www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org
In this episode, relationship expert Jessica Fern delves into the challenges and joys of open relationships. She discusses strategies for navigating jealousy and provides insights into the future of non-monogamous relationships. Jessica highlights the significance of having a guide and support system when embarking on this social experiment. The conversation also explores the necessity for new terminology to describe various relationship dynamics, as well as the influence of societal movements on the acceptance of non-monogamy. Throughout the episode, Jessica offers practical advice on strengthening attachment, establishing rituals, and cultivating secure relationships.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Rachel Lehmann-Haupt, an expert in single motherhood and author, chronicles the journey of being a single mom by choice. In this episode, we examine the challenges and joys of single motherhood, discussing topics such as reproductive choice, community support, and the importance of acceptance. We also explore the cultural changes needed to fully embrace different family structures and highlights the need for flexibility in the workplace.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Paul Austin, psychedelic advocate and founder of the Third Wave, discusses the benefits of microdosing and the importance of integrating it with healthy lifestyle habits. Our conversation also touches on the challenges of income inequality and the need for social change. Paul chronicles the role of psychedelics in catalyzing personal and collective transformation, emphasizing the importance of reconnecting with nature and reestablishing a reciprocal relationship with the environment.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
In this episode, psychotherapist and researcher Dr. Neal Goldsmith takes us on a journey exploring the nature of consciousness and the universe. We delve into the world of psychospiritual development and the transformative potential of psychedelics, and discuss the importance of breathing and the developmental process in therapy. Neal speaks about the need for a deep understanding of oneself and the universe to become a good therapist. He challenges the notion that psychedelics alone can lead to mature development, and explores the balance between suggestibility and grounded emergence – emphasizing the safety and effectiveness of tribal models for spiritual growth.
We also explore the role of psychedelics in personal growth and the question of whether they can obviate the need for "hard work" in spiritual practices. Neal shares insights on transcending childhood "demons" through blissful psychedelic experiences and the potential implications of psychedelics in medicine, science, and society.
Finally, Goldsmith and I critique capitalism and discusses the negative impact of campaign finance on American politics.
Neal's philosophy centers around healing the rift between humans and nature, integrating opposites, and embracing spirituality and science. His clinical approach emphasizes spiritual maturity and natural unfolding, fostering a broader view of reality and the awakening of one's true self.
About the Guest: Neal M. Goldsmith, Ph.D. is a social psychologist, author, and licensed psychotherapist specializing in psychospiritual development. He is a personality theorist, strategic planner, policy researcher, public speaker, and salonier. Dr. Goldsmith has authored dozens of popular and scholarly articles and curates and hosts innovative workshops, salons, and conferences. He frequently speaks on psychotherapy and resistance to change, adult developmental psychology, psychedelics research, therapy and policy, and the post-modern future of society. Dr. Goldsmith's first book, Psychedelic Healing: The Promise of Entheogens for Psychotherapy and Spiritual Development (Inner Traditions, 2011), describes the influence of psychedelics on the development of his personality theory and clinical practice. He is currently working on his second book, Psyche Therapy: Soul, Death, Love.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
I'm thrilled to share my recent interview with Dr. Ben Sessa, a leading figure in the field of psychedelic research and the author of The Psychedelic Renaissance.
Dr. Ben Sessa is a qualified medical professional who obtained his medical degree from University College London in 1997. He has been a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists since 2002. With a specialization in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry from Oxford in 2005, Dr. Sessa has worked in various mental health services, including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and Adult Addictions and the Veterans Trauma Service. He has academic ties to Bristol University and Imperial College London since 2006.
Dr. Sessa has held significant positions in the field of psychedelic medicine, including being a former co-founder, Chief Medical Officer, and Head of Psychedelic Medicine at Awakn Life Sciences from 2020 to 2023. He is trained in MDMA, psilocybin, and ketamine therapy. As the founder of Breaking Convention, Europe's largest psychedelic conference, Dr. Sessa has played a pivotal role in promoting psychedelic research and education.
In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Sessa is actively involved in drug policy reform and provides advice to the UK government. He has made regular media appearances, sharing his expertise in the fields of cannabis and psychedelic medicines. Dr. Sessa has presented at national and international conferences and has published extensively in both academic and popular press. For more information on his publications, books, and media inputs, please visit his website.
Dr. Sessa provides valuable insights into the history and current state of psychedelic research. We discuss the development of the field, from the early days of pioneering studies to the present psychedelic renaissance. He highlights the importance of patient demand and the need for alternative treatments in driving this resurgence.
Join me in this enlightening discussion as we dive into the realm of psychedelic research and its potential to revolutionize mental healthcare.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Dr. David Smith, founder of the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic, shares his perspective on the relationship between psychedelics and addiction. He challenges the theory that psychedelics directly lead to addiction, emphasizing the influence of other factors such as predatory drug dealers. Join the conversation to explore the complexities of this topic and gain insights into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, a leading researcher in psychedelic science, examines the impact of psychedelics on the brain and discusses the future of mind-altering therapies, while delving into topics such as brain connectivity, suggestibility, and harm reduction.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Dive into the intricacies of psychedelic side effects, integration processes, and societal 'matrix' on 'Mind, Body, Health, and Politics'. Join Dr. Richard Miller and Dr. Mariavittoria Mangini in a compelling dialogue that unravels the challenges and necessities of transparent and informed discussions in the field of psychedelic medicine.
Dive into the intricacies of psychedelic side effects, integration processes, and societal 'matrix' on 'Mind, Body, Health, and Politics'. Join Dr. Richard Miller and Dr. Mariavittoria Mangini in a compelling dialogue that unravels the challenges and necessities of transparent and informed discussions in the field of psychedelic medicine.
Richard Dixey, research scientist and meditation practitioner, examines the concept of reactivity and its effects on our daily lives. He chronicles the journey of rediscovering our humanity through meditation, exploring the power of self-awareness and the potential for personal transformation.
Jahan Khamsehzadeh, psychedelic guide and addiction specialist, chronicles psychedelic risks like trauma and impaired judgment while examining how certain leaders justify unethical actions through "spiritual bypassing" and "guru syndrome" mentalities that condemn anger, a vital emotion for positive change.
Psychedelic medicine pioneer Sherry Rais joins Dr. Richard Miller to discuss expanding access through insurance coverage. The Enthea founder shares her quest to navigate psychedelic reimbursement and reduce human suffering.
In this episode, Dr. Richard Louis Miller celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Roland Griffiths, a pioneering figure in the field of psychedelic medicine. Dr. Griffiths persisted in conducting groundbreaking research on psychedelics, even during a time when they were heavily stigmatized and restricted. His research focused on the therapeutic potential of substances like psilocybin in treating anxiety and depression. Dr. Miller reflects on his early interview with Dr. Griffiths and highlights the profound impact of his work on the psychedelic renaissance happening today.
Susanne Seiler, Swiss psychedelic therapist and activist, explores how Switzerland maintained psychedelic therapy through the ban, highlights forgotten women leaders, and fosters community through interdisciplinary salons, sharing insights on unity, love, and believing in human goodness.
Elisabeth Sheff, a renowned expert in polyamorous relationships, chronicles the intricacies of non-monogamy and its effects on families. She delves into the emotional complexities, societal stigma, and advantages of polyamory, while discussing related topics like fluid bonding and coming out to family members.
Mike Marinacci, author and historian, chronicles the little-known history of fringe churches and cults who pioneered psychedelic sacraments despite jail time while examining their influences on religious freedom today.
Amy McGuire, director of the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine, chronicles the mental health crisis while exploring psilocybin and MDMA research into depression, PTSD, and anxiety. She traces the nuances of psychedelic legalization and medicalization.
Sean Lawlor, psychedelic therapist and author, chronicles the concerning trend of "psychedelic bypassing" - avoiding discussion of adverse effects and unethical behavior in the name of protecting psychedelics' public image. He examines egregious examples like facilitators justifying abuse, backlash against constructive criticism, and "guru syndrome." Lawlor and Dr. Richard Miller explore the vital need for transparency regarding psychedelic risks to uphold ethics amid today's open access.
Today's guest Dr. Rachel Harris joins Dr. Richard Louis Miller to discuss her latest book, Swimming in the Sacred: Reclaiming the Mystical Essence of Psychedelic Therapy. They explore Rachel's interviews with elder underground psychedelic guides who have been serving plant medicines for decades.
Clinical psychologist Heath Scheckinger examines polyamory and consensual non-monogamy, chronicling the practical realities and ethical dilemmas in these alternative relationship styles while exploring cultural biases and the pull towards normalcy in relating.
Dr. Nick Cozzi, acclaimed psychopharmacologist, chronicles the overlooked physiological and psychological dangers of psychedelics like LSD, DMT, and psilocybin while exploring proper precautions for safe use.
Psychiatrist Dr. Michael Mithoefer, a pioneering psychedelic therapy researcher, chronicles the dramatic effectiveness of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD while examining the need for careful precautions to minimize adverse effects and risks. He explores integrating psychedelic medicine into mainstream practice, managing overwhelming emotions that may surface, avoiding unrealistic expectations, and fostering proper set, setting and integration.
Psychiatrist Dr. Michael Mithoefer, a pioneering psychedelic therapy researcher, chronicles the dramatic effectiveness of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD while examining the need for careful precautions to minimize adverse effects and risks. He explores integrating psychedelic medicine into mainstream practice, managing overwhelming emotions that may surface, avoiding unrealistic expectations, and fostering proper set, setting and integration.
Andrés Gómez Emilsson of Qualia Research Institute joins us to discuss innovating at the frontiers of psychedelic science. We explore Andrés' work mathematically mapping DMT experiences and collaborating with physicists to interpret objects in psychedelic realms. Andrés also shares his research developing technology to induce therapeutic psychedelic states through sound, light and vibration. Additional topics include using meditation to cultivate well-being, engineering benevolent machine consciousness, and prescribing psychedelics to eradicate cluster headaches.
Listener John Ivey shares his wisdom facing a terminal cancer diagnosis, and how psychedelics unveil insight even at life’s end. With poise and courage, John discusses embracing impermanence consciously with plant medicines’ aid, not numbing his final days. He reflects on healing our planet and ourselves, our shared karma, and psychedelics as a catalyst for creativity amid declining health. John inspires by exemplifying responsibility for spiritual unfolding in living and dying, not relinquishing control. His moving story offers hope that psychedelics can provide a lucid, gracious passage.
In this episode, Dr. Richard Louis Miller interviews Marian Goodell, CEO of Burning Man, about the history and principles of the iconic cultural event. Goodell discusses the origins of Burning Man as a solstice bonfire ritual on a San Francisco beach, and how it has evolved into a global movement centered around radical inclusion, gifting, and communal effort.
She also talks about the challenges of maintaining Burning Man's ethos in the face of commercialization and political polarization, and how the organization aims to inspire positive social and cultural change through its principles. This episode offers a fascinating insight into the philosophy and culture of one of the world's most unique and influential events.
In this episode, Dr. Richard Louis Miller speaks with returning guest Dennis McKenna, an ethnobotanist who is working to digitize and preserve indigenous plant knowledge from the Amazon.
They have an in-depth conversation about the potential adverse effects of psychedelics - emotional, physiological, and relating to boundaries/ethics. Topics include how set, setting, preparation, and integration influence the psychedelic experience and minimize risks.
Other themes include reality-checking insights, persisting perceptual effects, appropriate therapist boundaries, assessing risks versus benefits, and societal views on trauma and sexuality.
Overall the episode covers how psychedelics can catalyze change and growth, but also the importance of safe, structured use and integration. Dennis shares insights from decades of research to paint a full picture of psychedelics.
"Nature will be just fine. This is about saving us and our relationship with nature." - Tony Lai
How Tony Lai came to discover Gross National Happiness and the rights of nature movements.
The importance of shaping laws to promote values that will enable nature to thrive and flourish.
The stages of legibility in the legal system and what giving agency means.
Recognizing that nature will be just fine, and that saving nature is about saving us and our relationship with it.
The revolution in value and the potential for regenerative finance, law, and governance.
The importance of participatory processes and building intentional communities.
Tony Lai's experience living in the Embassy Network and experimenting with different governance systems.
The potential of AI and large language learning models to foster greater understanding among peoples.
"Nature will be just fine. This is about saving us and our relationship with nature." - Tony Lai
How Tony Lai came to discover Gross National Happiness and the rights of nature movements.
The importance of shaping laws to promote values that will enable nature to thrive and flourish.
The stages of legibility in the legal system and what giving agency means.
Recognizing that nature will be just fine, and that saving nature is about saving us and our relationship with it.
The revolution in value and the potential for regenerative finance, law, and governance.
The importance of participatory processes and building intentional communities.
Tony Lai's experience living in the Embassy Network and experimenting with different governance systems.
The potential of AI and large language learning models to foster greater understanding among peoples.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Dear listeners,
This week, I am attending the historic MAPS psychedelic science conference in Denver—along with my guest, UCLA psychiatrist and psychedelic researcher Charles Grob. Thanks to the research of pioneers like Grob, we are winning hearts and minds in the mainstream. Nixon’s failed War on Drugs appears ending.
On Thursday, June 22, at 12 pm MT, I will take to the Rick Doblin stage to announce a nationwide campaign to decriminalize psychedelics locally. I believe that these medicines have the potential to boost morale in depressed areas like my own home town of Ft. Bragg, which is why I have begun my efforts there. We appear to be succeeding, based on the positive response by city officials and local media.
But the fight continues on several new fronts.
First, new industries emerging where psychedelics are legal see unethical actors—unqualified “therapists” and profit-driven pharmaceutical companies. As Dr. Grob reminds us in this week’s interview, we need oversight.
We are also hearing more stories of adverse effects in vulnerable groups. We lack data—both scientific and anecdotal. I’m soliciting stories of negative experiences for my forthcoming series, and invite you to share yours.
Yet despite risks and adverse effects, we must continue to expand access. Criminalization prevents honest, law-abiding citizens from accessing these profound tools. With open yet responsible guidance, psychedelics’ healing promise can be fulfilled.
These treatments aren’t for everyone; we need more trained professionals and standards for guides—whether from government or private certifying bodies. But above all, we need open and honest discussion. I aim to provide transparent information.
Toward this end, I will soon be making my transcripts and videos accessible to all subscribers. If you are a paid subscriber, I would like your input on what kind of premium/exclusive content you would like me and my team to produce.
Please email my producer your suggestions at producer@mindbodyhealthpolitics.org with your ideas.
Golden light,
Dr. Richard L. Miller
Key Takeaways:
* Dr. Charles Grob's research has focused on end-of-life care, building upon the work of researchers from previous generations, such as Stan Grof.
* Psychedelic research still faces regulatory hurdles and needs further study.
* Eric Kast learned in the 1960s that set and setting were crucial for optimizing outcomes and minimizing harm.
* Diversity and inclusion are crucial for ethical research.
* For-profit companies may prioritize profits over patients, so government oversight is needed to balance commercial interests with public health.
* Trained health professionals are preferred to ensure safety.
* Close screening and monitoring are needed to minimize risks, especially for vulnerable groups.
* With care and responsibility, psychedelic tools may help revive well-being and human connection in times of deepest despair.
Links and references:
* MAPS psychedelic science conference
The podcast and abbreviated notes are always freely available thanks to our paid subscribers. Please share this post to show your support for transparency.
The following article distills the key points from this show into a condensed form. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to access the full transcripts, and support our broadcast.
The therapeutic potential of psychedelics
New studies on psilocybin and MDMA have shown promising results for applications such as end-of-life care and the treatment of anxiety and depression, including the work of my most recent guest, Dr. Charles Grob of UCLA medical school.
Much of Dr. Grob’s seminal research has focused on end-of-life care, building upon the work of researchers from previous generations, such as Stan Grof.
Dr. Grob points out that “the use of a psychedelic treatment model for people experiencing significant anxiety approaching the end of life really started in the early 1960s.”
One pioneer was Eric Kast, a physician in Chicago, who obtained LSD from Sandoz Pharmaceuticals to treat chronic pain and anxiety in terminally-ill patients. Kast learned that set and setting were crucial for optimizing outcomes and minimizing harm. Set refers to a person’s mindset and intention. Setting refers to the environment and conditions.
“Kast understood how to safely administer the drug. He treated many patients with chronic pain and found impressive results, including reduced pain, less anxiety, and improved quality of life.”
While promising, psychedelic research still faces regulatory hurdles and needs further study. As Grob told me, “The D.E.A. has strict rules for studying Schedule 1 drugs.”
Researchers follow strict protocols to obtain and store substances like psilocybin and MDMA. Grob said he hopes that “the government creates funding and oversight for optimal safety.”
More research is also needed to understand benefits and risks, especially for vulnerable groups. Grob recalled a tragedy that highlights the need for caution: “A few years ago, a seventy-four-year-old man tried mushrooms for the first time. Within an hour, he died of cardiac arrest. He may have had a heart condition triggered by psilocybin. This shows we need to understand psychedelics’ effects, especially in vulnerable people.” While anecdotal, the story indicates the need to closely monitor at-risk patients.
Clearly, more research and oversight can fully illuminate psychedelics’ risks and benefits to enable their safe use, particularly in medical settings. Recent studies suggest psychedelics may relieve conditions like chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. With safety precautions and approvals, psychedelics could revolutionize fields like psychotherapy and end-of-life care. Rigorous research is critical to understanding them.
Optimizing safety and ethics in psychedelic research
As Grob has emphasized, “The success of this field depends on maintaining strong safety standards.”
He outlined six principles for ethical research:
* optimizing safety;
* learning from past mistakes;
* promoting diversity and inclusion;
* navigating regulations;
* choosing funding carefully; and
* strengthening ethics.
Learning from past mistakes, like irresponsible research practices, is critical.
“We owe a debt to early researchers from the fifties and sixties. We must also learn from indigenous groups who’ve used these plants for millennia.”
Many understood how to prepare subjects, guide experiences, and help them integrate insights—all while preventing harm.
Diversity and inclusion are also crucial.
“Most subjects and researchers have been middle-class, white, and male. We need more women, minorities, and people of color.”
Their voices can enrich discussions on safety, access, and therapeutic approaches.
Government funding and oversight are needed to ensure safety, given concerns that for-profit companies prioritize profits over patients.
“Government oversight is needed to maintain safety standards. Traditionally, research has relied on philanthropy, but for-profits want to profit, not optimize safety.”
Government guidance can balance commercial interests with public health.
While private investments have increased, government intervention is still crucial. For-profit companies may seek patents that restrict access or cut costs in ways that compromise safety.
“For-profits want to enhance investor returns, not optimize safety like adding extra facilitators.”
Government funding can support optimal treatment models and cover their higher costs.
With government oversight, psychedelic research can promote well-being and connection for all in a safe, ethical way. Learning from past mistakes, valuing diversity, and securing oversight beyond commercial interests are all necessary to fulfill the promise of psychedelic care. By upholding safety and ethics, researchers can build trust in tools that may otherwise seem radical or strange, slowly reviving their therapeutic potential after decades of dormancy and stigma. With care and responsibility, psychedelic sciences can blossom again.
The proliferation of psychedelic coaches and the need for proper qualifications
The rise of self-described “psychedelic coaches” concerns Grob, who values formal training and licensure to ensure subject safety and comfort addressing psychological issues.
“I’ve met capable facilitators without advanced degrees, but as this field grows, proper qualifications are key. Mental health professionals know psychopathology and can screen for risks. Some ‘coaches’ promote recreational use, not healing. We must prevent irresponsible practices that led to criminalization.”
While interest in psychedelics has grown, healing requires more than plant or pill alone.
“Psychedelics aren’t cure-alls and won’t solve humanity’s ills without wisdom, insight, and skill to guide the experience.”
Still, some see facilitation as a lucrative, loosely-regulated field, alarming experts focused on medicine and ethics, not profits.
“Some see this as an unregulated way to make money, but we must put ethics first. Breaking rules could cost a license.” Licensed professionals have “skin in the game” and authority to address psychological issues—vital for safety with psychedelics.
Grob sees promise in physicians, psychologists and masters/doctoral students in fields relating to mental health, counseling and social work. Their training suits the responsibility of guiding psychedelic experiences and addressing vulnerabilities or psychological issues. While interest grows in psychedelics as paths for healing and insight, responsible, licensed professionals are best equipped to do so in a safe, ethical way.
Adverse effects and the importance of screening
While promising, psychedelics also carry risks, especially for vulnerable groups, that call for close screening and monitoring. As the case of the 74-year-old man who died after taking mushrooms demonstrates, their effects in those with heart conditions, mental health issues or on medications are not fully understood.
Psychological risks also exist, like re-traumatization for those with PTSD, or panic and anxiety:
“Something during a session triggered old trauma in a patient with PTSD, worsening symptoms. Another felt panic for weeks from repressed memories unearthed during her first session.”
These cases show the need to screen for vulnerabilities and have trained professionals guide sessions and follow-up care.
While decriminalization may increase interest, psychedelics are not for everyone:
“These aren’t ‘party drugs’ but powerful tools requiring oversight. Not all benefit, and some could suffer adverse effects without proper screening or guidance.”
With the spread of misinformation online, professional advice is critical.
Access and inclusion raise ethical issues of their own:
“While interest grows, we must balance openness with safety. Wider access needs oversight so these tools heal, not harm. We cannot repeat mistakes of the past, dismissing risks or allowing vulnerable groups to access them irresponsibly.”
Protecting public health requires gatekeepers attuned to both benefits and dangers of these substances.
Transcript
Dr. Richard Miller 0:00
Welcome to Mind Body Health and Politics. I'm your host, Dr. Richard Louis Miller. Our mission is to enhance your physical and emotional well-being and encourage community. And when we associate with each other in small enough groups where we know everybody by name or at least by face, we love to do things together, sew, watch bowl games, eat, play, and have fun. We are friendly, collaborative tribal animals. At the same time, we must stay aware that there is a small percentage of us who are avaricious predators. They have been with us from the beginning and are part of who we are. It's our task now to maintain our democracy, which is fragile and not a given. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, as Thomas Jefferson said.
Today on Mind Body Health and Politics, I have the privilege of interviewing Dr. Charlie Grob, a psychiatrist and scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles who is one of the founding fathers of the psychedelic renaissance. His work has been seminal, and I invite you to research him on Google and listen to other interviews. I interviewed Charlie back in 2005 after his groundbreaking research was published in 2010. We discussed this at the MAPS conference in Denver, Colorado, this June. It's good to see you again, Charlie. We'll see each other soon.
As a clinical psychologist for over 50 years, I’ve heard and witnessed many stories of transformation. Few are as remarkable as that of Hunt Priest, an Episcopal priest I interviewed for my series on psychedelic-assisted therapy for end of life distress.
“My mother’s maiden name was Bishop,” Priest told me with a wry smile.
Between that and his last name, it seems God may have been trying to tell him something about his vocation.
However, Priest found his priestly calling relatively late, entering seminary in his late 30s. It was not until his 50s that he experienced a radical transformation of mind, body, and spirit through psychedelics.
In 2016, at age 52, Priest volunteered for a Johns Hopkins study exploring the effects of psilocybin on religious professionals.
“I was psychedelically naive,” he admitted, noting that he had been scared of LSD as a youth. “The 60s passed me by.”
Lying on a couch, staring at an egg-shell colored ceiling, Priest felt first discomfort, then a familiar “electrical current” in his thigh—recalling a feeling he had experienced during an intense, 5-day meditation retreat the year before. His guides in the study had laid hands on him, invoking a flood of electricity that seared through his body.
“There was a blockage, a backlog of stuck energy in my throat, like a bottleneck in the system,” he said.
The electrification intensified when they put their hands on his head and feet. Then the current broke through a blockage in his throat.
“When it broke open, I started speaking in tongues. The sounds just poured out of me.”
Speaking in tongues, Priest notes, is “A very Christian, Pentecostal experience,” but unusual in his own Episcopal Church.
He felt bathed in love and connection. In that liminal space, Priest glimpsed the nature of healing and energy transference activated in the ritual of prayer.
“So much of what I’d learned in seminary and talked about as a priest, I knew was real,” he said. “What happens when we pray with people and lay hands on them - that transfer of energy - it’s real.”
For Priest, the experience affirmed his faith in the endless mystery of the divine. At the same time, it shattered previous notions about who God is.
He emerged with eyes opened to the greater cosmos within - and all around us - murmuring the one truth his heart had always known: “Everything is okay. Everything is as it should be.”
I was struck by how this unassuming priest found solace in the spaces between church doctrine and radical openness that many never dare explore. His story highlights our shared longing for transcendence and healing in a crisis of modern spirituality.
More than that, it highlights our human need for guides on the path—someone walking ahead, lighting the way through darkness. For Hunt Priest, that light led to places far beyond what he ever imagined.
Read on our listen to hear the full story.
Golden light,
Dr. Richard L. Miller
Show notes:
* How Hunt came to discover psychedelics. 9:59
* Hunt participated in a research project with religious professionals, and was required to be "psychedelically naive".
* He received a capsule of psilocybin as part of the study and had a religious experience.
* The power of psychedelics. 11:53
* Hunt describes his experience as "very religious" and "very embodied".
* He had an experience of electrical current in his left thigh during a meditation retreat that was connected to his psilocybin experience.
* The importance of good healthy religion. 15:23
* Hunt believes that good healthy religion is about "story, myth, ritual, community".
* He emphasizes the importance of spiritual exploration.
