In today’s patient experience episode, Steven tells us about a therapeutic use of MDMA that you may not have heard of. A medical practitioner himself, Steven understands his own condition of IBS very well and what standard treatment is. However, when all these failed to produce results, Steven took the chance and set out to discover how he could better treat his condition. It was finally a decision to address the emotional and spiritual side of his health with his therapist that led Steven to try a guided MDMA experience. As a potent compound, MDMA can lead to significant psychological effects. Steven describes what it was like for him and how it led to significant improvements with his constant pain within a day of his initial experience. Steven explains how he found somebody to lead his journey. Because of legal issues, he had to use an underground network that his therapist pointed him towards. Steven shares how he vetted his guide and what he did to feel safe and supported throughout the experience.   In this episode: What compelled Steven to take his health into his own hands Addressing past trauma with the guided use of MDMA to get a handle on physical health Why Steven ultimately decided that MDMA was the right psychedelic for him What an experience of a “heroic dose” of MDMA is What to look for in someone to lead an MDMA journey The value of having an integration session after the experience The protocol Steven followed before during and after his MDMA journey   Quotes: “The human body, just because it’s not a machine, doesn’t make it any different. There’s a bunch of inputs and outputs. It’s kind of like electrical engineering systems.” [2:27] “For the first time in my life, I could feel bloating. It’s not that the bloating went away; it was that the pain associated with the bloating went away.” [10:06] “It’s a breakthrough therapy. It’s what the mavericks are doing.” [34:23]   Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine’  Healthy Gut Company MAPS Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

In today’s episode, Sean McAllister explains the history of psilocybin’s legality in the United States and what its legal status is today. Sean is an attorney working for decriminalization efforts in California and Colorado. He was general counsel for the decriminalization movement in Denver and is a key figure in legalization efforts in California. Sean walks us through the history of psilocybin in the country over the past half-century. He explains how psychedelics became demonized in popular culture and politics. Throughout the sixties and seventies, psilocybin was branded as a dangerous drug and its use and sale were criminalized in the Controlled Substances Act of 1971. Sean explains how recent cultural shifts have opened up the possibility of looking at psychedelics such as psilocybin for their possible health benefits. He describes what went into decriminalizing psilocybin in Denver through a voter initiative and where it stands there legally at the moment. In many places, psilocybin’s legality occupies a gray area. Though decriminalized, it still remains technically illegal. Sean explains just what this means in the actual legal landscape and how there are still limits to what one can do with psilocybin. We also discuss some very current events. Only a few weeks ago, the effort to collect signatures to legalize psilocybin in California began. Sean has been instrumental in drafting the language for this initiative. He tells us where the effort is at the moment and what it would accomplish if passed.    In this episode: The history of the study and use of psilocybin in the United States The efforts that led to the decriminalization of psilocybin in Denver The distinction between decriminalization and legalization The current state of legalization efforts in California and Oregon   Quotes: “It’s nice that this renaissance is about a cultural and paradigmatic shift towards looking at drug use as a public health issue, not an incarceration issue.” [3:14] “What these elections do is they create so much positivity and hope because it proves that when people come together and when the message is right, the voters will do the right thing, even on a complicated topic like this.” [11:51] “It’s a very complex issue that we’re really only now beginning to unpack. The next five years are really going to be an amazing time to be involved in psychedelic reform. That’s why its the psychedelic renaissance right now.” [41:55]   Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine’  Decriminalize Nature SPORE Drug Policy Alliance MAPS Decriminalize California Chacruna Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

In today’s special bonus episode, we’re discussing integration with Dr. Ryan Westrum. Many guests on this show talk about the importance of integration as part of a psychedelic journey. However, integration is not always understood for what it is. As you’ll hear, it can serve as important scaffolding for a psychedelic experience, making it more meaningful than it might be otherwise. Dr. Westrum is the co-author of The Psychedelics Integration Handbook and an internationally recognized psychedelic integration expert. For more than fifteen years, his primary focus has been working with individuals and groups to facilitate experiential therapy and integrate psychedelic journies into healing and personal transformation. In this conversation, Dr. Westrum explains exactly what an integration therapist is. Simply put, they help prepare the patient for the psychedelic experience and assist in processing it afterward. What they do not do is actually administer the drug itself. In this role, what an integration therapist does can actually vary greatly. Whether they’re doing dream-work, CBT therapy, or even yoga, the integration therapist provides a degree of support and interpretation to make the experience more effective and meaningful.   