Psychedelic Medicine Podcast with Dr. Lynn Marie Morski

In this episode Dr. Simon Ruffell joins to discuss the research on ayahuasca for PTSD. Dr. Ruffell is a psychiatrist, researcher, and student of curanderismo (Amazonian shamanism) working at the intersection of Western psychiatry, traditional plant medicine, and Indigenous knowledge systems. He is Executive Director of Onaya, Lecturer in Psychology and Psychedelics at the University of Exeter, and Chief Medical Officer of MINDS, with a focus on integrative and relational approaches to healing and consciousness. In this conversation, Dr. Ruffell explores the emerging research on ayahuasca as a treatment for PTSD, drawing on both Western scientific models and Indigenous Shipibo knowledge systems. He outlines how ayahuasca may work through mechanisms such as increased neuroplasticity, disruption of rigid predictive models, and potential epigenetic shifts related to stress and trauma, while emphasizing that these biological explanations exist alongside Indigenous understandings of "cleaning ancestral lines." Sharing preliminary findings from his ongoing research with military veterans in collaboration with Heroic Hearts Project, Dr. Ruffell discusses significant reductions in PTSD symptoms at six-month follow-up, the powerful role of community and ceremony, and the ethical complexities of studying sacred practices through Western scientific tools. He closes with a moving story of a veteran whose healing journey illustrates both the promise and the limits of psychedelic medicine when embedded in relational and cultural context.   In this episode, you'll hear: Western scientific theories for how ayahuasca may alleviate PTSD How trauma-related epigenetic changes may be transmitted across generations Preliminary results from Dr. Ruffell's study of ayahuasca for veterans diagnosed with PTSD The role of community bonding and peer support among veterans in maintaining therapeutic gains Why ayahuasca research in the Amazon includes a broader plant-based healing system—not just the brew itself How Indigenous healers interpret epigenetic findings as confirmation of longstanding ancestral frameworks The ethical considerations of bringing Western measurement tools (like EEG) into sacred ceremonial contexts   Quotes: "This is what I find most interesting about our research—that it is cutting edge science but at the same time, when we conduct it with indigenous healers, we get a whole new perspective on what could be happening when it comes to interpreting the results and also making decisions of what to research as well." [14:09] "According to measures of PTSD on the scales that we're looking at, over 80% of the participants that were scoring for PTSD before their ayahuasca retreats and no longer scoring for PTSD at that six month follow up. So it's not just immediately after the ayahuasca retreats. It's six months later. And that's super, super encouraging." [15:52] "When we take things to the lab, one of the reasons that we might see the effect size diminishing is because we no longer have shamanism, basically, which is exerting a huge effect." [16:55] "Traditionally what would happen is that the curandero would drink ayahuasca and the participants would just be there and the curandero would use the visions that they had with ayahuasca to look into the participants and to diagnose them. And then the healing would come through them singing their medicinal chants, which are the icaros. And then afterwards they would give them a prescription of plants or whatever it is that they needed. And sometimes the prescription would be to drink ayahuasca, but most of the time it wouldn't be. [27:18] "You can't separate like DMT, in my eyes, from the rest of the compounds in ayahuasca, from the ceremony, from the jungle. That, in my opinion, is what makes up Shipibo. Otherwise you just have a bunch of chemicals." [28:20]   Links: Dr. Ruffell's website Dr. Ruffell on LinkedIn Dr. Ruffell on Instagram Onaya website Onaya Science website Onaya on LinkedIn Onaya on Instagram Previous episode: Can Ayahuasca Heal PTSD? with Former Army Ranger Jesse Gould Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

In this episode, Dr. Sean M. Viña joins to discuss the ways that social inequality can impact psychedelic healing. Dr. Viña is a sociologist with a PhD from Indiana University whose research focuses on psychedelics and mental health, and social inequality. In this conversation, Dr. Viña explains that while psychedelics are often framed as transformative treatments, their benefits appear unevenly distributed and frequently constrained by structural factors such as income inequality, education, stigma, caregiving burden, segregation, and social isolation. The discussion highlights how women—particularly single mothers—may experience diminished gains due to caregiving demands and stigmatization of mental illness, while Black and Latino populations show little measurable benefit once socioeconomic inequality is accounted for. Throughout, Dr. Viña emphasizes that outcomes are shaped less by the substances themselves than by the sociocultural environments people return to after treatment, underscoring the importance of community integration and structural supports alongside clinical care.   In this episode, you'll hear: What inspired Dr. Viña to research social inequality and psychedelics How caregiving burden, education, and stigma modulate women's mental health outcomes following psychedelic use Why socioeconomic inequality appears to eliminate measurable benefits for many Black and Latino participants The role of segregation, policing environments, and chronic stress in shaping treatment outcomes Why American Indian populations respond better to psychedelic treatments in rural areas with greater access to nature and their culture How having access to private versus public health insurance can impact psychedelic healing Why focusing only on therapist–patient interactions may miss key determinants of success Implications for designing more equitable psychedelic treatments and research   Quotes: "Women who are highly educated actually seem to be getting about as much benefit [from psychedelic treatments] as men who are highly educated, but [lack of] education doesn't seem to negatively affect men the same way it affects women. Again, that's the pattern we see in all kinds of other health resources." [9:36] "One of the studies that we did showed that if it wasn't for education and income differences, there would be a slight benefit [from psychedelics] for black participants in these surveys. But as soon as you accounted for education inequality and income inequality, it was wiped out." [21:40] "I love the concept of the psychedelic renaissance, but when we start thinking about the statistics of who this is helping, this is a renaissance of less than 1% of people, right? This is a very small group of people who are getting benefits, just like many of the other resources that have come out in the past. … all these resources are probably valuable. They're all helpful. But there needs to be more than just the drug. There needs to be a bigger conversation about this society and the community that people are living in." [36:31]   Dr. Viña's academic articles: "Medical Sociological and Epidemiological Psychedelics Paradigm", Drug Science Policy and Law, 2025 "A Community Centered Approach to Psychedelics", Discover Mental Health, 2025 "Unequal Healing: Gender, Psychedelics, and the Burden of Care", Women and Therapy, 2026 "Psychedelics and Mental Health Treatment Seeking Among Asians and Hawaiians", Psychoactives, 2025 "American Indian areas and psychedelics: A test of the minorities' diminished psychedelic returns", Journal of Rural Mental Health, 2025 "Religious Social Integration, Psychedelics, and Psychological Distress", Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2024 "Stigma, Psychedelic Use, and the Risk of Reduced Formal Mental Health Care", Stigma and Health, 2024 With Amanda L. Stephens: "Minorities' Diminished Psychedelic Returns." Drug Science, Policy and Law, 2023 Links: Dr. Viña on LinkedIn Dr. Viña on Researchgate Previous episode: Psychedelics and Religion with Hunt Priest, MDiv Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