* The importance of inclusion and cooperation among religions. 26:35
* Hunt believes that the church can be a resource for people.
* He emphasizes the importance of inclusion and cooperation among different world religions.
* The role of psychedelics in end-of-life care. 45:21
* Hunt discusses his vision for the use of psilocybin in end-of-life care.
* He believes that hospice is not a peaceful, holy death.
* Questioning pre-modern understanding of the cosmos. 38:50
* Hunt questions pre-modern understanding of the cosmos.
* He believes that the fear of dying is foundational and that the church is to be blamed for it.
Links and references:
* Ligare
The podcast and articles are always freely available thanks to our paid subscribers. Please share this post to show your support for transparency. The following article distills the key points from this show into a condensed form.
Mind Body Health & Politics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my broadcast, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
The Radical Calling of Hunt Priest
Hunt Priest never imagined that he would embark on a radical new calling in his mid-50s.
"I would never have thought I'd be doing what I'm doing right now, even 10 years ago," he said.
Quitting a stable job as rector of a parish church, he founded Ligare, a Christian psychedelic society, to share the lessons of his own transformation.
"That's a privileged place to be, to be able to quit one career and start another," Priest acknowledged, citing the Franciscan Friar, Fr. Richard Rohr as part of his inspiration for taking up a new career in life’s “second act.”
Priest’s journey highlights our human capacity for change. Through psychedelics, Priest discovered that we can awaken to new realities about ourselves and our world at any point. His mission is helping others do the same.
Ligare aims to educate Christians and the public about the potential of psychedelics for healing and spiritual growth, fighting for their safe and legal use "for anyone who needs it."
Of relevance to my work, Priest sees psychedelics as a means for Christians to overcome their fear of death and embrace the "peaceful, holy death" promised by faith.
"The church is about healing - if not, we should shut our doors," Priest said.
Yet for centuries, the church has often failed to help followers die without fear – even instilling it them through an unbiblical view of Hell as eternal conscious torment.
“Why would God create something that God then submits to eternal torture? Why would you follow a God who is going to cast most of you into the fiery pit? It makes no sense.”
– Hunt Priest
According to Priest, psychedelic experiences allow a glimpse into realms beyond the physical, affirming the Christian idea that death has no dominion. He hopes to guide others to radical acceptance and release fear's grip. For Christians wary of psychedelics, Ligare provides a familiar framework and language for encounters with the numinous.
Priest stands by the traditions and teachings of the Episcopal Church – a branch of the Church of England, which founded in protest to the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church. While religious institutions of all stripes continue to be plagued by scandal and corruption, Priest is not ready to throw in the towel when it comes to religion.
"Not religious is not an option," Priest said. "Good, healthy religion is story, myth, ritual, community."
By rooting psychedelic practice in Christian tradition, Ligare allows the faithful to explore the furthest reaches of human consciousness without leaving their faith behind.
The word “Ligare” is latin for “to connect”, and makes up the second half of the word “religion.” Priest believes the crisis of modern spirit calls for reconnecting with the sacred in new ways. Yet change often comes from within, through guides who walk ahead while lighting the path. For Christians, Priest aims to be one of those guides - translating between doctrine and the radical openness psychedelics revealed to him. His calling is helping others behold the greater cosmos in which we live and move and have our being.
Psychedelic Revelation of Spiritual Truths
For Priest, psychedelics revealed spiritual truths already familiar to him as a priest, though never grasped so viscerally. Among them were the centrality of forgiveness, gratitude and community.
Forgiveness, taught Priest, is Christianity's moral bedrock. He pointed to Jesus on the cross, forgiving those who condemned him to a brutal death.
"That's our goal - to be people who, when terrible things happen, can forgive," he said.
Forgiveness of self proves equally elusive and imperative. Through psychedelics, Priest found grace to release regret and self-judgment accumulated over years.
Gratitude emerged for Priest as a spiritual discipline with power to transform our view of the world.
A practice of greeting each day with thanks, despite its sorrows, opens our eyes to the wonder of existence as a gift. For Christians, gratitude expresses faith in new life even in the face of death.
“Gratitude means waking up every morning and feeling thankful for being alive. If we could all do this, it would change how we see each other and ourselves in the world,” he observed.
Community, Priest said, makes experiences of God and growth possible by providing a "container" for transformation. Psychedelics foster connection and empathy, dissolving divisions. For Christians, shared ritual and story shape a sense of the sacred. Ligare aims to build community as an "access point" for psychedelic practice grounded in faith.
Priest's mission is sharing a vision of healing and wholeness through radical openness to God's presence - one that conquers even humanity's oldest fear. The story of Christ's passion, death and resurrection highlights psychedelic themes of surrender, loss of ego and rebirth into new life.
"The church has done a lot of good and a lot of terrible things," Priest admitted.
Yet at their heart, Christianity and psychedelic practice converge on a truth that "everything's okay, everything's as it should be." Forgiveness, gratitude and community unite to make real the promise of resurrection, leaving fear behind in the empty tomb.
Through psychedelics, Priest rediscovered the faith he already knew. His calling is helping others do the same, that they might behold at last what he has seen - and be not afraid.
A New Model for Transformation
Priest's calling is extraordinary, yet his mission is simple: sharing the hope of healing and spiritual renewal through radical openness to God. While psychedelics catalyzed Priest's vision, it is one he believes should resonate even with Christians wary of "drugs."
Priest doesn't envision psychedelics as a Sunday morning sacrament. Instead, he looks to retreats where Christians can encounter the divine, then integrate lessons into daily life.
"Education is our primary mission," Priest said, "providing resources for clergy, chaplains, spiritual directors and the public to participate legally and safely."
Through five-day retreats incorporating Bible study, prayer, meditation and Eucharist, Priest envisions a new model for transformation.
"Education is our primary mission," Priest said, "providing resources for clergy, chaplains, spiritual directors and the public to participate legally and safely."
"On day three, there might be a facilitated psilocybin experience," he said. "Psilocybin is not as controversial and only lasts six hours, so it doesn't take up the whole day [unlike LSD]."
The final days would be for reflecting on insights gained about oneself, God and others - and discerning how to live shaped by that vision.
"After any big mountaintop experience, you try to figure out how to live your life knowing what you've experienced," Priest said.
The Old Testament depicts revelatory encounters with God on mountain summits, followed by a return to daily life. So participants in Priest's retreats come down from psilocybin's heights and back to the world, equipped with lessons for the journey.
Priest aspires to offer psychedelic communion for any who seek it.
"This is not about profit, ownership or control," he said. "It's about bringing healing to anyone who wants it."
Through education and leading by example, Priest hopes to inspire more Christians to walk this path of risk and revelation.
In the end, Priest's life highlights the shared human longing for meaning, healing and transcendence of fear - and our ability to find solace, if we only they have eyes to see.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Dear listeners,
For decades, psychedelics were taboo—demonized and pushed into the shadows by misguided policies. Though I began hosting radio programs on psychedelic science as early as 2005, at the time I felt largely alone in my advocacy.
Just before one of my shows, as my guest—medical anthropologist Marcia Rosenbaum—and I prepared to discuss harm reduction on-air, my producer looked up at me and said that the White House was on the line.
The White House? What could they want?
It turned out the Drug Czar himself wanted to argue against our stance. It was too late to include him as a panelist on the show, but he called in nonetheless. His interruption illustrated how desperately the government has clung to control of the narrative, monitoring even small forums, like my local public radio broadcast, for dissent.
Almost 20 years later, their grip is slipping. Prominent voices are coming out of the "psychedelic closet," recognizing these substances as tools for expanding human potential rather than threats.
The Global Psychedelic Society (GPS), a decentralized network connecting the leaders of Psychedelic Societies around the world to educate the public on benefits and risks of psychedelic medicines, promoting responsible use over fearmongering. I recently interviewed the Society’s founder, Mike Margolies, and Director, Jessica ‘Jaz’ Cadoch about the important work.
I’m excited to be partnering with the GPS, to bring visibility and resources to local psychedelic communities worldwide. I will be raising awareness about the fundraising efforts to provide training for community catalysts in this emerging space, and they will be connecting me with the dozens (if not hundreds) of global psychedelic societies across the globe as part of my comprehensive effort to document the potential adverse effects of psychedelic medicines. In my view, this is how we win the war—through community, transparency, and ultimately, cultural change.
Together we'll help people find the support I lacked when starting out. If you are likewise looking to “find the others,” please consider making a donation of the GPS Fund.
Golden light,
Dr. Richard L. Miller
Show notes:
* Intro to Mind Body Health and Politics. (0:00)
* Psychiatrists vs. Psychedelic Communities. (4:59)
* How did Mike and Jaz get into psychedelic community activism? (11:00)
* The problem with charging money for education. (20:26)
* Dealing with burnout in the psychedelic space. (24:43)
* The seven laws of money. (30:29)
* Questions about the business model of the Psychedelic Association. (34:47)
* Book on psychedelics and the adverse effects. (42:24)
* Why are psychedelics banned in other countries? (46:16)
* Jaz’s offer of help. (53:34)
* How to get involved in politics (58:31)
* Anyone can grow mushrooms in their house. (1:06:45)
Links and references:
* The Global Psychedelic Society
* GPS Fund
The podcast and abbreviated notes are always freely available thanks to our paid subscribers. Please share this post to show your support for transparency.
The following article distills the key points from this show into a condensed form. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to access these full articles weekly, and support our broadcast.
A Global Shift: Regulation, Decriminalization and Cultural Change
The soul of the psychedelic societies movement is a belief in our right to change our consciousness—freely and safely. Though once taboo, psychedelics are now transforming medicine and culture. Some countries are even decriminalizing personal use while regulating medical access.
I saw glimmers of this openness firsthand on a trip to Israel many years ago with MAPS founder Rick Doblin. There, we met with top scientists and public figures, including Supreme Court members, who were interested in the potential to use MDMA for PTSD in their traumatized soldiers. Despite their keen interest, they feared retaliation from the United States if they didn't comply with our global War on Drugs. Racist policies from decades past still wield control, limiting access to healing.
Yet the pillars of science, medicine, and society are aligning. By coming out of hiding and raising our voices, we make truth and justice inevitable.
While psychedelics hold promise to heal individuals and society, some fear the movement's soul risks being lost to commercialization and controversy.
As Mike Margolies, co-founder of the Global Psychedelic Society, told me recently, "If I think about the psychedelic future that I want to see, what's the first touch point someone should have? I think it's in community."
Margolies is a psychedelic community catalyst and conversation creator, who has worked full-time in psychedelic education and community building since 2015, when he founded Psychedelic Seminars, an events and media platform for nuanced, open and honest conversations. On the PsychSems stage, he has interviewed and featured a range of leaders including Michael Pollan, Johns Hopkins researchers, advocates at MAPS, and more. Behind the scenes, Mike has started, led, and mentored several psychedelic community organizations and professional networks.
With knowledge and community, we can ensure psychedelic experiences are available to all who seek them for growth and healing.
Yet many psychedelic community builders remain under-resourced, struggling as martyrs to sustain their work.
Community Matters—But Requires Support
Jaz Cadoch is a cultural and medical anthropologist who has been studying the psychedelic movement since 2016, and is now directing the Global Psychedelic Society. She sees psychedelic societies as the "third prong" in shifting the narrative, complementing politics and medicine.
With a particular interest in the intermingling of conventional healing models and psychedelic-assisted therapy, Jaz is concerned with ensuring that psychedelic practices are carefully and ethically integrated into modern Western society and culture. She is also the co-founder of ALKEMI, a consulting firm for psychedelic ethics & accountability and contributed to the process of Colorado’s Proposition 122 - the Natural Medicine Health Act.
"Without legislation,” Jaz notes, “we can't start changing the narrative. Without clinical trials, people who are not psychedelically aware won't see the value of psychedelics.”
Likewise, culture shapes perceptions of legitimacy and safety.
Cadoch continues, "The way I see it is we have politics and medical research at the top level, changing the narrative from the top down, telling the people that these are safe. Then we have the cultural landscape, which to me is psychedelic societies, on the ground — the grassroots, catching everybody as they take their first psychedelic."
These societies offer community and education, filling a void left by prohibition and stigma.
These three pillars can overcome past propaganda by re-educating the public through sharing truths long obscured.
The diversity of these societies inspires. The underground mycelia are sprouting into visible, vibrant blooms. By nurturing networks both global and local, we can help others find their roots in sacred soil. But for this garden to thrive sustainably, its cultivators require resources and care.
Margolies urges, "If we really care about this community-building work and the importance of cultural shift, this work should be properly resourced."
Changing the culture, however, requires investment. As the psychedelic movement matures, more specialized roles are emerging—and experts in each must be paid for their service. Though once a niche realm of volunteers, community organizing now demands strategic thinking to empower rather than burn out its pioneers.
I learned this lesson firsthand, starting one of the first holistic addiction programs in the 1980s—Cokenders Alcohol & Drug Program. As both chief clinician and administrator, I was spread too thin. Administration alone was a full-time job; doing both risked compromising care. After 10 years, I realized true sustainability meant delegating to those with the proper expertise.
Funding the Renaissance
Today's psychedelic society organizers face similar challenges, wearing "multiple hats" out of necessity in an emerging field. Yet psychedelics are now “a growing ecosystem—and industry," as Cadoch notes.
While grassroots knowledge is one form of authority, professional qualifications still shape perceptions of legitimacy for many. As money and mainstream interest flow in, there is a risk of "business as usual" crowding out community focus if we're not careful about who does what.
As Margolies explains, "People are not primarily coming into this from the perspective of 'I want to start a business holding events about psychedelics,' but they're coming because there's a mission of education, culture shift, and community building."
The key is balancing this mission with viability. Seminars and events are not as profitable as pharmaceutical drug development. Smaller events may better serve community, yet require scale for success.
Charging attendees is one means of finding this balance, yet also risks compromising access or violating an ethos of open education.
"It's not only about education, but also cultural building," Cadoch says. "How do you charge people to build culture?"
The answer, it seems, lies in designated funds and partnerships.
Margolies urges, "We're doing a big educational and fundraising campaign to build awareness around the world that this is important work. It's more important than what a community builder can get just through revenue from ticket sales."
By donating to groups like the Global Psychedelic Society, which then distribute resources to local organizers, people can directly support the cultural shift they value.
Legalization vs. Decriminalization: Which Way Forward?
The path forward is complex, with decriminalization and legal regulation each holding promise and pitfalls.
Decriminalization means ending penalties for personal use and possession, while legalization creates regulated markets and access. The former protects communal use and grassroots operations, but risks diverting funds from public health measures. The latter can exclude those unable or unwilling to follow bureaucratic rules, perpetuating inequality.
As Mike Margolies explains, "I'm totally in support of having access through medical or regulated means. But for me, what's really important is that those don't become the exclusive pathways for access."
A "hybrid model" incorporating both may overcome these issues.
"Creating an environment where even regular individuals who don't understand psychedelics can feel safe is expanding access,” Cadoch says, “Expanding access to psychedelics isn't just about financial access, but also cultural access."
Margolies adds: "Through community building work, we can make decriminalized and unregulated models safe. There are many things to consider, but it can be done."
Regulation builds trust for the mainstream, while decriminalization protects traditional and informal practices.
However, legalization risks creating a "two-tiered model" with regulators targeting unlicensed operators.
"If you create a legal regulated model or medical model without also decriminalizing, you can end up in a scenario where there's regulated access, but people who are doing community healing ceremonies in a different way than the FDA's model could still be criminalized," Margolies warns.
I have seen a similar tension in conversations with sex workers advocating decriminalization over legalization. Regulations should aim to protect public health, not eliminate grassroots operations through "backdoor criminalization” that new laws often contain.
Support this Mission
Together, the pillars of science, medicine, and community will lift prohibition's crushing weight. But community requires nurture to stand strong—an ecosystem where each role is valued and each voice empowered to speak its truth. Only by investing in the wellbeing of organizers themselves can we cultivate a future of safe, legal and responsible access for all.
As this movement grows, it's crucial we discuss not only the promise but also the risks of psychedelics openly and honestly. I plan to address reports of adverse effects in an upcoming series, connecting with communities globally to explore how set, setting and even culture can impact experiences for better and for wore. We must build understanding of these powerful tools responsibly and avoid hype that glosses over potential dangers.
The interviews from this series will go into a forthcoming book on the topic—perhaps the first book its kind.
Please contact me if you would like to be interviewed.
I am honored to partner with the Global Psychedelic Society. Together, we will connect with local networks worldwide and share knowledge that has been hidden for far too long.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Show Notes:
* Dr. George Greer talks about the most interesting and important thing happening in the psychedelic world right now: the Bipartisan Congressional Psychedelics Advancing Therapies (PATH) Caucus. This caucus aims to pass legislation for a carve-out from the NIH budget to support psychedelic research. (03:46)
* Dr. Greer shares his pioneering research on MDMA-assisted couples therapy, which yielded insights and strengthened relationships with minimal side-effects. (07:00)
* Dr. Greer emphasizes the importance of mindset, setting, and therapy in achieving positive outcomes from psychedelic experiences. (12:30)
* Dr. Greer explains the difference between psychedelic and psycholytic therapy. (12:30)
* Dr. Greer talks about the risks and benefits of using psychedelics as a catalyst for growth and healing. (12:30)
* Dr. Greer stresses the importance of responsible use of psychedelics, including screening, preparation, and integration, to minimize harm and maximize benefit. (12:30)
* Dr. Greer talks about the potential unwanted psychological complications of psychedelic therapy, including psychosis and trauma. (12:30)
* Dr. Greer discusses the challenges of funding psychedelic research and the need for responsible guidance to realize the promise of this field. (12:30)
Links and Resources
* Bipartisan Congressional Psychedelics Advancing Therapies Caucus
* MDMA Studies for PTSD Treatment (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies)
* NYU Psilocybin Cancer Anxiety Study
Dear listeners,
Why is that conversations about the most important issues are always the hardest to have? Why do we struggle to have meaningful heart-to-hearts with our loved ones about life and death, pleasure and pain, sexuality and psychedelic medicines?
In my own life, I’ve tried to be as open about these topics as possible, but I’ve often encountered resistance – both internal and external. Every once in a while, however, I find someone who is so open and honest in their manner of speaking that even I am caught off guard as I’m drawn into new depths of awareness about myself and my relationships with other people. This week’s episode features that kind of conversation.
Leslie Grace, RN, is a transformational coach and psychedelic integration guide who works with leaders, entrepreneurs, and visionaries to unlock their life force so they can become powerful, inspired agents of change. Her work incorporates psychedelic healing, Hakomi somatic therapy, and conscious sexuality practices and is informed by her background in Vajrayana Tibetan Buddhism. Leslie gratefully escaped her Catholic upbringing and former career as a Registered Nurse in end-of-life care to be drawn into the world of plant medicine and has never looked back. With 15 years of intentional psychedelic exploration, her primary authority is her own intuition. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and offers both private and group transformational containers. Expand your possibilities by getting in touch at timelesswisdom@protonmail.com.
Our interview covers a range of fascinating topics, from hospice work and end-of-life transitions to tantric education and psychedelic sexuality.
Grace shares her personal experiences and insights on approaching death with open arms, the power of sexual energy, and the journey to sexual empowerment. She also teaches us about a practice called the “Five Minute Game,” which you will want to try with your partner as a way of unlocking new levels of sexual pleasure.
Don’t miss this episode, and join our tribe of premium subscribers if you would prefer to read the transcript.
Golden light,
Dr. Richard L. Miller
The podcast and abbreviated notes are always freely available thanks to our paid subscribers. Please share this post to show your support for transparency.
Links and references:
* Connect with Leslie Grace: Facebook / Instagram / Email
* Integral Psychedelic Therapy: The Non-Ordinary Art of Psychospiritual Healing
Summary
Introduction Democracy and Republic
00:00:00 - The importance of maintaining awareness and the right to vote for the preservation of democracy and republic.
Hospice Work
00:03:35 - Introduction of Leslie Grace and her multiple roles, including being a nurse and hospice worker, and in helping people transition.
00:10:28 - Leslie's experience with a patient who wanted a shaman from an ayahuasca circle to come and help him transition.
00:11:42 - The importance of making peace with family and loved ones and approaching death with open arms.
00:12:46 - Leslie's experience with a patient who had a peaceful and elegant transition.
00:14:23 - The use of morphine to help patients relax into the experience.
Tantric Education
00:15:57 - Leslie's personal story of her quarter life crisis and her journey to becoming a tantric educator.
Hands-On Teaching of Sexuality
00:31:27 - Leslie Grace describes hands-on teaching of sexuality and her experience with tantric massage.
Repression of Sexuality
00:41:04 - Leslie Grace talks about the repression of sexuality by religion, specifically Catholicism, and her personal journey to unravel her relationship with the church and allow herself to be more expressed.
00:42:34 - Dr. Miller discusses his theory on penetration and dominance in sexual intercourse; Leslie Grace responds and discusses conscious sexuality.
Adverse Effects and Safety
00:50:44 - Discussion on psychedelic medicine and Leslie Grace's work as a psychedelic guide; Dr. Miller asks about adverse effects and checklists for vetting clients.
01:01:51 - Discussion on different types of psychedelic therapeutic experiences and which medicines are being used predominantly.
Seeking Psychedelic Testimonials: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
We are currently looking for first-hand accounts of adverse effects of psychedelics—from ‘bad trips,’ to unwanted physiological complications, to abusive practices by guides, therapists, and shamans.
The interviews from this series will go into a forthcoming book on the topic—perhaps the first book its kind.
Please contact me if you would like to be interviewed.
Mind Body Health & Politics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Transcript
Within the below transcript, the bolded text is Dr. Richard L. Miller, and the regular text is Leslie Grace. Edited transcript provided by Vergili.us – the podcast → prose publishers.
King of the Hill
Welcome to Mind Body, Health and Politics. I'm your host, Dr. Richard Louis Miller. Our mission at Mind Body, Health and Politics is to enhance your physical and emotional well-being, and to encourage community. I believe that encouraging community is essential for our health and well-being, as human beings are essentially friendly and tribal animals. When we hang out together in small enough groups, where we know everyone by name or at least by face, we collaborate, cooperate and accomplish wonderful things together. Whether it's sewing circles, watching games, playing games, bicycle riding or eating, we love doing these things together in groups. It's very tribal. More recently, we have also enjoyed doing psychedelic medicines together, such as Ayahuasca circles. However, while we recognize how friendly and tribal our species is, we must also acknowledge that there is a small percentage of us who are markedly different.
These are the people who, in the caves, played "king of the hill," and eventually became the heads of tribes, countries, and even dictators. They prefer to have us as subjects rather than citizens. Throughout history, we see examples of this, such as the Pharaohs who kept most of their people in slavery, while the top 1% enjoyed their wealth. Caesar changed the Roman Republic into an empire and was the dictator. Napoleon, Putin, and even Donald Trump, if he were to be re-elected, are all examples of these types of people. It is crucial that we maintain our awareness and right to vote, especially during these hard times when 70% of the United States is living paycheck to paycheck. We cannot let our country lose its democracy and republic, where one person has one vote and no one is above the law. Thomas Jefferson once said, "eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."
Hospice Work
On this episode of Mind, Body, Health and Politics, I am happy to have Leslie Grace as our guest. Leslie has worn many hats throughout her career, such as being a nurse, hospice worker, and working in psychedelic healing with somatic therapy, Tantra, and conscious sexuality. She has also worked with Hakomi, which she will tell us more about today. Welcome to Mind Body, Health and Politics, Leslie.
Thank you so much, Richard. It's a real delight to be here, and so curious which way our conversation will end up going.
Well, you have accomplished so many things. I hardly know where to begin, but let's start by going back to when you worked as a nurse and hospice worker. Please share some of your experiences with people going through end-of-life transitions. Tell us about their emotional state and what you learned about them.
Yeah, this was a really important time in my life. I think that working with death or being close to death and really appreciating that process and all its different facets really deepens us and changes us as human beings. It was a really meaningful time in my life. I knew I wanted to become a nurse to help people, to heal and make them feel more whole. I ended up in intensive care because it was the most critical care, and I became fascinated by what we could do with modern medicine. At the same time, it was heartbreaking to see people in such challenging states being kept alive on machinery, many of whom didn't have much of a prognosis to survive.
As nurses, we would talk to the doctors about the patients' chances, and oftentimes they would keep people going because they weren't sure how to have the conversation with the family that the patient didn't have much chance of having a good quality of life or bouncing back. I felt like it was good work and I was serving people, but my heart was a little broken over how long we would keep people in there only to have them eventually pass away. We did see people make it and go on to be healthy. After working in that area for a little while, I decided to move into hospice work.
Dear listeners,
Did you know that an estimated one billion people around the world suffer from some form of mental health issue? Who among us believes that our current system for treating such widespread anxiety and depression is adequate?
Whenever I openly discuss psychedelic medicines with my guests on this broadcast, I am taking a risk. However, I believe it is important to shed as much light on this topic as possible, rather than keeping people in the dark about their healing potential—or the potential harms when taken by the wrong people or in the wrong ways.
My guest this week, Neil Gehani, contacted the show after reading our newsletter announcement seeking people who had profound psychedelic healing experiences. We must include the usual disclaimer that we do not endorse any illegal experimentation. Instead, we aim to become a node in a broader network that shares information so that the public can make informed decisions.