In this episode: What integration is and what an integration therapist does How an integration therapist helps tailor a specific experience to a particular patient’s needs Some of the factors that contribute to psychedelic experiences Some integration exercises that help make meaning of a psychedelic experience The importance of intention setting and mindset in a psychedelic journey Considerations for group versus individual experiences   Quotes: “We’re not trying to put a square peg in a circular hole. We’re trying to individualize it.” [6:30] “Psychadelic experiences can bring out a tremendous amount of information that we’re not necessarily aware of. So any preparation is going to support that.” [9:14] “All experiences are challenging; they’re not bad. But if you invite yourself to compare and do the appropriate preparation within integration, you’re going to get something fruitful out of it.” [22:53]   Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine’  The Psychedelics Integration Handbook Psychedelic Integration Healing Souls Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Today I'm sharing with you the psilocybin patient experience. Disclaimer: I’m not coming to you as a doctor, lawyer, or researcher in this episode, but simply as someone who has experienced psilocybin and is talking about the experience for educational purposes. This was my first (and to this date only) experience with a curated psilocybin ceremony, involving intention setting, a playlist specifically-designed for the journey, and a well-planned environment. It was actually that experience that ultimately led me to start this podcast. I describe how this psilocybin experience helped convey certain messages and led me into a sense of clarity through new introspection. During my psilocybin journey, I was able to deeply reflect on episodes in my life in ways that gave them the closure I hadn’t even been aware that I needed. It helped me gain perspective on my anxiety and actually be grateful for its source. I have since been able to carry some of the clarity of this experience forward with me in other aspects of my life. As a bonus, I discuss a bit about how a microdose of psilocybin led me to finally quit practicing medicine.   In this episode: Setting intentions as part of a psilocybin ceremony The messages that the plants can convey during an experience The clarity that is imparted by psilocybin How psilocybin has affected my sense of anxiety The possible delayed introspective effects of psilocybin microdosing   Quotes: “A lot of times the people who are guiding these ceremonies have a certain intuition to them.” [7:58] “Especially during this psilocybin journey, I felt like the plants were speaking to me. Not necessarily in a language but in very clear senses in what they were trying to convey.” [10:40] “When you’re in the effects, things seem so dramatic and real and you feel this sense of calm and oneness. It’s hard to realize that that’s going to wear off.” [16:39]   Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine’    Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Today’s episode is the first in our series focusing on psilocybin’s potential uses as medicine. You are going to hear from one of the premier researchers into this drug, how he runs his studies, and what he has discovered concerning its effects and uses as a medicine. Dr. Albert Garcia-Romeu is a member of the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences faculty at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a Guest Researcher at the National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Neuroimaging Research Branch. There, he studies the effects of psychedelic drugs in humans with a particular focus of psilocybin as a potential aid in the treatment of addiction. Dr. Garcia-Romeu explains the biochemical effects of psilocybin in the human body. He delves into what his research has uncovered about the drug’s potential to treat addiction disorders. What is noteworthy about his research is that is has shown that psychedelic treatments have been able to help some people make lasting changes in regard to alcohol and nicotine addiction. Dr. Garcia-Romeu also discusses psilocybin’s use in treating anxiety and depression. The research has shown that psilocybin has the potential to help patients with life-threatening and terminal illnesses cope with the psychological burdens of their disease. He also explains some of the ongoing research into the efficacy of psilocybin to have a lasting impact on depression in general.   In this episode: How psilocybin works at a biochemical level What the research is saying about the uses of psilocybin to treat addiction disorders Possible reasons why some people respond more significantly to psilocybin treatments than others Psilocybin’s effect on treating mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression Safeguards to avoid possible adverse effects during psilocybin studies   Quotes: “Administering high doses of drugs like psilocybin and LSD seemed to really help people make some breakthroughs into having greater insight into their alcohol abuse and having more plasticity in their ability to change their behavior going forward.” [7:06] “The more mystical effects that people are having, the better outcomes you’re seeing.” [23:25] “These were real improvements in the quality of life that were measurable, statistically significant, and enduring.” [28:42]   Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine’ Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research clinicaltrials.gov   Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Today’s episode discusses the history and legality of ketamine. Being so widely available and legal in many places, including the United States, ketamine’s story is different from many other medicines discussed in this show. With that being the case, we’ll also hear the experience of one more patient who has made use of ketamine therapy. When many people hear of ketamine they think of a horse tranquilizer, party-drug, or battlefield medicine. This diversity of uses reflects the varied history of this drug. Ketamine was patented for human and animal use in 1966 and approved by the FDA in 1970. It soon after found widespread use as a field anesthetic in Vietnam. It wasn’t long before the medical and non-medical uses of ketamine expanded worldwide. In the 1990s, researches found that ketamine has many effects in the treatment of depression and chronic pain.  