In this episode, Hunt Priest joins to discuss the intersection of psychedelic experiences and religion. Hunt is the founder of Ligare: A Christian Psychedelic Society and was a participant in the Johns Hopkins/NYU Psilocybin Study for Religious Leaders in 2016. The epiphanies he had at Hopkins forever changed the trajectory of his work and led him to start Ligare in 2021. In this conversation, Hunt Priest reflects on how participating in the Johns Hopkins study reshaped his understanding of Christianity, embodiment, and spiritual experience. Drawing on his background as an Episcopal priest, he explores the deep resonance between psychedelic experiences and Christianity, arguing that non-ordinary states of consciousness have always been central to religious life, even if institutional churches have often marginalized them. The discussion ranges from spiritual emergence and theological disruption to healing, discernment, and the role clergy can play in preparation and integration. Hunt also shares his own profound embodied experience during the study where he encountered Vedic and Upanishadic concepts firsthand. He explains how it ultimately led him to found Ligare, a Christian psychedelic society aimed at bridging psychedelics, healing, and the Christian mystical tradition.   In this episode, you'll hear: Hunt's ideas of how psychedelic experiences connect with Christian sacraments and liturgical practices How psychedelics connect with understandings of religious pluralism and the diversity of spiritual experiences Resources for working through ideas that psychedelic experiences could be sinful or demonic Hunt's thoughts on navigating theological disruption, spiritual emergence, and expanded images of God Why embodiment and bodily wisdom are central to spiritual insight and healing The vital opportunity institutional religion risks missing in the current psychedelic renaissance   Quotes: "I think there's a lot of us [clergy] out there that understand that the spiritual issues that come up with psychedelics are important and need to be tended to in a sensitive way—in an open minded way, an open hearted way." [14:36] "The Church has, over time, taught people to not trust their minds or their bodies. And that's a huge mistake because our bodies keep the score and they also are one of the places we hold wisdom—which was the biggest lesson I got from the first experience I had at Hopkins." [17:39] "That's why the spiritual care professionals could be so important: when these issues, these spirit big spiritual questions or even a collapse of your own theological framework happens, you need help to put it back together. And just like therapy helps us put our emotional life back together, I think a good spiritual director or spiritual advisor—one-on-one or small group work—can help us put our theology back together." [21:47]   Links: Ligare website Ligare on Instagram Hunt on Instagram Hunt on LinkedIn Center for Action and Contemplation website Previous episode: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Psychedelic Medicine with Matthew Johnson, PhD Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui  

In this encore episode of the Psychedelic Medicine Podcast, psychedelic science researcher and educator Dr. Manesh Girn discusses his studies investigating psychedelic brain action. Manesh earned PhD in neuroscience at McGill University and is an author on over a dozen peer-reviewed articles on psychedelics and related topics. He is also chief research officer at EntheoTech Bioscience and runs the YouTube channel the Psychedelic Scientist.  In this conversation, Manesh discusses his recent article in Trends in Cognitive Sciences titled "A complex systems perspective on psychedelic brain action."He explains the complexity science approach used in the article, which emphasizes the brain is a holistic, interconnected system, rather than individual component networks that can be isolated. From this standpoint, Manesh critiques some simplistic explanations of the neural mechanisms of psychedelics which focus exclusively on interactions with the default mode network isolated from other brain systems. He also explains how individual some of the neural effects of psychedelics are, citing different findings from different studies and observed variations between brain scans of different people. By better understanding these individual differences, and placing these different responses into a complexity science framework, Manesh believes that more individually-tailored psychedelic therapies are possible once the systems involved are more comprehensively understood.  Manesh closes this discussion by explaining the difference between genuine complexity and sheer chaos.  Complexity, he explains, is a delicate balance of novelty and order, which is why psychedelic experiences can be both destabilizing and productive of novel insights and personal transformation.    In this episode: The research into psychedelics and the default mode network Using frameworks from complexity science in psychedelic research Measuring entropy in the brain Differences in neurological effects from taking between different studies and different individuals How a complexity science approach to neuroscience could better inform precision psychiatry   Quotes: "You can't just look at a specific brain region or network [in psychedelic research], you've gotta talk about the brain as a whole, in this sense of seeing the brain as a system of interacting parts." [4:49] "The core idea of this paper is that psychedelics put our brain into this state that is more dynamically flexible, it's more diverse in its activity patterns, and it's more sensitive to inputs that come in." [14:17] "What we find in the brain imaging findings is that different studies disagree, but also if you look at individual people, they can have radically different effects on their brain—almost opposite." [21:37]   Links: Manesh' recent article in Trends in Cognitive Sciences: "A complex systems perspective on psychedelic brain action" ​​Psilocybin vs Placebo Brain Connectivity Diagram from Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris The Psychedelic Scientist YouTube Channel The Psychedelic Scientist on Instagram The Psychedelic Scientist on Twitter Manesh on LinkedIn EntheoTech website Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

In this episode, Will Van Derveer, MD joins to unpack what we know about which psychedelic medicines are best suited to particular mental health conditions. Dr. Van Derveer has trained several thousand mental health professionals in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, provided ketamine assisted therapy to hundreds of people, and has staffed MDMA therapy trials with MAPS. His book, Psychedelic Therapy: A Revolutionary Approach to Restoring Your Mental Health and Reclaiming Your Life, will be published by Shambala in the spring of 2026. In this conversation, Dr. Van Derveer offers a clinician's framework for thinking through how different psychedelic medicines may align with different mental health conditions. He explores how factors such as anxiety levels, trauma history, prior psychedelic experience, and a person's orientation toward spiritual versus medical healing shape treatment decisions. Across discussions of anxiety, depression, PTSD, OCD, and eating disorders, Dr. Van Derveer reflects on the relative roles of ketamine, psilocybin, MDMA, and emerging short-acting psychedelics, while underscoring the importance of community, and integration. Throughout, he returns to a central theme: many conditions labeled as psychiatric may also reflect deeper forms of disconnection—social, existential, and spiritual—and psychedelic therapies can be powerful tools for restoring those lost connections when used thoughtfully.   In this episode, you'll hear: Why safety, medication interactions, and psychiatric history must come before all other considerations The difference between clinical and ceremonial approaches to psychedelic healing Considering when group versus individual approaches to psychedelic therapy may be best suited for a particular patient How ketamine, psilocybin, and MDMA may play distinct roles in treating anxiety and depression Considerations of dose, tolerance, and maintenance sessions for ketamine treatments Why MDMA-assisted therapy stands out for chronic and severe PTSD Dr. Van Derveer's perspective on emerging psychedelic medicines and the future of treatment   Quotes: "As time wears on, I lean more toward the group dynamic [for psychedelic therapy] because of the power of community and healing in community. And also, of course, it can help mitigate the cost of access for people." [8:24] "There's a lot of conversation about ibogaine right now, and I think it's an incredibly powerful, beautiful, sacred, ancient medicine that has a role. But it has a lot more porcupine quills on it than, say, ketamine or MDMA." [27:16] "In acute suicidality, I think ketamine is the treatment of choice. There's nothing like it. … it can be quite impressive how quickly suicidal thoughts melt away. But it is a short game because often it doesn't stick for people. And that's a huge drawback." [28:39] "We know that there are clear associations between chronic depression and high levels of inflammation in the body and also in the brain. Ketamine and psilocybin both have strong anti-inflammatory effects. But it seems like somehow the pathways that psilocybin is working on… tends to produce longer term benefits." [30:10] "I tend to think that spiritual connection—in whatever your language is, whatever your metaphors are, however you think about it—is something that we need to think about for health overall." [40:21]   Links: Dr. Van Derveer on LinkedIn Dr. Van Derveer on Instagram Dr. Van Derveer on X Dr. Van Derveer's forthcoming book, Psychedelic Therapy: A Revolutionary Approach to Restoring Your Mental Health and Reclaiming Your Life Integrative Psychiatry Institution website  Previous episode: Is Psilocybin Safe for Me? with Seth Mehr, MD Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