"If you are always craving and always avoiding, you will never be able to enjoy and be present in the moment." -
Neil is a first-generation Indian immigrant who came to the United States at the age of 16. He grew up in India, where he attended a military boarding school beginning at the age of 4 and a half. He earned his engineering and MBA degrees in Ohio, and soon after moved to California to work in the technology sector. Over the past 15 years, he has been a software engineer and product management leader, holding three Head of Product positions and founding two companies.
In recent years, he has focused on mental health due to his own personal journey and the numerous challenges he faced while seeking help. He is now building MindLumen (mindlumen.xyz), which aims to democratize safe access to ethical care. Psychedelic-assisted therapy changed his life, and he wants to use his skills and experience to help others navigate the complex process safely. Neil has moderated panels, spoken publicly, and is involved in policy work to decriminalize psychedelics everywhere.
Neil invites our listeners to connect with him on LinkedIn.
We too invite our listeners to connect with us by email or social media, to assist in our ongoing efforts to enlighten the public – including information on the adverse effects of psychedelics. That is the subject of our forthcoming series, and will be the topic of my next book.
Please, don’t be a stranger. Reply to this email if you have a story to share, or know someone who may be interested in participating in this series of interviews.
Golden light,
Dr. Richard L. Miller
The podcast and abbreviated notes are always freely available thanks to our paid subscribers. Please share this post to show your support for transparency.
Show notes:
* How Neil’s first psychedelic experience with MDA in 2017 transformed his way of thinking and relating to other people.
* Neil’s journeys with high doses of various substances, including MDMA, Psilocybin and LSD.
* What inspired Neil to create the MindLumen platform, and the mission of helping others navigate a complex process.
* to help people suffering from mental health issues and anxiety to experience the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics.
* Why living in the present moment is key to enjoying life.
Links and references:
Seeking Psychedelic Testimonials: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
We are currently looking for first-hand accounts of adverse effects of psychedelics—from ‘bad trips,’ to unwanted physiological complications, to abusive practices by guides, therapists, and shamans.
The interviews from this series will go into a forthcoming book on the topic—perhaps the first book its kind.
Please contact me if you would like to be interviewed.
Mind Body Health & Politics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Transcript
Dr. Richard L. Miller (00:15): Today, we are honored to have Neil Gehani with us. He contacted us after reading our newsletter, where we were looking for people who have had psychedelic experiences that have made profound changes in their lives. Welcome to Mind Body, Health and Politics, Neil.
Neil Gehani (03:10): Thank you. Thank you, Richard, for having me here.
Dr. Richard L. Miller (03:13): Neil, you came over to this country from India when you were, what, four and a half years old?
Neil Gehani (03:22): Well, I was actually in India. I was sent to India at a military boarding school. At four and a half I was handed off to a flight attendant and they took care of me and dropped me off to my uncles in Mumbai. And then he dropped me off in a train and I was picked up by somebody, some strangers in Puna, and that's where I went to school. So I didn't see my family for nine months out of a year from the time I was four and a half till the time I graduated high school. I came to this country after that when I was 16 years old, and I didn't know a soul in this country, and I ended up in the Midwest to go get my education.
Dr. Richard L. Miller (03:57): So your parents sounds like they were very influenced by the English educational system where the upper classes sent their children to boarding schools when they were four and a half or five years old.
Neil Gehani (04:15): The notion of a boarding school is often associated with wealthy families in America, but this was not the case for me. It was simply a school where someone could take care of me, and I didn't go home every weekend. It was the cheapest option for my parents, who did not have college degrees and worked as a technician in a telephone company and a flight attendant. My mom worked her entire life in the airlines to get a 90% discount for us, even though she hated the job. She decided to work there until all of us finished school so she could fly us back and forth every four and a half months.
Are you curious about the potential benefits and risks of using psychedelics in therapy, creativity, and personal development? Dennis McKenna, a renowned ethnopharmacologist and expert in psychedelic medicine, returns to our podcast to explore this fascinating and complex topic.
Psychedelics have been used for centuries in traditional healing practices around the world, but their modern resurgence has brought both excitement and concern. Research suggests that they may hold promise for treating a range of mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD, as well as for enhancing creativity and spiritual experiences. However, their use also carries risks, and much remains unknown about their long-term effects and optimal dosing and administration.
In this episode, Dennis McKenna draws on his extensive experience and knowledge to provide a nuanced and informative discussion on the therapeutic and creative potential of psychedelics. Whether you are a seasoned user or a curious skeptic, this episode will expand your understanding and appreciation of the power of psychedelic medicines.
“And there is no such thing as a bad trip.”
Dennis McKenna has conducted research in ethnopharmacology for over 45 years. His research has been focused on the interdisciplinary study of Amazonian ethnopharmacology, primarily in the Peruvian Amazon. His doctoral research (University of British Columbia,1984) investigated the comparative ethnopharmacology of ayahuasca and oo-koo-he, two tryptamine-based hallucinogens used by indigenous peoples in the Northwest Amazon.
He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute and was a key investigator on the Hoasca Project, the first biomedical investigation of ayahuasca. He was part of the original Scientific Strategy Team at Shaman Pharmaceuticals in the early 90s. He is the younger brother of Terence McKenna. From 2000 to 2017, he taught courses on Ethnopharmacology and Plants in Human affairs as an adjunct Assistant Professor in the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota. In the spring of 2019, in collaboration with colleagues in Canada and the US, he incorporated a new non-profit, the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy. In collaboration with colleagues he organio landmark conferences in 2017 and 2022, the Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs (see ESPD50.com and ESPD55.com) He emigrated to Canada in the spring of 2019 together with his wife Sheila, and now resides in Abbotsford B.C.
Show notes:
* Protecting our democracy
* Psychedelics are catalysts for challenging our assumptions
* Integration is a crucial part to healing
* Are people dying from psychedelics?
* How entheogens were discovered
* Albert Hoffman discovering LSD
* Is microdosing effective or a placebo?
* Experimenting with psychedelics
* The risk in taking these medicines
* Could psychedelics give us an internal focus of the mind?
Links and references:
* Psychedelic Wisdom
* Psychedelic Medicine
* The Secret Chief Revealed
* Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss
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Get ready to go on a wild ride with Denise Kaufman, a social justice activist, musician, and yoga teacher, as she takes us back to the counterculture movement of the 1960s and 70s. From her involvement in the free speech movement at UC Berkeley to her time with the notorious Merry Pranksters, Kaufman shares personal stories that will leave you spellbound. But that's not all! Kaufman also reveals the secret to a healthy spine and shares simple exercises that can alleviate back pain. This episode of "Mind Body, Health and Politics" is not one to be missed. Tune in for a captivating conversation about movement, social activism, and leading by example.
"I was having deep experiences of connecting to a oneness that was so much deeper and more potent than anything I had ever experienced before."
Denise Kaufman: a true renaissance woman and an original member of the Bay Area psychedelic rock scene in the '60s. Born in San Francisco in 1946, Denise has had an adventurous and exploratory approach to life, dedicating herself to social justice causes and counterculture experiences from a young age. Her journey includes being arrested during the Free Speech Movement, touring with Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, and founding San Francisco's OG all-girl band, the Ace of Cups, who opened for musical icons like Jimi Hendrix, The Band, and Janis Joplin.
Denise's commitment to community and spirituality also extends to her work as a trained yoga teacher, whose students have included Madonna, Sting, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Quincy Jones, and Jane Fonda. Her teachings focus on slow, deep stretching practices that encourage mobility, fluidity, and an expansive, open spirit.
In recent years, the Ace of Cups reunited and released three new albums that have garnered critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, Billboard, and NPR All Things Considered, among others. Denise's passion for music, yoga, and organic farming has led her to divide her time between Venice Beach and Kauai, where her family runs a small organic farm. At 76 years old, Denise continues to learn, channel inspiration, and connect with those around her, embodying the free-spirited, community-oriented ethos of the counterculture movement she helped shape.
Show notes:
* The free speech movement, LSD, and the Merry Pranksters
* Life on the Merry Pranksters bus
* Kool-aid Acid Tests and their influence on the evolution of rock concerts
* Exploring consciousness without psychedelics
* Getting committed and playing music
* The all-girl rock band The Ace of Cups
* Denise’s little slice of heaven
* Making choices that do less harm to your body
* The importance of mobility and stretching
* Got back pain? Try yoga!
Links and references:
* Psychedelic Wisdom
* Psychedelic Medicine
* On the Road
* Grace Beats Karma
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Are you curious about the potential benefits and risks of using psychedelics in therapy, creativity, and personal development? Dennis McKenna, a renowned ethnopharmacologist and expert in psychedelic medicine, returns to our podcast to explore this fascinating and complex topic.
Psychedelics have been used for centuries in traditional healing practices around the world, but their modern resurgence has brought both excitement and concern. Research suggests that they may hold promise for treating a range of mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD, as well as for enhancing creativity and spiritual experiences. However, their use also carries risks, and much remains unknown about their long-term effects and optimal dosing and administration.
In this episode, Dennis McKenna draws on his extensive experience and knowledge to provide a nuanced and informative discussion on the therapeutic and creative potential of psychedelics. Whether you are a seasoned user or a curious skeptic, this episode will expand your understanding and appreciation of the power of psychedelic medicines.
“And there is no such thing as a bad trip.”
Dennis McKenna has conducted research in ethnopharmacology for over 45 years. His research has been focused on the interdisciplinary study of Amazonian ethnopharmacology, primarily in the Peruvian Amazon. His doctoral research (University of British Columbia,1984) investigated the comparative ethnopharmacology of ayahuasca and oo-koo-he, two tryptamine-based hallucinogens used by indigenous peoples in the Northwest Amazon.
He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute and was a key investigator on the Hoasca Project, the first biomedical investigation of ayahuasca. He was part of the original Scientific Strategy Team at Shaman Pharmaceuticals in the early 90s. He is the younger brother of Terence McKenna. From 2000 to 2017, he taught courses on Ethnopharmacology and Plants in Human affairs as an adjunct Assistant Professor in the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota. In the spring of 2019, in collaboration with colleagues in Canada and the US, he incorporated a new non-profit, the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy. In collaboration with colleagues he organio landmark conferences in 2017 and 2022, the Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs (see ESPD50.com and ESPD55.com) He emigrated to Canada in the spring of 2019 together with his wife Sheila, and now resides in Abbotsford B.C.
Show notes:
* Protecting our democracy
* Psychedelics are catalysts for challenging our assumptions
* Integration is a crucial part to healing
* Are people dying from psychedelics?
* How entheogens were discovered
* Albert Hoffman discovering LSD
* Is microdosing effective or a placebo?
* Experimenting with psychedelics
* The risk in taking these medicines
* Could psychedelics give us an internal focus of the mind?
Links and references:
* Psychedelic Wisdom
* Psychedelic Medicine
* The Secret Chief Revealed
* Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss
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"We need optimism, because sooner or later, we will realize that we are all in this together. It doesn't matter which country we're in, we share one planet."
Are you concerned about the future of our planet and the impact of climate change? In this episode we speak to Martin Wainstein, co-founder of Open Earth, about the challenges we face and how we can work together to create a sustainable future. From financial innovation to nature-based currency and the importance of collaboration, Wainstein shares his insights on the urgent need for systemic thinking and paradigm shifts in our approach to climate change. Join this thought-provoking conversation on the most pressing issues of our time and discover how you can make a difference. Let's work together to protect our planet for generations to come.
"We must think outside the box and reconsider so many things we take for granted in our human system."
Martin Wainstein is the founder and Executive Director of the Open Earth Foundation, a research and deployment non-profit focusing on digital innovations and open collaborations around planetary-scale projects such as developing a global climate accounting system—Open Climate. Martin held appointments at the Yale Center for Business and the Environment and the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale, where he launched and led the Yale Open Innovation Lab. His PhD work focused on the transformation of the global energy business system.
Show notes:
* What does the Open Earth Foundation Do?
* Social Darwinists vs. the Humanists
* 50 things you can do to contribute towards the climate change solution
* Open Solar and Other Open-Source Programs of Open Earth
* Informing the Public Without Demoralizing Them
* Playing the Infinite Game – Collaborating for our survival
* The North/South Divide in Climate Change Discussions
Links and references:
* Psychedelic Wisdom
* Psychedelic Medicine
* 50 Ways to Reduce Climate Change: A Different Kind of List
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We sit down with Thomas B. Roberts, a prominent professor in the field of Psychedelic Studies, to continue our series on the profound potential of psychedelics in end-of-life healing – including how they can ease our fears and anxieties surrounding death. Roberts discusses the four stages of the Psychedelic Renaissance and how he got into this field, despite the risk to his career before diving deep into death and dying research.
Join us as we explore the place of psychedelics in end-of-life healing and discuss the current research being conducted in this field. Don't miss it!
“I hope people will try to use organizations that exist to have sessions and [start] talking about psychedelics”
Thomas B. Roberts, PhD, an accomplished scholar and educator in the field of educational psychology. Dr. Roberts is widely recognized as the originator of the celebration of Bicycle Day, an annual event commemorating the first intentional LSD trip taken by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann in 1943.
Starting in 1981, Roberts taught Psychedelic Studies, predominantly as a seminar in NIU’s Honors Program, making it the world’s first such course. He has also authored several influential publications, including "Psychedelic Sacramentals," "Psychedelic Horizons," "The Psychedelic Future of the Mind," and "MindApps: Multistate Theory and Tools for Mind Design."
In addition to his academic pursuits, Thomas B. Roberts has served as the co-archivist of "Huxley to Huston Psychedelic Sacrament Quotations" and maintained a private psychedelic email list since 1994. He has delivered lectures and speeches on psychedelics and related topics in several countries worldwide. Listeners can find out more about Roberts' work and background on his Amazon author page, NIU academia page, and Inner Traditions author page.
Show notes:
* The academic field that could have killed his academic career
* The four stages of the Psychedelic Renaissance
* Placebo ability and the power to consciously heal
* The place of psychedelics in end of life healing
* Comparing Near Death, Ego Death and Physical Death Experiences
* Does religion create a fear of death?
* How psychedelics can ease our end-of-life fears
* Why psilocybin over LSD?
* The current research being conducted on psychedelics and healing
Links and references:
* Ligare
* Harvard Divinity School Videos
* California Institute of Integral Studies
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Our guest, Gisele Fernandes-Osterhold, has an impressive background in psychotherapy and a deep commitment to helping people navigate end-of-life fears. Her extensive experience in this field has given her a unique perspective on the ways in which we can find meaning and healing in the process of dying. In her role as Director of Facilitation for Psychedelic Therapy Studies at UCSF, Gisele is at the forefront of exploring the potential of psychedelic medicine to alleviate anxiety and depression associated with chronic illness and death. Her work is leading the way in this emerging field, and she is passionate about sharing her insights with others.
Despite the fact that our culture tends to shy away from discussions about death, Gisele believes that these conversations are crucial for our well-being and growth. By embracing a more open and honest approach to this important topic, we can better understand the true meaning of life and find greater peace and acceptance in the face of mortality.
“The theme of death always brings me in touch with how we're living.”
Gisele Fernandes-Osterhold is a psychotherapist, the director of facilitation for psychedelic therapy studies at the University of California San Francisco, a faculty member at the California Institute of Integral Studies, a mentor at the Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research and a clinical supervisor at the Alchemy Institute. Active in the mental health field for over 25 years, Gisele is specialized in the treatment of trauma, using an integrative approach rooted in Somatic, Humanistic-Existential and Transpersonal psychologies. Her vision for healing and wholeness is also informed by embodied spirituality, yoga, dance and traditions of her native Brazil. Being an immigrant to the United States and a woman of color, Gisele holds a deep dedication to diversity and inclusion processes and education.
Show notes:
* Living fully and mindfully
* The benefits of working with death at a young age
* Confronting Death: Awakening to Life's Meaning
* We are a death phobic culture, but what does that mean?
* Easing the transition of death and conversations had with those who are dying
* The role psychedelics can play in easing the fear and anxiety around death
* A new study involving psilocybin treatment with people with Parkinson’s
* Believe in the power of healing, and that lies inside of each of us
* “If the concrete physical death can destroy us, the topic of death can save us”
* Psychedelics and our relationship with chronic pain
* If you can walk, you can dance
Links and references:
* USCF Translational Psychedelic Research Program
* Talking about People through Dance
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We’d love to hear from you on political and health issues, and are currently soliciting stories from individuals, couples, and families who would like to share their healing stories with psychedelics.
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We take another deep dive into the world of psychedelic research with our guest, Brian Anderson, this week. Is there a place for group therapy with psychedelic medicine and treatment? Brian just concluded a clinical trial to study just that. Working with HIV/AIDS survivors, Brian and his team focused on the efficacy of group therapy following psychedelic treatment. The outcome was generally positive, not just for the trial participants but also for Brian and his fellow researchers, who have a renewed curiosity and optimism about what we can offer those seeking help from past trauma. The burning question on everyone's mind: will the government allow psychedelic research and trials to continue? Tune in to find out!
“I'm certainly more optimistic about how we can find ways to make psychedelic healing fit into conventional settings and do that in respectful and safe ways.”
Brian Anderson, MD MSc, is a psychiatrist and assistant clinical professor in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He is affiliated with the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics and UCSF Neuroscape. In 2018 he led a pilot clinical trial of psilocybin-assisted group therapy for demoralized long-term AIDS survivors. His research includes clinical trials as well as observational methods to assess the safety, clinical implementation, and regulation of the uses of psychedelics and other controlled substances.
Show notes:
* How Brian Anderson got involved with Psychedelic research
* Why research focuses on Psilocybin rather than LSD
* Is psychedelic group therapy in the near future?
* Brian’s study with HIV/AIDS survivors
* The impact dosage and preparatory work has on trail participants
* Some unwanted consequences to psilocybin treatments
* The headline of his trail
* Will the government allow psychedelic research and trails to continue?
Links and references:
* So You Want to be a Psychedelic Researcher?
* Pragmatic Trial of Psilocybin Therapy in Palliative Care
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Are you curious about palliative care? Do you know what it is or when to ask for it? Palliative care is a field that seeks to improve the quality of life for individuals facing serious illnesses or nearing the end of their lives. In this episode, we explore the world of palliative care with a leading expert in the field, Dr. Ira Byock, M.D. From the evolution of palliative care to the use of psychedelics, this episode will challenge your perceptions and offer new insights into how we can provide the best care possible for those facing life's most challenging moments.
“The potential for people to be well as they die should be the next big thing in American culture!”
Ira Byock, M.D. is a leading medical authority and public advocate for improving care through the end of life. Dr. Byock is an active emeritus professor of medicine and community & family medicine at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine and has been involved in hospice and palliative care since 1978. His research has contributed to conceptual frameworks for the lived experience of illness; measures for subjective quality of life during illness; and counseling methods for life completion. He is a past president of the Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
From 1996 to 2006 Dr. Byock directed a national grant project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that developed prototypes for concurrent palliative care within mainstream health care. From 2003 to mid-2013, he led the palliative care program at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and the Dartmouth health system based in Lebanon, N.H. Dr. Byock has authored numerous articles in academic journals, and his first book, Dying Well, has become a standard in the field of hospice and palliative care. The Four Things That Matter Most is widely used as a counseling tool within palliative care as well as pastoral care. The Best Care Possible presents the potential for health care transformation. Dr. Byock lectures nationally and internationally.
Show notes:
* What is Palliative Care?
* How palliative care has evolved
* Treating Sharon who had Cystic Fibrosis
* When Richard was hit by a Winnebago
* Why treating the whole person is so important
* The cost of palliative care is less than you would think
* When can you ask for palliative care?
* The use of psychedelics in palliative care
* The fundamental nature of health and illness is not medical – It's personal
Links and references:
* Psychedelic Wisdom
* Psychedelic Medicine
* The Best Care Possible
* Taking Psychedelics Seriously
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Addiction, psychedelic medicine, legalization and the decriminalization of sex work… Our guest, Randy Hencken, is no stranger to big ideas and challenging the status quo. As we discuss the topic of psychedelic medicines, our conversation naturally transitions to the decriminalization of sex work. Randy's experience with advocacy and political strategy in both fields provides valuable insight into the differences and similarities between these two areas of reform, and how they can inform each other in the pursuit of greater social justice.
“I learned that people aren't evil in most cases, that they just have different opinions they have different values”
Randy Hencken, is a business strategist for Prisms AI and recently a political consultant for Decriminalize Sex Work. He was a co-founder of Blue Frontiers, an organization that aimed to build a floating city in French Polynesia, and previously served as the Executive Director of The Seasteading Institute. In addition, Randy was the Chairman of the Board for Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the Communication Director for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), where he organized the first MAPS Psychedelic Science Conference in San Jose in 2011. He was also the Associate Director for the Ibogaine Association based in Mexico. Randy holds a Masters degree in Communication Studies and a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from San Diego State University. He is joining the show to discuss his successful overcoming of addiction to heroin and cocaine using the psychedelic medicine Ibogaine in 2001. Randy resides in Snowmass Village, Colorado with his wife and doodle, and spends as much time as he can outdoors, snowboarding, skiing, mountain biking, and white water rafting. He has led a camp at Burning Man for the past 20 years. He is also hosting two adventures bookending the Psychedelic Science conference in Denver this June, 2023. Learn more at about these excursions at www.ps23co.com
Show notes:
* Randy’s battle with Heroin
* How Randy kicked the habit with Iboga
* Is it time psychedelic freedom political party?
* Psychedelics have become mainstream now
* Adjusting post Ibogaine treatment
* The Dangers of Ibogaine and a possible solution
* A really clear path between wanting to legalize drugs and decriminalize sex work
* Legalization vs. Decriminalization
* A case study: New Zealand
* Should sex workers be licensed?
* The work Decriminalize Sex Work (DSW) does
* Psychedelic Science 2023 Colorado Mountain Adventures
Links and references:
* Psychedelic Science 2023 Colorado Mountain Adventures
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What does the current state of the world and addiction treatment programs have to do with Whitehead's process philosophy? John Buchanan, president of the Helios Foundation, brings them all together. He joins us to explore his personal healing journey, the use of psychedelics with terminal patients, and the possibility of life after death. John emphasizes the importance of understanding interconnectedness and taking deliberate action, which he has learned throughout many pivotal moments in his life. Our thought-provoking conversation offers insights into the complexities of our world and the importance of developing a holistic perspective in order to make positive change. Don't miss this intriguing conversation that offers a unique perspective on the world and the universe we inhabit.
“You know, we have a lot of choices in life and maybe there's choices in death too.”
John H. Buchanan received his master’s degree in humanistic/transpersonal psychology from West Georgia College and his doctorate from the Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts at Emory University. He has been trained and certified as a Holotropic Breathwork practitioner by Stan and Christina Grof. His book, "Processing Reality: Finding Meaning in Death, Psychedelics, and Sobriety", based upon his continuing interests in process philosophy and transpersonal psychology, was published in the fall of 2022. Buchanan has contributed a number of journal articles and book chapters on similar topics, and in 2020 was contributing co-editor for "Rethinking Consciousness: Extraordinary Challenges for Contemporary Science". Dr. Buchanan also serves as president of the Helios Foundation.
Show notes:
* We're living in a troubled world right now
* Five pivotal events that shaped John’s thinking
* John’s first psychedelic experience
* Working with Whitehead’s process philosophy
* Alternative modes of consciousness
* The use of psychedelics with terminal patients
* Ego Death VS. Dying
Links and references:
* Psychedelic Wisdom by Dr. Richard L. Miller
* Psychedelic Medicine by Dr. Richard L. Miller
* Coke Enders Alcohol and Drug Program
* Parapsychology, Philosophy, & Spirituality by David Griffin
* Processing Reality: Finding Meaning in Death, Psychedelics, and Sobriety by John Buchanan
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Sex work is a complex and multifaceted topic that is often surrounded by stigma and misconceptions. For many people, the idea of selling sex is morally reprehensible, and they believe that it should be illegal. However, there is a growing movement that argues that current laws often do more harm than good. Our guest, Ariela Moscowitz, is a passionate advocate for the rights of those involved in consensual adult sex work. Her work for the organization Decriminalizing Sex Work (DSW) functions to create a better future for sex workers and end sex trafficking.
This episode will provide an eye-opening exploration of the importance of decriminalizing sex work and its potential to improve the lives of countless individuals. We will have an open and honest discussion about the industry and the impact of current laws on sex workers and sex trafficking victims. Join us as we tackle this important topic. Together, we can work to make a safer, healthier, and better society for all.
“Decriminalizing sex work does not lead to a proliferation of folks engaging in sex work or trafficking in any way. On the contrary, decriminalization promotes health and safety, and we need to be realistic about that.”
Ariela Moscowitz is communications director at Decriminalize Sex Work (DSW), national organization pursuing a state-by-state strategy to end the prohibition of consensual adult prostitution in the United States. DSW works with local organizations, advocates, and lobbyists to build community support and convince legislators to decriminalize consensual adult sex work in an effort to end human trafficking, improve public health, and promote community safety. Ariela has a long history of working with marginalized groups and “a particular interest in working to promote access to justice for those who might otherwise be denied it.” She has worked at domestic violence shelters in Burlington, VT, and Miami, FL, in various capacities, and lived in Philadelphia, PA, for several years where she worked with unhoused women and children. She joined DSW from Americans for Immigrant Justice, a non-profit law firm based in Miami, dedicated to protecting the human and legal rights of immigrants. Ariela currently resides in Miami with her son.
Show notes:
* About the organization Decriminalize Sex Work
* What is sex trafficking?