In the United States, ketamine is a Schedule 3 drug, meaning that it is widely available as long as a patient has a prescription from their physician. However, in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, ketamine remains illegal. Many other countries restrict the drug to veterinary use only. The second part of this episode is a discussion with Jennifer about how she approached her physician about using ketamine and her journey with this medicine. While searching for relief from her chronic depression and anxiety, Jennifer came across ketamine treatments. While she initially faced pushback from her psychologist, Jennifer went ahead with her treatment. She discusses how ketamine was able to treat her depression as well as migraines in a way that the other drugs she had taken had not.    In this episode: A brief history of the legality of ketamine in the United States What early studies into the various medical uses of ketamine uncovered Where ketamine is legal and in what forms The challenge of finding a doctor who agrees with a patient’s interest in alternative therapies The small but meaningful changes that one patient felt after starting ketamine therapy   Quotes: “The fact that there are so many different ways that people have heard of ketamine is a testament to how many things it can do.” [5:11] “If you are considering ketamine, it is a matter of finding a physician or a center that offers it intravenously or intramuscularly. Or work with a psychologist or psychotherapist who offers it, often in the lozenge or nasal form.” [7:56] “So many little things. It felt like I could take deep breaths. I wasn’t always on edge with stress and anger and being defeated. When that little bit starts to lift -- that’s a lot!” - Jennifer [14:20]   Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine’ Ketamine.com The Third Wave   Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

In this bonus ketamine practitioner episode, you’ll hear from Dr. Ben Kaplan-Singer about the application of intramuscular ketamine. Dr. Kaplan-Singer practices integrative and functional medicine and has developed a “whole person” approach to helping his patients address a number of conditions. With a specialty in intramuscular applications of ketamine, Dr. Kaplan-Singer explains how this method is administered and how someone best prepares for it. As with many transformational experiences, intention setting is crucial. Dr. Kaplan-Singer shares his advice when it comes to setting intentions and explains how it helps with the process overall. Dr. Kaplan-Singer goes on to describe what someone going through an IM treatment of ketamine can expect. From the initial meetings with the doctor to the treatment itself to processing the experience afterward, Dr. Kaplan-Singer explains how he manages it all as a highly curated and supported process.   In this episode: How ketamine works at both the biochemical and metaphysical levels The importance of intention setting when preparing for a transformational experience Relative contraindications and side-effects of ketamine to be aware of A walk-through of the process and experience of IM treatment from beginning to end The effects of ketamine on the central-nervous-system as well as the body Techniques and methods for processing the post-ketamine experience   Quotes: “Ketamine is being rediscovered as one of the most potent and fastest acting anti-depressants that we know in the pharmaceutical world.” [4:37] “When used this way, we’re actually helping people get novel insights into who they are, what they are, why they’re alive, what their purpose is for being on this planet, what their relationship is to others, and what their relationship is to the cosmos.” [6:52] “I encourage people to embrace a view where whatever comes up is not necessarily looked at as a side-effect but rather as a portal for potential healing.”  [15:36] “Ketamine doesn’t just seem to work on the mind. It also seems to work on the body.” [23:14] “When you have a big transformation, it’s not enough to just have a peak experience. It really matters how you apply those insights into daily living.” [26:17]   Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine’ Find Dr. Ben Kaplan-Singer online Enzo Center Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