In this episode, Alicia Bigelow, ND joins to discuss the potential of psychedelic medicine to support the menopause transition. Dr. Ali Bigelow is a naturopathic physician, ketamine provider and licensed psilocybin facilitator in Portland, OR. She leads individual and group retreats, enjoys incorporating live music into her sessions when desired, and is passionate about supporting those navigating life transitions, such as end of life and menopause, through her low dose group, Menomorphosis. Dr. Bigelow will be doing retreats in 2026 with Rise Up Journeys at RiseUpJourneys.com In this conversation, Dr. Bigelow explores the emerging intersection between psychedelics and the menopausal transition, framing perimenopause and menopause as profound neuroendocrine, psychological, and existential shifts rather than merely clinical syndromes. She also discusses how hormonal changes—particularly declining estrogen—interact with serotonin, inflammation, and neuroplasticity, potentially shaping psychedelic experiences and outcomes. Throughout the discussion, Dr. Bigelow emphasizes the unique capacity of psychedelics to support self-actualization, identity reformation, and meaning-making during midlife, especially when combined with hormone therapy, intentional integration practices, and strong community support.   In this episode, you'll hear: Why perimenopause and menopause represent a major but under-recognized neurobiological life transition How estrogen, serotonin receptors, and psychedelics like psilocybin may interact in midlife What we know (and don't yet know) about hormone replacement therapy and psychedelic efficacy The potential anti-inflammatory effects of psychedelics and their relevance to menopausal symptoms How ketamine may function differently from classic psychedelics during hormonal transitions Why psychedelics can support identity reorientation, self-actualization, and "not caring" in generative ways The critical role of community, creativity, and nervous system regulation in integration during midlife   Quotes: "We don't honor and celebrate aging and elderhood overall in our culture. … What I do feel is really vital is that we gather and support each other in all of life's transitions, and [menopause has] not only been underrepresented, but also just under honored." [3:29] "As [estrogen] levels decrease, there's a decrease in serotonin receptors—which is the 5-HT2A receptor. And so that reduces our sensitivity to, and activity of serotonin. And psilocybin and LSD and other 5-HT2A agonists—they can enhance their receptors and the activity of those receptors." [13:20] "The understanding is that with [estrogen] hormone replacement therapy you would then, theoretically, see a replenishment of [serotonin] receptors, and then the psilocybin would have more ability to act on those receptors." [15:37] "Psilocybin—and psychedelics in general—and the menopausal transition are just really beautiful complements to each other and they become even more potent when used together." [19:48]   Links: Dr. Bigelow on LinkedIn Dr. Bigelow on Instagram Dr. Bigelow's website Synaptic Institute website  Rise Up Journeys website  Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

In this episode, Matthew W. Johnson, PhD returns to discuss how psychedelics can be leveraged to catalyze human agency. Dr. Johnson has been at the forefront of psychedelic research for 21 years, having conducted seminal research on the effects of psilocybin on mystical experience, personality, and treatment of cancer distress, major depressive disorder, and tobacco addiction. His work with tobacco addiction received the first federal funding for a classic psychedelic in the modern era of research. In this conversation, Dr. Johnson explores psychedelics as powerful enhancers of human agency—the felt capacity to steer one's own life, make meaningful choices, and act from a place of inner autonomy. Drawing from two decades of research across depression, cancer distress, addiction, and healthy volunteer studies, he argues that increases in agency may be a core, yet under-recognized, mechanism behind therapeutic change. Dr. Johnson discusses agency as a "meta-executive" function intertwined with free will, mental flexibility, and meaning-making, and suggests that psychedelics may uniquely illuminate and strengthen this capacity. In closing, he shares thoughts on how individuals can better take advantage of psychedelic-induced neuroplasticity to increase agency in their own lives.   In this episode, you'll hear: What Dr. Johnson means by "agency" and why he sees it as central to psychedelic healing Clinical examples of participants who rediscovered autonomy, changed behaviors, or reframed their suffering after psilocybin sessions Why psychedelics may enhance big-picture psychological flexibility, not just moment-to-moment cognitive flexibility How increased agency may help people with depression, addiction, and cancer distress shift entrenched patterns of thinking and behavior Potential future research directions for studying the neuroscience of agency   Quotes: "It's not just that enhancing agency is the elephant in the room of why psychedelics are working, it's also that I think psychedelics can be a tool for finally understanding this thing of human agency." [4:31] "Even if you think the sense of free will is an illusion, it has to be an evolutionarily advantageous illusion. Why else would it be seemingly universal?" [12:30] "When someone really has one of these 'ah-ha' experiences, they can really come to this perspective of 'no, no, no, no, no, I really am choosing how I'm thinking about myself.' In cancer [patients] it happened a lot." [21:51]   Links: Previous episode: The Latest Research on Psilocybin for Depression with Matthew Johnson, PhD Previous episode: Exploring DMT Entities with Matthew Johnson, PhD Previous episode: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Psychedelic Medicine with Matthew Johnson, PhD Dr. Johnson on X Dr. Johnson on InstagramDr. Johnson on LinkedIn Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