* How decriminalization will help end sex trafficking
* The problem with “supply and demand”
* The entrapment and “end demand” models for laws
* Progress against the war on sex
* An acceptable form of discrimination in this country
* Decriminalization to improve folks' lives
Links and references:
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What does it take to build community and connection at the end of our lives? In this episode, we sit down with our guest Charles Bush to discuss his experiences working with those nearing the end of their lives. Charles shares his insights on the ideal end-of-life experience, emphasizing the universal desire for connection and love, which is something we all could use more of in these times.
Charles' insights and experiences working with seniors provide valuable lessons that we can all learn from. As we explore the positive effects of psychedelic medicines in promoting a good dying experience, Charles emphasizes the importance of intimacy in creating a safe and supportive environment. Join us for this enlightening conversation on the importance of community and connection, especially as we age and approach the end of our lives.
"Dying [should] become a real event for all of us instead of a tucked away secret that more often than not is marked by a certain kind of dismay and confusion"
– Charles Bush
Charles Bush has lived on the Mendocino Coast for nearly four decades. Before coming to the Coast, he managed large residential service operations on college campuses. He co-founded Mendocino's successful and long-lived Community School. He retired from his position as director of Chamisa Mesa School near Taos, New Mexico, and became the Executive Director of the Redwood Coast Senior Center, where he served for several years.
Show notes:
* Serving lunches to seniors
* The experience of working at a senior center
* Creating community
* The ideal end-of-life experience
* The one thing almost everyone says before the go
* The connection between good dying and good drug taking
* Different psychedelic experiences which build community
* A gentle caring and a touching intimacy
* Do you think about dying?
* Dying is nothing compared to grieving
* Dying is rooted in psychedelic or sacramental experience
* Would you take a psychedelic right as you died?
Links and references:
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Last year, on the same day she graduated from her psychedelic Assisted psychotherapy program, our guest – Heather A. Lee – received a breast cancer diagnosis. Taking a dose of her own medicine, Heather has been on a unique healing journey with psilocybin as part of her psychospiritual healing. Heather's journey reflects on the transformative power of psychedelics and the importance of embracing mortality to truly live. Tune in to hear Heather's inspiring experience and insight as a psychedelic-assisted psychotherapist.
“I'm completely in this place of faith and trust at my core. At my core, I don't have any fear around those things. It's like I've released them.”
Heather Lee is one of the first certified psychedelic assisted psychotherapists. She has been leading mind/body wellness programs and retreats for over 30 years. Her clients have included such acclaimed clients at the Golden Door, Four Seasons and One & Only.
Show notes:
* Heather’s first job with planned parenthood
* This incredible year of vagabonding
* Cancer and psychedelics
* Changing the fear based pattern of thinking
* Becoming a Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapist
* The inward journey with psilocybin
* The importance of integration
* Psychedelics to enhance your marriage
* Conquering the fear and anxiety around death
* Reframing and affirmations
* Medicine Woman Retreats and Heather's work
Links and references:
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We live in an exciting time for psychedelic research. While mental health is often the focus of these medicines, what about their use at the end of life? Our guest, Anthony (Tony) Bossis focuses specifically on those nearing end of life or in palliative care.
Tony is clearly passionate about what he does as we delve into cutting-edge research being conducted on the use of high-dose psilocybin for inducing peak experiences and its potential in end-of-life care. He explores the role of psychedelics in fighting demoralization and the fear of death, how we can expand the reach of psychedelic therapies, and the current political state of psychedelic research. His interests and experience make this a captivating and thought-provoking listen for all.
“It's always funny to be a scientist talking about love all the time, but I'm glad I am.”
Anthony P. Bossis, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine, an adjunct professor of classics and religious studies at the University of Ottawa, and an investigator at The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation. Since 2006, he has been conducting FDA-approved clinical research with the psychedelic compound psilocybin. Dr. Bossis was director of palliative care research and co-principal investigator on the 2016 clinical trial demonstrating a significant reduction in emotional distress from a single psilocybin session in persons with cancer or near the end of life, specifically, a rapid decrease in depression, anxiety, hopelessness, and demoralization along with improvements in spiritual well-being and quality of life. He is the study director and lead therapist on an FDA-approved clinical trial investigating a psilocybin-generated mystical experience with religious leaders.
Dr. Bossis is a training supervisor of psychotherapy at NYU-Bellevue Hospital and the co-founder and former co-director of the Bellevue Palliative Care Service. He is on the faculty of The Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research at the California Institute of Integral Studies and has a long-standing interest in comparative religion, mystical experience, and the interface of psychology and spirituality. His primary psychedelic research interests are the treatment of end-of-life existential distress and advancing our understanding of consciousness, meaning, and spirituality. Dr. Bossis is on the editorial board of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology and a guest editor (with Charles Grob, M.D.) for the journal’s Special Series on Psychedelics. He maintains a private psychotherapy and consulting practice in NYC.
Show notes:
* High dose psilocybin studies
* Having a peak experience
* The use of psychedelics with end of life
* Fighting demoralization
* A scientist speaking about love
* Can we escape fear of death?
* Work with near death experiences
* The risks of psychedelic use
* Research with psychedelics and Alzheimer's
* How to expand psychedelic therapy
* How Tony got into this work
* The present political state of psychedelic research
* This is a remarkable time in the world
Links and references:
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Join us as we explore the work of a hospice nurse and peek behind the curtain on a truly rewarding profession. “The Hospice Nurse Julie” gives us a deeper understanding of what hospice is, and the difference it can make in the lives of patients and their loved ones. Julie McFadden, a former ICU nurse, shares the challenges she faces, how to respond to a patient's request for “Death with Dignity”, how this career changed her life, and the sometimes unexpected "surge and rally" at the end of life. It is easy to see why her videos went viral, Julie brings joy and passion to what is often seen as a dark topic. Her determination to make a difference in the lives of her patients shines through.
“To me, hospice is about living. It provides you a space to live out the rest of your life.”
Julie McFadden, BSN, RN has been a nurse for 15 years. Julie is an experienced ICU, and now Hospice/Palliative Nurse. Julie has been featured in Newsweek, USA today, The Atlantic, The Business Insider, Medscape, People, Buzz feed, and several other articles worldwide. Julie has been passionate about normalizing death through education to the masses using social media. Her tiktok has 1.1 M followers, and you can find her on all social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube) at Hospice Nurse Julie.
You can find her on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
Show notes:
* What caused Julie to move from ICU to hospice?
* What Hospice Really Is
* “Can you take me out?”
* The surge and rally at end of life
* What it means to “see spirits”
* What percentage of people are in acceptance and ready to die gracefully?
* Is it uncertainty that leads to fear?
* The most challenging part of her work
* “I won't stop being a hospice nurse no matter what.”
* Going Viral over death and dying
Links and references:
* Follow Hospice Nurse Julie on TikTok
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It is often fun to bounce ideas between good friends. This conversation with Creon Levit is no different. Creon’s interests are vast, but one thing is for certain, he is working towards a better future. Looking at psychedelic use beyond treatment for mental illness, Creon shares with us the notable tech giants, and their possible inspirations, as well as a glimpse into his daily diet and routine.
“Your friendship is one of the highlights of my life. And so thank you for everything.”
Creon Levit worked for NASA as a research scientist for 32 years doing high performance computing, data visualization, computational aeronautics, quantum chemistry, and spacecraft optics. For the last eight years he has been chief technologist and Director of R&D for Planet Labs - a satellite imaging company that has built, launched, and operates almost 500 earth-imaging satellites.
Creon was good friends with Terrence McKenna, Sasha Shulgin, and John C. Lilly and has had a long interest in the intersection between psychedelics and technology.
Show notes:
* An applied physicist at NASA for 30 years – introducing Creon Levit
* Cyber Security and surveillance
* Psychedelics and technology
* The use of psychedelics for creativity
* The fallout for using some of these substances
* Whats the big deal in talking about these things?
* Are we in planetary conflict?
* How Creon changed his physiology *
* This is not medical advice- Always seek the advice of your health care provider before undertaking a new health care regimen
Links and references:
* Psychedelic Wisdom (Dr. Richard L. Miller)
* Psychedelic Medicine (Dr. Richard L. Miller)
* Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)
* How the Hippies Saved Physics (David Kaiser)
* Peter Attia: What if we're wrong about diabetes?
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“I'm the practical shaman, I want people to eat up the plate of food from this life.”
Renee Baribeau, the Practical Shaman, is an author, Wind Whistler, inspirational mentor, respected business coach, dynamic spiritual teacher, and keynote speaker. Renee is well known for her no-nonsense, “tell it like it is” approach in her Shamanic Apprenticeship Program. Her Nautilus Gold, Award-winning Hay House book, Winds of Spirit: Ancient Wisdom Tools for Navigating Relationships, Health, and the Divine helps others to achieve successful lifestyle practices by aligning to their sacred Magnetic North. Renee holds an executive marketing leadership position within the behavioral health industry.
Show notes:
* Renee’s first dismemberment experience
* Her early experiences with plant medicine and alcoholism
* Being radically awake and totally present
* The relationship between being radically awake and planning for the future
* Shamanistic practices with people who are terminally ill
* What is Karma?
* Clearing up ancestral hurt
* The Winds of Spirit
* The different kinds of winds
* Exercises that we can use to be better attuned to what the winds might be telling us
* Other ways to call the winds
* What the geographic winds mean in our lives
* How can people prepare when they're coming to the end of a season of life?
* “If you're going to eat a bowl of ice cream, eat it with a lot of love”
Links and references:
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It is human nature to seek a deeper understanding of our world and our connection to it. Often we look to philosophy or psychedelic experiences to find answers to life’s questions – what happens when the two intersect? Our guest, Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes, has dedicated his life to that very interaction. From exploring the philosophical history and the substances great philosophers may have used to how these principles apply in today’s world, Peter brings light to a field that is often overlooked in today’s psychedelic renaissance.
“People did say I had a lot to lose about 10 years ago, they said 'don't mention this it’s a career killer.' But actually, it sort of made my career many ways.”
Dr Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes is philosopher of mind and metaphysics who specializes in the thought of Spinoza, Nietzsche, and Whitehead, and in fields pertaining to altered and panpsychological states of consciousness. He is a research fellow and lecturer at the University of Exeter where he has co-founded the Philosophy of Psychedelics Exeter Research Group, the ambit of which includes taught modules, conferences, workshops, and publications. Peter is the author of Noumenautics, Modes of Sentience, editor of Bloomsbury's Philosophy and Psychedelics volume, the TEDx Talker on ‘psychedelics and consciousness’, and he is inspiration to the inhuman philosopher Marvel Superhero, Karnak.
Show notes:
* Bringing Psychedelics into Philosophy
* There is a struggle going on, on the planet, between two groups of people
* Psychedelics and culture
* Do you believe that life ends?
* What Spinoza means by the intellectual love of God
* The influence of psychedelics on philosophers today
* The integration of philosophy and psychology
* Something practical and something theoretical
Links and references:
* Psychedelic Wisdom (Dr. Richard L. Miller) AVAILABLE NOW
* Psychedelic Medicine (Dr. Richard L. Miller)
* Philosophy and Psychedelics (Dr. Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes)
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The book Changing Our Minds is an experiential tour through a social, spiritual, and scientific revolution that is redefining our culture’s often-confusing relationship with psychoactive substances. Its author (and my guest), Don Lattin, is well-researched and well spoken on the subject of psychedelic medicine. Speaking both from professional and personal experiences, he values these drugs for their healing potential, but cautions us – are psychedelics too popular now? Are we giving these powerful substances the respect they need?
“I think there's a danger in us forgetting that these drugs are not something to take lightly”
Veteran San Francisco based journalist, Don Lattin, is an award-winning journalist and author of six books, including The Harvard Psychedelic Club, published by HarperCollins in 2010, and Changing Our Minds – Psychedelic Sacraments and the New Psychotherapy, released in 2017 by Synergetic Press. Don has been writing about psychedelics for newspapers and magazines since the 1970s. In addition to his books, you can read his work on Lucid News.
Thank you for reading Mind Body Health & Politics. This post is public so feel free to share it.
Show notes:
* How Aldous Huxley experimented with LSD at the end of his life
* Dying with consciousness
* Psychedelic research groups
* The genesis of the fear of death
* End of life transition with psychedelics
* The most terrifying experiences, if you have a proper guide, are the best experiences
* Questions that would be beneficial to ask yourself near the end of life
* These drugs are not something to take lightly
* Treatments Don has tried personally
* The most effective immediate cure for depression
* Microdosing with mushrooms and LSD
Links and references:
* Psychedelic Wisdom (Dr. Richard L. Miller) AVAILABLE NOW
* Psychedelic Medicine (Dr. Richard L. Miller)
* A Really Good Day (Ayelet Waldman)
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In this highly informative episode our guest, Jahan Khamsehzadeh, gives us the nitty gritty on the ingestion and use of Psilocybin (often referred to as the “magic mushroom”.) Jahan lays out his research in a way that is not only understandable but comprehensive. Our topics include: how the medicine affects consciousness, proper dosing and safety, frequency of experience, potential negative effects, who should not take the medicine, anxiety regarding end-of-life transitioning, effects on sexuality, and so much more. This is a must-listen for all those interested in this topic.
“The point of psychedelic experiences is to have a good life.”
Jahan Khamsehzadeh, Ph.D. completed his dissertation on psychedelics at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco. His book, “The Psilocybin Connection: Psychedelics, the Transformation of Consciousness, and Evolution of the Planet—An Integral Approach” was published by North Atlantic Books and distributed Spring 2022 by Penguin Random House. The Audible version became the #1 new audiobook on mushrooms on Amazon.
He earned his Masters in Consciousness and Transformative Studies from John F. Kennedy University, and his Bachelors from the University of Arizona with a major in Philosophy and minors in Physics, Psychology, and Mathematics. Aside from academic work, he has undergone several major trainings, including graduating from the Hakomi somatic-psychotherapy program and training within the Mazatec mushroom tradition. He assisted the Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy Certificate training at CIIS for two years and mentored at the newly emerging School of Consciousness Medicine. He is a consultant for the Synthesis Psychedelic Guide training and a teacher for the PsiloHealth psychedelic peer supporter training. He works as a facilitator for legal psilocybin mushrooms ceremonies in Jamaica with Atman Retreats and offers integration sessions as part of his private practice. Jahan has been on dozens of podcasts talking about different cross section on psychedelics—from therapy and history to sexuality and development. To learn more about his practice, please visit www.PsychedelicEvolution.org.
Thank you for reading Mind Body Health & Politics. This post is public so feel free to share it.
Show notes:
* Why study Psilocybin?
* Near the end of life anxiety and psilocybin
* Creating an interconnected brain state
* Easing the fear of death
* Death is the greatest day of your life
* LSD VS. Psilocybin
* Establishing different doses with Psilocybins
* Good old fear again- why a guide is important
* The intersection of sex and psychedelics
* The negative side effects of psilocybin
* How often can one safely take psilocybin?
* Heart conditions and psychedelics
* If I died tomorrow, could I die with peace?
* Jahan Khamsehzadeh – A universe of five brothers
Links and references:
* Psychedelic Wisdom (Dr. Richard L. Miller) AVAILABLE NOW
* Psychedelic Medicine (Dr. Richard L. Miller)
* Roland Griffiths from John Hopkins
* Beyond the Narrow Life (Kile M. Ortigo)
* Free online psychedelic training
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Our guest, Andrew Penn, is a prominent researcher at the University of California-San Francisco, and he brings us up-to-date information on the clinical research happenings with psychedelic medicine. Andrew’s insights on the research being conducted, the risks and benefits of psilocybin and MDMA, and his first-hand experience as a psychedelic nurse create a compelling listen for anyone interested in these powerful substances. While it is clear that psychedelics hold a great deal of potential in the treatment of depression and PTSD, it is also clear that a lot more research is needed. Be it in a lab or in practice, Andrew works to promote healing within. He leaves us with a thought that is near and dear to the heart of this program – that “the thing about psychedelic experiences is they can create this experience of reunification, that people feel like they are attached to something larger than themselves.”
“We can feel connected to something bigger and more important, and, perhaps that experience of reconnection has the potential to healing.”
Andrew Penn, MS, PMHNP is a Clinical Professor in the University of California, San Francisco, School of Nursing where his teaching has received the UCSF Academic Senate Distinction in Teaching Award, among other recognitions. He has practices as a psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner, treating veterans at the San Francisco Veterans Administration Hospital. As a researcher, he collaborates on psychedelics studies of psilocybin and MDMA in the Translational Psychedelics Research (TrPR) lab at UCSF.
A leading voice in nursing, he is a cofounder of the Organization of Psychedelic and Entheogenic Nurses (OPENurses.org), advocating for the perspective of nurses in psychedelic therapy. He has published on psychedelics in the American Journal of Nursing, Frontiers in Psychiatry, and The Journal of Humanistic Psychotherapy. An internationally invited speaker, he has lectured at SXSW, Aspen Health Ideas Festival, the Singapore Institute of Mental Health, and Oxford University.
Thank you for reading Mind Body Health & Politics. This post is public so feel free to share it.
Show notes:
* What’s going on at UCSF in the area of psychedelic research
* Developing psilocybin treatment for depression
* The decriminalization movement that we're seeing
* The physiological effects of psychedelic medicines
* MDMA for PTSD
* Potential changes to the FDA’s schedule of drugs
* The importance of caution
* Negative side effects to be aware of
* Psychedelic and entheogenic nurses
* Creating connection with psychedelics
Links and references:
* Psychedelic Wisdom (Dr. Richard L. Miller) PREORDER NOW
* Psychedelic Medicine (Dr. Richard L. Miller)
* Interested in participating in a clinical trial? - Find out more
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If you want to have a happy evening sitting around with friends or family, you don't talk about religion, sex, money, and politics. Another topic, perhaps, is death and dying. Death is a part of all of our lives and something that we should feel normal discussing. What if we had someone to walk alongside us and make the prospect of the end of life something less scary? That is exactly the role an end-of-life doula takes. My Guest, Catherine Durkin Robinson, works as a death doula – offering her services to those with a terminal diagnosis and those who want to learn about the dying process alike. Talking about death and owning the process could very well be the key to breaking out of our fear and making it a sacred, almost joyful event.
“We're talking about reducing fear, reducing anxiety, so that they can have a more joyful death.”
Catherine Durkin Robinson is a death doula and educator. She graduated from the University of Vermont's End-of-Life Doula program and belongs to National End-of-Life Doula Alliance. She was also a longtime hospice-trained volunteer and registered pre-need counselor in the state of Florida before relocating to Chicago in July 2022. Her varied career includes 30 years as a political organizer, 10 years as an educator at the high school and college level, and 10 years as a newspaper columnist in Tampa.
Currently, she serves people at end of life and teaches classes at colleges and community organizations through her private practice, Anitya Doula Services, in Chicago. She also serves as a death doula with the Diaspora Psychedelic Society in Jamaica.
Show notes:
* What is a doula?
* Becoming an end of life doula
* The people who seek out a death doula
* Catherine’s goal is to normalize the conversation about end-of-life
* “Doula for a Day” with Richard
* What an advanced care directive is
* Your familiarity with the dying process
* End of life and psychedelics
* More and more places are decriminalizing plant medicine
* Dying joyfully, rather than consciously
Links and references:
* Psychedelic Wisdom- PREORDER NOW
* Diaspora Psychedelic Society
* The National End-of-Life Doula Alliance “NEDA”
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Conversations about the end of life are hard and often uncomfortable – but needed. Have you talked with your loved ones about the topic; Where you would like to be? Who should be taking care of you? These are all questions our guest, Siobhan Greene, advocates for in her work. While death and dying is uncomfortable, it is a natural process that we all go through in life. It is Siobhan’s hope that if we talk about it, we may be better equipped, as a society, to have a deepened understanding of it.
“These are the topics that are incredibly relevant to all of us yet difficult sometimes to lean into and to understand”
Siobhan Greene, began serving as President/CEO for Hospice Giving Foundation in August 2013. She specializes in nonprofit executive and financial management, board governance, marketing, and fundraising. Dedicated to the movement to improve quality care at end of life, Siobhan is an active member of the Serious Illness Funders Collaborative, a national collective examining the system of end-of-life care, and she facilitates local professional collaboratives addressing needs in Monterey County. Her past professional experience includes working with children, mental health services, and at-risk community groups. Before joining HG Foundation, Siobhan was Executive Director of CASA of Monterey County for 11 years and currently serves on CASA’s Board of Directors. Siobhan began her career working in in-patient psychiatric services in the Bay Area prior to moving the Monterey Peninsula. Siobhan was President of the Rotary Club of Carmel-by-the-Sea (2016) and is past-commissioner for Monterey County’s Juvenile Justice Commission having been chair in 2012. Siobhan served on California CASA Board of Directors focusing on statewide system improvement for children in foster care; is past-chair of and continues to be active with the Monterey Bay Association of Fundraising Professionals; and has served on AFP’s National Philanthropy Day local organizing committee for over 10 years.
Show notes:
* Hospice and encouraging community
* When does the end of life process begin?
* A conversation through the end of life
* The Hospice Giving Foundation
* Palliative Care vs. Hospice Care
* Talking about end of life
* Treating people as a whole person
* Conversations with your family
* Is there a place for psychedelics in end of life?
* An act of love to let somebody care for you during your final days
Links and references:
* Psychedelic Wisdom
* Psychedelic Medicine
Thank you for reading Mind Body Health & Politics. This post is public so feel free to share it.
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Have a Healing Story to Share?
We’d love to hear from you on political and health issues, and are currently soliciting stories from individuals, couples, and families who would like to share their healing stories with psychedelics.
(Learn more about Wilbur Hot Springs)
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Can you imagine your way to a better future? That is exactly what our guest, Sandy Turner, is hoping to achieve through his participation in Transition Towns. These areas are transitioning away from individualistic private property, huge corporations, and extreme inequality, and transitioning towards cooperation, regenerative systems, social and environmental justice, and community creativity. As this concept expands, we hope that together we can create stronger communities and a better society for all, because after all – good health is worth fighting for and is essential for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
“Being a friendly neighbor... that's what attracts me to Transition Towns.”
Sandy Turner has lived in Northern California for 50 years and most of that has been in Mendocino County. In 2011, he helped start a Transition Town in Ukiah that was called Transition Ukiah Valley. He was one of 7 people on the steering committee for the project. Transition Ukiah Valley also had 6 or 8 groups of people focused on a variety of topics who put on films, potlucks, community bike rides, Skill Shares, and Free Markets collaborating with the Mendo Free Skool and the Mendocino Environmental Center. Since then, Sandy moved to the Mendocino Coast and has helped start a Transition Mendo Coast group (TMC). This group has held a Farm Helping Day and popular game nights for the community. TMC has also planted fruit trees at a local emergency preparedness HUB.
Show notes:
* What is a Transition Town?
* How Transition Towns get started
* How people can join the movement
* Building a community
* What if…
* Use imagination, creativity, and play to help build the future
Links and references:
* Transition Mendo Coast Facebook
* From What Is to What If- Rob Hopkins
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Our guest, Police Lieutenant Sarko Gergerian of the Winthrop Massachusetts Police Department, is fighting for change. Change in policy, change in the way drugs are classified, and a change in the way officers can reach out for help. He dreams of a day when first responders have access to the mental health care they need and the War on Drugs is over. Sarko is not only a peace officer in Massachusetts, he is also a psychotherapist, Karate Professor, and advocate for psychedelic medicines – having experienced firsthand the healing potential they have. We discuss the challenges first responders face, the domestic violence problem, and the changes that are being made to make our nation a better place.
“This is one of the most amazing countries on earth, in my opinion. And it deserves reverence and care. And we need to keep working to make it better”
Sarko Gergerian is a master's level clinical mental health counselor with a background in philosophy, religion, and psychology, and is currently doing doctorate-level work at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Depth, Jungian and Archetypal Psychology. He is trained in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and holds the 100-hour certificate from the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). He is the first working peace officer in the country to complete an experiential training component sanctioned by the Federal Government which allowed entry into an expanded state of consciousness by MDMA during psychotherapy and the first to earn the Certified Addiction Recovery Coach (CARC) credential from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Sarko currently works as a police peace officer at the rank of Lieutenant and a psychotherapist. In these roles, he founded one of the first Guardianship police models in the country known as C.L.E.A.R. He is a certified police peer professional who works to not only find and help civilians stay out of cages and caskets, but also connect with first responders so they do not succumb to job-related stress injury. In his lifetime, he has worked as a certified personal trainer, natural bodybuilding competitor/coach, and mental health first aid instructor. He is a published thinker, national trainer, and international speaker. He is an activist working to bring the War on Drugs to an end.
Sarko believes that a strong therapeutic alliance is foundational to psychotherapy. He uses empathy, active listening, and proper questions to engage in meaningful therapeutic dialogue, which is always trauma-informed, strengths-based, and person-centered. He believes that resilience and capacity expansion in all of the domains of wellness should be central to self-care. In addition to policing and psychotherapy, he holds professor-level rank in American Kenpo Karate (AKK) and is a certified Heart Math meditation instructor and trainer.
Show notes:
* The first working police officer in the United States to earn the certified addiction recovery coach credential – Police Lieutenant Sarko Gergerian
* The different types of education police offers should have
* The Federal Bureau of Narcotics made everything worse- how has policing adapted?
* Could safe supply be the answer to our drug problems?
* The war on drugs is a terrible war
* Moral injury and the domestic violence problem
* These people are people in need of support
* How did a police officer come to realize the potential benefits of psychedelics?
