM, 93% is bioavailable
With nasal and lozenge ketamine, usually 40% makes it to the patient's brain, which is a huge range of variability when working with a powerful medicine

Progression

Clinicians are on the fence for prescribing for at home use
A doctor talked about 4 different tiers of ketamine experiences related to dosage
Other doctors talked about measurement tools of pre and post experience ways to take data when administering ketamine to patients
There is a lot of ketamine use outside of the medical context
- The field is stuck in the question "Should ketamine be allowed to be used by people who aren't psychiatrically fragile?"
Everything good that is going to come out of ketamine usage and assisted therapy, will come
- It's a slow process, but it is all moving forward

Final Thoughts

Raquel encourages people to are interested with using ketamine in therapy to get together regionally and learn from each other
She is thinking about creating a video series, as well as a retreat for ketamine providers
The KRIYA Conference is over, but the KRIYA Institute isn't going anywhere
- She is looking at ways to get the information out faster and to more people, than to limit it just to conference attendees

Links

Website

About Raquel Bennett

Dr. Bennett is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Clinical Psychology (PSB 94022544), working under the supervision of Dr. Bravo. Dr. Bennett primarily works with people who are experiencing severe depression, who are on the bipolar spectrum, or who are contemplating suicide. She has been studying the therapeutic properties of ketamine since she first encountered it in 2002. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Bennett's practice has evolved to include consultation services for medical professionals who wish to add ketamine services to their offices. She also lectures frequently about therapeutic ketamine. Dr. Bennett is the Founder of KRIYA Institute and the Organizer of the KRIYA Conferences.

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Andy Frasco - Finding Balance with Psychedelics and other Substances as a Touring Musician Nov 26, 2019

Show notes

In today's episode, Joe sits down with Andy Frasco, a touring rock musician with the band, Andy Frasco and the UN. In the show, they cover what is it like to be a touring rock musician with drugs so available and how to live more healthfully in the space.

3 Key Points:

Andy Frasco is a talented, touring music artist a part of the band, Andy Frasco and the UN, as well as a podcast show host. Andy uses psychedelics to help cope with the anxiety that the rock star lifestyle brings.
Psychedelics open us up to the possibility that everything we know is wrong. Finding truth and clarity for some people is hard, and people resort to alcohol and other harmful behaviors to suppress the painful reality we live in.
Cocaine and uppers only keep a rock star up for so long. It keeps you awake for the partying, but it suppresses all the stresses of the lifestyle. Psychedelics and meditation can help with the balance needed in a stressful, lifestyle of traveling and fame.

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Show Notes Intro

Joe attended a bunch of his live shows and was able to catch up with Andy in his hotel room while he was in town
Life is tough for a traveling entertainer, so the healthier they are, the better they are to perform for their audience
Andy Frasco's World Saving Podcast

Micro-dosing

Microdosing is typically 6 weeks on, two weeks off, dosing every 3 days
1/10-3/10ths of a gram (of mushrooms) is the typical microdose
- Once you feel it, it's more of a macro-dose
Paul Stamets has made mushrooms popular

Mushroom Evolution

Mushrooms did not leave a mark on bone structure, so it's hard to tell if they actually made a difference in human evolution
- Drugs have been around for a long time, and people in the past have definitely used them
There are studies of mushrooms helping to grow nerve cells and brain neurons back
We are only 50-100 years in on science "(Psychedelics) open you up to the possibility that everything you know is wrong." -Terence McKenna
Joe says he's been to a therapist a bunch of times, and he says he has enjoyed it
- Joe's main form of therapy has been Breathwork
- His most intense experiences have been just as powerful as his Ayahuasca experience