In this episode, Dmitry Repin, PhD joins to discuss the intersection of bodily movement and psychedelics. Dr. Repin is the co-founder of the Institute for Psychedelic Research at Tel Aviv University, holds a PhD in cognitive neuroscience, and is the producer and creative force behind the Everything Else Matters documentary. In this conversation, Dr. Repin explores how psychedelics may influence movement, proprioception, and motor learning, drawing from his background in neuroscience and his transformative experiences with dance practices like Gaga. He describes his team's innovative clinical study pairing psilocybin with guided movement training to investigate whether altered states can open temporary windows of enhanced plasticity for learning new movement patterns. Throughout the discussion, Dr. Repin reflects on why so many people feel inhibited in their bodies, how psychedelics might soften these constraints, and what traditional movement-based ceremonies can teach modern clinical research about embodiment, healing, and the relationship between perception and action.   In this episode, you'll hear: How dance and Gaga inspired Dr. Repin's scientific interest in movement during psychedelic states Kinesiophobia and why many people experience fear, shame, or inhibition around movement Why Dr. Repin chose psilocybin for his study on psychedelics and movement How Dr. Repin's study measures movement changes using optical tracking and multi-dimensional metrics What makes Gaga movement practices unique compared to other approaches to dance and movement The structure of the psilocybin-plus-movement protocol developed at Tel Aviv University How psychedelics may temporarily enhance motor learning through shifts in proprioception and neuroplasticity What ritual and communal dance contexts reveal about the embodied dimensions of psychedelic experiences   Quotes: "If we understand those [neurological] mechanisms, we can try to influence certain situations where people have deficits related to movement." [4:47] "For example, when I go to a dance training session [after a recent psychedelic experience], I find that I actually internalize movement patterns much faster than I do otherwise—and it's noticeable to my dance teacher." [8:56] "Part of the hypothesis that we have is that certain qualities or dimensions of movement might be affected more or less by psychedelics than others and that potentially, will give us some insights into the specific brain mechanisms because certain different types of movement sometimes require different circuits to engage in different parts of the body." [19:47] "Some initial wisdom, some anecdotes, or some best practices that have been developed within those non-clinical settings may be very useful to inform clinical—and maybe other—areas that use psychedelics." [27:03]   Links: Everything Else Matters documentary The Institute for Psychedelic Research at Tel Aviv University Dr. Repin on LinkedIn Dr. Repin on X Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

In this episode, Psychedelic Medicine Podcast host, Dr. Lynn Marie Morski, provides the latest updates from the field of psychedelic medicine. Dr. Morski discusses the breakthrough therapy designation which a number of psychedelic compounds have received in the past few years, the most recent of which is BPL-003, a nasal spray formulation of 5-MeO-DMT. One of the exciting aspects of this new compound, Dr. Morski notes, is that it is shorter-acting than most serotonergic psychedelics—a feature which may make treatment with this substance less expensive and more accessible.  Another exciting development is the COMPASS Pathways phase 3 trial of COMP360 psilocybin. Dr. Morski shares that the company believes they are nine to twelve months ahead of schedule, which means that if all goes well, this psilocybin compound could be approved for treatment resistant depression as early as sometime in 2027. She also discusses why the US FDA said they rejected MDMA for PTSD and what this governing body would like to see from subsequent research before reconsidering this decision. In closing, Dr. Morski shares excitement about the development of novel psychoplastogens—the non-hallucinogenic psychedelics—which may help bring many of the same healing benefits to populations currently unable to be served by the existing compounds under investigation.   In this episode, you'll hear: Which psychedelics currently have breakthrough therapy designation and for which indications Details of recent ketamine research for inpatient depression care and why these results are not as negative as they may seem The current horizons of psychedelic research and what indications may soon be explored Sources of hope in the current state of psychedelic research and the legal landscape   Quotes: "[BPL-003] showed rapid and durable antidepressant outcomes after a single dose. … here we have something that is under an hour [of psychedelic experience] for treatment resistant depression." [7:43] "Keeping patients blinded to whether or not they got the placebo or MDMA is a big focus that [the FDA] wanted to emphasize for these future phase 3 trials." [19:07] "I know we had a big setback last year. I think a lot of us thought by this time we'd be a year into MDMA being approved and we're not. However, there are so many things on the horizon that are worth being excited about." [23:48]   Links: Psychedelic Medicine Podcast on Instagram Psychedelic Medicine Podcast on YouTube Jelovac A, McCaffrey C, Terao M, et al. "Serial Ketamine Infusions as Adjunctive Therapy to Inpatient Care for Depression: The KARMA-Dep 2 Randomized Clinical Trial" JAMA Psychiatry, 2025. Beckley Psytech Limited Phase 2 Trial: BPL-003 Efficacy and Safety in Treatment Resistant Depression COMPASS Pathways Phase 3 Trial: Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of COMP360 in Participants With TRD Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Complete Response Letter (CRL) to Lykos Therapeutics, declining to approve MDMA-assisted therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Psychedelic Alpha Psychedelic Drug Development Bullseye Chart Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

In this episode Matthew Hicks, ND, MS joins to dive into the topic of psilocybin-assisted group therapy for depression. Dr. Hicks is a research Investigator at the National University of Natural Medicine as well as a Naturopathic doctor and licensed psilocybin facilitator at Synaptic Institute. In this conversation, Dr. Hicks shares findings from one of the first studies investigating psilocybin-assisted group therapy for depression, conducted in Oregon's new legal psilocybin framework. He explains how the high cost and labor-intensive nature of psychedelic therapy inspired him to explore a group model that could make treatment more financially accessible while preserving - and even enhancing - its therapeutic potential. Dr. Hicks describes the structure of the study and discusses how initial participant hesitancy about group work transformed into deep connection and shared healing. He also highlights the study's significant reductions in depression scores, improvements across quality-of-life measures, and the potential for group-based approaches to pave the way toward insurance reimbursement and broader access to psychedelic care.   In this episode, you'll hear: Why affordability and accessibility were central motivations for developing a group-based psilocybin protocol The benefits and challenges of conducting psilocybin sessions in a shared group setting How Dr. Hicks' study balanced inclusion of low-income participants with safety and stability criteria The details of the group treatment structure for Dr. Hicks' study Why Dr. Hicks believes group formats may be inherently therapeutic in addition to their economic efficiency Dr. Hicks's vision for future efficacy and cost-effectiveness studies that could enable insurance coverage   Quotes: "In terms of the group dynamic, almost everyone in the intake process was very reluctant. They were trepidatious. They were a little worried about the group part of it. And almost everybody at the end of it, when we did the follow ups at the group, was amazing. People made friends. They felt really supported. They felt really seen by the process of hearing other people's journeys and the growth that they went through—and seeing some other examples of transformation was really powerful and was really encouraging to me." [10:29] "So [there are] really positive aspects to doing this in a group format that's not just economic—it's not just cheaper to do this in group, it actually has therapeutic benefits that you miss out on when you only do this one on one." [11:12] "That was always my question in the follow up sessions: 'did your participation in this study change the way you engaged in psychotherapy? Did it change the relationship with your therapist?' And a lot of people reported that it did. They felt they were able to open up and engage more deeply, be more introspective. And it did, in many cases, not all, improve their psychotherapy outcomes as well." [18:24] "Some people reported that hearing someone else in the group crying for a bit really opened up something in them and they almost felt grateful for that. This other person is having a meaningful experience over there, and that's something they wouldn't have gotten on their own if they hadn't heard that person crying." [22:45]   Links: Dr. Hicks on LinkedIn Synaptic Institute website  Dr. Hicks' research at Synaptic Institute National University of Natural Medicine website  Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

