The Psychedelic Therapy Podcast

Lisa Dannen, our colleague at Maya, recently experienced her first Ayahuasca retreat in Peru. Today on the show, she shares all the preparation and integration that went into her experience. On the podcast, we discuss about Lisa’s work with Maya, and why she wanted to experience Ayahuasca for healing and personal growth. We discuss her 10 day experience in the Sacred Valley of Peru as well as her subsequent integration. Finally Lisa gives her advice to others planning a similar experience. Lisa has over ten years of experience changing what people know, think, and do about controversial social issues, Lisa began her career at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, advocating for the housing rights of low-income individuals. In 2015, Lisa transitioned into the cannabis industry to help to reform discriminatory federal and state drug policies as the Marketing Director at the National Cannabis Industry Association in Denver. She currently serves as Maya’s Director of Marketing & Communications and as a passionate proponent for psychedelic healing. Links Maya Chaka-Runa Retreat Center Don Gino Chaka-Runa Music Timestamps :07 - Why Lisa decided to work at a psychedelic medicine company :13 - Why Lisa wanted to drink Ayahuasca and how she prepared :25 - The experience of five ayahuasca ceremonies in ten days :36 - Lisa’s experience with psychedelic integration :42 - How her ayahuasca ceremony has changed Lisa’s professional life :50 - Advice to others planning to go on an ayahuasca experience

Building a psychedelic company is a lot like creating a healing container. It starts with really understand your own role as Martijn Schirp, founder of Synthesis — a psilocybin retreat center and institute in the Netherlands — discovered. On the show we discuss Martijn’s initial roles as facilitator and then CEO of Synthesis and the value of having a comprehensive team. We compare ketamine and psilocybin and the efficacy of a communal setting for healing. We explore creating a safe healing container from medical screening all the way to evidence-based integration. Finally we discuss the stewardship model as the future of psychedelic business. Synthesis is a legal, professionally guided truffle retreat center for professionals to experience personal growth, emotional breakthroughs, and spiritual development. Their expert team of facilitators and meditation and breathwork instructors, create an experience that blends the best of ancient wisdom, with cutting edge science. First as CEO and now as Chief Visionary Officer Martijn has driven the vision of Synthesis Institute since he co-founded the company in 2018. He previously co-founded HighExistence and Apotheosis. His work and identity as an entrepreneur is strongly influenced by eco-phenomenological thought, and by his decade-long personal practice with Buddhism and Shamanism. He is currently focused on scaling opportunities for flourishing, well-being, and transformation through the synthesis of contemplative practices, immersive technology, and psychedelics. Links: Synthesis: https://www.synthesisretreat.com/ Martijn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martijnschirp Synthesis on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/synthesisinstitute Timestamps: :05 - Martijn’s style of leadership :14 - The value of having a comprehensive, integrated team at Synthesis :19 - Ketamine vs psilocybin and the value of a communal setting for healing :23 - How Synthesis creates a healing “container” :30 - Integration, evidence-based care, and post retreat risks :38 - Comprehensive medical screening protocols :46 - The stewardship model as the future of psychedelic business 1:00 - Advice to psychedelic therapists

A difficult psychedelic experience once meant a hospital visit… or worse. Now, in the spirit of the Zendo Project and other psychedelic peer support organizations, we have a new hotline called the Fireside Project (call or text 62-FIRESIDE) and there’s a lot that psychedelic therapists can learn from leaders like Hanifa Nayo Washington and Adam Rubin. On the show, we discuss the influence of ceremonial medicine and legacy psychedelic support organizations in informing Fireside. We talk about the value of community in mental health and how Fireside nurtures their own cohort of volunteers. We review the data from the first 18 days of operation and discuss potential legal issues. Finally as always, Hanifa and Adam share their advice to psychedelic therapists. Fireside Project Co-founder, Adam Rubin is a psychedelic harm reduction activist and crisis counselor. He has worked over 45 events around the world since 2015 with many different organizations including the Zendo Project, White Bird Rock Med, RGX Medical, and Take 3 Presents. He has given trainings to peer support volunteers, local psychedelic communities, and event medical teams. He has also written a series of zines titled “The It’s Okay Psychedelic Harm Reduction Series” and distributes them for free. Hanifa Nayo Washington is Fireside Project’s Cultivator Of Beloved Community. She is an award-winning cultural producer and the Principal Organizer & Co-Founding Practitioner of One Village Healing, a wellness and resilience initiative. Hanifa has been combining arts, healing, and activism to make the world a better place for 20+ years and in 2017 she released her 3rd album Mantras for the Revolution. In December 2018 Hanifa received a Phenomenal Women Arts Award from the Arts Council of Greater New Haven for her contributions and achievements in the arts. Links Fireside Hotline: 62-FIRESIDE Fireside Project The Stormy Search for the Self Hanifa Nayo Washington Adam Rubin Timestamps :04 - Hanifa’s background in ceremonial psychedelic medicine and community building :13 - Adam’s experience with Zendo Project and other psychedelic peer support groups :17 - Psychedelic peer support is not shamanism :21 - The value of holding space in community and the challenges with doing that over a phone line. :30 - How Fireside supports their beloved community of volunteers :41 - Skills earned in psychedelic peer support :45 - Data collected by Fireside :50 - The legal status of organizations like Fireside :58 - Advice to psychedelic therapists