About Andy

Andy says he is open about taking psychedelics, he takes mushrooms, he doesn't really use cocaine
- He says he feels more anxious when he isn't taking them than when he is
- He says he gets really anxious on weed now as he gets older
Psychedelics show us a lot of truths
"We are all trying to figure out life, it's hard. Psychedelics help us create a better relationship with our mind." - Andy
Andy says he has been anxious his whole life
- He has had very scary panic attacks
- He became addicted to sex as a crutch for his anxiety
- He woke up one day, and sex didn't give him the thrill anymore
- Andy started in the music industry because rock stars get the chicks
Teen years are just about being super insecure about everything
- Shame is a huge influence on our relationships with other people
"The majority of effects from drug use for people are good." - a quote from Carl Hart, a Psychology Professor who studies drug use
Andy's first psychedelic experience was an 8th of mushrooms at 18 years old

Rock Star Lifestyle

Andy says he used to be really into coke because he just had to stay up for the shows
- But he says he doesn't take anything anymore that feels like speed
- He was coping his exhaustion with drugs and alcohol
"When you're in a band you're the party for one day of the year in that city." - Andy
- Life for a rock star can't just be the 2 hour show, the trick is figuring out how to be mindful for the other 14 hours of the day after the party
- The lifestyle is really hard, its very common to use drugs, sex and alcohol to suppress it
- Humans were not designed for this
Andy has begun using transcendental meditation to help with this lifestyle
He also mentions having his first DMT experience recently

Links

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About Andy Frasco

Andy Frasco, a Los Angeles, CA native singer, songwriter, band maestro, entrepreneur, party starter and everyday hustler, tours with his band, "The U.N." The music has elements of Soul, Funk, Rock and Roots and the shows have been described as orchestrated chaos, an overall great time. Frasco average 200+ dates a year, touring the country dozens of times, creating a loyal following everywhere he goes.

Kyle and Joe - Q&A: The Many Uses of Psychedelics Nov 19, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, Kyle and Joe sit down to cover questions from listeners of the show. They discuss topics that include psychedelic use for exorcisms, cluster headaches, athletic performance, processing grief and more.

3 Key Points:

There are a few examples where psychedelics are used to increase athletic performance. Psychedelics can also be used to help realign those who are using sports as a form of distraction from internalized issues.
When eliminating variables for psilocybin consistency in mushrooms for therapeutic use, freeze drying helps. But there are so many variables in mushrooms versus synthesized psilocybin.
When addressing the sustainability of the Toad, according to the data, there isn't a real difference between 5-MEO-DMT from a toad and synthesized 5-MEO-DMT

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Show Notes Kratom Warning

Joe brings up an issue that was brought up to him by a physician from the Wholeness Center, Dr. Craig Heacock, out of Fort Collins, CO
Dr. Heacock warns about Kratom
- It is safer than opioids, but it can be physically addictive and getting off of it can be horrible
- Kratom withdrawal closely imitates opioid withdrawal
- The receptor site activity is the same as opioid pills

Using Psychedelics for an Exorcism

Kyle thinks of shamanic uses for plant medicines, and with the idea of purging and spiritual emergence, working in non-ordinary states can exacerbate these states and maybe help with this kind of work
Joe and Kyle go into writings from Stan Grof, explaining the physical appearance of those going through LSD psychotherapy or breathwork, and how it assimilates to an 'exorcism' of releasing the bad
The purging during a psychedelic experience may feel evil, or alien
Joe and Kyle say, do not perform an exorcism, leave it to the trained people

Treating Cluster Headaches with Psychedelics

Cluster Busters is an organization for the research on cluster headaches
LSD works for some as well as oxygen treatments work for others
We know a lot more about migraines than cluster headaches
- The migraine is where neurons in the brain start misfiring and create a firing storm

How can Psilocybin Mushrooms be Standardized in Production for Therapeutic Use?