* The wheels of change go very, very slowly
* The positive impact of Martial Arts
* The importance of firearms training for police officers
Links and references:
* Psychedelic Wisdom
* Psychedelic Medicine
* Good Cop, Bad War
* Ecstatic
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(Learn more about Wilbur Hot Springs)
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What does it mean to reduce harm in treatment? For years we have had many methods to treat substance abuse; abstinence programs, as a disease… yet we have more drug overdoses today than ever before. There is a drive to embrace a new way of thinking, and that is in harm reduction. Our guest, Dr. Andrew Tatarsky, has dedicated his life to this epidemic and has developed an Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy treatment for drug and substance abuse. He meets people where they are, listens with compassion, and works to create a relationship with those he treats, so they feel safe and can heal. Dr. Tatarsky walks with his patients on their journey as they figure it out together – and couldn’t we all use someone to walk with when we are struggling?
“If the treatment isn't more appealing than the symptom or the drug? Why should somebody go to treatment?”
Andrew Tatarsky is an internationally recognized leader in the treatment of problematic substance use and other potentially risky behaviors. He has specialized in the field of substance use treatment for 35 years working as a counselor, psychologist, program director, trainer, advocate and author. He has devoted his career to developing a comprehensive psychobiosocial understanding of the broad spectrum of substance use problems and an integrative harm reduction psychotherapy approach to treating this spectrum.
Dr. Tatarsky is Founder and Director of the Center for Optimal Living in NYC, a treatment and professional training center based on Integrative Harm Reduction Therapy (IHRP) for the spectrum of substance misuse and other high-risk behaviors. He earned his doctorate in clinical psychology from the City University of New York and is a graduate of New York University's Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. He is a member of the medical and clinical advisory panels to the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services of New York State. Dr. Tatarsky is a founding member and twice past-president of the Division on Addiction of New York State Psychological Association.
Show notes:
* Richard’s Introduction to Harm Reduction programs
* How harm reduction emerged
* The failures of abstinence based disease model treatment
* The addiction as a disease model
* Is it an impulse control disorder?
* The Psychobiosocial interaction in our habits
* What place does detoxification have in harm reduction?
* Finding motivation to change
* The most important variable in psychotherapy is the alliance between the patient and the therapist
* Coffee addictions
* What is driving harm reduction today?
* Can someone succeed with controlled use?
* Harm Reduction Therapy is compassionate pragmatism
Links and references:
* Harm Reduction Psychotherapy – Andrew Tatarsky
* Coke Enders Alcohol and Drug Program
* Games Alcoholics Play – Claude Steiner
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Sitting down with Cathy Reisenwitz was a wonderful peek into sex work and the intellectual ideas revolving around it. Cathy’s journey from an evangelical, to a sugar baby, and now a thriving journalist is a testament to anyone working to forge their own path in life. From her personal story to politics, the impact of socioeconomic status, masculinity, and choice – we talk about it all in this week's program.
“As the war on drugs [is] kind of ramping down, I believe, the war on sex is ramping up.”
Cathy Reisenwitz is a writer with bylines in VICE, Reason, the Daily Beast, The Week, and other publications. Her newsletter is Sex and the State on Substack – a newsletter about power. Cathy works to end loneliness and foster human connection through her writing.
Show notes:
* Coming from Huntsville, Alabama- Author and Journalist Cathy Reisenwitz
* As the war on drugs is ramping down the war on sex is ramping up
* The laws surrounding sex work vs. sex trafficking
* The attitudes towards sex growing up in Madison County
* Cathy’s journey from evangelical life to sex work in the nation’s capital
* How the Sex work industry is similar to the food industry
* How the SESTA/FOSTA law impacted sex work
* What it means to be a Sugar Baby vs. an Escort
* The importance of a contract
* Masculinity and sexuality
* Sex in the State
* The impact sex work has had on her life and future
Links and references:
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Coming to you from across the pond, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jemma Richards from the Love This Food Thing podcast. Now in the show’s fifth season, Jemma opens the door to conversations about food, creating a “smorgasbord” of stories for people to relate to and find support in. While we live thousands of miles away from each other, we found common ground in our ideas on food, society, and our desire to create a community of like-minded people. Through her show, much like mine, Jemma works to promote healing through the modality of sharing stories and encouraging conversation. I encourage you to check out her podcast and blog after this episode, as I am certain you will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed our deep conversation.
“I'm trying to open up the conversation and have something for everybody.”
Jemma Richards is the creator and host of the Love This Food Thing Podcast. The podcast pivots on the premise, “food: friend or foe?” After years of eating disorders but now recovered, Jemma decided to open up the conversation to find out how other people manage their relationship with food, and how it affects their behavior. Jemma believes that eating disorders are symptomatic of an imbalanced relationship with the Self, but if properly understood and recovered from, they can be powerful healing tools. Alongside hosting the podcast, she is also a voiceover artist and writer who shuttles between London and the lovely British seaside.
Show notes:
Trigger Warning: This episode contains talk of eating disorders
* Introducing “Love This Food Thing” podcast host – Jemma Richards
* Richard and Jemma’s personal struggles with food
* Her “ah-ha” moment where she found help
* Healing is more about incorporating it into one’s system
* Is bread the healer of the world or a method of control?
* The reasons behind a plant based diet
* Are we eating too much?
* How Jemma promotes healing with her podcast
* What five foods would you take to an island of your choice?
* Cultural differences regarding food in the United States and the United Kingdom
* The economics behind healthy eating
* Pending issues in the food supply chain
* An idea for community initiatives and gardens
* Using social media to promote community
Links and references:
* Love This Food Thing Podcast
* Past episodes mentioned: Sylvia Earle https://open.substack.com/pub/mindbodyhealth/p/renowned-oceanographer-dr-sylvia-444?r=1lcdpn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
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As you may know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Almost everyone will be touched at some point by a breast cancer diagnosis – either personally, or through a loved one. My listeners may not know that I recently experienced my own cancer scare with metastatic melanoma of the nodular kind – a serious condition that is often deadly. In my case, however, it was a wonderful experience because I had to deal with the fact that I may be what we call “dying.” I’m pleased to say that I rose to the challenge by reminding myself that there really is only now – there is no future and there is no past. I am now cancer-free, but the experience reminded me that we are all living on borrowed time.
Awareness is a crucial component of raising consciousness, and sometimes it takes a serious wake-up call to motivate a positive change of mind. I recently spoke with Dr. Jennifer Shin, a medical oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, specializing in the care of patients with breast cancer. Dr. Shin has just co-authored Living with Breast Cancer: The Step-by-Step Guide to Minimizing Side Effects and Maximizing Quality of Life, which provides a great service for anyone looking to raise their consciousness around this topic, or any potentially terminal diagnosis.
“Palliative care is, in a nutshell, helping people to live well when they have a serious diagnosis like cancer.” – Dr. Jennifer Shin
Dr. Shin is also a palliative medicine physician and the co-director of the MGH Palliative Care Outpatient Clinic. As the first dual-trained oncologist and palliative care clinician at MGH, she leverages her clinical skills and perspectives to bring innovative approaches to improve treatment, quality of life, and outcomes in total cancer care. She enjoys teaching residents and fellows and oversees the palliative care education for the internal medicine residents at MGH.
Her book encompasses the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, supportive care of symptoms from cancer and cancer therapies, and coping with cancer through the progression of cancer and the end of life.
As a practicing breast oncologist and palliative care physician, she finds great joy in working with and learning from her patients and colleagues. She is inspired by her patients who allow her to accompany them on their journey toward finding a renewed sense of meaning and hope.
I hope this interview will find its way to the listeners who need it most, and I encourage you to share it with others who could benefit from this awareness.
Show notes:
* October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
* My introduction to cancer through metastatic melanoma
* The positive aspects of the cancer diagnosis - Living with the belief that I was on my way to another place.
* What is palliative care? Helping people feel well at the end of life
* The interdisciplinary functions of palliative care
* What happens following a breast cancer diagnosis?
* Answering the hard questions: Am I going to die?
* How can we get rid of it?
* The stages of cancer, and what they mean for survival
* How optimal screening and removal decisions are made
* The low risks of radiation imaging procedures
* The treatment paths for different stages.
* When to do chemotherapy vs. surgery.
* Considerations around mastectomies – why can’t you just cut the cancer out?
* How common is breast cancer and what causes it?
* Managing the unwanted complications of breast cancer treatment
* Managing depression, preventative factors, exercise and weight loss
* Empowering people through education.
Links and references:
* Living with Breast Cancer: The Step-by-Step Guide to Minimizing Side Effects and Maximizing Quality of Life by Dr. Jennifer Shin, et al.
* Breast Cancer Awareness Month
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(Learn more about Wilbur Hot Springs)
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What do sex education and psychedelics have in common? Both need to be approached without shame or guilt. Drawing inspiration from the Burning Man community (as a 10-time visitor) for both getting rid of sexual shame and her work in the field of psychedelics, our guest – Dr. Lea Lis – works to promote a “No Shame” lifestyle. From running her psychedelic treatment center in the Hamptons to helping parents navigate sex talks with their children, Dr. Lis wants everyone to be their authentic selves. We sit down to talk about her new book “No Shame: Real Talk With Your Kids About Sex, Self-Confidence, and Healthy Relationships", but whether you have kids or not, it's about owning your own sexual values and living life shameless.
“And in life, you always have to focus on the pearls. Like, no matter what's happened to you, you can always find the pearls of it, and you focus on those. Otherwise, you're gonna live your life and misery.”
Dr. Lea Lis is known as the "Shameless Psychiatrist." She is a medical doctor who is a double board-certified Adult and Child Psychiatrist, and has been working with families since the beginning of her psychiatric career. She wrote a book called "No Shame: Real Talk With Your Kids About Sex, Self-Confidence, and Healthy Relationships" (2022) as a guide for parents as they seek to help their children through the maze of sexuality and intimate relationships in the 21st century. She has spent more than a decade as a psychiatrist working with parents and children in almost every imaginable type of family, and believes that children thrive in loving and respectful environments. It’s that simple—and that complicated. Her goal is to help all parents raise strong, secure, and resilient children who become strong, secure, and resilient adults—an aspiration that resonates across the lines of identity and sexuality. Dr. Lis recently opened Hampton Insight Institute (HII), a private practice that offers Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) in Southampton, New York. HII provides psychedelic therapy for people suffering from different disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder.
Show notes:
* Introducing double board certified psychiatrist- Dr. Lea Lis
* How Burning Man has influenced her work
* Dr. Lis’ thoughts on Ketamine Therapy
* Zoom therapy vs. in-person treatment
* What are shame and guilt?
* Some examples of shame – Weight and Height
* Living a “No Shame” lifestyle
* Creating compassionate discussions about sex with children
* How cultural hypocrisy affects us
* Different parenting styles – authoritarian, permissive, neglectful
* Other topics of major shaming between parents and children
* How culture and socioeconomic status affect shame
* The use of Ketamine as a way of treating shame
* Cognitive reframing with your children
* How parents can teach honesty and integrity
* Is giving kids money a disincentive to creating contributing members of society?
* Reach out and look for psychedelic practitioners in your area
Links and references:
* No Shame – Dr. Lea Lis
* Roland Griffiths Interview on Mind, Body, Health, and Politics
* Tall Girl (Netflix)
* Leo Zeff – The Secret Chief
* The Year of Living Danishly – Helen Russell
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“ The fact that homeopathic remedies are great, and they're safer and more powerful than conventional medicines, is something that's not a convenient thing for people invested in pharmaceuticals to know.”
Jerry M. Kantor is the author of “Sane Asylums, The Success of Homeopathy Before Psychiatry Lost Its Mind” (2022). His previous books are; “Autism Reversal Toolbox, Strategies, Remedies, Resources”(2022); “The Toxic Relationship Cure: Clearing Traumatic Damage from a Boss, Parent, Lover, or Friend with Natural, Drug-free Remedies” (2014); “Interpreting Chronic Illness: The Convergence of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Homeopathy, and Biomedicine” (2013); and (under the pseudonym Chaim Yankel) “Heymischer Homeopathy, the Schmendrick’s Guide to Remedying Yiddish Kvetches” (2017). A forthcoming book will detail the relationship between existential quandaries and chronic illness. He holds a B.A. in philosophy from Queens College, CUNY; a master’s in the management of human services from Brandeis University; and is a graduate of the Advanced Acupuncture Program for Foreign Students, Nanjing College of Traditional Medicine, People’s Republic of China.
Show notes:
* What homeopathic treatment of the mentally challenged is
* A homeopathic treatment example
* The idea of animism
* Can psychedelics be used in homeopathy?
* Another case study with a homeopathic treatment
* Where homeopaths get their information
* “Moral Care” philosophy
* The problems with pharmaceutical medicine
* How homeopathy is doing as a profession in the United States
* What the public should take away with regard to homeopathy
Links and references:
* Psychedelic Wisdom – Dr. Richard L. Miller
* Psychedelic Medicine – Dr. Richard L. Miller
* Rolland Griffiths at Johns Hopkins
* The Myth of Mental Illness– Thomas S. Szasz MD
* Anatomy of an Epidemic – Robert Whitaker
* Schools for Homeopathy- NASH
Jerry and Richard speak a lot about the dangers of SSRIs- want to know more? Check out our past episode! https://www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/p/anatomy-of-an-epidemic-anti-depressants-358?r=1lcdpn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
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You have heard the quote, “Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Our guest today – Dr. J. Christian Greer – has made it his life’s work to ensure we understand the history of psychedelic culture and learn from it. In our interview, you can hear the passion Greer has for this branch of religious history. We discuss psychedelic-assisted churches, the Grateful Dead fandom, and the global history of psychedelic spirituality. Why is understanding history important to the average person getting involved in psychedelics today? Greer hopes that society can return to the knowledge that psychedelics have always been an integral part of human culture, both as a source of healing and religious exultation. As it pertains to the current psychedelic renaissance, in Greer’s words, “we don't learn anything. We just remember what's always been.”
“Let us focus on the sublime affection that love brings to us all.”
Dr. J. Christian Greer is a scholar of Religious Studies specializing in the global history of psychedelic spirituality. While a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Divinity School, he led a series of research seminars that culminated in the creation of the Harvard Psychedelic Walking Tour, a free audio guide detailing how the Harvard community has shaped the modern history of psychedelic culture. His latest book, Kumano Kodo: Pilgrimage to Powerspots (OSGH Press), analyzes pilgrimage folklore that animates the rainforest landscapes of Japan's Kii peninsula, and his forthcoming book, Angelheaded Hipsters: Psychedelic Militancy in Nineteen Eighties North America (Oxford University Press), explores the expansion of psychedelic culture in the late Cold War era. He is currently a lecturer at Stanford University.
Show notes:
* The history of psychedelic culture
* “The Grateful Dead,” psychedelics, and spirituality
* The importance of the past in psychedelic history
* How psychedelics can help us heal our wounds
* The origins of religion and psychedelics
* Jesus was a mushroom? What does that mean?
* Academic suicide– what happens when scholars speak up about psychedelics
* Are we building towards a change in culture with the Psychedelic Renaissance?
* Microdosing throughout history
* The importance of inner research
* The “stoned ape” theory
* Real power is togetherness
Links and references:
* Psychedelic Wisdom
* The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross by John Allegro
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Ever wondered about the uses for psychedelic medicines such as LSD, psilocybin, Ayahuasca, and MDMA? How to use them, how to integrate their effects in to your every day life, or what potential health risks there are? Our guest this week – Dr. Rick Strassman – has the answers, fresh off of his marathon 4-hour-long appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience. Well, we only went for 2 hours, but that was a new record for my program.
Following the release of his newest book, The Psychedelic Handbook: A Practical Guide to Psilocybin, LSD, Ketamine, MDMA, and Ayahuasca, Strassman discusses his ideas on the big four and everything in between.
“I think you need to be open-minded about your experiences.”
A native of Los Angeles, Dr. Strassman obtained his undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from Stanford University and his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. He trained in general psychiatry at UC Davis in Sacramento and took a clinical psychopharmacology research fellowship at UC San Diego. Joining the faculty at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in 1984, his clinical research with melatonin discovered its first known function in humans. Between 1990-1995 he performed the first new US clinical research with psychedelic drugs in a generation. His studies involved DMT, and to a lesser extent psilocybin, and received federal and private funding. From 1995-2008 he practiced general psychiatry in the community mental health and the private sectors. He has authored or co-authored nearly 50 peer-reviewed papers, has served as guest editor and reviewer for numerous scientific journals and consulted to various government, non-profit, and for-profit entities.
His book DMT: The Spirit Molecule (2001) has sold more than 250,000 copies, been translated into 14 languages, and is the basis of a successful independent documentary that he co-produced. In 2008, he co-authored Inner Paths to Outer Space. He has also written DMT and the Soul of Prophecy (2014) and his first novel, Joseph Levy Escapes Death, appeared in 2019. His latest book, The Psychedelic Handbook, came out in August 2022. Dr. Strassman is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the UNM School of Medicine and lives in Gallup, New Mexico.
Show notes:
* A visionary in psychedelic medicine, Dr. Rick Strassman
* Leo Zeff and Richard’s interaction with him
* Good vs. evil in the world
* How a medicine that facilitates empathy (MDMA) can bolster racism, misogyny, white supremacy, and hate
* Rick Strassman’s motivation for writing the Psychedelic Handbook
* The four major psychedelic medicines
* Ketamine for treatment-resistant depression and other conditions
* The difference between a “guide” and a “sitter”
* The benefits of psilocybin and LSD
* The risk of coming unraveled
* Richard’s experience with DMT and the universe
* The hallmark of any full psychedelic experience is that it is more real than real
* Marijuana paranoia
* The cardiovascular effects of MDMA
* Stimulated imagination that comes from psychedelics
* Is "psychedelic tourism" safe?
* Salvia Divinorum
* The importance of reading, studying psychology, and religion
* Three important questions to ask yourself when taking psychedelics
* Micro-dosing
* Let’s talk integration
Links and references:
* Secret Chief Revealed (Leo Zeff)
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Almost every person interviewed on this show has talked about one thing; the overwhelming sense of unity they feel after using psychedelic medicines. Our guest- Tommy Pool- is no different. Looking back on his first trip with LSD, he remembers the closeness he felt with the friends around him. Now, many years later, he believes he is much more open, insightful, creative, and grounded because of psychedelics. Having used (and sometimes misused) these drugs as a teen “sub rosa,” and in light of new legislation in states like Colorado and increased national support, Tommy feels it is time to speak openly about the lasting benefits found with psychedelic medicines.
“To take that risk and be willing to see things in a different way... [It’s] Love. And as far as I can see, everything that you've talked about, it's love. "
Tommy came to us as a listener of this program. He heard our call for stories and felt compelled to share his. He is a psychotherapist and addiction specialist with approximately 30 years in the field working to heal others, and credits his early drug use for his career path and life purpose. While he knows there is a risk to speaking out about alternative medicines and psychedelic-assisted therapy- especially in his home state of Texas- Tommy feels this is the next chapter of his life. By sharing his story, openly joining the psychedelic community, and learning from other pioneers in the field, Tommy hopes to bring new awareness to the vast benefits he has experienced firsthand. We hope listening to his journey will inspire others to speak out and share their experiences as well. Every story of healing strengthens the bond we share and is a welcome addition to the psychedelic renaissance we now find ourselves in.
Show notes:
- Tommy’s first experience with psychedelics (9:16)
- What happened if he got caught with drugs growing up in Texas (16:24)
- Tommy Pool’s purpose in life- to heal others (18:37)
- The use of psychedelic medicines as part of the healing process (22:13)
- After a 10 year hiatus, Tommy experimented with psychedelics again (33:29)
- What happened to change Tommy’s attitude toward these substances (35:21)
- The sense of unity that comes from psychedelic experiences (38:01)
- The research supporting psychedelic medicine is growing (41:37)
- Do people in Texas believe in Organic Food? (44:05)
- Living in Texas, Tommy attributes the use of psychedelics to his open mindedness (50:58)
Links and references:
Psychedelic Wisdom
Psychedelic Medicine
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We're all dreaming up together, and if we don't recognize that, we're fated to destroy ourselves. That's what my work is about. That's what I'm continually trying to get across to people.
In 1981, due to intense personal trauma, Paul Levy had a life-changing spiritual awakening in which he began to recognize the dreamlike nature of reality. During this year, Paul was (mis)diagnosed with what was then called manic-depression (now called bipolar disorder). Little did the doctors realize, however, that he was taking part in a mystical awakening/shamanic initiation process, which at times mimicked psychosis, but in actuality was a spiritual experience of a far different order.
After the trauma of his shamanic breakdown/breakthrough, he became a certified art teacher. Due to his interest in the work of C. G. Jung, by the end of the decade, he became the manager of the C. G. Jung Foundation Book Service in New York, as well as the advertising manager for the Jungian journal Quadrant. In 1993, he began giving talks and facilitating groups based on how life is a shared waking dream that we are all co-creating and co-dreaming together. He is the founder of the Awakening in the Dream Community in Portland, Oregon.
A Tibetan Buddhist practitioner for over 30 years, he has intimately studied with some of the greatest spiritual masters of Tibet and Burma. He was the coordinator of the Portland chapter of the Padmasambhava Buddhist Center for over twenty years. A pioneer in the field of spiritual emergence, Paul is a wounded healer in private practice, helping others who are also awakening to the dreamlike nature of reality.
Show notes:
Introducing a pioneer in the field of spiritual emergence- Paul Levy (2:10)
Awakening in the Dream community (3:43)
What is the Wetiko virus? (8:40)
The “mental breakdown” that lead to Paul’s spiritual awakening (12:43)
“A shamanic descent into the darkness of the underworld of the unconscious” AKA Psychiatric Hospitalization (23:43)
Wetiko in the outside world (28:00)
How is the virus transmitted? (30:26)
The effects on our collective psyche (36:59)
Is Wetiko like Satan or Jung's concept of animus? (40:10)
The treatment plan for this mind virus (42:05)
Wetiko can take over and possess anyone- how to be a part of the solution (51:22)
Why it is so important to self-reflect (58:18)
Links and references:
The Madness of George W. Bush
Jung’s Animus
Paul’s other books
Awaken In the Dream
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Did you know, if a government official takes a psychedelic treatment for PTSD, they lose their security clearance? After finding success with psychedelics for the treatment of his own PTSD, that government restriction is exactly what our guest, Jon Connors, hopes to lift. I sat down with Jon to hear about his personal experiences and what has inspired him to take action on a national level. This episode covers some heavy topics such as suicidal tendencies, depression, and isolation; but ends on a positive note with the healing psychedelic therapy can offer- and how to get involved so the people who need it most can access the help they deserve.
“I do remember enjoying the creativity of the experience and then unlocked aspects of myself that, I think, I carry through much of my life”
Jon Connors has embarked on his healing of Complex PTSD via psychedelic medicine since 2017. His experiences have inspired him to help others heal as well. He is the founder of Heal Government Insiders, a nonprofit initiative to amend United States National Security rules to allow insiders to heal their PTSD with psychedelics and retain their Security Clearance. He is a passionate activist for both restoring psyches and restoring the planet through regenerative agriculture. For the latter, Jon is also the founder of Blockchain for Ecology and loves using art to fundraise for social impact initiatives.
Show notes:
*Trigger warning- recollections of suicidal behaviors*
* A sailor, ecoactivist, and person undergoing psychedelic treatment- Introducing Jon Connors (9:32)
* The difference between Californians and Bostonians (13:13)
* Jon’s first experience with psychedelics at age 14 (14:20)
* An anecdote about Saudi Arabia and measurement (15:25)
* Why he never took these medicines again for decades (19:53)
* Entering into a psychotherapeutic endeavor (23:27)
* A bus accident memory turns out to be a repressed suicide attempt (28:46)
* His personal experience with Complex PTSD has inspired him to help others (31:35)
* The most powerful medication for depression is aerobic exercise (35:00)
* Isolation and COVID- we all are struggling (40:26)
* Martin Polanco and Ibogaine treatments (42:12)
* Heal Government Insiders- social initiative (43:55)
* The “demon rum” aka alcohol and alcoholism (45:33)
* “I don't want to go against the man. I want to heal the man” (49:05)
Links and references:
* Albert Hofmann and his bike trip
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There is an old idiom that says when the pendulum goes one way, it’s bound to swing back the other. Our guest, my old acquaintance and esteemed academic, Dr. Mariavittoria Mangini, has found that phrase applies to many aspects of her life. While we may be in precarious and difficult times, Mariavittoria has managed to stay positive, knowing that things can always change for the better. We sit down to have a full and wide-ranging conversation on politics, the state of the nation, privilege, and, of course, the profoundly lasting impression psychedelics have made on her life.
“I feel like I've had a lot more adventures and a lot more color and texture in my life because of those experiences.”
Mariavittoria Mangini, Ph.D., FNP has written extensively on the impact of psychedelic experiences in shaping the lives of her contemporaries and has worked closely with many of the most distinguished investigators in this field. She is one of the founders of the Women’s Visionary Council, a nonprofit organization that supports investigations into non-ordinary forms of consciousness and organizes gatherings of researchers, healers, artists, and activists whose work explores these states. She is Professor Emerita in the School of Science, Allied Health, and Nursing at Holy Names University and a visiting scholar at the Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics. For the last 50 years, she has been a part of the Hog Farm, a well-known communal family based in Berkeley and Laytonville, California.
