Psychedelics Then and Now with Zach Leary

Roland Griffiths and the Johns Hopkins Psilocybin Project - Implications for Spirituality & Therapeutics Live from Psychedelic Science 2017 Roland Griffiths, Ph.D gives the definitive talk about the psilocybin project that's underway at Johns Hopkins. The implications for spirituality and therapeutics is presented from the early sets of data obtained from the study. The program at Johns Hopkins investigates the effects of the classic hallucinogen psilocybin that includes studies of psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experiences in healthy volunteers, psilocybin-facilitated treatment of psychological distress in cancer patients, psilocybin-facilitated treatment of cigarette smoking cessation, psilocybin effects in beginning and long-term meditators, and psilocybin effects in religious leaders. Roland Griffiths, Ph.D., is Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His principal research focus in both clinical and preclinical laboratories has been on the behavioral and subjective effects of mood-altering drugs. His research has been largely supported by grants from the National Institute on Health and he is author of over 360 journal articles and book chapters. He has been a consultant to the National Institutes of Health, and to numerous pharmaceutical companies in the development of new psychotropic drugs. He is also currently a member of the Expert Advisory Panel on Drug Dependence for the World Health Organization. He has conducted extensive research with sedative-hypnotics, caffeine, and novel mood-altering drugs.

This episode of the MAPS podcast takes us on a journey way back into the archives of psychedelic lore by pulling some classic audio from a historic event in 1990. Tucked in the cozy enclave of Maryland many of the worlds great psychedelic luminaries gathered to reflect on the state of psychedelic research, culture and policy. Rick Doblin moderates a panel from this gathering entitled "Psychedelics and The Future" that features on one stage; Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Terence McKenna, Ralph Metzner, Andy Weil, Emerson Jackson and Robert Zanger. Rick sets the tone by putting forth the question "Where do you see us in the year 2000? What will psychedelics look like in the 90's and where will it take us?" Listen for yourself to hear what these legendary thinkers had to say. Look out for a part two from this gathering because it's OH so good!

Episode 23: Ketamine's Therapeutic Potential: Practical Considerations for Clinical Use John Hartberg, B.Sc., M.D. Candidate Ketamine is quickly gaining popularity for it's therapeutic value for it's use in treatment-resistant depression and PTSD therapy. This clinical interest has been accompanied by an impressive array of biological and behavioral studies corroborating its antidepressant properties. The first part of this presentation will look at the use of oral ketamine in an outpatient clinical practice in Brisbane, Australia, where a retrospective chart review was conducted on a cohort of patients who had been treated for diagnosed psychiatric conditions. In the second part of the presentation, we'll examine the latest research on ketamine's role in psychiatric treatment. John Hartberg, B.S., is a medical student at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, where he is conducting research at a psychiatric practice using oral ketamine for treatment-resistant depression and PTSD. He holds a B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Minnesota. John previously served as study coordinator for the MAPS-sponsored MDMA therapy study in Marin County. Prior to that, he held an internship with MAPS and compiled data from ibogaine and MDMA studies. He has an interest in medicine in remote and underserved communities, having worked with underserved communities in the Peruvian Amazon, Cambodia, Standing Rock, and the South Pacific.

This episode of the MAPS Podcast is taken from the Psychedelic Science 2017 conference in Oakland, CA. The talk is by the legendary and luminous Kathleen Harrison, M.A. and is entitled "Cannabis and Spirituality - Exploring the Plant Human Spirit Relationship". Kat's decades of work as an ethnobotanist focussed largely on the deeply inter-connected history and relationship between human beings and cannabis. A relationship existing not just in a cultural setting but also a spiritual one. This talk explores the nuances of the relationship, cultural appropriation in respect to psychedelic mysticsm and a holistic blueprint for how one might approach spirituality with cannabis as a guide. Kathleen (Kat) Harrison, M.A. is an ethnobotanist who loves to explore the relationship between plants, mushrooms and human beings—particularly in the realms that are often hidden: cultural beliefs, personification of species, rituals of healing and initiation, vision-seeking modalities, and artistic creations that illustrate the plant-human relationship. She also studies and teaches the deep history of humans in nature, encompassing both before and since the advent of agriculture. Kathleen founded Botanical Dimensions in 1985, with her then-husband, the late Terence McKenna. Visit www.botanicaldimensions.org

Episode 21 with Amanda Reiman, PhD The Use of Cannabis as a Substitute for Opiate and Non-Opiate Pain Medication This episode of the MAPS Podcast presents an alternative treatment method and all around discussion in respect to the opioid crisis facing America. Currently, there are over 20,000 overdose deaths each year as a result of prescribed opiate pain medication. It's a major epidemic that has many opinions and a myriad of possible remedies. Amanda Reiman has done extensive research into using cannabis as a substitute in the treatment of this affliction. This talk is from Psychedelic Science 2017 and includes a brief audience question and answer at the end. Enjoy. Intro: 5 essential psychedelic book recommendations for your library. Amanda Reiman is the California policy manager for the Drug Policy Alliance. Based in San Francisco, Reiman leads DPA's marijuana reform work in California. Reiman has conducted numerous studies on medical marijuana dispensaries, patients and the use of marijuana as a treatment for addiction. Reiman served as the first chairwoman of the Medical Cannabis Commission for the City of Berkeley and has consulted with various cities and states on the development of medical marijuana policy. Reiman is currently a lecturer in the School of Social Welfare at the University of California-Berkeley, where she teaches Drug and Alcohol Policy, Substance Abuse Treatment, and Sexuality and Social Work.