Joe says the practical solution is to have a really large amount of psilocybe cubensis, all blended up, and then split in even doses
There are potency differences between species, strains, etc
There are so many variances with mushrooms versus synthetic psilocybin
Freeze drying also promotes close to 0% loss of psilocybin when drying mushrooms

Psychedelics and Athletic Performance

There may be psychological blocks that are getting in the way of a person reaching the peak performance of their genome
- It could be trauma, or psychological blocks
Athletic performance could be a distraction from what you're really here to do
- Athletes have a lot of dysfunctional behavior
- Psychedelics may show us our bad behavior and help us align
Kyle says he had this passion to snowboard and dedicate his life to snowboarding, and then he received a message in journeywork that told him snowboarding is simply a hobby and he needs to focus his life on other things
"Sports are a great way to cover up our emotions" - Joe
Kyle mentions tow other episodes that cover similar topics Ben Eddy Shane Lemaster

How to get the Ball Rolling on Psychedelic Liberty

Start a club
- Joe says he's been incubating a Psychedelic Club in Phoenix
Clubs are great for harm reduction

Is There a Humane or Conservative Way to Harvest the Toad Without Disrupting its Habitat?

Joe says yes, roadkill, pick them up off the road
If you touch a living one, there is a chance you'll be doing harm
- Even touching the toad can transmit harmful fungus to them
According to the data, there isn't a real difference between 5-MEO-DMT from a toad and synthesized 5-MEO-DMT

How Psychedelics Might help with Processing Grief

Kyle says when he thinks about grief, he thinks about trauma
- Psychedelics may be really beneficial when treating trauma
Kyle says he loves breathwork, because it creates the container to process things and even just simply cry
Kyle recommends a really great book on grieving, The Smell of Rain on Dust: Grief and Praise by Martin Prechtel
Our culture does not contain grief very well
A lot of people internalize it instead of breaking down and letting it go

Links

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About Kyle

Kyle's interest in exploring non-ordinary states of consciousness began when he was 16-years-old when he suffered a traumatic snowboarding accident. Waking up after having a near-death experience changed Kyle's life. Since then, Kyle has earned his B.A. in Transpersonal Psychology, where he studied the healing potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness by exploring shamanism, plant medicine, Holotropic Breathwork, and the roots/benefits of psychedelic psychotherapy. Kyle has co-taught two college-level courses. One of the courses Kyle created as a capstone project, "Stanislav Grof's Psychology of Extraordinary Experiences," and the other one which he co-created, "The History of Psychedelics."

Kyle completed his M.S. in clinical mental health counseling with an emphasis in somatic psychology. Kyle's clinical background in mental health consists of working with at-risk teenagers in crisis and with individuals experiencing an early-episode of psychosis. Kyle also facilitates Transpersonal Breathwork workshops.

About Joe

Joe studied philosophy in New Hampshire, where he earned his B.A.. After stumbling upon the work of Stanislav Grof during his undergraduate years, Joe began participating in Holotropic Breathwork workshops in Vermont in 2003. Joe helped facilitate Holotropic and Transpersonal Breathwork workshops while he spent his time in New England. He is now working in the software industry as well as hosting a few podcasts. Joe now coordinates Dreamshadow Transpersonal Breathwork workshops, in Breckenridge, Colorado.

Jac Harrison - DMT Inspired Music: How DMT Mimics The Near-Death Experience Nov 12, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, Kyle sits down with Jac Harrison, a grammy nominated music producer. Kyle and Jac talk about music as therapy, how DMT mimics the near death experience, and how Jac produces music based on frequencies of mystical experiences.

3 Key Points:

Jac shares his story about his near death experience, and how DMT has been a therapeutic option for him to cope with his crippling anxiety and PTSD.
Jac is a music producer, who uses frequencies from mystical experiences to produce music. His music helps people with addiction, sleep issues, anxiety, and more.
Music is not an FDA approved medicine, but if there is music that tricks your mind into thinking you have taken a medicine, then it should be an option for those suffering.