Show notes:
* Psychedelic elder and visionary- Mariavittoria Mangini- featured in the forthcoming book Psychedelic Wisdom (0:42)
* Mariavittoria's first experiences at the age of 16 (2:17)
* Realizations about death and the change in life course (3:18)
* The effects on her life happiness (4:33)
* The Haight Ashbury free clinic – a barefoot patient and later a Chairman of the Board (6:38)
* Will the American experiment in democracy last? (10:00)
* The problem with unremitting negativity in the media (10:22)
* The dangers of political polarization (12:48)
* Is religion the source of moralizing divisions? (14:44)
* Has America ever been a theocracy? (17:01)
* The dawn of open discussion of psychedelics and radical social changes of the past 30 years (21:21)
* The role of community radio in a democracy (25:27)
* Why communities need elders (31:24)
* What's going on with elders who lack wisdom? (34:32)
* The lingering effects of racism and white supremacy (37:00)
* The appropriate age to introduce children to psychedelics in a post-legalization world (45:30)
* The legacy of Betty Eisner and the idea of "Matrix" (46:29)
* The idealized view of universal access to psychedelics (48:47)
* How "matrix" effects one's protocol for administering psychedelics (50:27)
* What were the Eleusinian mysteries? (53:23)
Links and references:
* Betty Eisner- “Set, Setting, and Matrix”
* The Way of the Psychonaut- Mariavittoria’s interview
Mariavittoria’s previous episode on MBHP:
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PART 2- Picking up where we left off, I continue the discussion with my daughter about psychedelic medicine and its place in our lives. This week, Evacheska has the opportunity to ask me more about my own experience and preferences. We talk about MDMA, LSD, Ketamine, Ayahuasca, and how I have used them in my life. Evacheska will be a reoccurring cohost for the show, and I am so excited to share this space with her.
-Part one of this episode available here-
The founder of Temple Sotto Luce, a community project designed to be a gateway to consciousness expansion and a higher state of being through the use of both traditional methods and approaches, and more esoteric tools, Evacheska is a certified Mindfulness and Meditation facilitator, Integrative Coach, Trauma and Somatics Practitioner, certified in Psych-K®, and is currently pursuing a degree in psychology at CUNY, studying yogic philosophy and the power of plant medicines. She has also recently returned from Peru where she studied with the Ayahuasca Foundation.
Evacheska has dedicated her life’s work and energy to creating and holding space for healing and expansion. She leverages her unique background abilities to create distinctive experiences focused on supporting each participant’s internal work. Hear her unique perspective in this week’s new episode and the conclusion to a two-part discussion between father and daughter.
Show notes:
* Examples of experiences with Ayahuasca & LSD (0:00)
* Can you function in the normal world under the influence of ayahuasca? (4:15)
* Why you shouldn’t look in a mirror (7:21)
* Signs that ayahuasca may not be for you (11:30)
* Consider the intention behind taking psychedelic medicine (12:15)
* Possible unpleasant side effects (14:11)
* If you regurgitate, does your body tell you it’s poison? (15:38)
* George Bach’s fighting therapy (17:23)
* Why LSD & MDMA are the best option (19:38)
* Where exactly is your consciousness seated? (27:33)
* Why MDMA may not be for you (29:30)
* Is amphetamine (MDMA) addictive? (33:27)
* Why ketamine is not a psychedelic and why it may not be for you (35:45)
* What’s the difference between an entheogen and a psychedelic experience? (39:09)
* Call to Action For Stories (46:16)
Links and references:
In Conversation with Evacheska DeAngelis PART 1
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Show Notes:
How did Evacheska go from being an executive in the fashion world to an integrative counselor in the psychedelic world? (1:22)
What was it like on the trip to Peru? (4:29)
It’s difficult for the average person to figure out which places offering psychedelic experiences in Peru, Jamaica, or Costa Rica are real and which ones are trying to make a quick buck. What did you do to ensure that the place you were visiting was righteous? (5:40)
Why did Evacheska decide on Ayahuasca as opposed to taking LSD experiences or a series of psilocybin experiences? (10:38)
Are the ceremonies and the setting around the psychedelic medicine as important or more important than the medicine itself? (13:08)
What’s the difference (approach, cultural, medicinal) between opioid prescriptions in American culture and psychedelic ceremonies? (13:50)
Why do I need to go to the Peruvian jungle to have a ceremony? Why can’t I have the same experience in my own neighborhood? (15:40)
How does Evacheska use sound to open neural pathways and have a psychedelic journey, even without psychedelics? (17:46)
How does a strong dose of psilocybin compare to an Ayahuasca experience? (21:14)
What are the downsides of taking Ayahuasca? (24:15)
Considering that Roland Griffith’s research showed that a one-time dose of psilocybin still had an effect on depression patients after a year, what’s the advantage of taking Ayahuasca three times a week for an entire month? (25:57)
Could you imagine a future where people trained in LSD therapy or psilocybin therapy might prescribe taking those three times a week or a month? (27:37)
What happens in an integration session? (29:03)
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It is always fascinating to hear an artist's tale. This one is no different. Our guest, Kevin Barron, is one of the world’s leading and prolific LSD blotter artists. His story is full of twists and turns, from working with the Rolling Stones to opening a cooking school in Greece, a federal sting operation, and the art he has created along the way.
Kevin Barron experienced psychedelics for the first time at 17, and his perception of the world was changed forever. "As a budding artist, the whole experience was just this opening of perception. [He] was starting to look at things for the first time."
While his initial careers were not in fine arts, he eventually found his way back to it. Through his journey Kevin worked for Island Records, basically discovered Cat Stevens, dabbled in the wine industry, and opened a cooking school in Greece; but it was in the late 80s when he found himself in San Francisco and returning to his artisan roots.
Kevin was introduced to "Blotter Art", and immediately knew this was what he wanted to do. His first design known as the Holy Grail was met with huge success. Kevin then embarked on a widely successful, albeit tempestuous, career making LSD blotter art which ended in an arrest and lifetime ban from the U.S.A.
Now Kevin is back creating new art and selling them as NFTs but in a new, revolutionary, way. Intrigued? Hear all about it in this week's new episode.
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Conversations with old friends warm the soul. This week my heart is full as I found myself catching up with my dear friend Dr. Eugene Schoenfeld and reminiscing about his "firsts" with mind-altering substances. We go back 57 years to hear about his experiences and journey with these substances, and how they changed the course of his life.
Dr. Eugene Schoenfeld is a psychiatrist, author, lecturer, and popular underground newspaper columnist. He got his medical degree at the University of Miami School of Medicine, interned at Herrick Memorial Hospital (Berkeley, CA), and got his Master of Public Health from Yale University. While he has made a name for himself in the field of Psychology, you might know him better as "Dr. Hip". Dr. Eugene Schoenfeld wrote the popular underground column "Ask Dr. Hip" where people could submit their questions about sexuality and drugs. The anti-censorship philosophy that inspired the awakening of an underground press in the 1960s allowed Schoenfeld the freedom to answer those forbidden questions. He quickly became a popular source of reliable, common-sense information. Schoenfeld published his column from 1967 to 1973 and again from 1978 to 1979 in the underground, as well as in various mainstream newspapers including the Chicago Sun Times, Tampa Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and the San Francisco Examiner.
Schoenfeld was a pioneering radio personality on Bay Area stations in the 1970s, and subsequent talk show doctors credit him for being a trailblazer. I, myself, was deeply inspired by Eugene's work. He is quite famous, and quite well liked, in the Bay Area for bringing medical science to popular newspapers.
A true pioneer in advocating for the benefits of mind-altering medicine, Dr. Schoenfeld (AKA Dr. Hip) gets personal about his experiences with LSD and how his life has been enhanced in this week's new episode.
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In this week's episode, we bring you a thought-provoking discussion on the Psychedelic Renaissance. Our guest, historian and professor Erika Dyck, offers her perspective on where psychiatry and medical research intersect with psychedelic research. She also speaks about society's moral panic; what it means and what we should be doing about it.
Erika is a Professor and a Canada Research Chair in the History of Health & Social Justice at the University of Saskatchewan. She was introduced to us by a previous guest, Paul Gootenberg, and we are so glad he made the introduction. With over 20 years of research under her belt, Erika is not only an expert on the history of psychedelic research but is also plugged into its future. She is the author or co-author of several books, including Psychedelic Psychiatry (2008); A Culture’s Catalyst: Historical Encounters with Peyote and the Native American Church in Canada (2016); Psychedelic Prophets: The Letters of Aldous Huxley and Humphry Osmond (2018); and co-author of The Acid Room: the Psychedelic Trials and Tribulations of Hollywood Hospital (2022). She is also the guest editor of the Chacruna Series on women in the history of psychedelic plant medicines.
At the University of Saskatchewan, Erika teaches courses in the history of medicine and madness. She is particularly interested in making history inclusive and learning about people who have been written about but rarely listened to. Some of the community-engaged collaborations have created space for these discussions, see: https://madnesscanada.com/ and www.eugenicsarchive.ca.This has extended to work focused on the COVID-19 pandemic with the COVID-19 Community Archive.
Erika works to think about things in a global and interconnected way, bringing strong research and authentic passion to the topics she speaks on. Are you ready to think about the world in a different way? Join the discussion with Erika and me in this week's new episode.
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Over the years I’ve had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Gabor Maté several times on Mind Body Health & Politics. Dr. Maté is a bestselling author of four books published in over thirty language and an internationally renowned speaker highly sought after for his expertise on addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship of stress and illness. His book on addiction, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, received the Hubert Evans Prize for literary non-fiction.
Rather than offering quick-fix solutions to these complex issues, Dr. Maté weaves together scientific research, case histories, and his own insights and experience to present a broad perspective that enlightens and empowers people to promote their own healing and that of those around them. For his groundbreaking medical work and writing he has been awarded the Order of Canada, his country’s highest civilian distinction, and the Civic Merit Award from his hometown, Vancouver. He is also an expert on trauma, chemical dependence, and the broader topic of today’s program: stress and the mind-body connection.
In the first part of this episode we look at stress and addiction, while the second part focuses on a less obvious manifestation of stress and disease- the proliferation of diagnoses of ADHD.
Do we live in a toxic culture? Are we making ourselves sick? Dr. Gabor Maté answers these questions and more in this week's new episode.
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In this episode, we welcomed Dr. Christopher Davis to the show. Dr. Davis practices Cardiology and Functional Medicine at Manatee Cardiovascular Wellness Institute and Reveal Vitality, where he is the founder and CEO. In his practice he incorporates nutrition, hormone balance, fitness, and permanent weight control. His board certifications are in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, and interventional cardiology. Other specialties of practice include nutrition, fitness, and functional medicine.
Dr. Davis has always been passionate about providing top-notch care and compassion to his clients. His achievements and training are a reflection of his pursuit of excellence in the treatment of chronic illnesses and performance enhancement. Dr. Davis trained at the prestigious Johns Hopkins/Sinai Hospital for his Internal Medicine residency. During his training, he was recognized and honored for his incredible talent and commitment to patient care by being bestowed the honor of Chief Medical Resident at Johns Hopkins/Sinai University. Dr. Davis continued his training in cardiology and interventional cardiology with fellowships at the renowned University of Virginia. He then pursued training in Functional Medicine, Bioidentical Hormone Replacement, and Regenerative Medicine to truly help his patients thrive and achieve reversal of disease and optimal vitality. This approach has earned Dr. Davis an outstanding reputation in the medical community and with his patients.
Dr. Davis breaks down heart health and the need for a healthy lifestyle in a way that is both approachable and applicable to every day living. Learn all about it in this week's new episode.
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Dr. Courtney's area of special interest is in the dietary uses of cannabis to which he considers as a conditionally essential nutrient in the diet of individuals of 40 years and older, and Kristen brings a decade of personal experience and research to the area of whole plant use for prevention and treatment.
In research, Dr. Courtney has presented on high dose non-psychoactive dietary uses at Cannabis Therapeutics in Rhode Island (April 2010), the Institute of Molecular Psychiatry at the University of Bonn (June 2010), the Institute for Advanced Studies at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (November 2010), and the International Cannabinoid Research Society conference in Chicago (July 2011).
Kristen has presented her case study and research to the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS), the International Cannabis As Medicine Society, in Bonn, Germany (on the Endocannabinoid System), in Israel at the Institute for Advanced Studies and the Israel Science Foundation, and at the International Cannabis As Medicine conference in Germany. She is heading up the experimental research design department in Ettelbruck, Luxembourg, working with the Association Luxembourgeoise des Methodes Preventives. Kristen is also reporting for Shaughnessy: The Journal of Cannabis In Clinical Practice.
From personal experience stems Kristen's healing story is a powerful motivator. She has used fresh cannabis leaf to put her Systemic Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Endometriosis, and numerous other conditions into a sustained remission. With 14 surgeries and 4 years of bed rest she has empathy as well as knowledge that has arisen from her education in statistics and research design, which helps her bridge the gap between patients, physicians, and researchers.
Dr. Courtney and Kristen co-founded Cannabis International, which is working to reverse the United Nation’s Convention One Treaty in order to allow people access to cannabis worldwide, and currently reside in the Commonwealth of Dominica, where they run the Nature Isle Sanctuary- offering consultations with individuals suffering from Endogenous Cannabinoid System deficiencies. Want to learn more about what they do? Check out their video on juicing raw cannabis.
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Outside of the university, Paul has chaired various programs at the Social Science Research Council in Brooklyn including the Drugs, Security, and Democracy program; and is the General Editor for The Oxford Handbook of Global Drug History (recently published by Oxford University Press). He currently is the president of the Alcohol and Drugs History Society (2021-2023).
He has published three books on cocaine; Andean Cocaine: The Making of a Global Drug (UNC, 2008), Cocaine: Global Histories (Routledge, 1999), and with Liliana M. Dávalos, The Origins of Cocaine: Peasant Colonization and Failed Dedevelopment in the Amazon Andes (Routledge, 2018).
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With an extensive medical education and having been immersed in the experiences of thousands of patients who use raw cannabis daily, Dr. Courtney’s area of special interest is in the dietary uses of cannabis- which he considers a conditionally essential nutrient in the diet of individuals.
Dr. William Courtney began with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from the University of Michigan, he received his Doctor of Medicine from Wayne State University, Interned for Residency in Psychiatry at California Pacific Medical Center, and then went on to earn his Post Doctorate in Forensic Examination and Forensic Medicine. Now, he is a member of the American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine, the International Cannabinoid Research Society, the International Association of Cannabis as Medicine, and the Society of Clinical Cannabis. Dr. Courtney has also been teaching Continuing Medical Education (CME) courses in clinical cannabis.
One of the world's foremost pioneers in cannabis research, Dr. Courtney seeks to consolidate the science regarding the essential nature of the phytocannabinoid contributions to health maintenance and restoration. Some notable achievements in his career are he has presented on high dose non-psychoactive dietary uses at Cannabis Therapeutics in Rhode Island in April 2010, the Institute of Molecular Psychiatry at the University of Bonn in June 2010, the Institute for Advanced Studies at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in November 2010, the International Cannabinoid Research Society conference in Chicago in July 2011, and is the father of AC/DC (Alternative Cannabinoid Dietary Cannabis), a high CBD content cultivar from Cannatonic seeds acquired during a visit to Barcelona, Spain from Resin Seeds.
Dr. Courtney owns Cannabis International and currently resides in the Commonwealth of Dominica, where he runs the Nature Isle Sanctuary- offering consultations with individuals suffering from Endogenous Cannabinoid System deficiencies. His work now primarily focuses on consultations and strain development/ advice.
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Gary Muszynski is a percussionist, composer, bandleader, and leadership coach who creates original music that combines jazz, world, and classical music. He plays a wide variety of world percussion, including handpan, berimbau, pandeiro, surdo, udu, mbira, conga, bongo, and cajon. He has performed at venues such as SF Jazz (with Bobby McFerrin), the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, CA, the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville and at TEDxBerkeley.
Gary received an artist’s grant to study Brazilian folkloric and popular music at the Carlos Gomez Conservatory in Belem, Para (Brazil) at the mouth of the Amazon through the Partners of the Americas in 1989. It was at that time that he also met Martinho da Villa, one of Brazil's most important samba singers and composers, and began to study and parade with the Vila Isabel School of Samba in Rio de Janeiro, and then with Olodum in Salvador, Bahia in 2005.
Gary was one of the first percussionists to spread samba in the US, founding a samba school in the Midwest in 1987. He founded One World Music at that time, a non-profit performing arts and education organization, receiving funding from the Missouri Arts Council and the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission.
Currently residing in the SF Bay Area; Gary’s newest album is called Roots and Wings, featuring Sting’s pianist and arranger Frank Martin; Mark Summer, the former cellist and co-founder of the Turtle Island Quartet; Cuban jazz-piano legend, Omar Sosa, and Deepak Ram, North Indian bansuri flute master as well as many other musical luminaries. Roots & Wings won the top award at the Global Music Awards in 2021 and was then voted as one of the best CDs of 2021.
In addition to his career as a recording and performing artists, Gary has been brining musical experiences and thinking into organizations to further leadership, collaboration, and innovation for the past 30 years. He has reached more than 150,000 leaders and managers through organizational trainings and interactive conference keynotes on five continents and has worked with Apple, Disney, Google, and Xerox Parc among many other organizations. You can see his work through Orchestrating Excellence here.
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As a psychedelic psychotherapist, speaker, consultant, and transformational travel facilitator, Heather has dedicated her career to helping people learn how to skillfully navigate stress, anxiety, challenging life transitions, and relationships. One of Heather’s many areas of expertise is woman’s health, and her Medicine Woman Retreats are the first psilocybin retreats designed exclusively for women; offering exclusive nature immersion and plant medicine experiences around the world. Other signature topics are psychedelics for self-care, psilocybin for eco-anxiety, and psilocybin in cancer care- something she has first-hand experience with.
In the same week, Heather received her certification as a psychedelic-assisted psychotherapist, received a diagnosis of breast cancer, and received a call from Silo Wellness to help develop cancer and end of life retreats. In Heather’s own words, “sometimes the alignment and synchronicity of everything shines so bright.” As if the universe came together, she sees her cancer as an opportunity to deepen her connection with the use of psilocybin for navigating disease. Heather uses her experience as a psychotherapist as well as her journey to cultivate calm and consciousness for one’s cancer journey.
Our first featured guest in the series “Healing Stories of Psychedelics”, Heather A. Lee is both a healer and finding healing.
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I was honored to be a part of a panel discussion organized by my dear friend Lorna Li, whom I met years ago at Wilbur Hot Springs. Lorna did an amazing job with this year's Plant Spirit Summit.
The discussion focused on the different approaches of psychedelic psychotherapy versus coaching. I and the other panel participants are particularly concerned to answer this question: What can we do to create an inclusive, responsible, and ethical Psychedelic Renaissance?
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Dr. Laura is also the founder of The National Center for Equity and Agency. In 2019 they created the world's first certification in trauma-informed care for legal professionals and in 2021 expanded it to include the insurance industry. They currently teach at both Widener and Dominican University and work as a trainer, mediation advisor, and author.
Please be sure to check out their website: www.drlauramcguire.com/ and follow them on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/drlauramcguire/?hl=en
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In this searingly honest melding of the personal and historical Weidlinger uncovers the epic story of four generations. Central to the story is Tom’s father, Paul Weidlinger, a brilliant structural engineer who fled Europe just ahead of the Holocaust—but who kept secret, even from his children, the fact that he was a Jew.
The film unfolds in 1920s and ‘30s Budapest, Zurich, London, Paris, La Paz (Bolivia), then 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s Chicago and New York, as Weidlinger traces his famous father’s account of his fantastical life. Attempting to untangle truth from fiction, he uncovers a hidden story and lays bare the scars from his family’s experience of war, displacement, and immigration.
Combining documentary material with recreated scenes from his own childhood, the filmmaker discovers how family tragedies, psychosis and suicide, are manifestations of historical trauma passed on from one generation to the next. Weidlinger’s profoundly thoughtful quest makes meaning from his family’s suffering, resulting in a healing work that breaks the cycle of intergenerational trauma.
The Restless Hungarian’s trajectory intersects with the rise of Modern Architecture, the Holocaust, the Hungarian Jewish Diaspora, and the nuclear arms race.
Twenty-one of Weidingers's previous films have been broadcast on public television. Many have won festival and industry awards and all remain in distribution. For detailed information, including trailers, please visit http://moiraproductions.com/. The documentary is also available in book form under the title The Restless Hungarian: Modernism, Madness, and the American Dream.
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After studying comparative literature in Berlin, Paulita decided to follow her passion for both cinema and sexuality. She started working as an adult performer, and soon explored many different roles. Her knowledge of film counts now over 10 years of experience balancing work between the mainstream film and adult film industry. She has worked as producer, director, casting director, scriptwriter and performer. She has produced feature-length films that were shown and awarded internationally in festivals and she has produced, directed and performed many short films.
She is the co-founder of Lustery, a platform dedicated to the sex lives of real-life couples from around the world. She is one half of HardWerk, an independent studio creating cinematic hardcore, where she directs and produces. Since 2013 she has been a curator for the Pornfilmfestival Berlin. She also works as an intimacy coordinator for mainstream productions.
Our conversation will focus on her work challenging societal taboos, removing the stigma around sex and pleasure, and fostering a sex-positive consent culture, in which people are free to express themselves sexually within the boundaries of mutual consent.
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In 2017 Carlos opened the Riosbo Ayahuasca Research Center. The research there was recently published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry demonstrating that attending an ayahuasca retreat can produce epigenetic changes and significantly reduce depression and anxiety. Research continues at the center and will now include studying chronic pain, PTSD, and changes to the gut biome.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Stella's holistic approach recognizes sexual health, and capacity for pleasure and play as intertwined with self-development throughout life, and as basic elements in emotional, physical, and relational health and happiness.
She developed this "full-spectrum" approach over many years of experience. It is a body-based, present-centered, experiential method for individuals and couples, centered on personal and relational healing and growth and focused on enhancing the capacity to enjoy greater physical, emotional and sexual pleasure. The process involves looking into early programming, not as an intellectual process of mere understanding but as felt-sense memories that are locked in the body through chronic physical tension, withheld breathing, and unresolved old emotions that trigger programmed reactions to stress.
Through breath and body awareness, in the present moment, we learn to become more mindful and self-aware in the moment. By breathing into painful emotions and experimenting with new ways to respond in emotionally fraught situations, we can access inner resources that we may not even know we have, and call forth more loving and pleasurable responses from others.
Stella believes this is especially true in romantic and sexual relationships, viewing relational and sexual problems are as opportunities to heal from early emotional pain and shame, to broaden the ability to love and be loved, and to share emotional and sexual pleasure with a lover or mate.
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In this week's program, I speak with Sheryn Hildebrand about the serious problem of child sex trafficking in Mendocino County. As painful as it may be to hear her words, we must listen. In this gut-wrenching interview, we will hear about how children in Mendocino county California are courted, drugged, groomed, and put out to the public as child prostitutes. They are coerced, psychologically and physically abused, extorted, and blackmailed, in order to keep them in virtual captivity.
Authorities are understaffed and the public is so horrified, by the topic itself, that it does not receive the public outcry needed.
Sheryn Hildebrand is the Director of the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program in Lake & Mendocino County. Sheryn has served as director for 21 years and also works with neighboring counties (Lake, Humboldt, Del Norte) facilitating Child Abuse Prevention opportunities. She sits on both Mendocino and Lake Counties' child abuse prevention councils as well as participates at the state level on the critical incidents citizen review panel (CRP). Learn more at the California CASA website.
A Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) is a trained volunteer appointed by a judicial officer to provide advocacy for a child who is under the jurisdiction of the courts due to abuse or neglect. The CASA serves as the “eyes and ears” of the judge for children in foster care. Volunteers spend time with children, monitor needed services, and provide child-focused recommendations to the court based on the best interest of the children they serve.
From March 28 - 31, the iEmpathize organization will be featuring an exhibit called The Apathy Effect at the Ukiah Conference Center (200 S. School St., Ukiah, CA). The purpose of the iEmphathize organization is to help communities ignite empathy to end childhood exploitation.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
She works with people with ongoing, complex medical conditions to foster hope and improve function. Her expertise and experience includes Feldenkrais Method, Chi Kung, Tai Chi, and other awareness based movement and health practices. She co-founded this group private practice in 1988. They specialize in teaching Feldenkrais Method and work with individuals who would like to improve how they move and function. She has success with people who have not been helped by more traditional therapy, who may have been injured by a health care provider, people dealing with pain, people with brain injuries, and people with complex health needs or conditions.
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Diana Richardson is known as the pioneer of the Slow Sex movement and, along with her partner, Michael Richardson, is the creator of the life-changing weeklong Making Love Retreat, which they have been offering in Europe since 1995. She wrote her first book in 1996, published as The Love Keys in 1999, and then later republished as The Heart of Tantric Sex, a best seller. Since then has written a further 7 books on the tantric approach to love and sex. These are translated into German, Spanish, French, with certain books translated in Russian, Korean, Czech, and Estonian.
Diana is now based in Switzerland with Michael, where they continue to guide couples in the art of slow, conscious sex in their highly successful Making Love Retreats. For more information about their backgrounds, retreats, books, please visit their websites:
www.livinglove.com or www.love4couples.com
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Faith was raised in and escaped from the infamous cult, the Children of God. It was founded by her paternal grandfather. The group was notorious for its radical practices, which required members to become full-time missionaries, forgo income and formal education, and submit to the “Law of Love,” a doctrine which encouraged spouse sharing and (for a time) sexual relations with children, and used female disciples as sex “bait” to gain followers and supporters.