There are only a few places in the world which offer legal access to high impact psilocybin retreats. MycoMeditations, stewarded by today’s guest Justin Townsend, is leading the way in sustainable, ethical psychedelic healing that takes into account the unique environment and needs of Jamaica and its people. On the show, we discuss Jungian-depth psychology and other therapeutic modalities used at MycoMeditations. We talk about the value of a comprehensive, holistic team of caregivers for cathartic experiences. We review the efficacy of psilocybin as compared to ketamine therapy and ayahuasca ceremonies. Finally, we discuss the landscape of psychedelic healing in Jamaica and the importance of ethical entheogenic businesses. MycoMeditations is a retreat that combines the powerful healing of multiple, high-dose psilocybin experiences, a safe and caring group environment created by a knowledgeable support staff, and serene locations to catalyze life-changing transformations. As a business leader and startup advisor in a range of industries including the health care space, Justin Townsend has also been on a personal quest to explore alternative healing therapies to combat his own anxiety and depression. Over the past 20 years, Justin has delved into both transpersonal and Jungian psychology, explored psychedelic modes of healing and developed meditation and breath work techniques, which he taught in Germany. Justin joined the MycoMeditations team in 2017, becoming partner and CEO in 2019. As a retreat facilitator, Justin draws inspiration from the profound healing he is privileged to witness and believes that psychedelics offer an exciting path forward for mental health. Links MycoMeditations Timestamps :05 - Justin’s introduction to psychedelics :10 - Jungian depth psychology and psychedelic healing :16 - Comprehensive support team at MycoMeditations :23 - The efficacy psilocybin vs ketamine or ayahuasca for depression treatment :30 - The most effective psychological modalities when working with psilocybin :38 - The landscape of psychedelics in Jamaica :48 - Advice to therapists wishing to work in the mushroom space.

Today on the Psychedelic Therapy Podcast, for the first time, we are discussing a firsthand account of a patient’s experience of psychedelic therapy. Sydney Bergen received six ketamine infusions administered by Noemi Toth. On the show Sydney and Noemi share their experience working together. The conversation starts with Noemi’s work with the Aspen Ketamine Center and Sydney’s reasons for pursuing psychedelic therapy. We talk about ketamine’s safety as a dissociative anesthetic and the subjective experience of that dissociation. Sydney and Noemi both emphasize the importance of integration therapy after treatment, including in Sydney’s case, Internal Family Systems therapy. Finally, we end the show with lessons and suggestions for potential ketamine infusion patients. Sydney is an Emotional Clearing Facilitator, dedicated to her own healing journey and to supporting others by sharing her story. Noemi has been practicing as a Nurse Anesthesiologist since 2010. She has performed hundreds of ketamine infusions over the last four years and helps people overcome depression and anxiety disorders. The Aspen Ketamine Clinic, located in Aspen Colorado, takes a multi-disciplinary approach towards mental health. In addition to resources mentioned on the show, this includes nutritional counseling and bio-identical hormone therapy as options for treatment through their network of specialists. You can learn more at https://www.ketaminevida.com/ LINKS Aspen Ketamine Center: https://www.ketaminevida.com/ TIMESTAMPS :04 - Noemi’s experience founding Aspen Ketamine Clinic :12 - Ketamine’s safety as an office procedure :22 - The subjective experience of dissociation :29 - Sydney’s use of Internal Family Systems therapy particularly for the integration piece. :39 - The post infusion process and integration therapy :49 - Lessons and suggestions for those interested in receiving ketamine assisted therapy