This week’s episode delves into the science behind ketamine therapy with Dr. Jason Wallach. Dr. Wallach has a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology and is an instructor at the University of the Sciences. His research focuses on the analytical and pharmacological characterizations of psychoactive drugs with a focus on dissociatives and the serotonergic classical hallucinogens. Dr. Wallach explains what the research says about the biochemistry of ketamine and how it actually works in the body. There’s still some debate about how ketamine’s various biochemical effects are involved in its therapeutic effects. Dr. Wallach shares what his research has discovered and the questions that he is still trying to answer. Specifically when it comes to examining the potential uses of ketamine to treat depression, Dr. Wallach sees a lot of promise for the drug. He explains some of what the research has shown with ketamine’s use as an anti-depressant and how its effects differ from other treatments. There has also been a lot of research into the difference between racemic mixtures of ketamine versus left-handed or s-ketamine. While racemic, which contains both the right and left-handed molecules, is what’s most widely used in the United States, new information is coming out regularly about the more targeted approach of s-ketamine.   In this episode: What the current research says concerning ketamine’s biochemical effects in the body The connection between ketamine and glutamate receptors and what this could mean for its anti-depressant effects Studies into ketamine’s use as an anti-depressant and what this suggests about its efficacy Ketamine as a treatment for various chronic pain conditions The difference between racemic ketamine and s-ketamine The future of ketamine trials   Quotes: “What ketamine does is it blocks the NMDA receptor preventing that flux of information from outside the cell to inside the cell.” [5:46] “Most existing anti-depressants have a delay in their onset. They take several weeks before you see any effect. Whereas with ketamine they can be observed within 40 minutes and peak within a day or so.” [10:45] “I suspect that maybe for a subset of people with depression, maybe even PTSD, chronic pain, or OCD, those experiences might have additional efficacy above and beyond what is occurring with the sub-hallucinogenic doses of ketamine that are currently being used.” [24:41]   Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine’    Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

In today’s ketamine practitioner episode, Dr. Steven Mandel describes some of the modern applications of ketamine. Dr. Mandel is the founder and president of Ketamine Clinics of Los Angeles and a founding member of the American Society of Ketamine Physicians. As an internationally recognized pioneer in the use of ketamine infusion therapy to treat depression, suicidality, PTSD, and chronic pain, Dr. Mandel has made numerous media appearances and has personally administered thousands of ketamine infusions. In this episode, Dr. Mandel recounts some of the history behind ketamine’s use in treating conditions such as PTSD and depression. While its use originated on the battlefield, an increasing number of physicians, including Dr. Mandel, soon discovered its other uses for anesthesia and psychological treatments. Dr. Mandel describes what goes on in his clinic and the common conditions that he uses ketamine infusions to treat. This ranges from depression to PTSD and even chronic pain. Dr. Mandel goes into what the research is saying concerning ketamine’s effects on these conditions and how he uses it to treat his patients.   In this episode: The history behind ketamine’s use as a treatment for PTSD and depression The other therapies that should go alongside ketamine use in order to achieve lasting effects Common psychological conditions that ketamine may help to address Ketamine’s use in treating chronic pain The importance of priming a patient’s mindset in preparation for and during therapy Some of Dr. Mandel’s favorite success stories   Quotes: “Ketamine very quickly became the darling of the battlefield medical community because ketamine in sub-anesthetic doses could very rapidly make a wounded soldier numb enough to participate in his own evacuation despite his wounds.” [8:35] “Ketamine is not a cure at all. It’s a treatment. It doesn’t fix anybody permanently.” [12:30] “You can go to very dark places with ketamine. Ketamine is a fuel. It’s a great enhancer of resilience but particularly the first experience with it can be offputting.” [28:04] “Ketamine can help you to become more open, more resilient. Your sense of worthlessness and helplessness goes away. Your ability to give yourself permission to experience pleasure gets much better.” [34:43]   Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine’ Ketamine Clinics of Los Angeles American Society of Ketamine Physicians   Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Today’s episode explores the patient’s experience of using ketamine in a clinical setting. As a very health-conscious person, Michael was curious about how ketamine, applied at a clinic through an IV drip, could address issues with his overall health. In this episode, Michael describes what these experiences have meant to him.  Michael shares his reasoning behind his decision to try ketamine and how he prepared mentally and physically for the experience. He walks us through the experience at the clinic getting his infusions and what it’s like from the patient’s perspective. These ketamine treatments have had a number of effects for Michael. He describes how they helped him gain clarity on a number of topics ranging from his business to the grieving of a friend’s death. These six treatments were very impactful for Michael, and he describes how he processed them immediately afterward and how he continues to think about them.   In this episode What led to Michael’s decision to use ketamine What was involved in preparing for his initial treatment How ketamine compares to other psychedelics in Michael’s experience Common protocols around ketamine infusion treatments   Quotes “You can cover a lot of ground. It’s really up to the person how much they’re willing to investigate in themselves.” [10:25] “I closed my eyes and it was a really easy experience to let go into because it’s a tranquilizer, you know.” [14:29] “They made it sound like I was going to be able to work the same day [as the treatments]. Definitely not the case! Really give yourself some space for the rest of that day.” [34:24]   Links Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine’ Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui