Psychedelics in palliative care has become an exciting new framework for people looking to ease anxiety and embrace spirituality, but the concept is not as simple as just providing a substance. In this episode, Joe interviews Livi Joy: Director of Health and Safety, Existential Palliative Ministry Lead Facilitator, and more at Sacred Garden Community (SGC). As she screens applicants for SGC (and Beckley Retreats), she talks a lot about the process and the safety measures that are absolutely necessary when using psychedelics in palliative care – especially under the framework of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Does the patient have at least one strong support person? Do they need to start or increase therapy? Does their home need to be rearranged due to possible fall risks? How will certain medications muffle their experience? Are they truly physically healthy enough to be able to handle a powerful journey? And also, is the sacrament always necessary? She discusses: How preparation questions for a journey are often in line with preparation for death Why it’s important to provide these experiences for people far from the dying process itself What Sacred Garden’s core tenant of faith that everyone can have a direct experience of the divine in this lifetime means to her Atheism and the complications that arise when discussing spirituality and consciousness: Who’s really in charge? How psychedelics can help with understanding and preparing for death, but our culture is too death-phobic too embrace it and more! For links, head to the show notes page: 

Award-winning journalist Erica Rex shares her harrowing experience with a high dose of Syrian rue in a clinical trial. Discusses: bad trip methods, skepticism on medical psychedelic therapy, complications of MDMA not widely known, pathologizing human emotions. Joe and Erica emphasize the lessons learned from challenging psychedelic experiences and the importance of supportive communities.

In this episode of Vital Psychedelic Conversations, Johanna interviews Monica Nieto: Vital graduate, psychedelic facilitator and integration coach, and founder of Holistic TherapeutiX, a retreat center offering cannabis and breathwork retreats; and Jordana Ma: past Vital instructor and psychological counselor who runs retreats in Peru following the Asháninkan tradition of traditional Amazonian medicine. They discuss their similar paths to psychedelics and healing, the power of plant dietas and fully immersing yourself into nature, and learning to hear your true teacher: the inner healer. They highlight how we’ve lost the connection to the ecological consciousness within our bodies, and how the plants – perhaps in a self-serving way – have become allies, trying to teach us to heal the web we’re a part of and reconnect to nature and ourselves. They discuss: The importance of combining traditional perspectives and Western psychotherapy into a spiritual practice The similarities between yoga and traditional Amazonian medicine Singing as a somatic (and breathwork) practice How things are meant to work in synergy, and the problem with science trying to extract compounds rather than respecting the power of the whole plant Their role models who have inspired them and informed their work and more! The Vital Early Bird discount ($2000 off!) ends on July 22, so make sure to apply today! For links, head to the show notes page. 

Jon Reiss, a critically acclaimed filmmaker and author who hosts the Plantscendence podcast, shares his fascinating journey from directing music videos to exploring psychedelics. He discusses his transformative ayahuasca experience and how microdosing aids his creativity. Reiss delves into the concept of plant intelligence, spirituality through meditation, and the wisdom from various traditions like Kabbalah and Kashmir Shaivism. Their conversation highlights the profound connection between psychedelic experiences and personal growth, alongside the communal aspects of these practices.

In this episode of Vital Psychedelic Conversations, David interviews Sara Reed: Vital instructor, lecturer, and lead psychedelic research therapist at Imperial College London; and Alex H. Robinson: Vital student, integration coach and psilocybin facilitator for Heroic Hearts Project, and distinguished Army SOF combat Veteran with a decade of active duty service. Reed has worked with MAPS to make clinical trial populations more diverse and is creating culturally sensitive Clinical Research Forms for future research trials, and Robinson spearheaded her unit’s Cultural Support Team program and contributed to policy changes to help place women into traditionally male-centric Special Operations roles. Representing marginalized groups themselves, they’re both passionate about making psychedelic therapy more inclusive and representative of the general population, and getting more practitioners up to speed to be able to deliver culturally competent care. They discuss: The importance of having difficult conversations and calling out bad behavior The fallacy of zero-sum thinking: Doing something special for a smaller community doesn’t take away from the main goal; it adds to it The benefit of being able to self-reflect and personalize content when most psychedelic education consists of one-sided lectures The challenge of getting people who don’t feel represented to enroll in clinical trials, and how personal stories go a long way and more! For links, head to the show notes page.  Vitalpsychedelictraining.com

