Keep Talking Episode 59: Jim Fadiman - The Science of Microdosing
Jim Fadiman is an author, an educator, and is America's leading expert on the science of microdosing. During our conversation, Jim talks about his relationship with his favorite Harvard professor, Richard Alpert (later Ram Dass), his first psychedelic experience, and why he decided to dedicate so much of his career to the study of psychedelics and microdosing.
Jim also discusses The Fadiman Protocol for microdosing, what microdosing is and proper dosing and frequency of use, microdosing's potential for human well-being, creativity, and to combat mental illness, and how a healthy society might wisely integrate such practices into its civilization.
Jim believes that our culture is growing more open to the potential promise of psychedelics, and I think he's right. Documentaries like Netflix's "How to Change Your Mind" and books like his, "The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide," offer knowledge that has been suppressed and demonized to be more accurately detailed and publicly available.
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(00:00) Introduction
(02:48) Interest in psychedelics and microdosing
(04:19) Life as a graduate student
(07:28) Richard Alpert and Bill Richards
(10:59) The link between theology and psychedelics
(15:01) Inspiration from a psychedelic experience
(17:32) Religious views prior to psilocybin experience
(21:33) The 1970s-1990s as era of lost opportunities in psychedelic research
(24:32) Spiritual unwellness in modern people
(28:00) “Flump'ing” in the 1960's
(30:14) Psychedelic research during its illegality
(33:07) How Jim's transcendent experience affected him
(37:27) Resistance to psychedelic research
(42:04) Quotes by Jim on psychedelics
(49:05) What is meant by microdosing?
(50:58) Some positive affects of microdosing
(52:54) The "sweet spot" quantity and frequency for microdosing
(01:05:10) Possible psychedelic dosage mistakes and their impact
(01:07:38) Psilocybin as a "nootropic vitamin" for healthy living
(01:12:53) Microdosing for intellectual or creative pursuits
(01:21:40) Francis Crick, LSD, and the DNA double helix discovery
(01:23:47) Microdosing and alleviating human suffering
(01:30:21) The role of psychedelics in a healthy, flourishing society and culture