As a teenager experimenting with psychedelics, Ed Prideaux had no inkling that his trips would stay with him for the rest of his life. But days after his final LSD trip, when he was still experiencing melting walls and tunnel vision, he knew something wasn’t right. In this episode of the Third Wave podcast, Ed talks with Paul F. Austin about Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD), what life is like for those who have this condition, and what factors may contribute to the risk of developing it.

When Mark J. Plotkin, Ph.D. first stepped into a night class with Harvard ethnobotanist Richard Evans Schultes, the path of his life was instantly set. Almost 40 years later, Mark has participated in close to 100 ayahuasca ceremonies with Amazonian shamans, sampled numerous psychedelic plants from the rainforest, and partnered with multiple indigenous tribes to protect their lands and ecosystem. In this episode of the Third Wave podcast, Mark and Paul discuss Mark’s storied career, the importance of indigenous reciprocity and conservation, current and potential surprising uses for psilocybin, the crucial element of context when working with psychedelics, and more.

What do guns, emergency first aid, martial arts, cryptocurrency, personal sovereignty, and web 3.0 have to do with psychedelics? As it turns out, quite a lot. As Daniel DiPiazza and Paul F. Austin discuss, they’re all centered around cultivating self-reliance, reclaiming autonomy, and strengthening personal choice. This episode covers the ever-creeping hand of government and how we can keep it at bay, decentralization of finance and personal data, living in an oligarchy, and, yes, doing psychedelics with family.

Already a highly successful entrepreneur in the cannabis industry, Olivia Alexander went unexpectedly viral for an innocuous social media post mentioning microdosing. The resulting inundation of messages and questions from around the world led Olivia to consistently highlight to her followers the importance of education, safety, and responsibility when working with both psychedelics and cannabis. In this wide-ranging and honest discussion, Paul and Olivia chat about approaching psychedelics as a neurodivergent person, intentional and therapeutic use, Olivia’s career in cannabis from the infancy of the industry, and her use of cannabis to treat her bipolar disorder and get off her medications.

What do endo-nasal balloons, suppositories, methylene blue, and cerebrospinal fluid have to do with psychedelics? In this fascinating and eye-opening discussion, Paul and Dr. John talk about some surprising tools of the chiropractic neurologist trade, how they can be used in conjunction with ceremony, and what they mean for our stressed-out world.

From an early age, Daniel Cleland knew that the cookie-cutter life was not for him. His desire for travel, entrepreneurship, and non-traditional experiences brought him to the heart of the jungle, where he overcame his fear of ayahuasca and found deep healing. Since then, he’s been dedicated to sharing the restorative powers of this medicine with others, and has co-founded Soltara Healing Center to bring this mission to life. In this episode, Daniel and Paul discuss the challenges and rewards of starting an ayahuasca retreat, the importance of tradition, and how he envisions Soltara moving forward.

What is social sculpture, and how can it uplift humanity? How does an entheogen differ from a psychedelic? What is the “universal mind lattice”? Can psychedelics save your life? In this expansive discussion, Paul Austin and legendary visionary artists Allyson and Alex Grey cover all this and much more, including the symbolic communication of the Divine.

As one of the earliest researchers and advocates for ketamine’s use in healing pain, depression, and addiction, Jeffrey Becker, M.D., is on the forefront of harnessing ketamine’s massive untapped potential. In addition to his personal functional psychiatry practice, Jeff is the co-founder and CSO of Bexson Biomedical, which has created a subcutaneous ketamine infusion pump for safe, at-home pain management. In this episode, Jeff and Paul enjoy a wide-ranging discussion about responsible use of psychedelics, the connections between mysticism and science, and the fragile future of these powerful substances.

In the three years since Paul and Sean last spoke, there has been huge growth in the psychedelic space, from legal retreats and clinics to corporate interest to personal education and use. In this episode, recorded for Sean’s podcast and shared here as well, Paul and Sean discuss the revolutionary changes psychedelics are bringing to mental and physical healthcare, as well as exciting upheavals in industrial capitalism, religion, and our concept of a sovereign state.

We’re in the early stages of a many-layered worldwide shift: The paternalistic medical model is slowly falling away as we recognize that we’re our own best healers. With church affiliation dwindling, more and more of us are turning to different forms of community and spirituality. And as psychedelics continue to grow in mainstream awareness, support of their use in healing and personal growth is gaining unstoppable momentum. In this episode, Michael and Paul discuss some of the exciting possibilities of our psychedelic medical future, and how these substances have the power to heal not just ourselves, but our entire communities.