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Show Notes About Jac

In 2008, Jac was newly married with a baby on the way
He needed a new job, and accepted one with Whole Foods Magazine
Around 2011, the owner of the company became ill, and gave his company to his daughter, who was awful
Jac said that he knew something had to change
He started his music career, went under a lot of stress, and went through a divorce
- Everything started to go okay with his music career, money was pouring in
- His first album was Musicians Collection Project
He had a ton of anxiety after the divorce, and had high blood pressure
- He took some cold medicine, on top of his blood pressure medicine, totally forgot about it, then decided to have a glass of wine with a friend
- The next thing he knew, he was in an ambulance getting his chest pounded on
- They told him he was in and out all night, and practically died
After this near death experience, he felt amazing!
- But the feeling of greatness only lasted about 3 weeks, and then his anxiety came back, and it was crippling

A Synchronistic Event

Jac says he doesn't believe in magic or witchcraft or any woo woo
For his 39th birthday, he was working a trade show
He ran around his hotel in Las Vegas, screaming that he felt he was going to die
- He didn't know how, but he could feel it
- Everyone thought he was crazy
Moments later, was the shooting right outside of his hotel
- It was the Las Vegas shooting
He does believe in coincidence
- He had this overwhelming feeling that something bad was going to happen, it was his intuition

Understanding the Experience

After trying to figure out what this all meant, he took a 2000mg bar of chocolate to blast off, trying to relive his near death experience
- He said, there was a lot of frequency, and as a musician, he felt like he could mimic it
- His first album, and first song on the album, Relief, was about his experience when he died
- His music is found at MindToyBox
- Each song he did after that, catalogs the DMT experience he had
"An old projector TV, I had one for a while, it was great. The light came on and told me I needed to change the bulb. I changed the bulb and saw in a new and clear way forever. That's what DMT is like." - Jac
Kyle says that when he attended COSM for the DMT Spirit Molecule release party, Rick Strassman was there and said that the idea that DMT comes out of the pineal gland is just a hypothesis, and people took it and ran with it as truth

Frequency for Healing

After he smoked DMT, he heard this humming, and so he started humming and recording it as a frequency for the album
He took opium, and then figured out the frequency that substance performs at
- He wrote music, based on the mathematical equation on how opium works and releases
- He says it has helped others detox off of opium
Jac cant take mushrooms because he is allergic, so he takes DMT
Jac worked with a man who had gone through a ton of trauma, he had gone through combat
- He kept reliving his combat trauma when he would try to go asleep
- He smoked DMT, and really relived the experience, and was able to let go of it after that
- "Your mind is a bitch." - Jac
- "If you can lock onto a memory, and dissociate it with something, and re-associate it with something else, Every time you can go back to that memory,you can relive it in a way that it's tolerable, and get over it." - Jac
Jac says without this, he would not be able to function, and he would be institutionalized
Jac's music is Alex Grey's form of art creation
It is made to go with journeywork experiences
- It is supposed to mimic taking a pill, so you don't need to take the actual pill
- It is supposed to guide people when taking different psychedelics
- His tracks match the frequency of specific psychedelics

Malta Hypogeum

The Malta Hypogeum, the oracle chamber, is a cave with naturally occurring frequencies
Raymond Reif is an underestimated person in history
- He beat cancer using frequencies in the 30's and 40's
"If we're not going to someone to get drugs for something that we need drugs for, and solving our problems using plant based medicines, music therapy, and frequencies, we are much better off." - Jac
Jac came across psychedelics when trying to treat crippling anxiety
- Kyle is the first person he has told this NDE story to
Alzheimers is not a neurological problem, it's a perception problem
- Psychedelic medicine should be used for research to treat cognitive health problems, PTSD, alzheimers, etc
"If the earth gives us something for our body, we should be able to take that at the same time we are able to take modern medicine." - Jac
Jac says that he started doing this type of work as more of an Atheist, and after the psychedelic experiences, he says he has become more spiritual

Intuition

Jac says that his intuition and discernment came after his near death experience
- Kyle says that this happens after mystical experiences, we become more in tune with what is going on around us
- "I believe that we have something in us, that is triggered, when we have a fear of death." - Jac

Final thoughts

Jac recommends Relief as the first track for listeners
He extends himself to people who are heavily anxious, have severe PTSD, or depressed, to come to him, and he will make music for them
He said that this is not medicine, but if there is music that tricks your mind into thinking you have taken a medicine, then it should be an option for those suffering

Links

Website

About Jac Harrison

Having spent most of his adolescent life medicated to treat ADD/ADHD, Jac developed a dependency on the medications and could not function without them. When he stopped using them, his anxiety was so bad that he was diagnosed with PTSD in 2009; so he took his love for music with his understanding of mathematics and developed music to help himself get off all the medication. Mind Toy Box is the result of his work.