A hot topic in the world of psychedelic medicine is whether ketamine infusion therapy is as effective as ketamine-assisted therapy (also called KAP). Today’s guests Dr. Steven Mandel and his son Sam Mandel have administered over 13,000 treatments at their Los Angeles-based clinic and they are passionate about the power of intravenous ketamine treatment. On the show we discuss the efficacy of IV ketamine therapy and how it compares to intramuscular as a route of administration. We talk about Dr. Mandel’s specific protocol including the use of a pump instead of a drip bag for administration. We cover the potential health concerns around ketamine and finish as always with advice to psychedelic therapists. Dr. Steven Mandel has more than 40 years of experience utilizing ketamine as a board-certified anesthesiologist and has a master’s degree in psychology. He is the co-founder and president of Ketamine Clinics Los Angeles, and the co-founder of American Society of Ketamine Physicians, Psychotherapists and Practitioners. Sam Mandel is co-founder and chief operating officer of Ketamine Clinics Los Angeles. A mental health advocate and entrepreneur, he oversees all non-clinical functions of the company and has been active in the ketamine infusion therapy community since its formative days. LINKS Ketamine Clinics Los Angeles American Society of Ketamine of Physicians, Psychotherapists & Practitioners TIMESTAMPS :05 - How Dr. Mendel and his son Sam started the Ketamine Clinics of Los Angeles :09 - Should psychedelic practitioners receive the treatment themselves? :16 - How ketamine functions in the brain :23 - Is ketamine infusion therapy as effective as psychedelic-assisted talk therapy? :32 - Intervenus vs Intramuscular ketamine :39 - Dr. Mandel’s ketamine protocol :46 - How do you assess the effectiveness of ketamine therapy? :54 - Potential issues with ketamine use: addiction, bladder damage, or cognitive impairment. 1:08 - Dr. Steven and Sam Mandel share their advice

From reggae and cannabis to the icaros of an Ayahuasca ceremony, sound has a huge impact on altered states of consciousness, but what’s actually going on scientifically and how can we use this to improve the outcomes of psychedelic therapy? Today’s guest, Mendel Kaelen founder of Wavepaths, has researched the subject extensively. On the show, we discuss how music and psychedelics reinforce each other exponentially. We talk about the importance of “tone color” and other aspects of structured sound for the experience of healing. Mendel shares about his creation Wavepaths, which he considers more of a musical instrument than software. Finally we explore traditional Ayahuasca icaros, the scared songs of the Amazon. Mendel is the founder and CEO of Wavepaths, a company that is researching the psychotherapeutic potential of music and creating a tool for therapists. Mendel was also a PhD and postdoctoral neuroscientist at Imperial College London, where among other research, he investigated the role of music in psychedelic therapies. Links Wavepaths Wavepaths on Twitter Mendel on Twitter Timestamps :08 - Mendel’s first experience with psychedelics and their impact on his life :16 - An empirical foundation for why music and psychedelics together reinforce each other in an exponential way :23 - The impact of “tone color” in the psychedelic experience :32 - Music for psychedelic therapy must be fitting to what an individual has built an identity structure around :39 - Wavepaths is more a musical instrument than a software but it’s not about whether or not you “like” the music :50 - Traditional Ayahuasca music “icaros” 1:02 - Mendel speaks to psychedelic therapists

What if you could have a more potent mystical experience than psilocybin in a quarter of the time? 5-MeO-DMT could be the future of psychedelic medicine, but as Dr. Joseph Barsuglia explains, this would require a complete redesign of our current model of care. On the show, we discuss the nature of mystical experiences as well as our current understanding of the science of 5-MeO-DMT. Joseph reveals some of the drug development companies interested in medicalization as well as his concerns about this process. We finish with the environmental considerations for the bufo alvarious toad and lessons this medicine has for the psychedelic movement. Joseph is a PhD neuropsychologist and the former Director of Clinical Assessment and Research at Crossroads Treatment Center which developed a protocol following ibogaine with 5-MeO-DMT. Trained with MAPS and initiated in the Bwiti tradition in Gabon, Joseph advises on psychedelic medicine and alternative healthcare. Links Joseph Barsuglia's Website Psychedelic Journeys Crossroads Treatment Center The Conclave Timestamps :05 - The protocol of ibogaine + 5-MeO-DMT at Crossroads Treatment Center :13 - The nature of mystical experiences :20 - The science of 5-MeO-DMT :24 - Specific drug development companies working with 5-MeO :33 - Concerns about the medicalization of 5-MeO-DMT :38 - The Conclave, a group of anonymous facilitators offer best practices and integration guides for 5-MeO online :46 - Environmental concerns for bufo alvarious :57 - Lessons from 5-MeO-DMT for the psychedelic movement generally