In this episode Rotem Petranker, PhD joins to discuss the current state of research on microdosing psilocybin. Dr. Petranker is the co-founder of the Psychedelic Studies Research Program at the University of Toronto and the Canadian Centre for Psychedelic Science. He recently ran the world's largest randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of microdosing psilocybin on Major Depressive Disorder. In this conversation, Dr. Petranker shares insights from running the world's largest randomized controlled trial on psilocybin microdosing for major depressive disorder. He explains the origins of microdosing research, from early anecdotes and surveys to his team's carefully designed clinical study comparing psilocybin to placebo across different environments. While participants in both groups reported significant improvements, the findings point to the powerful role of expectancy and placebo effects, alongside nuanced signals of cognitive shifts on measures like dysfunctional attitudes. Dr. Petranker emphasizes the importance of rigorous methodology, open science, and transparency in psychedelic research, while also acknowledging the stories of participants whose lives were positively impacted by study participation itself.   In this episode, you'll hear: What early microdosing research suggested, and its limitations in anecdotal and survey-based designs Why psilocybin was chosen over LSD for the study design  What motivates people to try microdosing a psychedelic Key results from Dr. Petranker's study, including reports of both positive and adverse events How placebo effects—and simply being part of a trial—can powerfully shape outcomes Reflections on how psychedelics may work by increasing connectedness   Quotes: "There's no real rigorous definition [of microdosing]. People say, 'oh, I'm just going to microdose some mushrooms,' and then they often take a random amount. I think what people mean is 'I'm going to take an amount that will not knock me out, won't cause serious hallucinations,' but they still use an amount that they often feel. Now, this is in contrast to what people in the [academic] literature define it as, which is more like a sub-perceptual dose, a sub-hallucinogenic dose." [2:17] "If you microdose and go to work, just to sit under the flickering lights for eight hours in your cubicle versus, say, if you're going to microdose and then go on a walk, or do art, or do as you wish because it's the weekend, you're going to have very different impacts on your anxiety." [15:26] "[In our study] there were three other self-report measures of depression. There is only a significant difference on one of them, where people who were microdosing were doing better. And that was on the dysfunctional attitude scale, which measures more cognitive assumptions about life." [26:2] "people who microdose—regardless of why they microdose—they more or less all said that they got to what they wanted through an increased sense of meaning." [35:05]   Links: Psychedelic Studies Research Program at the University of Toronto Canadian Centre for Psychedelic Science website Canadian Centre for Psychedelic Science on X Canadian Centre for Psychedelic Science on Instagram Previous episode: Microdosing and the Placebo Effect with Balazs Szigeti, PhD Previous episode: James Fadiman answers your Microdosing Questions! Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui  

In this episode of the Psychedelic Medicine Podcast, Rick Strassman, MD joins to discuss the topic of endogenous DMT. Dr. Strassman is adjunct associate professor of psychiatry at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and author of DMT: The Spirit Molecule and The Psychedelic Handbook. His DMT and psilocybin studies in the early 1990s initiated the renewal of human research with psychedelics in the U.S. In this conversation, Dr. Strassman discusses the finer details of DMT, from endogenous production in humans and animals, to visionary experiences and theological implications. Dr. Strassman also covers the research that's been done regarding endogenous DMT, clarifying what we do and don't know about the role of the pineal gland and how this might relate to what is reported during near-death experiences. He also discusses the personal and relational quality of psychedelic experiences induced by DMT, mentioning that unitive mystical experiences were actually rare in the trials he conducted, with more experiences having a personal quality, drawing upon the life experiences and interests of the participants. In closing, Dr. Strassman shares his thoughts on the origins of the visions that many report during DMT use.    In this episode you'll hear: The overlap between psychedelic experiences and meditation techniques The relationship between fear, self-awareness, and difficult DMT experiences The placebo effect and psychedelic research Dr. Strassman's thoughts on non-hallucinogenic psychedelics DMT as a possible treatment for strokes to prevent damage and speed recovery Effects of microdosing in animals and humans   Quotes: "I think the best term for these compounds is psychedelic, which means mind manifesting or mind disclosing, because only one of our fifty-five or so normal volunteers had what one might call a mystical unitive state. … Everybody basically had an experience that was totally dependent on them. It was not inherent in the drug." [9:45] "You could still speculate that to the extent that non-drug states resemble those brought on by giving DMT… that DMT plays a role in the production of those states. But the data aren't there yet. That's why we need more people doing this research." [24:16] "If psychedelics are super placebos and if we have a psychedelic drug in our brain, it's attempting to speculate that normally the placebo effect could be mediated by endogenous DMT." [27:42] "If you starve neurons of oxygen they start dying, but if you add DMT they survive much longer. So there seems to be some neuroprotective effect of DMT on ischemic damage to neurons, at least in the test tube." [32:27]   Links: Dr. Strassman's website The Psychedelic Handbook by Dr. Strassman DMT: The Spirit Molecule by Dr. Strassman DMT and the Soul of Prophecy: A New Science of Spiritual Revelation in the Hebrew Bible by Dr. Strassman Dr. Strassman on FacebookPrevious episode: Exploring DMT Entities with Matthew Johnson, PhD Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