Kyle Buller and Joe Moore - Exploring Psychedelic Integration and Coaching Nov 05, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, Kyle and Joe sit down to explore psychedelic integration. They cover different frameworks, resources and benefits of integration and coaching services.

3 Key Points:

Integration is commonly confused as post-session only, but it includes pre-session, self care, and really begins at the point you decide to engage in self-work.
It is important to remember the GPA framework when determining where you are at in the integration process, G - grounding, P - processing, A - action.
Psychedelics Today offers many resources to assist with the integration process; Navigating Psychedelics Online Course (and Live Course), Coaching and Integration Calls, and books, Trip Journal and Integration Workbook.

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Show Notes Updates

Kyle will be attending the ACISTE Conference this November
- He is speaking and doing a breakout session with Michelle Hobart
- Kyle is going to present on using technology for support with spiritual emergence
Kyle and Joe will not be offering any major workshops until spring.
They will be attending a conference in Exeter UK - Psychedelics and Philosophy

Psychedelic Integration

Kyle says his near death experience shows up in his life everyday
Integration is not only post session, it is also pre-session
Integration, at its root means bringing parts together into wholeness
Joe says you don't need support to do integration, although it is helpful
Kyle's analogy of a psychedelic experience as a big hallway with a lot of doors, and a ton of magical stuff, even scary monsters, are coming through the doors and wandering through the halls
- The goal is to realize and say "this is a part of me" and learn to be okay with all of the stuff in the hall
Self care works until it doesn't, and that is when integration comes in

Integration Framework

Kyle uses a framework and asks, what is your GPA?
- G - grounding, post session, how are we getting re-connected to ourselves?
- P - processing, once energy feels stable and centered, how can we process the material? It could mean journaling, therapy, body or somatic work, breathwork, yoga, etc.
- A - action, moving it forward, breaking the leanings down into goals of things to work on
- Kyle says that these things do not need to be done in order necessarily, but its a good framework to check in after an experience and see where you're at
Joe reminds listeners of 'pre-hab', that preparation can make a world of a difference and weigh a lot more than post work in a lot of cases
"Life is integration, call your mom, pay your rent." - Joe
Joe mentions the quote that "the opposite of addiction is connection"
Climate change can bring up a lot of existential dread, the connection piece, and other topics can be addressed with psychedelic integration

Resources

The Psychedelics Today, Navigating Psychedelics Course is a great way to learn more about integration
We offer two books, the Trip Journal and the Integration Workbook
We also offer Psychedelic Integration coaching calls and services
You don't need an integration coach all the time, but for someone to just be there helps
If you have a retreat planned, integration and coaching can really help mitigate the risks
Integration within the psychedelic community is somewhat understood
- Kyle says he gets tons of emails asking for medicine sessions
- Psychedelic Integration and coaching services do not include medicine or guiding or providing of medicine, its simply pre and post session guidance
- Psychedelics Today does not suggest underground or illegal psychedelic sessions/therapy and makes a significant effort to be ignorant of underground work, there are legal options to choose from

Links

Psychedelics Today

About Kyle

About Joe

Kyle and Joe - Horizons Highlights: Perspectives on Psychedelics Oct 29, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, Joe and Kyle sit down to cover highlights from the Horizons Conference. In the show, they discuss the presentations and topics they heard at the conference.

