PT474 – Joe Moore & Kyle Buller – The Origin of Psychedelics Today and the Growth of Vital
Jan 2, 2024
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Joe Moore and Kyle Buller discuss the origins of Psychedelics Today, their shared passion for transpersonal psychology, and their journey into the world of psychedelics. They touch on the growth of their platform, the importance of education, the harms of the drug war, and the necessity for more than just decriminalization. The conversation also delves into their creation of Vital, the benefits of retreats, and the self-discovery witnessed in participants.
The podcast emphasizes the journey from media to education in the world of psychedelics, showcasing diverse offerings and interdisciplinary learning opportunities.
The Vital program stands out with a holistic, comprehensive curriculum including diverse modules like harm reduction and psychedelic therapies, setting itself apart in the field of psychedelic education.
The course attracts a wide range of professionals from therapy, medical, acupuncture, and more, covering various treatment techniques and aiming to shape skilled individuals in the evolving psychedelic therapy landscape.
Deep dives
Evolution of Psychedelics Today
The podcast's evolution from media focus to an educational platform is prominent, with a range of offerings and an emphasis on interdisciplinary learning institutions regarding psychedelics.
Vital Program Overview
The Vital program is a comprehensive professional certificate program divided into five modules: foundational wisdom, legal and ethical perspectives, harm reduction, psychedelic therapies, navigating the psychedelic experience, and integration, with a final project as part of the holistic learning approach.
Competitive Program Design
The program was meticulously designed to compete with top-tier trainings, emphasizing a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to stand out in the field of psychedelic education, offering greater breadth and depth than many other specialized training programs.
Diverse Participants in the Course
Participants in the course have varied backgrounds, with approximately 60% coming from therapy or medical professions and the other half consisting of individuals from diverse fields such as acupuncture, massage therapy, business, journalism, film, and cannabis. The course curriculum covers a wide range of techniques, including high-dose psychedelic treatment and psycholytic therapy, which focuses on lower to medium doses with a therapeutic approach. The program aims to explore different treatment protocols and the evolving landscape of psychedelic therapy.
Evolution and Global Expansion of Programs
Plans for the future include expanding media and educational offerings, possibly introducing new events, and seeking a global presence beyond North America. The focus is on developing a diverse array of skilled professionals in the psychedelic space, not only facilitators but also designers and broader thinkers. The program also aims to address the evolving landscape of psychedelic therapy by encouraging participants to engage in their own inner work, emphasizing experiential learning, and fostering a global community of activists and researchers.
In this episode, we toast to the beginning of an exciting and hopefully groundbreaking 2024 by switching things up a bit. Christopher Koddermann, Co-Founder and Chair of Board of the International Therapeutic Psilocybin Rescheduling Initiative (ITPRI) will be conducting some interviews for PT, and in this episode, he does his first – with our Co-Founders, Joe Moore and Kyle Buller.
Kyle tells the story of his fateful New Years Eve snowboarding trip that resulted in a near death experience and a complete change in his life’s trajectory, and Joe discusses his more academic roots and how he and Kyle were united through their shared passion for the work of Stan Grof, holotropic breathwork, and transpersonal psychology. Psychedelics Today was created largely with no aims other than to promote transpersonal psychology and archive the best insights from their mentors, but has obviously turned into so much more, mostly from the simple goal of trying to spread the word through interesting conversations.
They talk about the growth of PT; how they got involved in education; the harms of the drug war; why decriminalization isn’t enough; where they see ‘the psychedelic renaissance’ going; what has surprised them the most in the last few years; and what we’re most proud of: Vital – how it came to be created, what’s involved, the benefits of the retreats, the self-discovery they’ve witnessed, and what they’ve learned through two successful cohorts.