In this episode Steven Zeiler, MD, PhD joins to discuss the promise of psychedelics for stroke healing. Dr. Zeiler is an associate professor and physician at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine specializing in cerebrovascular disease, including acute stroke therapy, prevention, and recovery. He is a lead investigator for a Rose Hill Life Sciences research trial, conducted in partnership with Johns Hopkins University, exploring the use of psilocybin-assisted therapy to enhance motor function in patients with neurological injuries. In this conversation, Dr. Zeiler explains that after a stroke, there is a natural but time-limited critical period during which the brain is highly plastic and capable of repairing motor function. His research, inspired by work on psychedelics reopening critical learning windows, shows in animal models that a single high dose of psychedelics combined with intensive rehabilitation can restore lost motor abilities even after recovery has plateaued. Throughout, Dr. Zeiler emphasizes that psilocybin itself doesn't heal the brain directly but creates a window of heightened neuroplasticity that, when paired with targeted therapy, may dramatically improve recovery outcomes for stroke survivors.   In this episode, you'll hear: What happens to patients during a stroke The critical period of stroke recovery and how psychedelics may reopen this opportunity Why conducting a safety and tolerability study of psilocybin for stroke patients is crucial What forms of deficits and recoveries Dr. Zeiler's study will measure  Dr. Zeiler's speculations on what integrating psychedelic treatments into stroke medicine could look like The importance of specialized interventions that take advantage of the critical recovery period   Quotes: "What has been a little forgotten about in a lot of stroke management situations is helping the person get over the deficits with which the stroke has left them. And if you can't move an arm, you can't move a leg, that's a big deal. And we are not quite as good at addressing some of those problems." [5:11]  "[The potential of psychedelics for stroke recovery] is probably less about addressing the injury itself and more about helping the remaining parts of the brain turn on to address what's lost." [7:36] "We're not suggesting that the psychedelic itself has some sort of magical property that would just repair the brain, but it primes the situation to allow that input that we then provide over the next many days, many weeks, to affect a recovery." [13:31] "Imagine something as complicated as the brain going through a repair mechanism: could you imagine one molecule acting on one receptor being able to affect a recovery? I couldn't imagine that—it's too complicated a thing. And so having something like a mechanism of action that is acting through multiple pathways, I think has to be the case if we're going to affect something as complicated as brain repair." [17:30]   Links: Dr. Zeiler on LinkedIn Super Room for Enriched Neurological Repair at Green Spring (SENRG) PHATHOM (Psychedelic Healing: Adjunct Therapy Harnessing Opened Malleability)-Stroke Project Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

In this episode J. Ashley T. Booth, LCSW, MS joins to discuss the importance of long-term psychedelic integration. Ashley is a Los Angeles-based psychedelic therapist, IFS practitioner, and author of Quieting the Storm Within: An Illustrated Introduction to Your Parts Through Internal Family Systems and Beyond. With a background in research, education, and clinical work—including serving as a co-investigator on the MAPS MDMA trials—she specializes in helping clients integrate psychedelic experiences through compassionate parts work and Self-led healing. In this conversation, Ashley explores the nuances of psychedelic integration, discussing how this process can be supported through ongoing self-audits, somatic practices, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) work. She highlights the need to slow down, focus on one insight at a time, and anchor felt experiences into the body so they become lived behaviors rather than fleeting memories. The discussion also addresses challenges such as insufficient integration, psychedelic narcissism, and the pressure to "fix" oneself. In closing, Ashley stresses that even years after a journey, integration is possible if one revisits experiences with intention, and she underscores the central role of supportive communities in sustaining lasting transformation   In this episode, you'll hear: What things are important to focus on in long-term integration How someone can discern when their integration process has been sufficient to pursue a subsequent psychedelic journey  An overview of the internal family systems model of the psyche  The downsides of insufficient integration Developing deeper relationships with the parts of one's psyche through IFS Why it's never too late to integrate psychedelic experiences from one's past What to do when integration seems to come into conflict with feeling well adjusted to society's expectations   Quotes: "What I encourage clients to do is to take notes on everything that felt important and then separate them out into: 'I'm going to just focus on this one thing for like a month, and then maybe next month will be that second piece of it.' And so you're really allowing yourself to make particular practices and focus on one thing at a time." [6:21] "So whatever wound we're dealing with in our bodies, whether it's an extreme sort of big T trauma or little T trauma… there's a slowness that needs to happen. And so if there's parts of us that want to speed up that process, we need to be curious about that and see if there are ways that we can tend to that before the next journey." [13:59] "I think that part of the longer term questions are not just how we change our life but what kind of meaning are we making of our lives and how are we sitting more comfortably in that meaning in a way that is serving us and empowering us?" [25:52]   Links: Ashley's website IFS and Beyond on Instagram  IFS and Beyond website Quieting the Storm Within: An Illustrated Introduction to Your Parts Through Internal Family Systems and Beyond by J. Ashley T. Booth Aware Project: Southern California Psychedelic Society website Previous episode: Navigating Psychedelic Narcissism with Adam Aronovich Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui  

In this episode, Dr. Genesee Herzberg joins to discuss the ways ketamine therapy can be combined with other healing modalities. Dr. Herzberg is a clinical psychologist and co-founder and director of Sage Integrative Health, an integrative psychedelic therapy clinic and training center in the SF Bay Area. She worked as a therapist on the MDMA for PTSD clinical trials and co-edited the book Integral Psychedelic Therapy. In this conversation, Dr. Herzberg explains how somatic therapy, touch therapy, bodywork, and movement support trauma processing. She also highlights the benefits of combining ketamine with acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, and functional medicine—including nutritional and hormonal assessments—to address physiological contributors to mental health. In closing, Dr. Herzberg emphasizes trauma-informed, team-based, and individualized approach to psychedelic healing, where ketamine acts as a bridge between psychological, somatic, and biomedical treatments.   In this episode, you'll hear: How somatic therapy is used within ketamine therapy sessions How ketamine helps quiet the default mode network to support therapeutic processing Ensuring safety during physical and movement-based therapies  The importance of establishing boundaries and explicit consent for therapeutic work that involves touch Dr. Herzberg's first hand experience of the reciprocal benefits of combining acupuncture and ketamine therapy Using functional medicine and nutrition therapy to support the therapeutic process with ketamine   Quotes: "I see ketamine, especially at lower psychoanalytic doses… as a support in turning down the volume on emotional and physical pain, which can then help us to better experience them. So I think of it as a sort of 're-associative'." [4:08] "Another aspect of the healing potential of therapy in general has to do with a therapeutic relationship: developing this sense that there's someone who cares about you, who's there to support you, who's going to be right there with you as you're dropping into your scariest and darkest places. And touch is one of the best ways to communicate that."  [13:53] "Acupuncture can help the nervous system to relax and help the system to open to the ketamine such that we are able to more fully receive the benefits of the medicine and feel the effects of it." [25:07]   Links: Sage Integrative Health website  Dr. Herzberg on LinkedIn  Sage Integrative Health on LinkedIn  Sage Integrative Health on Instagram Sage Integrative Health on Facebook   Integral Psychedelic Therapy: The Non-Ordinary Art of Psychospiritual Healing edited by Jason A. Butler, Genesee Herzberg, and Richard Louis Miller Previous episode: Psychedelic Adjunct Series: Somatic Therapy with Jenna Valentine, DACM, LAc Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui  