3 Key Points:

Joe and Kyle attended Horizons: Perspectives on Psychedelics Conference in NYC, it is a forum that examines the role of psychedelic drugs and plant medicines in science, medicine, culture and spirituality.
Carl Hart gave a compelling talk; Dispelling the Lies that the Psychedelic Community believes about Drugs. Greater than 80% of the effects of drugs used are positive.
Another popular topic was on the economics around psychedelics, and discussion on companies trying to monopolize on psychedelics.

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Navigating Psychedelics

Show Notes Horizons

Kyle mentions he loves to attend because it's a great social event to connect with others interested or involved in the psychedelic field
Kyle says the videos of the talks from the conference will be released soon
They presented neuro-imaging data

5-MEO-DMT

Dr. Alan Davis did a talk on 5-MEO-DMT and its challenges
- People have a hard time letting go into the experience because its so fast and overwhelming
He talked about a term, reactivation, similar to flashbacks that happen between 1-2 weeks after the experience
- People were reporting it as positive experiences, 80% of people enjoyed the reactivations
He did say that there were some bad players in the 5-MEO-DMT space
- There is no control in the dosing in underground facilitation
- A lot of people eyeball their dosage in 5-MEO-DMT
- Joe suggests to buy a milligram scale

Carl Hart

Carl Hart did a talk; Dispelling the Lies that the Psychedelic Community believes about drugs
- Greater than 80% of the effects of drugs used are positive
PCP is a psychedelic drug, but the psychedelic community chooses not to own it
Ketamine was derived from PCP
Hamilton Morris said that no drug is bad, it comes down to the dose and how its being used
- Poison can be a medicine, and medicine can be a poison, it all depends on dose
No drug should be illegal, drug scheduling should just go away
Some states are starting to ban private prisons
Joe says the drug war is the war on race, the war on class, etc
- Joe suggests looking up the Portugal drug law; less overdoses, less HIV, less incarceration, etc
Kyle mentions that in some cultures they would drink alcohol to get into a trance state and dance around all night and then chill for 3 days afterward because they would all be recovering from the hangover

Talks and Topics

Shelby and Madison, co founders from Doubleblind Magazine did a talk
Fiona Misham did a talk on the use of psychedelics for festivals and fun
- She talked about having on-site drug testing facilities and how they heighten safety
- In 2018 in Europe the MDMA contents were tested at 168milligrams
- 1 in 5 substances are mis-sold
- 1 in 20 MDMA samples were long lasting N-ethylpentylone, a drug that keeps you up for 3 days straight
There was also an Economics panel
- Kyle says it was a heavy and hot debate
- There was a lot of conversation on companies making money on psychedelics
- There was worry from some on Compass Pathways monopolizing on psychedelics
- Kyle says big and fast growth can be dangerous for mental health
- It's possible that these companies will just push for results to pay off the investment than to really take the time to have slow meaningful sessions and include the therapeutic model
- When therapists have more congruence with their client, they get better results

Links

Website

About Kyle

About Joe

RiverStyx - Funding the Access and Preservation of Sacred Plant Medicines Oct 22, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, Joe interviews Cody Swift from the Riverstyx Foundation. In the show, they talk about Peyote and the troubles for Native Americans and their church not having access and preservation of Peyote.

3 Key Points:

RiverStyx is a small family foundation that funds projects that demonstrate the potential for healing and beauty. RiverStyx has funded the preservation of land to protect the sacred Peyote plant.
The Portugal Model shows that decriminalization works. Portugal faced unprecedented overdoses and drug abuse, typically with heroine, and when they turned to decriminalization and treatment, overdoses and incarceration dropped significantly to almost none.
The Native American churches have held onto their ceremonial practices very tightly, and they struggle to find legal and sustainable access to Peyote, their sacred plant medicine.

