What Psychedelics Teach Us About Memory, Trauma, and Healing with Manoj Doss

Psychedelic research is making waves, and it’s fascinating how it’s reshaping our understanding of memory, trauma, and healing. In this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Manoj Doss, a Cognitive Neuropsychopharmacologist from the University of Texas, Austin. He took us on his personal journey—from a life-changing concussion that shifted his path from engineering to exploring the mind with psychedelics. You’ll hear how these substances can actually influence our memory systems and what that means for healing deep-seated traumas.

We touched on some thought-provoking topics, like the reliability of memories formed under the influence of psychedelics and the often-misunderstood concept of repressed memories. Manoj also opened up about something called noetic quality—the incredible sense of knowing that can come during these experiences—and what that might tell us about consciousness. It’s a conversation that really encourages you to rethink the power of psychedelics and how they can unlock new understandings about ourselves.

You’ll find this episode packed with intriguing revelations and genuine exploration. You won’t want to miss this chance to challenge your views on memory and healing in a way that feels personal and relatable. Tune in for a chat that’s sure to spark your curiosity! 

Key Takeaways:

[00:02:24] Resurgence of psychedelic research.

[00:05:26] Morbid curiosity about drugs.

[00:07:29] Psychedelics in modern science.

[00:11:21] Repressed trauma and memory.

[00:18:37] Trauma recovery and healing experiences.

[00:22:34] Mindfulness vs. Past Trauma

[00:25:26] Birth trauma and psychedelics.

[00:28:34] Illusory truth effect and psychedelics.

[00:32:08] Noetic quality of knowledge.

[00:36:52] Familiarity and novelty in insights.

[00:39:38] Relationship between knowing and spirituality.

[00:42:41] PTSD and memory consolidation.

[00:44:20] Balance of psychedelic experiences.

[00:48:25] Positive knowing and neuroplasticity.

[00:51:46] Learning and memory processes.

[00:55:39] Integration of psychedelic experiences.

[00:58:53] Noeticism as a powerful tool.

[01:00:44] Relationship to knowledge and truth.

Memorable Quotes:

"I kind of felt like the drug studies, although it was still quite basic science with kind of limited application in some ways, at least it made me feel like some of my research was going towards something that had some applicability in my lifetime." [00:04:27] – Manoj Doss

"I think there's something really interesting about the way these drugs impact familiarity and novelty, and then result in these things like knowing. I mean, think about an insight. I think that's kind of the intersection of familiarity and novelty. An insight, by definition, is a novel solution." [00:36:15] – Manoj Doss

Connect with Manoj Doss:

Website: https://dellmed.utexas.edu/directory/manoj-doss

Twitter: https://x.com/manojdoss/

Email: manoj.doss@austin.utexas.edu

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Produced by Evolved Podcasting: www.evolvedpodcasting.com