Music For Psychedelic Therapy - Mendel Kaelen, Founder and CEO of Wavepaths

Mendel Kaelen is the CEO of Wavepaths.  Prior to founding Wavepaths, Mendel Kaelen worked as a PhD and postdoctoral neuroscientist at Imperial College London since 2012, where his research was the one of the first to demonstrate music’s central role in psychedelic therapies.  Wavepaths is a software platform that generates personalized, optimal music for psychedelic therapy.    

0:00 - Why work on music and psychedelics? 

3:30 - Highlights of Mendel’s academic career. 

7:30 - Is there a universal “best” music for psychedelic therapy?  How to design a psychedelic therapy playlist. 

11:30 - What does the importance of music personalization mean for group psychedelic sessions?  

16:00 - Should music for psychedelics be “familiar” to the patient, or novel? 

20:00 - Vocals vs no vocals?  It’s not that simple.  

23:00 - Directive vs non-directive and concrete vs fluid music. 

25:00 - Is the “right” music for psychedelics consistent across different drugs?  

28:00 - How did Mendel switch from academia to startup founder. 

30:30 - What is Wavepaths?  

35:30 - Who is Wavepaths for?  

37:00 - How do you sell music for psychedelic therapy?  

39:00 - Surprising insights from Wavepaths customers?  

43:30 - How does Wavepaths use biofeedback?  

46:00 - Wavepaths direct to consumer.  

49:45 - Startup life vs academia. 

51:00 - Virtual reality and psychedelic therapy.