MAPS Canada Podcast

This episode concludes Season 1 of the MAPS Canada Podcast. What better way to end our first season than with a very special guest, Dr. Erika Dyck. Erika is a Canadian Historian, Professor of History at the University of Saskatchewan, a Canadian Research Chair, and an editor with the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. Erika joins us for an interview with Jaipreet Mattu to discuss her 20 years of research on Canada’s past with psychedelic psychiatry, the growing awareness of the role women played in the development of psychedelic therapy, Indigenous use of psychedelic plants and protecting their cultural rights, and lastly, the global future of psychedelic plant medicine. Erika’s research focuses mainly on the history of medicine, health and social justice, and of course, the history of psychedelics in psychiatry. She’s taught classes on the history of medicine and psychiatry, social justice and gender equality in medicine, and eugenics. She’s also written on women’s health in other aspects of Canadian health care. More recently, Erika’s research focuses on women in the history of psychedelic psychiatry. She highlights the importance of thinking about the intersections of gender in psychedelics and incorporating new voices and discussions about gender considerations in the development of psychedelic therapy. Links: * Chachruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines (https://chacruna.net/) * Graphic Novel—"Wonder Drug: LSD in the Land of Living Skies” (https://btlbooks.com/book/wonder-drug) * MAPS Special Bulletin—Women and Psychedelics (https://maps.org/news/bulletin/articles/436-maps-bulletin-spring-2019-vol-29,-no-1/7697-maps-bulletin-spring-2019-vol-29,-no-1) * Women on Psychedelics (https://www.womenonpsychedelics.org/resources?fbclid=IwAR0Bqg-FAMGvcn0WeWDgD0Un4b2P1ot1i85MAcibEUhnw0VNXn4ESFkPUiM) * Société Psychédélique Française - Webinar ‘Gender, Women and Psychedelics’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byWcX6GZmr4) MAPS Canada is a registered non-profit; we rely on the generosity of our supporters to fund our life-changing research. Please visit mapscanada.org/donate to become a monthly donor or to make a one-time donation today! Feedback? Feel free to email us at: podcast@mapscanada.org This episode was produced and edited by Brendon Campbell. Original music and audio engineering by Andrew Illmann.

For this bonus interview, we’re joined by Canadian lawyer turned historian and journalist, Ross Crockford. Ross was the editor of Monday Magazine, an alternative weekly paper in Victoria, BC and has over two decades of experience researching Canada’s past, present, and future with psychedelics. It was during his work as an editor that he discovered the work done by Dr. Abram Hoffer; he actually went on to interview Hoffer himself as well as several of his patients, along with many other early psychedelic pioneers. We’ll be back on July 19th, with an episode featuring Canadian Historian, Dr. Erika Dyck. Erika joins us to discuss her research on Canada’s history with psychedelics, the history of women and psychedelics, and some of the exciting projects she is collaborating on with individuals from around the world, alongside the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. This episode was produced and edited by Brendon Campbell. Original music and audio engineering by Andrew Illmann. MAPS Canada is a registered non-profit; we rely on the generosity of our supporters to fund our life-changing research. Please visit mapscanada.org/donate to become a monthly donor or to make a one-time donation today! Feedback? Feel free to email us at: podcast@mapscanada.org