In this episode, Charmaine Husum joins to discuss how art therapy can be a powerful tool for psychedelic preparation and integration. Charmaine is a Registered Art Therapist, Somatic Counsellor and Kundalini Yoga Teacher with over 12 years of experience supporting psychedelic preparation and integration. Her courses train professionals globally using specifically developed protocols in trauma-informed, harm-reduction practices, with her book, Psychedelics and Art Therapy: A Trauma-Informed Manual for Somatic Self Expression (Routledge, 2025), endorsed by numerous experts in the field including Stan and Brigitte Grof. In this discussion, Charmaine distinguishes between art as therapy and art therapy, emphasizing that the latter involves clinically informed, trauma-sensitive practices that externalize inner experiences to support healing. She outlines structured protocols used before and after psychedelic experiences, including creating visual representations of inner strength, setting intentions, and integrating experiences through multi-phase art exercises. Throughout, Charmaine emphasizes choice, embodiment, and the historical roots of art in altered states, offering a rich alternative for those seeking non-verbal, experiential ways to work through trauma and transformation.   In this episode, you'll hear: The types of art and materials employed in art therapy How art therapy can be employed to support preparation for a psychedelic experience Using art therapy for grounding and restabilization following an intense psychedelic journey Judith Herman's three stage model of healing trauma Why drawing a self portrait with one's non-dominant hand could be therapeutic Pursuing shadow work in art therapy Working with a client's perfectionism in art therapy   Quotes: "[Art therapy] is not about making art, actually. It's about being in the present moment, about moving materials, about allowing for often a cathartic release, and giving expression to what we often don't have words for." [3:14] "Art therapy isn't just about making the art, it's about processing the art afterwards." [7:48] "Art therapy is very helpful when we're trying to express something that's ineffable—something without words—which is… at the heart of psychedelics. There's often no words to describe what our experience has been. And so using creativity can be a real help there." [29:06]   Links: Centre of the HeArt website Centre of the HeArt on Instagram Centre of the HeArt on Facebook Charmaine on LinkedIn Charmaine's book: Psychedelics and Art Therapy: A Trauma-Informed Manual for Somatic Self Expression Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

In this episode, Seth Mehr, MD joins to share his expertise on safety planning prior to a patient undergoing psilocybin therapy. After a 20 year career as an Emergency Medicine physician, Seth founded Cascade Psychedelic Medicine in 2021, treating clients with depression, anxiety and PTSD with psychedelic ketamine therapy. He also serves as the Health & Safety Director and a state licensed psilocybin facilitator at the Innertrek service center in Portland, Oregon. In this conversation, Dr. Mehr outlines key risk categories for psilocybin therapy: medical conditions, medication interactions, and mental health history. He emphasizes the importance of individualized safety planning over binary yes/no decisions. Dr. Mehr discusses specific considerations such as cardiovascular issues, diabetes, serotonergic medications, substance use disorders, suicidal ideation, and family history of psychosis. The conversation also covers strategies for mitigating risk, including delaying treatment, contingency plans, improving support systems, and ensuring informed consent. Throughout, Dr. Mehr stresses a collaborative, nuanced approach that balances potential benefits with careful preparation and personalized care.   In this episode, you'll hear: Stories from Dr. Mehr's practice of helping patients with different conditions and histories ensure safe psilocybin experiences Interactions between GLP-1 agonists and psilocybin How Dr. Mehr works with patients who have family histories of psychosis Harm reduction practices which leverage other psychedelics or non-psychedelic interventions to help prepare a client for a psilocybin session Why insulin dependent diabetes can be a contraindication for psychedelic therapy What medication combinations can increase the risk of serotonin toxicity with psilocybin  Supporting clients experiencing spiritual emergency following psilocybin therapy Safety considerations when working with clients who have a history of seizures The importance of having contingency plans if medical emergencies arise during psilocybin therapy The intricacies of providing fully informed consent for psychedelic therapy   Quotes: "There is some evidence now that taking a single serotonergic agent—say, taking Lexapro—and no other medications that increase the risk of serotonin toxicity seems safe where I am not at this point recommending that people stop, skip, or taper a single SSRI in preparation for a psilocybin session due to safety." [12:20] "One of the difficulties with making these decisions or speaking with some confidence or authority on the matter is that the clinical trials that have been done largely exclude people with lots of conditions—family history and specifically first degree relatives with history of psychosis and bipolar disorder… So we have anecdotal evidence, we have population based surveys to go by. And so when I talk to clients about this, I speak from a place of humility." [27:30] "I always emphasize to clients that while we're talking about a specific safety issue like serotonin toxicity, we don't want to trade that for psychological instability and crisis and declare success because we've helped somebody taper off of a medication that seems less safe and now they aren't sleeping, they're agitated, they're depression is worse, their suicidality is worse. So we have to take a holistic approach to this and consider the totality of what's happening with that client."  [36:45] "There are so many different components to trying to set somebody up for success rather than a yes/no, black and white approach [to psilocybin therapy]." [48:44]   Links: Cascade Psychedelic Medicine website InnerTrek website Managing Medical Risk In Patients Seeking Psilocybin Therapy CME/CE Course Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui  

In this episode, Monnica T. Williams, PhD, ABPP joins to discuss how psychedelics may help alleviate mental health impacts of racial trauma. Dr. Williams is a licensed clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Ottawa in the School of Psychology, where she is the Canada Research Chair in Mental Health Disparities. In this conversation, Dr. Williams begins by highlighting the daily stress and trauma experienced by people of color, likening it to PTSD. She discusses a survey her team conducted which revealed that many people of color use psychedelics to manage racial trauma, showing significant reductions in stress, depression, and anxiety. Additionally, Dr. Williams emphasizes the importance of a safe environment and culturally competent therapists. In closing, she discusses ongoing research at this intersection and the need for more funding and awareness in this field.   In this episode, you'll hear: How racial trauma manifests as conditions like PTSD, depression, and anxiety The importance of an intersectional perspective Current treatments for mental health struggles stemming from racial trauma Results from Dr. Williams' research into psychedelic use amongst people of color The importance of safe and supportive settings for psychedelic experiences How shared life experiences between a therapist and client can strength the therapeutic alliance and improve outcomes Why bias training is particularly important in the context of psychedelic therapy   Quotes: "People of color who live in these white dominated Western contexts are continually bombarded by subtle —and not so subtle—messages about their worth, about their standing in society, about their intelligence, their character, on and on and on and on. And so really the daily onslaught just wears and wears away at people, and the stress of that can actually become traumatizing." [1:49] "People heal from trauma when someone witnesses their pain, right? When people can compassionately witness your pain and join in it with you—this is the basis behind all therapeutic approaches for trauma treatment." [10:13] "We saw [from our survey study] that many, many people of color are using psychedelics to manage racism, often very quietly. But it seems for many people to be quite effective and quite helpful." [11:53] "We looked at some separate psychedelics where we had enough people who described a specific one like psilocybin or LSD or peyote in some cases. And so we were able to look at those psychedelics separately and we didn't actually find a difference. It didn't seem to matter which psychedelic it was. It seemed that they were all, more or less equally effective." [15:20]   Links: Dr. Williams' website Dr. Williams on X Dr. Williams on Instagram Dr. Williams on LinkedIn Dr. Williams' study "Investigating the associations of acute psychedelic experiences and changes in racial trauma symptoms, psychological flexibility, and substance use among People with Racial and Ethnic Minoritized Identities in the United States and Canada" Behavioral Wellness Clinic - Connecticut Behavioural Wellness Clinic - Ottawa  Masters Program in Psychedelics and Consciousness Studies at University of Ottawa Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