Episode 20 of the MAPS Podcast brings you Dr. William Richards and his talk "Psychedelic Psychotherapy: Insights from 25 Years of Research". From Psychedelic Science 2013 this talk reflects on his past involvement in clinical research with psychedelic substances at the University of Göttingen and the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, and in the current investigations at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Dr. Richards will discuss the discrete alternative states of consciousness that appear to facilitate psychotherapeutic progress, and the factors of set, setting, and dosage that increase the probability of their occurrence. William A. Richards, PhD, is a psychologist in the Psychiatry Department of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Bayview Medical Center, currently pursuing research with entheogens, and also a clinician in private practice in Baltimore. From 1977-1981, he was a member of the psychology faculty of Antioch University in Maryland. His publications began in 1966 with "Implications of LSD and Experimental Mysticism," coauthored with Walter Pahnke, and published in the Journal of Religion and Health.

This episode of The MAPS Podcast dives into the rich tapestry of the foreign yet wise world of South American plant medicine culture as experienced through the lens of an American medical doctors eyes. Joe's new book "The Fellowship of The River - A Medical Doctor's Exploration into Traditional Amazonian Plant Medicines" is a beautifully written and passionately researched account into Joe's time exploring how traditional plant medicines, with their ability to alter consciousness and open channels of communication to our emotions, offer so much promise in the treatment of many conditions that Western medicine does not seem to have much success with. Joe and I also danced around his own evolution from traditional medical doctor to plant medicine mystic, the roots of Western medicine's own systematic limitations, various ailments and how we tend to treat them and a couple of case studies that illustrate the effectiveness of Joe's research. I highly recommend his book (and this podcast) if you're at all curious about a road map of how healing via shamanic plant medicine can be applied to traditional Western medicine as it stands now. Visit - drjoetafur.com to learn more and to purchase the book

This episode of The MAPS Podcast dives into the rich tapestry of the foreign yet wise world of South American plant medicine culture as experienced through the lens of an American medical doctors eyes. Joe's new book "The Fellowship of The River - A Medical Doctor's Exploration into Traditional Amazonian Plant Medicines" is a beautifully written and passionately researched account into Joe's time exploring how traditional plant medicines, with their ability to alter consciousness and open channels of communication to our emotions, offer so much promise in the treatment of many conditions that Western medicine does not seem to have much success with. Joe and I also danced around his own evolution from traditional medical doctor to plant medicine mystic, the roots of Western medicine's own systematic limitations, various ailments and how we tend to treat them and a couple of case studies that illustrate the effectiveness of Joe's research. I highly recommend his book (and this podcast) if you're at all curious about a road map of how healing via shamanic plant medicine can be applied to traditional Western medicine as it stands now. Visit - drjoetafur.com to learn more and to purchase the book

The State of Psychedelic Therapy, Culture and Policy in the UK and Beyond with Dr. Ben Sessa Ben beams in via cyberspace for an original episode of The MAPS Podcast. Ben's talk with Zach weaved in and out of topics including the psychedelic dance in the UK, his own experiences with various methods, how to integrate results with traditional therapy and the culture wars that we're still fighting. Ben's experience, candor and passion is not to be missed. He's a force on the front lines of the psychedelic movement. Intro: An excerpt was read from "Why I'm microdosing LSD" By Erica Avey. The entire piece can be read here From DrSessa.com - I am a medical doctor providing private psychiatric consultation through Mandala Therapy Limited I am a published medical and fiction author I carry out psychopharmacology research with psychedelic medicines I am researching MDMA Therapy for mental disorders I publish in the academic and medical press I present regularly in multi-media platforms I carry out medico-Legal family law expert witness work I am co-founder and chair of the Breaking Convention conference.

Have you wondered what happens on a neuro-scientific and physiological level when phsychedelics enter your body? That question has been at the root of the psychedelic experience for generations if not centuries. Ancient mystics had the understnading that these sacred plant medicines contained tribal DNA which was necessary to keep cultures and history alive. However, now that we have more data and research available we can augment that thinking with actual stuides that illustrate how the brain is effected when these agents enter our system. Highlighting the results of two fMRI studies and one MEG study with psilocybin and an fMRI study with MDMA, Carhart-Harris will report the effects of both drugs on regional brain activity and brain network organization. Additionally, he will report the effects of both drugs on brain and subjective responses to personal autobiographical memory cues. Dr Robin Carhart-Harris talks about his scientific research into the effects and potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic drugs. Join him as he discusses brain imaging work involving psilocybin, the active ingredient of magic mushrooms, and explains how the drug works in the brain. In 2005, Robin began a four year PhD in Psychopharmacology at the University of Bristol. In 2009, he successfully coordinated the first clinical study of psilocybin in the UK and the first clinical study of a classic psychedelic drug in the UK for over 40 years. Also in 2009, Robin moved to Imperial College London to continue his work under the supervision of Professor David Nutt. Robin has since coordinated the first resting state fMRI and MEG investigations of a psychedelic drug and the first fMRI study of MDMA in the UK. Robin and David Nutt recently received ethics approval for an MRC-sponsored clinical trial that will investigate the efficacy of psilocybin as a treatment for depression and an LSD fMRI and MEG study. Robin's work is published in PNAS, Brain, Schizophrenia Bulletin and the British Journal of Psychiatry and he has appeared in television interviews for BBC news and Channel 4.