"I was able to emancipate myself at 23 and, through self-taught study, was later accepted into Berkeley Law school. I give an intimate description of life inside a secretive cult, and most importantly, the framework of how to set oneself free of mental and spiritual manipulation in hopes of helping others stand up for themselves.” Faith says.
"Both inspiring and disturbing, Sex Cult Nun unravels Jones’ complicated upbringing,
the trauma she endured as a result and her path to liberation" - TIME Magazine
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Maeve goes through her heartbreaking yet harrowing journey as a young woman in the sex industry, and what it took for her to find her true self and escape. She is now using her story to enlighten other women in the industry, and to provide hope.
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Though she isn't a professional therapist, Maggie McNeill's decades of studying human sexuality from very close up has given her a remarkable degree of insight into sexuality, relationships, and many other related topics; people have therefore long sought out her advice on such topics.
Maggie McNeill was a librarian in suburban New Orleans, but after divorce economic necessity spurred her to take up sex work; from 1997 to 2006 she worked first as a stripper, then as a call girl and madam. She eventually married her favorite client, retired, and moved to a ranch in the rural Upper South. There she writes a daily blog called “The Honest Courtesan” which examines the realities, myths, history, lore, science, philosophy, art, and every other aspect of prostitution; she also reports sex work news, critiques the way her profession is treated in the media and by governments, and is frequently consulted by academics and journalists as an expert on the subject.
"The Honest Courtesan" is quite possibly the largest single-author blog on the internet, containing over 3500 essays written over the past decade. You can find her book "Ask Maggie" and its subsequent volumes on amazon, and please be sure to follow her on twitter.
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This episode features Professor Emeritus Ritch Savin-Williams. Savin-Williams teaches developmental psychology at Cornell University and specializes in gay, lesbian, and bisexual research.
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The Grassroots Institute: A progressive solutions group for the Common Good (GRI) is confronting our deteriorating political, economic and environmental systems. GRI looks at the systemic problems created by wealthy corporate elites instituting public policies benefiting their own good rather than the common good. GRI also promotes citizen-based solutions that are creating a vibrant future.
GRI offers two free study guides. One for the Grassroots Solutions and Corporate Power course, and the other for the Building the Economy for the Common Good course. Their study guides educate concerned citizens on corporations, democracy and building an economy for our common good. The solutions to our sustainable future are already at work in our communities. We just have to recognize them, bring them together and support them.
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Mike began studying Buddhism with a Tibetan lama in 1966, becoming an upasaka of the Kagyud lineage in 1970. In order to augment his Buddhist studies, he acquainted himself with Sanskrit, Tibetan and Mandarin Chinese. Mike has lectured at the Jagellonian University, Cracow, the Museum of Asia and the Pacific, Warsaw, the California Institute for Integral Studies, San Francisco, and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His work has been published in Fortean Studies, Time & Mind, the Journal of Archeology, Consciousness and Culture, Psychedelic American, and Psychedelic Press UK.
He is the author of, "Secret Drugs of Buddhism". Drawing on a wide range of disciplines (including pharmacology, iconography, botany, and scriptural sources), this book calls attention to the central role which psychedelics played in Indian religions, tracing their history from the soma of the Vedic period to amrita, the sacramental drink of Vajrayana Buddhism.
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Sumati Sparks’ first name was given to her by the great living saint, Amma (Mata Amritananda Mayi). Sumati means pure essence. She is a relationship coach with a life PhD! Since 2000, she has been coaching people in the areas of relationship and sexuality and now specializes in helping people create successful open relationships.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
We want to end this year thanking you, our listeners, and by wrapping up with some of our most cherished moments from the podcast. With the Confessions series a huge hit with all of you, we wanted to pull key moments to look back on. We also have sections from Dean Edell, Dennis McKenna, Tim Scully, and more. You will find the links to all of the full episodes in the show notes of tomorrows broadcast.
Again, it has been a wonderful year with all of you. We have even more stimulating and insightful conversations on the horizon for 2022. If this show has impacted you in any way, please be sure to share with you loved ones. If you have any questions or comments please reach out to us - we would love to hear from you.
Tally Ho!
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In 1980 Letha became involved with novelist Michael Foster and librarian and poet Barbara Foster in a work-oriented menage a trois of writers. Together they researched and the Fosters wrote two biographies of Alexandra David-Neel: Forbidden Journey and The Secret Lives of Alexandra David-Neel. Their book Three in Love: Menages a Trois from Ancient to Modern Times has been called "racy and engaging" by Entertainment Weekly. The three have been featured in television and radio interviews and a European documentary "Menage a Trois" in 2008 by Catherina Klusemann. She has also authored "Tea for Three: The Other Woman by Letha Hadady", as well as co-authored "Outlaws of Love: A History of Forbidden Desire". Please be sure to check out her website for more info at: www.asianhealthsecrets.com.
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Lewis is a licensed psychologist and has been practicing in San Francisco and Marin County for over 40 years. His approach to therapy is interactive and he seeks to understand his clients’ struggles and collaboratively develop a process to resolve their difficulties.
Currently, his area of specialization is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR is an effective and well researched therapy originally developed for the treatment of the aftereffects of severe trauma such as combat, physical and sexual abuse, sexual assault, traffic accidents and natural disasters.
In 2017, he assisted Philip Manfield, Ph.D. in the development of a revolutionary new technique, the Flash Technique, which combined with EMDR allows for the rapid and painless resolution of traumatic memories. EMDR and Flash are also successful in effectively treating anxiety, depression, avoidance, phobias and panic. These symptoms can arise either from major trauma or simply from the ordinary strains of growing up in a family and other challenges of life.
In addition, he has written a popular book, Imaginary Crimes, that addresses why some of us sabotage ourselves and prevent ourselves from being happy and successful.
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President & Chairman of Mission Blue, Dr. Earl describes the evolution, beauty, and impact of our ocean, the challenges it faces, such as climate change, plastic, and overfishing, and the myriad ways we can help protect it. With a special focus on new discoveries in the deepest reaches of the ocean, Dr. Earle’s book reveals wonders that few have witnessed before and broadens our understanding of this essential realm of life on Earth.
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He writes regularly for the London Review of Books (free access long reads on madness and revolution, Edgar Allan Poe, memory, and hallucinations), the Wall Street Journal and the Literary Review (free access piece on Philip K. Dick).
Mike Jay has written widely on the history of science and medicine, and particularly on the discovery of psychoactive drugs during the 18th and 19th centuries. His books on the subject include Emperors of Dreams: drugs in the nineteenth century (2000, revised edition 2011) and most recently High Society: mind-altering drugs in history and culture (2010), which accompanied the exhibition he curated at Wellcome Collection in London. The Atmosphere of Heaven is also the third book in his series of biographical narratives of political reformers in 1790s Britain. It follows The Air Loom Gang (2003, revised edition forthcoming 2012) and The Unfortunate Colonel Despard (2004).
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Maudsley Learning is part of one of the world’s most renowned mental healthcare organisations and unifies education. Their mission is to produce the highest quality mental health and well-being education and training products. They design and deliver courses to meet the continuing professional development needs of individual professionals in the healthcare workforce, but also to many others including colleagues in social services, policing, schools and in the private sector.
We are discussing MDMA, Psychedelics & the Therapeutic Milleu on this week's show
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Sanjay is a Canadian tech entrepreneur and author best known for founding and selling Audiobooks.com. He created the 500 Startups Canada fund in 2016 and actively remains an ongoing investor in over 20 startups. His memoir “Zero to Tesla,” published in 2018, chronicles the whole messy journey. He launched the Nikean Foundation in 2019 to fund mental health research, focusing on novel psychedelic therapies to treat mental disorders including anorexia, depression, and PTSD. The Nikean Foundation currently funds research trials around the world, with a focus on developing knowledge and infrastructure in Canada.
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Our Producer - Charlie Deist, along with our Audio Engineer - David Springer, will be addressing some questions from our listeners on this weeks episode.
We love hearing from you! So please email us any questions you may have and we will do our best to bring those up in a future episode!
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Dr. Howard I. Levene – 85-year-old former Commander and medical officer in the U.S. Navy – is founder of Diabasis House, and a faculty member at the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco and Department of Psychiatry, UCSF Medical School.
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Jeremy grew up in Canada and Switzerland, studied history at the University of Canterbury, receiving a doctorate in anthropology from Stanford University. Jeremy spent several years living with the Ashaninca tribe in the Peruvian Amazon, cataloging indigenous uses of rainforest resources.
Jeremy has worked since 1989 as Amazonian projects director for the Swiss non-profit Nouvelle Planète, backing projects for the self-determination of Amazonian indigenous peoples that involve land rights, primary education, village health, botanical knowledge, fish farms, tree nurseries, and other local initiatives.
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Brendan has also authored Tradition, The Last True Love Story, and The Gospel of Winter. His most recent book, and the topic of today's show, is The Other Talk: Reckoning with Our White Privilege. His work has been published in over a dozen languages, and has received the Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award, the Walter Dean Meyers Award, and ALA’s Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults.
A former high school teacher, he is now on the faculty of the Solstice MFA Program. He states that he watches too much basketball and reads too many books at the same time, but most importantly, he lives for and loves his wife and son.
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Dr. Ortigo a licensed psychologist in California with over 14 years of clinical experience and a passion for applying psychological concepts and scientific principles to improving experiences of individuals seeking mental health care, psychotherapists, and others with a desire to improve their life course.
His clinical approach is integrative, collaborative, evidence-based and flexible to the needs and goals of the individuals with whom he works. He believe the therapeutic relationship is the key vehicle that can help people explore their innermost selves more freely and openly in order to make important shifts in their approach to life.
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The methods she pioneered then are still a major part of her practice today and are considered state-of-the art in psychedelic therapy. Susan trains coaches and therapists throughout the United States and Europe.
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He was one of the original co-authors of California's medical marijuana initiative, Prop. 215, in 1996, and has co-sponsored and lobbied for other drug reform measures. He has published original research on medical marijuana, the history of marijuana and drug prohibition, the economic benefits of legalization, marijuana and driving safety, cannabis vaporization, CBD, and drug urinalysis.
He is a founding member of the Drug Policy Forum of California.
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He has thirty years of experience in the computer industry, including applications programming, systems programming, language implementation, management, and investment. He was the fifth employee at Sun Microsystems, and contributed to hardware and software design and production. He co-designed the protocol that your phone or laptop uses every day to get when you connect to WiFi or Ethernet. He has contributed significantly to the worldwide free software movement, by writing many free programs, and co-founding Cygnus Support, a successful commercial free software company that is now part of IBM. He cofounded the "alt" subnet of the Usenet decentralized world forum to improve its free expression. He is a champion of civil liberties, a cofounder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and a cypherpunk, an advocate for wide distribution of strong encryption systems, to provide privacy and security despite malevolent governments.
He has contributed several decades and more than $12 million to improving United States drug laws. He serves on the boards of the Marijuana Policy Project, which has enacted more than half of the adult-use and medical marijuana laws in the US; and the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, which leads the psychedelic medicine movement, by running FDA-approved clinical trials to make MDMA (Ecstacy) into a legal prescription medicine for post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Marty graduated from Harvard with a BA in biology in 1971, before receiving his MD from the University of California at San Diego.
He worked at the Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic in the 1980s and volunteered taking care of people having "bad trips" at rock concerts under the auspices of their "rock medicine" section. Marty has been a life-long fighter for social justice, and is an advocate for educating the public in the scientific method, and using evidence-based reasoning when it comes to matters of medicine and science. He is also a mountaineer (often in remote desert regions), backpacker, river rafter, long-distance cyclist, and life-long environmentalist.
Marty is a self-described "iconoclast," who has rejected the politically correct tropes of both the "right" and of the "left". He first used LSD over 50 years ago. Always with a friend, and more often than not in an outdoors (often genuinely wilderness) environment.
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Mangini is the author of the forward for the newly released volume of Sasha Shulgin's pharmacology lectures: The Nature of Drugs, and has written extensively on the impact of psychedelic experiences in shaping the lives of her contemporaries. Her particular interest is in the history of women in this field. In addition to her personal confessions, she will be telling us about her upcoming doctoral class at the California Institute for Integral Studies this fall on women and psychedelics.
Mangini has also worked closely with many of the most distinguished investigators in this field and is a founder of the Women’s Visionary Council, a nonprofit organization that supports investigations into non-ordinary forms of consciousness and organizes gatherings of researchers, healers, artists, and activists whose work explores these states.
Her long history with the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic includes having been a barefoot patient, a lead clinician in the medical section, and the chair of the Board of Directors – all in the same lifetime. She has been a Family Nurse Midwife for 35 years, and was in primary care practice with Frank Lucido MD, one of the pioneers of the medical cannabis movement, for 25 years. Their practice was one of the first to implement the California Compassionate Use Act of 1996, the first state medical cannabis initiative.
She is Professor Emerita of Nursing at Holy Names University in Oakland. Her current project is the development of a Thanatology program for the study of death and dying.
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Rabbi Mintz (she/they) was ordained in 1997 by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City. She is the founder of the award-winning Late Shabbat Young Adult Program at Congregation Emanu-El where she has served as Rabbi for almost 25 years. She became a Senior Rabbinic Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem after completing her fellowship in 2004 and serves on the National Board of Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice.
She is a graduate of Bend the Arc’s Selah Leadership Program, is a member of the U.S. State Department’s Working Group on Religion and Social Justice, and serves on Reimagine’s 360 Advisory Council.
In 2018, Rabbi Mintz’s one-woman show “You May Think I’m Funny, But It’s Not” premiered and sold out at the Marsh Theatre in San Francisco.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Don't miss my own story, as I officially join our growing tribe of elders – this morning at 9 am PACIFIC.
If you miss the live program, be sure to subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave us a 5-star review in Apple podcasts.
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Born in 1943, Countess Feilding is the youngest child of Basil Feilding, great-grandson of the 7th Earl of Denbigh and the Marquess of Bath, and his wife and cousin, Margaret Feilding.
She has propelled the field forward over the last 20+ years, spearheading studies such as the world’s first psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression study (on which Compass Pathways based their business), the world’s first LSD, MDMA and DMT brain imaging studies, plus the initiation and collaboration with Johns Hopkins on the first study using psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy to overcome nicotine addiction. She has also co-authored over 80 research papers.
Since 1998, the Beckley Foundation has been at the forefront of exploratory research into psychedelics, and evidence-based global drug policies.
Through her work with the Beckley Foundation, Amanda is bridging the gap between science and policy, creating a positive feedback loop, with the aim of building and harnessing our knowledge of the benefits of currently prohibited compounds to optimize human health, wellbeing and potential.
Today, however, she joins me to discuss how psychedelics have influenced her own journey – taking us from her early days as an independent youth, through her life as an influential spokesperson, advocate, and researcher into psychedelics and non-ordinary states of consciousness.
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Tim Scully, the chemist behind the production of the organization's LSD supply, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. An accomplished scientist before his prison term, Scully (pictured, in prison, above) spent his time in prison helping design and build biofeedback and interface systems for the non-vocal handicapped. He also received a Ph.D. in psychology from the regionally accredited Humanistic Psychology Institute in 1979. Following the reduction of his sentence to ten years, he was released from prison on parole in August 1979.
Michael Randall, a co-founder of the Brotherhood, refers to LSD as a "sacrament." It became his mission to help "turn on" as many people as possible, so they could share the life-changing experience he had with LSD in 1963 for the first time.
Their story was so rich and full of important history regarding the criminalization of LSD, that I had to dedicate two entire programs to documenting it. Both episodes will be rebroadcast this morning at 9 am this morning, and will be available in the archive thereafter.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Francoise Bourzat holds a MA in Somatic Psychology from New College of California (San Francisco, 1990). She was trained in the Hakomi Method by the Hakomi Institute of California (1991). She is an adjunct faculty in the East West Psychology Program at CIIS. Since 1987, Francoise has apprenticed with shamans and healers in the U.S. and Mexico. In the last 20 years, she has traveled with groups to Mexico, incorporating her counseling practice experience with her knowledge of expanded states of consciousness where she partners with Mazatec healers in Sacred Mushrooms ceremonies.
She also leads workshops in the U.S, France, Lebanon, and Israel, and was recently interviewed on the Tim Ferriss Show – often the first ranked of hundreds of thousands of podcasts – which will be released this week as well.
Of her book, Ferriss writes: “This book is brand-new, but I’m already on my second read. I’ve been waiting a year for it to be published! Françoise is one of the world’s foremost experts in navigating 'expanded states of consciousness,' and she has ~30 years of experience combining indigenous training with modern tools. Highly recommended for anyone interested in this work.”
Francoise joins me to discuss her early experiences with psychedelics, and how she discovered her role as a healer. We will also discuss her monumental book, co-authored with Kristina Hunter, Consciousness Medicine: Indigenous Wisdom, Entheogens, and Expanded States of Consciousness for Healing and Growth.
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Dennis, the younger brother of Terence, was featured in my previous book, Psychedelic Medicine, discussing the plant medicine known in South America as ayahuasca – a potent rain forest concoction containing the active ingredient DMT.
McKenna has conducted research in ethnopharmacology for over 40 years, and our last interview focused on the science of this fascinating substance. However, this recent interview focuses more on Dennis's personal experiences in academia and industry as he gradually found his present niche as a writer, researcher, teacher, and advocate for the study of mind-altering plant medicines.
He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute, and was a key investigator on the Hoasca Project, the first biomedical investigation of ayahuasca. He is also the younger brother of Terence McKenna. From 2000 to 2017, he taught courses on Ethnopharmacology and Plants in Human affairs as an adjunct Assistant Professor in the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota. In the spring of 2019, in collaboration with colleagues in Canada and the US, he
incorporated a new non-profit, the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy. He emigrated to Canada in the spring of 2019 together with his wife Sheila, and now resides in Abbotsford B.C.
Listen at 9 am PACIFIC, as we drop my pre-recorded interview with Dennis McKenna.
Finally, if you know a good candidate for our *Confessions of the Psychedelic Elders* series – or are yourself interested in sharing your story – please contact us at producer@mindbodyhealthpolitics.org.
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Charles Bush has lived on the Mendocino Coast for nearly four decades. Before coming to the Coast, he managed large residential service operations on college campuses. He co-founded Mendocino's successful and long-lived Community School. He retired from his position as director of Chamisa Mesa School near Taos, New Mexico, and became the Executive Director of the Redwood Coast Senior Center, where he served for several years.
I've interviewed Charles on my program before about how the philosopher encounters the world through the intermediate organs of perception, including the mind. We have explored how the stories that we weave influence our experience. This morning, we will discuss how meaning is created over the course of a lifetime, investigating the boundary between the mind and physical reality, and in particular, how psychedelics have influenced Charles's stories about the world and his numerous life experiences.
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Bache is professor emeritus in Philosophy and Religious Studies at Youngstown State University, where he taught for 33 years. Classically trained in the philosophy of religion at the University of Notre Dame, Cambridge, and Brown University, he recognized early in his career that psychedelics represented a major turning point in Western philosophy.
Convinced that the deepest contributions to his discipline would be made by philosophers speaking out of an experiential rather than just theoretical basis, he divided his life into two streams: In public, he became an academic in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Youngstown State University, teaching courses in Buddhism, transpersonal studies, psychology of religion, and comparative mysticism for over thirty years.
Meanwhile, in 1979, he began privately experiment with psychedelic exploration, which became the foundation for his philosophical inquiry. Since retiring in 2015, Chris has spoken and written openly about his psychedelic history, bringing the shamanic side of his life forward.
Chris’s passion has been exploring the philosophical significance of nonordinary states of consciousness, especially psychedelic states. He has written four books: Lifecycles - a study of reincarnation in light of contemporary consciousness research; Dark Night, Early Dawn - a pioneering work in psychedelic philosophy and collective consciousness; The Living Classroom, an exploration of teaching and collective fields of consciousness; and LSD and the Mind of the Universe, the story of his 20-year journey with LSD.
Chris is the father of three grown children and a Vajrayana practitioner.
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Bay Area NPR listeners know Krasny well. For years, Michael Krasny was the host of KQED's award-winning Forum, a news and public affairs radio program. He remains a veteran interviewer for the nationally broadcast City Arts and Lectures and worked for many years as host of one of ABC's highest-rated radio programs. He has worked as host of KQED's television programs This Week in Northern California and Civic Space and as a substitute host for NPR’s Talk of the Nation. He received two Emmy nominations for his television work.
In addition to his radio career, Krasny has written prolifically – publishing a variety of fiction, literary criticism, and political commentary. He is the coauthor of Sound Ideas (McGraw-Hill), and author of Off Mike: A Memoir of Talk Radio, Literary Life (Stanford University Press, 2007), and Spiritual Envy (New World Press). He also released a twenty-four lecture series DVD, audio and book on “Short Story Masterpieces” for The Teaching Company.
Krasny holds a PhD degree from The University of Wisconsin. Born in Cleveland and raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Krasny is a second-generation American whose grandparents immigrated from Russia and Lithuania and grew up in a Jewish household. He now lives in Marin County, with his wife, Leslie.
Krasny and I will discuss his latest book, Spiritual Envy: An Agnostic's Quest.
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I was inspired by Dean Edell because he had the courage to speak to America with the truth, integrity, and warmth that many of us valued in our doctors. Listeners called in with questions and they received straightforward honest answers. When he did not know an answer, he said so, and he then said he would find out... and he did.
Dr. Dean Edell actually requires little introduction, since his syndicated radio program aired live for 31 years – from 1979 to 2010 – and was the second most listened to radio talk show in America for much of the 1990s. The program was syndicated on over 200 stations across the country. His television program, Dr. Dean, aired on NBC beginning in 1992.
"Dr. Dean's" medical CV included an M.D. from Cornell University Medical School in 1967, a private ophthalmology practice in San Diego, and a teaching position in anatomy at UC San Diego – all before leaving the practice of medicine in the 1970s to pursue his true love of communicating information.
During the '70s, Dr. Dean lived in a vintage bus as a hippie, experimenting with different lifestyles, including organic farming, painting, and the topic of this morning's broadcast – psychedelic exploration.
Later, after starting a jewelry and antique shop to supplement his income, Dean served as medical director of the Sacramento County Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Center. A co-worker introduced him to the owner of a small music station, where he would begin his career as the on-air personality America grew to know and love.
Concerned with declining scientific literacy in the United States, he railed against pseudoscience and magical thinking – fad diets and unproven healing methods – while promoting research into the therapeutic use of marijuana and psychedelic drugs.
In 2010, Dean retired from media broadcasting and now lives in rural Mendocino County.
I am deeply honored to have Dean Edell – my neighbor, a fellow member of a growing tribe of psychedelic elders – on Mind Body Health & Politics.
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Cliff is a former journalist who has written for major U. S. dailies, including the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Hearst-run San Francisco Examiner, and covered the semiconductor and computer revolutions in Silicon Valley as a bureau manager for McGraw-Hill’s Electronics magazine. He studied and taught at the San Francisco Gestalt Institute, and holds an M.S. in counseling from California State College, Hayward.
He was born in New Bedford in 1929 and grew up in Rhode Island, the only child of a father who was the first of his family to leave the farm in 250 years in Swansea, Mass., and a mother whose family emigrated from Scotland in the late 19th century. Though neither of his parents got past the fifth grade in school, they nonetheless managed to send him to Dartmouth College, from which he graduated with an A.B. in 1951.
He has written about the press, aging, and Latin American politics in a blog, Cliff’s Notes, and about contemporary Mayan culture at carolinamccall.com, the website he runs with his artist wife.
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Dr. Miller (the other Dr. Milller), recently delivered a fascinating talk to the Mendocino Coast's Covid Response Network on the challenge posed by variants or mutations of the virus. We will review his professional opinion on the threat these variants pose, and whether the current vaccines are likely to protect us from them.
We will also discuss masking and social distancing after being vaccinated, contagion amongst vaccination decliners, and present risks associated with Covid.
Your calls are welcome during the broadcast at (650) TALLY-HO.
Please tune in or download this free podcast at your leisure, forward this email, share via the links below, and post the "listen-live" link to alert your friends and neighbors to this live broadcast.
Wishing you excellent health,
Richard Louis Miller, M.A., Ph.D.
Host, Mind Body Health & Politics
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“The Forests of California is the story about the survival strategy of reinforcing connectivity, not only between habitat spaces, but between members of our own species.” - Obi Kaufmann
Obi brings a new, informed perspective on the importance of the natural world to our state of being and health, with a refreshing optimistic attitude. I eagerly await his upcoming book on the California coastline.
Please tune in or download this free podcast at your leisure, forward this email, share via the links below, and post the "listen-live" link to alert your friends and neighbors to this live broadcast.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Dr. Wallace "J" Nichols — called a “Keeper of the Sea" by GQ Magazine, “a visionary" by Outside Magazine, a "water warrior" by AQUATICS International, a "friend of the sea" by Experience Life Magazine, and "the godfather of water" by Irish Life Health and Santa Cruz Waves Magazine — is an innovative, silo-busting, entrepreneurial scientist, movement maker, renown marine biologist, voracious Earth and idea explorer, wild water advocate, bestselling author, sought after lecturer, and fun-loving Dad. He also likes turtles (a lot).
