Psychedelics Today

David interviews Alexander Beiner, the Executive Director of Breaking Convention, who shares his personal story of his first psychedelic experience. They discuss the concepts of Moloch and Kairos, the corporatization of psychedelics, and the power of dialectic inquiry. Beiner also talks about his involvement in the extended-state DMT study and the transformative potential of psychedelics in breaking free from societal constraints.

Dom Farnan, Founder of DotConnect, discusses her personal journey with psychedelics, the current state of the psychedelic industry, the importance of mentors and coaches, conscious leadership, and the beauty of embracing openness after a psychedelic experience. The podcast also covers topics such as building a career in the psychedelic industry, plant medicine integration, reprogramming beliefs, navigating tough economic times, and networking in the psychedelic community.

Jamie Wheal, author and founder of the Flow Genome Project, discusses the pitfalls of the psychedelic movement. Topics include: the influence of capitalism, rise of puppy mill clinics, dangers of cults and digital narcissism, designer drug epidemic, overuse of psychedelics, and the need for initiatory practices and self-reflection.

In this episode, David interviews psychiatrist, main researcher behind the first US Phase II trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, and Senior Medical Director at MAPS Public Benefit Corporation: Dr. Michael Mithoefer; and Research Group Lead at the University of Zurich, and Principal Clinical Biomarker Lead at Boehringer Ingelheim, Katrin Preller, Ph.D. Mithoefer, Preller (and David) are speakers at the upcoming Psychedelic Medicine – Israel, which will now take place July 28 - 31, 2024, in Tel Aviv. They discuss the conference and their current research: Preller's neuroimaging and work with psilocybin for alcohol use disorder, and Mithoefer (likely) being extremely close to seeing the FDA approve MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. He talks about how the therapeutic protocols for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy were created, what it's like to be so close to legalization, and how the next challenges will be accessibility and not minimizing therapy in favor of faster turnover.  They discuss neuroplasticity and whether or not it actually translates into something in humans; the concept of performing brain scans before a psychedelic experience to look for trauma biomarkers (and how this could actually result in savings over time); the excitement of seeing clinical work and neuroscience progressing in parallel; why integration frameworks need to be individualized; and the importance of embracing different therapeutic approaches. Click here to head to the show notes page.

In this episode, Melanie Pincus, Ph.D. and Manesh Girn, Ph.D. once again take over hosting duties, this time interviewing Gül Dölen, MD, Ph.D.: Associate professor of Neuroscience and Neurology at the Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, and head of the Dölen lab. Dölen largely researches the neuroscience behind social behaviors and is most known for her work in establishing how psychedelics reopen critical periods of learning, and that the true benefit of psychedelics could be in learning how best to reopen those critical periods, how long they’re open for, and which therapeutic frameworks and integration practices could best take advantage of them. Her most recent research was giving MDMA to otherwise very asocial (and violent) octopuses to prove that a drastically different species would exhibit typical MDMA-inspired prosocial behavior. And, after discovering that all the classic psychedelics worked to reopen critical periods – that psychedelics are apparently the master key to opening these periods – she’s now researching why, through the PHATHOM project (Psychedelic Healing: Adjunct Therapy Harnessing Opened Malleability). You will likely learn a ton in this episode: why critical periods close as we get older and what may impede them from opening more often; how plasticity and metaplasticity relate to each other and why increased neuroplasticity isn’t always a good thing; how the length of different psychedelic experiences relates to efficacy; why the different results of MAPS’ and Compass Pathways’ studies show the importance of therapy; how autism could be related to critical periods; why repeated psychedelic use may make it harder for one’s brain to reset; and how important context is in the ability to reopen critical periods – especially around social learning. Click here to head to the show notes page. 

In this episode, Joe interviews Federico Seragnoli: coordinator of the ALPS Foundation, psychologist who works with patients undergoing compassionate use treatments with psychedelics, and Founder of the ALPS Conference. This year, the ALPS Conference (which stands for Awareness Lectures on Psychedelic Science) takes place Oct. 27 – 29 at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices in Geneva – a prime location for a conference due to Switzerland’s legality around psychedelics, where any citizen can apply for psilocybin or LSD therapy if they fall into the category of ‘treatment-resistant.’ Seragnoli discusses how the conference was originally inspired by an article on the MAPS blog about how to be a psychedelic researcher; and talks about its humble beginnings, its new location, and why it’s moved across the country each year. The conference features names like Rick Doblin and Michael Mithoefer, but he’s most excited about the smaller size of the event and the panel discussions, which gives attendees a chance to ask questions and hear some real conversations.  He discusses the vibrant field of psychedelic therapy and research in Switzerland; the importance of compassionate use and the criteria physicians need to be able to use it; the impact of students creating psychedelic associations at their universities; and Seragnoli’s new research: seeing if there is a link between cognitive science and a conceptualization of science – if you can model consciousness off neuroscience, can you model it off how you feel? Click here to head to the show notes page. 

Jungian analyst-in-training and clinician discuss the connection between dreams and psychedelics, exploring Jungian psychology, nature's equilibrium, and reclaiming aliveness. The conversation dives into symbolism, working with dreams to guide experiences, and the clash between conscious and unconscious realms.

Louie Schwartzberg, renowned filmmaker known for the award-winning documentary 'Fantastic Fungi' and director of 'Gratitude Revealed,' discusses how psychedelics inspired his cinematic exploration of the invisible. He talks about his techniques to capture the unseen aspects of reality, the premiere of 'Fantastic Fungi,' his new streaming channel, and a clinical trial on using imagery and music on psilocybin. He also explores the power of gratitude, resilience, and the blessing of being a photographer.

Joe interviews Deborah C. Mash, Ph.D., leading researcher in addiction and brain disorders. She talks about ibogaine research challenges, the need for partnerships, and collecting Phase II and III data. Also discusses her study on Cocaethylene, deaths related to iboga, and the French use of noribogaine. Deb Mash shares her experience at a psychedelics science event and highlights the potential of Ibogaine for addiction treatment. Talks about the risks and challenges of using Ibogaine, conservation efforts within the indigenous community, and the challenges of implementing an ibogaine initiative.

In this episode, David interviews Madison Margolin: NY-based, psychedelics and Judaism-focused journalist; host of the Set & Setting podcast; co-founder of DoubleBlind Magazine and the Jewish Psychedelic Summit; and author of the soon-to-be released, Exile & Ecstasy: Growing Up With Ram Dass and Coming of Age in the Jewish Psychedelic Underground. They explore the relationship between Judaism and psychedelics, with Margolin sharing her experiences growing up in a Hindu-Jewish family; her personal journey with her Jewish identity; and how her use of psychedelics has deepened her life. She talks about the significance of Jewish holidays, and how holiday traditions connect them to nature and themselves in a very psychedelic way; the importance of intentionality; the beauty in dancing through an uncomfortable ayahuasca experience; the Jewish Psychedelic Summit; whether or not ancestors were using substances (and does that matter?), and why being in Israel feels so different – and psychedelic.  Margolin is an instructor in our new course, “Navigating Psychedelics: Jewish Informed Perspectives,” where she will be leading discussions on setting sacred time and space, particularly focusing on the significance of Shabbat and the energetic frequencies that are at play during certain holidays. The 9-week course begins next week – October 10 – so sign up now!  Click here to head to the show notes page.