Today’s guest is a legend in the field of traumatic stress studies. Dr. Rachel Yehuda has been researching stress and PTSD for 30 years and now with the promising results from MDMA clinical trials trials, she and her team have founded the Mount Sinai Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research. On the show, we discuss the four pillars of Mount Sinai’s new center. We go deep into the history of the PTSD diagnosis and the evolving understanding of how trauma works in the brain, including an explanation of epigenetics. We look at how the center will study psychedelic medicine from basic science using stem cells to specific types of therapy, and collaboration with other medical centers. Dr. Yehuda is the Director of the Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research at Mount Sinai, Vice Chair for Veterans Affairs for the Department of Psychiatry, Director of the Traumatic Stress Studies Division, Director of the Yehuda Lab, and a Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine. She is also the Director of Mental Health at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center. She has authored more than 450 published papers, chapters, and books in the field of trauma and resilience, focusing on topics such as PTSD prevention and treatment, molecular biomarkers of stress vulnerability and resilience, and intergenerational effects of trauma and PTSD. Links Rachel Yehuda The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research Twitter Rachel Yehuda on Instagram Rachel on Twitter Email Timestamps :05 - Rachel explains the four pillars of the new Mount Sinai Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research :09 - Rachel explains what PTSD is and her experience of the field of trauma studies :21 - How epigenetics, the study of gene expression, holds the key to PTSD :30 - How the Center will study psychedelics :39 - Using stem cells to study the efficacy of different psychedelic molecules :44 - Biomedical approach verses studying the efficacy of particular therapies :52 - The Center’s approach to collaboration

When ancestral wisdom is missing from modern psychedelic conversations, the Black-led Sabina Project is there to educate, reduce harm, and facilitate ceremony. On today’s episode of the Psychedelic Therapy Podcast, Charlotte James and Undrea Wright invite us to reconnect to Sacred Earth Medicines. We begin the show discussing Kambo, a healing ritual using the poisonous secretions of the giant monkey frog. We talk about why it is so necessary to connect to ancestral wisdom in the modern psychedelic movement through the lens of the project’s upcoming series AfroPsychedelia. Charlotte and Dre share how the Sabina Project has shifted to facilitate remote and legal ceremonies with Rapeh (also called hapè), an Amazonian medicinal snuff. Overall, Dre and Charlotte embody the Sabina Project mission of teaching others how to live life in ceremony. Charlotte James and Undrea Wright are cofounders of the Sabina Project, named after María Sabina, a Mazateca curandera. The Sabina Project focuses on providing psychedelic education particular for the BIPOC community, as well as preparation and integration and the facilitation of legal ceremonies. Charlotte has a background in harm reduction, psychedelic exploration, and marketing strategy. Undrea is a Kambo medicine practitioner and cannabis entrepreneur involved in decriminalization efforts. Together they utilize ancient earth medicines and ancestral wisdom to support equitable liberation and spiritual enlightenment. Links: The Sabina Project AfroPsychedelia (February 15th to 19th) March Microdose Masterclass Mutual Ceremony Fund How This Black-Led Psychedelic Collective Is Combining Anti-Racism With ‘Sacred Plant Medicine:’  Timestamps: :04 - Charlotte and Undrea’s backgrounds and their connection at the People of Color Psychedelics Conference :09 - Dre and Charlotte explain Kambo :16 - The story of Maria Sabina, the namesake of the Sabina Project :21 - Ancestral wisdom, the Bwiti and Sabina’s event AfroPsychedelia :27 - Organizations going a good job with equity and access :33 - How the Sabina Project educates by helping people prepare to live their life in ceremony :43 - How the Sabina Project supports remote ceremony :53 - Undrea and Charlotte speak directly to psychedelic practitioners