Dr. Nichols collaborates tirelessly to create the new story of water and share it with the world. This story includes the vast cognitive, emotional, psychological, social, physical, and spiritual benefits that we can all derive from healthy waters and oceans throughout our lives.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Jerry B. Brown, Ph.D., is an anthropologist and the Founding Professor of Anthropology at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, where he teaches an online course on “Psychedelics and Culture.” Professor Brown researches, writes and teaches on psychedelics and religion as well as on psychedelic therapy.
Hear about their extensive research throughout Europe as well as their Confessions as Psychedelic Elders and why they think this is an exceptional time for psychedelics. Jerry and Julie are married and are veteran psychonauts as well as diligent scholarly researchers.
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Charles Durrett, with his former wife, Kathryn McCamant coined the word Cohousing and brought the concept of these planned communities to the United States in the Eighties. Durrett has designed over 60 cohousing communities in the US and Canada. One of his recent projects is Valley View Affordable Housing in American Canyon, California.
This important project pulled many homeless Veterans off the street and gave them more than a shelter...it gave them a community and established a core place for them to rebuild their lives. This community of very small homes borrowed on the legacy of cohousing communities with central community spaces and core shared living areas in a way that drives social change and invites new thinking about a troubling social problem.
Durrett’s new book is about Valley View Affordable Housing and provides solutions that others may use to help solve homelessness on a community level. Join us to learn about a very positive approach to solving homelessness one neighborhood at a time.
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This program gives special homage to my friend and heroine, Margo St. James. Margo St. James befriended me when I moved to San Francisco in 1968. In fact, we became so close that she took what she called her "first straight job" working for me at my clinic, The Gestalt Institute for Multiple Psychotherapy, near Children's Hospital, on Sacramento Street. I will tell you the rest of that story on air.
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I also interview the distinguished clinical psychologist, author and researcher, Dr. Thomas B. Robert’s on his very personal experiences with psychedelics. This interview is part of an upcoming book: Confessions of Psychedelic Elders.
Tom’s research investigates psychedelic mind-body states for the leads they provide for learning, cognition, intelligence, creativity, mental health, and abilities that reside in them.
Thomas B. Roberts, Ph.D., is professor emeritus at Northern Illinois University and a former visiting scientist at Johns Hopkins. The coeditor of Psychedelic Medicine and the author of Psychedelic Horizons, he has spoken at international conferences on psychedelics, consciousness, and psychedelic science.
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Phil Borges, has been documenting indigenous cultures and striving to create an understanding of the challenges they face for over 25 years. For his program, Stirring the Fire, Phil produced and filmed several short films, capturing the stories of women heroes and the issues they face all over the world, both as solo projects and in collaboration with organizations such as UN Women and CARE. We consider it especially appropriate to have Phil visit just prior to International Women's Day, March 8, 2021.
His work on the film Crazywise takes a closer look at whether some diagnosed 'mental breakdowns' might in fact be spiritual awakenings. In Crazywise, Phil asks us: What can we learn from those who have turned their psychological crisis into a positive transformative experience?
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Robert will be joining the program again live in the coming weeks, and I want my audience to be up to speed on his groundbreaking journalism. In his pulitzer prize nominated articles for the Boston Globe, Robert Whitaker discovered an extreme potential danger of prescription drugs such as SSRIs and antipsychotics in the treatment of depressed, anxious and mentally-ill.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Here in Mendocino County, where I broadcast weekly, we are lucky to have a dedicated Board of Supervisors which responds to the needs of our residents. I recently sat down and spoke with Ted Williams – Supervisor for the 5th District of Mendocino County – about several issues of pressing national concern. Chief among these issues is the on-going COVID pandemic, the rollout of the vaccine, and how much longer we will need to continue measures such as social distancing and mask-wearing.
It's rare to hear a public official speak as openly and transparently as Ted did with me.
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Austrian-born former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger likened last week’s storming of our American Capitol, during which 5 people were killed, with Kristallnacht – the night of the broken glass. In 1938, the Nazis infamously attacked Jewish people, broke their store windows and began a two-day pogrom.
Our current President initiated the attack on the Capitol and the House of Representatives responded with impeachment proceedings, making him the first American President to be impeached twice.
To offer guidance in navigating these challenging waters, our guests on this program are Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall and former four-time Governor Jerry Brown.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Allan received his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley. He followed this with a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Wisconsin, in the Psychiatry Department.
Early experiences with psychedelics led him to discover how transcendent experiences can free one from identifying with his contracted personality. He reports having taken over 150μg of LSD on more than 900 occasions, and once accidentally ingested a mega-mega-dose of 5,000μg (Warning: do NOT try this at home).
However, he discovered that the ability to see beneath the veneer of consensual reality, to the archetypal realm, and to experience the underlying unity of all that exists, using psychedelics (even very large doses) is short lived.
He turned toward spiritual practices as a way of remaining in transpersonal awareness. He studied with with Eastern spiritual teachers, notably, Chogyam Trungpa, Swami Satchidananda, and Swami Rama. He was initiated as a swami on the banks of the Ganges, in Rishikesh, India. For the next twenty years he periodically travelled to India, for further study, to teach, and to deepen his meditation.
Allan is also a mentor for professionals who are learning to be psychedelic therapists. He is interested in how entheogens (another word for psychedelics), psychotherapy, and self-inquiry compliment one another in opening us to the intelligence that manifest as all that is. He is author of Healing the Whole Person and Yoga Psychology: A Practical Guide to Meditation. Go to BeingAwareness.org for a full list of Allan's books and to contact him.
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"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
What does that mean in the 21st century? Tune in to find out.
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Sage Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides high-quality training, accessible psychedelic therapy, and innovative research, fostering effective and culturally-responsive mental health treatment for underserved communities.
Among other services, Sage Institute houses a sliding scale clinic in Oakland offering low fee ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and trauma-focused depth psychotherapy.
Both Jason and Genesee are licensed clinical psychologists, who specialize in working with trauma and integrating psychedelic experiences.
I have had the privilege of getting to know Jason and Genesee, and am honored to be a collaborator with them on a forthcoming volume of essays entitled Psychedelic Psychotherapy to be published by the Routledge publishing house.
Tune in LIVE, Tuesday at 9am PACIFIC, for our discussion of the future of psychotherapy – using a full range of tools that includes psychedelics like ketamine and MDMA – and be sure to call or text in with your questions:
(650) TALLY-HO
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My guest this week is founder of the Third Wave, Paul F. Austin. Paul struggled with anxiety and depression for years before he discovered microdosing.
Yes, microdosing. With psychedelics.
Stay with me, because this could help you or someone you know.
New research shows that microdoses of psychedelics turn off the “ruminating” brain areas – giving the user the neurological space to make new choices, think new thoughts, and create new habits.
But there’s a catch... As I've talked about for years on my program, you can’t just pop a pill and expect it to change your life.
It is vital to use microdosing in an intentional, structured way so you build new neural pathways rather than fall back into old patterns.
Third Wave offers a course that explains the right way to microdose – step-by-step – with an emphasis on using psilocybin safely to treat depression and anxiety. Paul is offering listeners to this program a 15% discount on the course. Use the code "MINDBODY15" at the checkout if you are interested in learning how to maximize the benefits of microdosing for healing, or simply for creativity and life change.
This Tuesday, Paul and I will discuss his personal experience with psychedelic medicines, and the importance of using them in conjunction with other mindbody enhancing modalities, such as meditation, exercise and diet.
Click the link below to learn more about the course, and tune in LIVE, Tuesday at 9am PACIFIC.
https://thethirdwave.co/ref/5
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On Tuesday, December 15, 2020 (9am PACIFIC), we will hear the confessions of two nationally-known doctors, David Geisinger and Howard Levene.
Dr. David L. Geisinger, is the 82-year-old author of Kicking It: The New Way to Stop Smoking and Permanently Going The Distance: Finding and Keeping Lifelong Love, written with his life partner, Dr. Lonnie Barbach.
Dr. Howard I. Levene – 85-year-old former Commander and medical officer in the U.S. Navy – is founder of Diabasis House, and a faculty member at the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco and Department of Psychiatry, UCSF Medical School.
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Recognized as “The Love Doctor” by the New York Times, he’s been treating couples and individuals in his Manhattan and Brooklyn offices for 30 years. Although Charley does not use MDMA in his practice, he is open about his own personal, "responsible recreational" usage, and he lays out the guidelines for such use in the book.
Our discussion will focus on the "chemical connection" produced by MDMA, how it can strengthen marriages and relationships, as well its potential for aiding in the process of graceful aging.
Finally, we will revisit the question of how a renewal of psychedelic research and experimentation can alleviate the loss of community in our modern world.
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In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction;
When the Body Says No;
Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection;
Scattered: How ADD Originates and What You Can Do About It; and
Hold on to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers
Renowned for his expertise on addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship of stress and illness, his book on addiction received the Hubert Evans Prize for literary non-fiction. For his groundbreaking medical work and writing he has been awarded the Order of Canada, his country’s highest civilian distinction.
Our discussion focuses on the diagnosis known as ADD. When does it help? When does it harm? What can people with this diagnosis do to live life as normally and productively as possible?
To learn more about Dr. Maté, subscribe to his e-newsletter at drgabormate.com.
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This week, I am joined by lead researchers on each study – Dr. Eric Westman of Duke University, and Dr. Henning Bundgaard of the University of Copenhagen.
Creon Levit and Dr. Nick Cozzi also return to offer their commentary.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
In 1974, I was living at Wilbur Hot Springs and I heard about a man, my age, named Jerry Brown, who was a candidate for governor of California. I learned that his family had lived “down the road a piece” from Wilbur since 1857.
I did some research and discovered that, more than any other politician, Jerry Brown represented my social and economic views.
Soon after, for the first time in my life, I attended a political fundraiser, met the candidate, Jerry Brown, and donated $500 (present value $2,639), a great deal of money for me. I have been a fan of his ever since. Later that year he was elected to his first of four terms as Governor of California. I opine that Jerry Brown may be the only honest politician in America.
He tells the truth.
This year, Jerry Brown retired after his second 8-year term as Governor of California. He moved back to the family farm in Colusa County, and once again we are neighbors.
This past New Year's Eve Jerry and his wife Anne spent the evening with Jolee and myself at Wilbur. It is because of these connections that I have the privilege of interviewing my neighbor, Governor Brown, on Mind Body Health & Politics, about his thoughts on the increasingly dangerous world, and how to address the dual threats of climate change and nuclear proliferation.
– Richard
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If you have been operating under the illusion of the “Single Self Assumption,” prepare to shift your consciousness and get attuned to 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑆𝑦𝑚𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑆𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠.
Get the book https://amzn.to/3grHP2a and listen to this conversation between author Dr. Jim Fadiman and fellow psychologist Dr. Richard Louis Miller, as they going beyond psychedelic exploration into the deep inner space of our non-pathological multiple personalities.
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/0qquZ1Bcj94
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Ken Paul Rosenthal's award winning films re-envision the way we think, speak and feel about mental distress and wellness in today's chaotic world. His transformative films offer new maps for navigating madness with insight healing and hope.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Peter, father of 7, is an author, playwright, actor, musician, film producer, and owner of the Albion River Inn.
The Albion River Inn has been featured in Wine Spectator, Coastal Living, Zagat, Entrepreneur, Departures, and Sunset magazines.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Other books by Dr Julie Holland include:
- Weekends at Bellevue: Nine Years on the Night Shift at the Psych ER and
- The Pot Book: A Complete Guide to Cannabis.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
The publication of Going the Distance: Finding and Keeping Lifelong Love, written with David Geisenger, Ph.D., her partner of 32 years, has defined her as an acknowledged expert on intimate relationships.
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Rob Valente maintains a private health consulting practice in which he helps people who aren't getting relief from standard medical practice.
The broadcast concludes with editorial comments.
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Doctors Mazur and Wood are authors, researchers, professors who serve traumatized and marginalized individuals, communities, and organizations through mediation, conflict management, integrative health education and training on compassion in action.
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Dr. Stella Resnick is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Beverly Hills, California and a certified sex therapist who specializes in couples' therapy. She has appeared on Oprah, CNN Live, The O'Reilly Factor and has written articles for many national magazines. She is also the author of The Pleasure Zone.
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Janet Hardy is a political activist championing the cause of positive sexual attitudes towards all forms of solo and consensual sexual behavior.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
They discuss recent studies conducted by the Beckley Foundation that use brain imaging technologies to analyze the effects of LSD, and to aid our understanding of the mechanism of action of psychedelic substances.
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Peal says that each moment provides you with the opportunity to decide how you want to engage, your life, your work, your relationships. His book, *Check Your Tude,* provides a guide that lets the reader contrast the positive and negative mindsets that we face several times in our day to day experiences.
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Peal says that each moment provides you with the opportunity to decide how you want to engage, your life, your work, your relationships. His book, *Check Your Tude,* provides a guide that lets the reader contrast the positive and negative mindsets that we face several times in our day to day experiences.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Tim Scully was the scientist taught to make LSD in quantity by LSD pioneer Owsley Stanley and Michael Randall was the leader of the Brotherhood of Eternal Love whose world wide LSD distribution network financed the Weather Underground to successfully break Tim Leary out of Federal Prison where he was serving time for drug offenses. Both Scully and Randall served time in Federal Prison.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Tim Scully was the scientist taught to make LSD in quantity by LSD pioneer Owsley Stanley and Michael Randall was the leader of the Brotherhood of Eternal Love whose world wide LSD distribution network financed the Weather Underground to successfully break Tim Leary out of Federal Prison where he was serving time for drug offenses. Both Scully and Randall served time in Federal Prison.
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Charles Bush has lived on the Mendocino Coast for nearly four decades. Before coming to the Coast, he managed large residential service operations on college campuses. He co-founded Mendocino's successful and long-lived Community School. He retired from his position as director of Chamisa Mesa School near Taos, New Mexico, became the Executive Director of the Redwood Coast Senior Center. Charles believes the Center is a refuge that embodies the values of kindness, courtesy and respect.
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Start your journey towards mental and physical well-being with an assessment.
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*Patrick Pekin began handling criminal cases in Salinas where he represented clients accused of every type of crime from DUI to homicide. Because Salinas is a high crime area, he became experienced in cases involving gangs and violence. He was appointed to represent prisoners housed in the Salinas Valley and Soledad State Prisons who were accused of in-prison crime. He also has experience with cases arising from Atascadero State Mental Hospital and practiced in counties throughout the Central Coast of California.
*John Allison has practiced law for 43 years. He built a successful private law firm practice as a trial lawyer and litigation attorney representing individuals, small businesses, non-profits and large companies. His law practice grew based on repeat business and referrals from satisfied clients. He chaired a committee of the American Bar Association and was a Judge Pro Tem. He also served in management roles at two different law firms.
Listen to Part I here: https://soundcloud.com/mbhp/transforming-the-practice-of-law-and-choosing-your-lawyer-with-john-allison
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
Listen to Part II here: https://soundcloud.com/mbhp/attorneys-patrick-pekin-john-allison-on-the-legal-profession
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Larissa MacFarquhar has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1998. Her profile subjects have included John Ashbery, Barack Obama, Noam Chomsky, Hilary Mantel, Derek Parfit, David Chang, and Aaron Swartz, among many others.
There are those of us who help and those who live to help. In *Strangers Drownin,g, Larissa MacFarquhar digs deep into the psychological roots and existential dilemmas motivating those rare individuals practicing lives of extreme ethical commitment.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe
In his decades as a psychotherapist and creativity coach, Eric Maisel has found a common thread behind what often gets labeled “writer’s block,” “procrastination,” or “stage fright.” It’s the particular anxiety that, paradoxically, keeps creators from doing, completing, or sharing the work they are driven toward. This “creative anxiety” can take the form of avoiding the work, declaring it not good enough, or failing to market it — and it can cripple creators for decades, even lifetimes. But Maisel has learned what sets successful creators apart. He shares these strategies here, including artist-specific stress management; how to work despite bruised egos, day jobs, and other inevitable frustrations; and what not to do to deal with anxiety. Implementing these 24 lessons replaces the pain of not creating with the profound rewards of free artistic self-expression.
* Practical insights and proven techniques for overcoming the challenges and fears that plague creators of every kind
* Teaching tales that convey effective approaches to creating fearlessly and abundantly
http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Creative-Anxiety-Musicians-Creativity/dp/157731932X
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Radio Show Broadcast: September 2, 2014
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https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/billion-wicked-thoughts
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Dr. Ofer Zur's philosophy of treatment suggests embracing flexibility, critical thinking, and a non-pathologizing stance with clients. Zur also aims to educate the public on ethical and sound therapy practices, and his institute provides services and consultations to the public on topics ranging from Internet addiction, to learning how to evaluate options regarding mental health services.
His most recent book, The Complete Fee-for-Service Private Practice Handbook, is a comprehensive and thorough guide to building, maintaining, and managing a thriving fee-for-service private practice in the digital era, outside managed care.
Radio Show Broadcast: September 2, 2015
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The Drug Policy Alliance envisions a just society in which the use and regulation of drugs are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights, in which people are no longer punished for what they put into their own bodies but only for crimes committed against others, and in which the fears, prejudices and punitive prohibitions of today are no more.
Their mission is to advance those policies and attitudes that best reduce the harms of both drug use and drug prohibition, and to promote the sovereignty of individuals over their minds and bodies.
Radio Show Broadcast: August 4, 2015
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http://drgabormate.com/
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Beginning where resilience ends, Supersurvivors examines the stories and science behind the surprising number of cases in which survivors don’t just grow; they revolutionize their lives.
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Dr. Wolfson is Principal Investigator of a double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study, located in Marin, California, which will gather preliminary data about the safety and efficacy of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety in 18 subjects diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. The study has received coverage in the San Francisco Chronicle, and KQED Radio on Forum with Michael Krasny, and is poised to be a game-changer in terms of bringing mainstream attention to the topic of psychedelic medicines.
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Julie M. Simon, MA, MBA, MFT is a Licensed Psychotherapist and Life Coach with a full-time private practice specializing in the treatment of overeating and associated mood disorders.
Julie holds a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, Los Angeles. In addition to her education and twenty plus years experience as a psychotherapist, she is a Certified Personal Trainer with twenty-five years of experience designing personalized exercise and nutrition programs for various populations.
Julie is the creator of The Twelve-Week Emotional Eating Recovery Program, an alternative to dieting that addresses the mind, body and spirit imbalances that underlie overeating. Her professional experience with and personal journey through childhood trauma, weight challenges and body and brain chemistry imbalances led to the creation of the program. She is the author of *The Emotional Eater's Repair Manual: A Practical Mind-Body-Spirit Guide for Putting an End to Overeating and Dieting* Julie M Simon ED book.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1608681513/
Julie offers individual, couple, family and group psychotherapy as well as classes and seminars. In addition to overeating, Julie offers psychotherapy and coaching for the following issues: relationship challenges, including marriage and couples, career development and transitions, work related stress, self-esteem, childhood dysfunction and trauma, grief and loss, co-dependency, self-care skills, and assertiveness training.
Her website is overeatingrecovery.com.
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http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401923127
Dr. Lipton began his scientific career as a cell biologist. He received his Ph.D. Degree from the University of Virginia at Charlottesville before joining the Department of Anatomy at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine in 1973. Dr. Lipton’s research on muscular dystrophy, studies employing cloned human stem cells, focused upon the molecular mechanisms controlling cell behavior.
An experimental tissue transplantation technique developed by Dr. Lipton and colleague Dr. Ed Schultz and published in the journal Science was subsequently employed as a novel form of human genetic engineering.
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Sidra Stone worked in the mental health field in public service, as well as privately as a psychotherapist. She was involved with the Veteran’s Administration and adolescent treatment centers at different points in her career.
The Stones developed Voice Dialogue based on their theory of the Psychology of Selves. This theory describes how each self relates to the others in relationships, both external and internal. The Psychology of Selves states that there are three dimensions to consciousness:
1. Awareness
2. Experience of the selves
3. Aware ego
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http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Anal-Women-Edition/dp/1573442216
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Two approaches to learning and problem solving.
Which one will work for you?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1577319427
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1608680908/
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While at Berkeley, Lerner became a leader in the Berkeley student movement and the Free Speech Movement, chair of the Free Student Union, and chair from 1966-1968 of the Berkeley chapter of the Students for a Democratic Society. After teaching philosophy of law at San Francisco State University, he took a job as an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Washington and taught ethics, social and political philosophy, philosophy of literature and culture, and introduction to philosophy.
After serving for five years as dean of the graduate school of psychology at the New College of California (now defunct) in San Francisco, Lerner and his then-wife Nan Fink created a general-interest intellectual magazine called Tikkun: A Bimonthly Jewish Critique of Politics, Culture and Society. Tikkun was started with the intention of challenging the left for its inability to understand the centrality of religious and spiritual concerns in the lives of ordinary Americans. With his associate editor Peter Gabel, Lerner developed a "politics of meaning" to speak to the hunger for meaning that was characteristic of the thousands of people that Lerner and his colleagues were studying at the Institute for Labor and Mental Health. Tikkun was formed to educate the public about the findings of the Institute and to develop some of the implications of that work. However, because it also had an interest in being an "alternative to the voices of Jewish conservatism," Tikkun was criticized by some Jewish groups.
In 1993, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton included the "politics of meaning" in her synthesis of political and social philosophy she was forming. Later in 2002, Lerner organized a group called the Tikkun Community among readers of Tikkun magazine and those who share its editorial vision.
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Dr. Lonnie Barbach - Specialist in Human Sexuality
Dr. Lonnie Barbach work as a couple’s therapist for more than three decades and the publication of "Going the Distance: Finding and Keeping Lifelong Love" crafted with David Geisinger, Ph.D., her partner of 25 years, has defined her as an acknowledged expert on intimate relationships.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452269482/
She is skilled in a variety of treatment modalities in treating individuals and couples with problems ranging from anxiety and depression to parenting and communication issues.
As one of the first co-directors of clinical training at the University of California San Francisco, Human Sexuality Program, Dr. Barbach created the women's pre-orgasmic group treatment program. Considered a pioneer in her field, her dozen books, translated into an equal number of languages, have sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. alone.
Here's some of Dr. Barbach's books:
For Yourself : The Fulfillment of Female Sexuality
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451202007
Shared Intimacies : Women's Sexual Experience
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385171773/
For Each Other
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385172974/
Visit: Lonniebarbach.com
David Geisinger, Ph. D.
David Geisinger, Ph.D., former Assistant Clinical Professor of medical psychiatry at the University of California Medical Center, Co-Director of the pioneering Behavior Therapy Institute in Sausalito, Research Coordinator and Staff Psychologist and San Francisco’s Center for Special Problems.
He is the author of the book, "Kicking It", and co-author, with his partner, Lonnie Barbach, of the book, "Going the Distance: Finding and Keeping Lifelong Love. Currently he continues in private practice of psychotherapy with individuals and couples in San Francisco.
Dr. Phil Wolfson M.D.
Dr. Phil Wolfson M.D. has taught in three Bay Area graduate schools in psychology and is currently Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCSF as well as in private practice. He is a Founding Member of Heffter Research Institute and practiced MDMA (Ecstasy) psychotherapy in legal period and published on its use in psychotherapy. His book, *Noe: A Father-Son Song of Love, Life, Illness, and Death* was published in 2011. He is a Vajrayana Buddhist Practitioner.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1556439717/
Visit: Philwolfsonmd.com
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http://www.amazon.com/The-Soul-Solution-Enlightening-Meditations/dp/1932073523
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http://bryantwelch.com/
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Sickness calls are 82% of Fire Department calls, rather than fire-related calls. When fires or major traffic accidents happen, often emergency teams are not available because they are out on sickness calls. In addition, Emergency rooms are full and hospital beds not available. This is a story of a national disaster waiting to happen.
Also on the show were Dave Pimentle, a paramedic and EMS District Captain who has 25 years years experience with the Fire Department and Dr. Lee Weiss, an ER doctor and Regional Medical Director for Emergent Medical Associates. Contributing another viewpoint on the show was a patient who saw firsthand what happens when you don't have access to healthcare and have to call 911 when sick.
Dial 911 For Healthcare with news and notes.
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The show included interviews with experts in the area of psychology and criminal law, as well as the Vargas family and Vargas prosecutor Assistant District Attorney Beth Norman.
Guests also included Dr. David Wolfe of the University of Toronto, a psychologist and author specializing in abuse and trauma issues affecting children and youth and Gerry Schwartzbach, a nationally respected criminal law attorney with over 40 years of courtroom experience.
On this show, Mind Body Health & Politics explored whether law enforcement, probation departments, district attorney's offices, and judges have the willingness and the expertise to consider the effects of long term sexual molestation on molestation victims such as Aaron Vargas.
The guests provided a variety of views and perspectives on this controversial case and the challenging issues it raised.
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Also participating in the exchange is Jeff Kane, MD, who argues that the current healthcare debate has nothing to do with healthcare. He contends that the debate is all about economics. Dr. Kane is a practicing physician and Director of Psychosocial Education at Sierra Nevada Cancer Center in Grass Valley, California and authors the lively blog Healthcare As Though People Matter.
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Ms. Derrow's book is a funny, honest, and enlightening collection of stories by women of many ages and backgrounds talking about the lessons and foibles of living and loving in America today. The writers have learned valuable lessons about love and sex which they share with humor and grace, reassuring us that whatever we feel, whatever we do or don't do in the bedroom, we're not alone.
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