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Show Notes About Cody and RiverStyx Foundation

RiverStyx is a small family foundation
- Cody's grandfather was the CEO of UPS, and before his grandmother passed, she put a large share of the stock into a small family foundation
- Cody and his father took their quarter of the Foundation and created RiverStyx
- "How do you use a million and a half dollars a year for remarkable good?" - Cody
He fell into philanthropy along with the burden/blessing of making decisions to change the world with a lot of money
He started LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion)
- It is a program that aims to help those struggling with addiction rather than punishing them with prison time

The Portugal Model

In the early 2000's, Eric Schlosser's book, Reefer Madness Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market eluded to Portugal having decriminalized all drugs
Portugal faced unprecedented overdoses and drug abuse, typically with heroine
- They realized that they couldn't arrest their country out of the drug addiction problem, so they turned to decriminalization and treatment
- They de-stigmatized treatment and drug users didn't have to feel ashamed and use drugs in the shadows
- This lowered HIV rates to almost nothing
- It was highly successful
"Not everyone needs drugs, but not everyone should be at risk to go to jail if they get caught with them." - Joe
- Joe encourages psychedelically inclined folks to look deeper into harm reduction and drug decriminalization
- "Let's provide these people safe access to a clean supply where they can stabilize again" - Cody
Joe mentions a book by Jeremy Narby, Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge, Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge
The drug war is causing danger to the plants
- Cody says, if cane syrup was made illegal because it is killing people, we wouldn't ban the growth of corn, because it is sacred and used for so many other things
"Jail is one of the biggest problems for mushroom users" - Joe
- Joe mentions that he was a little frustrated that Michael Pollan was able to take mushrooms and not go to jail, but the average person could go to jail
- Cody says that he highly respects Michael Pollan and what he has done for the psychedelic revolution, and that he thinks that Pollan wouldn't want anyone to go to jail for this
- People like Michael Pollan and Tim Ferriss have done a tremendous job securing funding for Psychedelic Research

Peyote

Native American people had always been close to Cody's heart
As a philanthropist, he didn't know where to begin
There is a myriad of problems facing Native American communities
- About 5 years ago, it just came into consciousness
- He got connected to Sandor of the Native American church
- He learned about ceremony and it became absolutely clear that he had to be a part of it
- It was an unclear path on how to support the community in the beginning, there was no 501C-3, there were no other philanthropists, the community is so large
"How to support them in the continuance and empowerment of their using of a highly potent and healing substance to treat communities that have suffered so much, that was the key question" - Cody
- Looking at the threat and endangerment of the Peyote plant was the most important part of securing the preservation of this sacred plant
- Synthetic Mescaline is difficult to access and expensive

Ceremony

It's hard to track the ancient original threats to the traditions
The Native American churches have held onto the ceremonial practices very tightly
It's important that white people don't just come in and tweak the ceremony
The average life expectancy for Native Americans is only in their 50s
They have gone through so much suffering, and they are very awake, sensitive people that are holding this culture and practice close to them
Alcoholism is one of the largest problems in Native American communities, and Peyote has shown to be a highly tangible benefit and cure for alcoholism

Preservation

It has taken over 4 years to begin building these alliances
Riverstyx and Bronners have been the only sources of funding, they need more
Through this, they purchased 605 acres of land for peyote preservation in Texas
- 600 acres may not solve the Peyote crisis, but it is a start and has opened the doors to connect with other farmers that has now led to 12,000 acres dedicated to peyote preservation
- This is to return sovereignty and control to the Native
- After the land was purchased, they had a pilgrimage with the Navajo
Peyote is God to them, it's their connection to the spiritual realm
Native Americans have resisted acculturation and stuck to their ways, that is their strength

Links

Email: cody@riverstyxfoundation.org

Website

About RiverStyx

RiverStyx Foundation attempts to lessen human suffering caused by misguided social policy and stigma, while advocating enhanced opportunities for healing, growth, and transformation in such areas as drug policy, criminal justice, and end-of-life care. The Riverstyx Foundation believes in the human potential for healing, growth, and transformation. The Riverstyx Foundation works to provide a bridge to the relinquished parts of ourselves, our society, and our ecology, to ease those fears and prejudices by funding projects that demonstrate the potential for healing and beauty, when life is embraced in its fullest expression.