In this episode, Joe and REMAP Therapeutics Founder, Court Wing, host Lynn Watkins: medically retired USAF JAG & Ops Resource Mgmt Specialist; and C.J. Spotswood, PMHNP: principle psychiatric clinician at REMAP Therapeutics, and author of The Microdosing Guidebook: A Step-by-Step Manual to Improve Your Physical and Mental Health through Psychedelic Medicine. Watkins tells her story of 20+ years of chronic pain: from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome brought on by a severed nerve to multiple foot surgeries, chest pains, cognitive issues, the inability to move her toes, burning mouth syndrome, and more, which unsurprisingly resulted in depression, anxiety, and being unable to work. Wing and Spotswood talk about their initial assessment, how they figured out how to work with her and her multitude of medications, and the incredible success they saw when combining practiced techniques, neuromodulation, and regular assessments with neuroplastic windows brought on by psilocybin. They discuss: How much preparation was done before introducing psychedelics, and the importance of realizing that they were dealing with PTSD How often a history of chronic pain is related to a history of trauma, whether the patient realizes it or not Consequences and complications of medications, specifically Clonazepam in Watkins’ case The cascade of ailments and side effects that can happen from just one injury and more! For links, head to the show notes page. 

Dr. Casey Paleos, a psychiatrist specializing in ketamine therapy and co-founder of Nautilus Sanctuary, shares fascinating insights on trauma and healing. He elaborates on how symptoms may be signals rather than mere issues to silence, emphasizing the body's inner healing intelligence. The discussion touches on the ethics of psychedelic-assisted therapy, the importance of informed consent, and the role of diverse therapeutic modalities. Paleos advocates for understanding mental health symptoms deeply, highlighting the transformative potential of psychedelics in addressing root traumas.

In this episode, Kyle interviews Peter A. Levine, Ph.D.: developer of Somatic Experiencing®, educator, and author of several best-selling books on trauma. His most recent book, An Autobiography of Trauma: A Healing Journey, is exactly that: a change from more scholarly writing into an extremely vulnerable telling of his early childhood trauma and how he has healed over the years. He talks about how his unconscious convinced him to write the book, how trauma can move into the body, and how he needed a student to identify how his trauma was affecting him. He believes that we all have wounding, but it's how we carry these wounds and tell our truth that matters.  He discusses:  The need to allow space for both Indigenous traditions and evidence-based Western frameworks The power of having even just one distinct moment of feeling cared for and loved How Colin Turnbull saw healing differently after living with an African tribe for three years Why he suggests 15-20 sober experiences with non-ordinary states for each drug experience Why not having a community or empathetic other makes us more vulnerable to trauma and more! For links, head to the show notes page. 

In this episode of Vital Psychedelic Conversations, Johanna interviews Erika Dyck: author, professor, historian, Vital instructor, and research chair in the History of Health & Social Justice at the University of Saskatchewan. Dyck talks about the book she co-edited: Women and Psychedelics: Uncovering Invisible Voices, which was released in March as a Chacruna anthology, and collects pieces from several different authors highlighting the untold or lesser known stories from women throughout psychedelic history. Albert Hofmann was the first person to intentionally ingest LSD, but who was the first woman to do so? Who were the women assisting in research or sitting with experiencers in the early days who never got the credit for their contributions? Who were the women supporting some of the biggest psychedelic names in history? She talks about: The contrast in societal attitudes towards psychedelic exploration based on stereotypical gender roles Some of her favorite stories from the book, including a woman diagnosed with manic depression becoming one of the first guides in LSD trials The use of psychedelics in pregnancy and birthing practices across other cultures Traditional gender attributes: Are women more wired to care for others? Is there something about the psychedelic experience that’s inherently feminine? The importance of moving past the gender binary and implementing more diversity in research – with the challenge of needing to universalize medicine at the same time and more! For links, head to the show notes page.

Lia Mix discusses the need for a unified code of ethics in psychedelic therapy, the FDA's role in the field, and the financial potential of investing in psychedelic healthcare. She highlights the importance of regulations, certifications, and consumer protections to ensure safe integration into the healthcare system.