In this episode, Robin Carhart-Harris, PhD joins to elucidate the intersection of psychedelics and neuroplasticity. Dr. Carhart-Harris is the Ralph Metzner Distinguished Professor in Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. Robin founded the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London in April 2019, was ranked among the top 31 medical scientists in 2020, and in 2021, was named in TIME magazine's '100 Next' – a list of 100 rising stars shaping the future. Dr. Carhart-Harris begins by discussing the impact of psychedelics on neuroplasticity and mental health. He explains neuroplasticity as the brain's ability to change, emphasizing its role in mood disorders and substance use and describes how stress atrophies the brain, leading to mental illness. Dr. Carhart-Harris differentiates between neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, noting that while neurogenesis is limited in adults, neuroplasticity can be influenced by psychedelics like ketamine, psilocybin, and MDMA. In closing, he also discusses the entropic brain hypothesis, suggesting that increased brain entropy leads to richer subjective experiences.    In this episode, you'll hear: The relationship between neuroplasticity and "canalization"  Why homeostatic neuroplasticity may promote mental wellbeing Differences between ketamine, MDMA, and serotonergic psychedelics in terms of neuroplasticity The details of the entropic brain hypothesis Psychedelics' effect on the default mode network The frontiers of research into psychedelics and neuroplasticity  Quotes: "So changeability is what plasticity is. And neuroplasticity—that's the ability of the brain to change. Okay, and how is neuroplasticity related to mood disorders like depression and anxiety or substance use disorder or something like that? Well, that's a great question cause we don't have it entirely nailed down. But one of the most reliable findings in biological psychiatry is that stress atrophies the brain." [2:47] "The main thing with ketamine is that the window of increased plasticity is brief… That makes sense because that reflects how ketamine seems to work therapeutically—that it provides relief somewhat short-term, unless it is twinned with, say, psychotherapy or you do repeat administration and get someone out of the rut they were in." [22:15] "We've seen in people with depression, brain networks can become quite segregated from each other—they are ordinarily, they're quite functionally separate and distinct—but that modularity might be a bit elevated in depression. But what we've seen with psilocybin therapy is that separateness between systems, that segregated quality of organization of brain networks, brain systems actually decreases after psilocybin therapy for depression. I'll put it another way: the brain looks more globally interconnected after psilocybin therapy for depression and the magnitude of that… correlates with improvements." [39:19]   Links: Carhart-Harris Lab website Dr. Carhart-Harris on X Dr. Carhart-Harris' 2025 article: "Neuroplasticity and psychedelics: A comprehensive examination of classic and non-classic compounds in pre and clinical models" Dr. Carhart-Harris' 2012 article: "Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin" Dr. Carhart-Harris' 2010 article with Karl Friston: "The default-mode, ego-functions and free-energy: a neurobiological account of Freudian ideas" Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

In this episode, Dori Lewis, MA, MEd, LPC-S discusses the common myths and misconceptions surrounding psilocybin for healing. Dori is a psychotherapist, co-founder of Elemental Psychedelics, and owner of Reflective Healing in Fort Collins, CO, who specializes in psychedelic-assisted therapy, blending transpersonal psychology with spiritual practices. With experience facilitating ketamine sessions and training clinicians, she advocates for ethical standards in psychedelic medicine while championing a feminine-centered approach to facilitator training. The first myth that Dori addresses in this conversation is the idea that it is the psilocybin mushroom itself that does all the healing work. Contrary to this common misconception, Dori suggests that it is the client's own initiative working in tandem with the mushroom that really spurs healing. She also emphasizes that there are not any set protocols for how often psilocybin should be taken for healing, instead suggesting that clients should be guided to attune to their own internal intuition to determine when a psilocybin journey may be particularly helpful.  Another misconception Dori addresses is that healing with psilocybin can occur without causing deep transformations in one's identity or shifts in one's worldview. She suggests facilitators must be very transparent about these possible impacts to best prepare clients for these kinds of major changes that psilocybin can catalyze. In closing, Dori reiterates that clients should be supported and prepared to encounter intense emotional experiences with psilocybin, as some of the most difficult psychedelic journeys can actually be the most healing.   In this episode, you'll hear: The biggest myths and misconceptions Dori encounters working with clients in her practice The importance of a relational understanding of psychedelic healing The specific types of trauma where psilocybin may be a particularly effective healing modality  The training for psilocybin facilitators in Colorado under the Natural Medicines Program and the importance of scope of practice Why some people's mental health gets worse before it gets better following a psilocybin experience What can cause lack of response to psilocybin therapy and how better preparation can often mitigate this   Quotes: "Mushrooms are amazing and they can help us in our healing journey. But they are one tool in a mosaic of other tools that we can use to help ourselves heal and grow and change." [6:54] "I don't really know where this message came from—that mushrooms cure PTSD—but that is a huge myth. They can help—with certain types of trauma within the context of a healthy therapeutic relationship with a skilled provider, yes, at times when it is right. But ultimately the best medicine for trauma is going to be MDMA—and ketamine." [18:18] "It is the responsibility of providers and facilitators to inform clients of the realistic expectations they should have for their [psychedelic] journeys—and that is also an ethical need and something that facilitators need to consider through an ethical lens." [25:20] "There's a lot to be said about the unique ways that mushrooms express through our bodies and through our minds and through our hearts that give us information about where we are at and where we need to work or continue to work in order to access the healing we so desire." [37:34]   Links: Dori on LinkedIn Elemental Psychedelics on LinkedIn Elemental Psychedelics website   Previous episode: Integrating Challenging Psychedelic Experiences with Keith Kurlander, MA Previous episode: The Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project with Jules Evans Previous episode: The Dangers of "Ayahuasca Told Me…" with Jerónimo Mazarrasa Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui