Altered States of Context

Dr. Rachel Harris shares her work in investigating the ceremonial use of ayahuasca and how understanding indigenous cultures can help inform the Westernized medical framework of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Dr. Harris also discusses her upcoming book about the work of female underground guides and elders, and why the voices of women have been largely underrepresented in the modern history of psychedelics. She highlights the role of different options for interfacing with psychedelics, and shares her personal journey of being called into medicine work.Book: Listening to AyahuascaReferenced YouTube Video

Much of the current discussion around psychedelic drugs center on their therapeutic effects. Clinical conversations, promotion, hype, controversy- who controls them, who are they good for, how can they be used for maximum benefit, who's getting paid...A little something has gotten a bit lost in the mix- FUN.Psychedelics can be a real, real good time. In this Episode, Brian and Nate discuss why conversations so often steers towards the perhaps socially acceptable terrain of the therapeutic and away from good old-fashioned fun- and how there is a great deal of value to be had in "fun". Duh. Also Nate shows his true (tie-died) colors.

Dr. Chris Stauffer talks about his research investigating the use of group-administered psilocybin and MDMA. The advantages of group administration are discussed, including the opportunity to increase social connection and deepen capacities to be vulnerable with others. Dr. Stauffer also highlights how group psychedelic-assisted therapy needs to be adapted to the identities of the participants, sharing about his experiences in working with the veteran population and a study with transgender and gender non-conforming participants. Chris also discusses his work on oxytocin and how that influences the way the thinks about increased social connection as a process of change involved in psychedelic-assisted therapy.Mentioned in the show:Rat Park Study: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/what-does-rat-park-teach-us-about-addictionMDMA and Critical Periods: https://hub.jhu.edu/2019/04/04/mdma-opens-critical-period-for-social-behavior/https://www.chrisstauffermd.com/

In this edition of ASOC, we had the opportunity for a long, in-depth conversation with the one and only Dr. Steven C. Hayes.In this fun and wide-ranging conversation, Steve talks about how his personal experiences with psychedelics contributed to the development of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and his understanding of the role of language in human suffering. He shares about his involvement in the psychedelic movement of the 60’s and how he is excited about the potential for the modern psychedelic renaissance. We discuss the role of the psychological flexibility model in understanding the psychedelic experience and the application of ACT in integration therapy. Dr. Hayes emphasizes how psychedelics can help us reconnect with parts of ourselves that are ordinarily filtered away by our sensory processing systems, and how psychedelic experiences can help us connect to a deeply human experience of being a social animal.

Should psychedelic therapists have their own experiences with psychedelics? While the answer to this question may at first seem obvious, this episode explores some of the nuances in this issue. For example, if personal experience is necessary, who gets to decide how much and under what conditions? Furthermore, we explore how personal experiences may inform one’s work as a psychedelic therapist and discuss precedence in the field for requiring therapists to have personal experience in therapy. Article: The influence of therapists’ first-hand experience with psychedelics on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy research and therapist training

In this episode, Nate interviews Dr. Albert Garcia Romeu of Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research.First, we discuss the state of diversity within psychedelic research, both in terms of the research subjects and the researchers themselves. We pointed out how this may be particularly problematic in psychedelic science, as it tests many deep assumptions about culture and context that a homogenous group (such as monocultural White, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic- WEIRD- researchers) might not take broad enough perspectives on. Additionally we discuss the cool study on psilocybin that has led to a big NIH grant, and how psilocybin may be able to help people struggling to quit smoking.

What are bad trips and why do they happen? What are the different ways that things can go wrong? In this episode we explore various sub-types of psychedelic experiences and debate the differences between challenging  trips and bad trips, and how difficult experiences can often lead to healing and growth with the right support. We dismantle the idea that “there is no such thing as a bad trip” and talk about ways to mitigate difficult experiences when taking psychedelics. Nate also opens up about a difficult psychedelic experience that he had and what he learned from it, including the importance of support and integration.

ACT has already been used to inform the psychotherapy portions of psilocybin-assisted therapy in several clinical trials. Dr. Jordan Sloshower shares about his experiences working on a clinical trial of psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression. He discusses why his team chose ACT from among several potential therapy models, as well as his views on ACT’s strengths and weaknesses in preparation, dosing, and integration sessions involved in psilocybin-assisted therapy. We discuss how the development of psychedelic-assisted therapy challenges current paradigms in mental health treatment and may lead us to a more holistic model of understanding and treating mental health problems.

Season two begins with a summary of recent news in psychedelics, including developments in decriminalization efforts by several states, an update on Oregon’s measure 109 and psilocybin services, and the recent dissolving of Mindcure and what that means for big money players in the psychedelic space. Nate and Brian also speculate on various potential models of psychedelic-assisted therapy and the potential future of novel psychedelic substances currently being researched.

We're Back!Well, not quite. We are releasing this FULL EPISODE now because it's timely, and because we ARE coming back, and soon! New episodes will be coming back at you every other week starting at the end of March. We've been hard at work and have numerous interviews recorded and queued up for the editing bay. We're very excited to share them with you. This interview is with the fantastic Jean Lacy, founder of World Tree Sanctuary, the Illinois Psychedelic Society and all-around go getter. She's also a farmer and fellow (to Nate) central Illinoisan. We talk about her work with ceremonial and religious use at World Tree Sanctuary and about the process of crafting the Illinois Compassionate Use of Natural Plants and Fungi act.The act, which is a mouthful, has a legislative sponsor in Illinois, Representative LaShawn Ford, and is still in draft form- but is taking shape. Learn more:World Tree SanctuaryIllinois Psychedelic SocietyIllinois Compassionate Use of Natural Plants and FungiFive Principles for Psychedelic ReformBrian and Nate's ACT and Psychedelics Training