Louis Adam and Jordan Williams - Mycology Now: Spreading Knowledge one Spore at a Time Oct 15, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, Joe sits down with Jordan and Lou from Mycology Now, a company that makes and sells spore syringes for microscopy use. In the show, they talk about the start of Mycology Now, the culture change caused by psychedelics, and personal stories on how psychedelics changed their lives.

3 Key Points:

Mycology Now is a company that produces premium spores for microscopy use. The goal is to spread knowledge about mycology, one spore at a time.
We are living in an age of information that has never been experienced before, people have the tools to break the stigma on their own just by educating themselves.
Psychedelics are becoming a culture change agent, more and more people are becoming accepting of psychedelics, and psychedelics are helping people come together to create positive change.

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Show Notes Mycology Now

Jordan and Lou are co-owners and creators of Mycology Now
- The company runs out of Florida
Mycology Now is a company that sells spores for microscopy
They have two locations in Denver
The mission of the company is to spread spores and knowledge
Lou shares how his interest in mycology began
- He says it began with his struggle with depression and suicidal tendencies
- Psilocybin had ended up being the only thing that helped with the struggle, the depression was completely erased
Jordan shares his story
- His mother was in a relationship when he was about 10 years old with an abusive man
- This man abused narcotics, opioids
- He was abusive mentally, physically and emotionally
- He grew up being convinced that he wasn't worthy of love, and he blamed himself
- About 2 years ago, he discovered mushrooms, and was able to go into the painful parts of his childhood and forgive himself and heal from his trauma
- "Although negative things did happen to me, and to my family, I was not the cause of it, and I should not have to carry that around with me." - Jordan
- He wants to do everything in his power to bring that to the rest of the world

Shattering the Stigma

One thing that they have noticed about the younger generation is that they are way more open and have way more acceptance of psychedelics and an interest in self care and mental health
"We are living in an age of information that has never been experienced before, people have the tools to break the stigma on their own just by educating themselves." - Jordan
Joe mentions that in Colorado, psychedelics are a bit normalized to have conversation about
- In Florida, the median age is 55, so there is more of a challenge because people that age grew up in the taboo time of psychedelics

The start of Mycology Now

It organically grew into a website
- Lou says it was an entity that grew on its own
Joe predicts that in 2020, we are about to see the Psilocybin movement really take off
Joe brings up the Paul Stamets Stack, which is Cubensis, Lions Mane and Niacin
- There are testimonials about auditory changes that you can measure, you can increase your ability to hear frequencies
- They bring up an example of a deaf man being able to hear the waves of the ocean for the first time after practicing the Stamet's stack

Psychedelics as a Culture Change agent

Some people say its the worst time in history, and other people say this is the best time in history
There is a hunger of more digestible ways of receiving information
Psychedelics can help us understand the impermanence of things
Lou brings up that Paul Staments and Dennis McKenna were the catalysts to his understanding of mycology
Jordan says that his inspiration and influence came from people at music festivals
- People are very open and authentic when on psychedelics
- Meeting real people with real lives who had profound change in their lives because of psychedelics are his major sources of inspiration

Psilocybin for Cancer and Depression

Lou's sister was diagnosed with Metastatic breast cancer with a double mastectomy and was diagnosed with depression afterward
After talking about the health benefits, she took psilocybin, and laid down and disconnected with her body
- Afterward, she was able to come out of it and talk about her ease with death
- The experience felt like death itself, and having felt what death might feel like, she no longer experiences depression about her cancer

Final Fun Fact

Johns Hopkins psilocybin study on smoking cessation
- 80% of people were abstinent from smoking cigarettes on a 6 month followup
- Those people smoked an average of 19 cigarettes per day for an average of 31 years of their life

Links

Website Instagram

About Mycology Now

Mycology Now is a humble small business dedicated to spreading awareness. They are a company that makes and sells spore syringes for microscopy use. Their Mushroom Spore prints and syringes speak for themselves; always having a heavy spore count.

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