This episode is the first in our two-part series on Canada’s captivating history with psychedelics. Join us as we take a trip down memory lane... Did you know Canada was once the leading country in psychedelic research? Beginning in the late-1940s, Canada’s first so-called socialist provincial government in Saskatchewan set out to improve the state of mental health care with research at the Weyburn Mental Hospital. Over the course of the 1950s, groundbreaking research with LSD and mescaline was conducted at Weyburn and LSD made its way to British Columbia which became home to the most prominent mental healthcare facility in the world during the 1960s. In this episode, we deliver a behind-the-scenes look at the introduction of LSD and peyote into Canada and the story behind the fascinating scientists and researchers that pioneered psychedelic research in the realm of psychiatry, while also advocating Indigenous Peoples and their cultural rights to peyote. This episode was produced and edited by Brendon Campbell. It was researched and written by Jaipreet Mattu, Sean Hallam, Rebecca Troock, Sidath Rankaduwa, Monica Lau, Ross Crockford, and Bob Sybydlo. Readings by Sean Hallam, Jaipreet Mattu, and Brendon Campbell. Original music and audio engineering by Andrew Illmann. We’d like to give a special thanks to Ross Crockford for providing research material and helping us make this episode come alive. MAPS Canada is a registered non-profit; we rely on the generosity of our supporters to fund our life-changing research. Please visit mapscanada.org/donate to become a monthly donor or to make a one-time donation today! Feedback? Feel free to email us at: podcast@mapscanada.org Sources: Bradford, T., & Dyck, E. (2012). Peyote on the Prairies: Religion, Scientists, and Native-Newcomer Relations in Western Canada. Journal of Canadian Studies, 46(1), 28-52 Brown, J.E. Introduction to LSD Experience, December 8, 1957. Cathedral of the Holy Rosary. Letter. Cameron, D. (Executive Producer) (1960). 1960 Saskatchewan election: Tommy Douglas' medicare plan dominates the 1960 election campaign [Television Broadcast]. CBC News Magazine. CBC Television. Crockford, R. (2001a). B.C.’S Acid Flashback. Vancouver Sun. http://www.rave.ca/en/news_info/142625/canada/. Accessed 31 January 2021. Crockford, R. (2001b). Dr. Yes. Western Living. December 2021 issue. Dyck, E. (2019). Psychedelic Research in 1950 Saskatchewan. In The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/psychedelic-research-in-1950s-saskatchewan. Accessed 25 January 2021. Dyck, E. (2012). Psychedelic Psychiatry: LSD on the Canadian Prairies. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press. Dyck, E. (2007). The History of LSD - The Original Psychedelic Drug: Acid trip. Biochemist, 29(2), 20-23. Dyck, E. (2006). Hitting Highs at Rock Bottom’: LSD Treatment for Alcoholism, 1950–1970. Social History of Medicine, 19(2), 313–329. Hofmann, A. (1978). LSD: My Problem Child and Insights/Outlooks. Oxford University Press. Huxley, A. (1954). The Doors of Perception. Harper & Row. Osmond, H. (Performer), Littlefield, C. (Director). (2002). Hofmann’s Potion. [Documentary]. Retrieved from https://www.nfb.ca/film/hofmanns_potion/. Accessed 5 March 2021. Metcalfe, B. (1959, Sep 1). The Experience: Moment of truth's alarming. The Province, 1. Sagi, D. (1956, Oct 13). White Men Witness Indian Peyote Rites. Saskatoon Star-Pheonix, 15.

This episode features our interview with Dr. Balázs Szigeti. Dr. Szigeti is a neuroscientist from Imperial College London who recently published a study (https://elifesciences.org/articles/62878) with his team investigating the placebo effect in psychedelic microdosing. In this interview, we talk about how this unique ‘self-blinding’ microdose study was designed, the benefits of using a citizen science approach in psychedelics research, and ultimately what his findings reveal about microdosing. We even discuss how the effects of microdosing might be similar to the positive experiences reported with homeopathic medicines. This episode was produced and edited by Brendon Campbell. Original music and audio engineering by Andrew Illmann. We’ll be back on June 21st with our first Canadian History of Psychedelics episode! MAPS Canada is a registered non-profit; we rely on the generosity of our supporters to fund our life-changing research. Please visit mapscanada.org/donate (https://mapscanada.org/donate/) to become a monthly donor or to make a one time donation today! Feedback? Feel free to email us at: podcast@mapscanada.org (mailto:podcast@mapscanada.org) Links: Self-blinded microdosing paper: Self-blinding citizen science to explore psychedelic microdosing (https://elifesciences.org/articles/62878) MDMA imaging study Dr. Balázs mentions he critiqued at a conference in 2016: The Effects of Acutely Administered 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine on Spontaneous Brain Function in Healthy Volunteers Measured with Arterial Spin Labeling and Blood Oxygen Level–Dependent Resting State Functional Connectivity (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4578244/) Published reinterpretation of those MDMA imaging results: Are ecstasy induced serotonergic alterations overestimated for the majority of users? (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0269881118767646) MyDelica app: MyDelica | Charting a path to wellness (https://mydelica.com) Ayelet Waldman’s book on microdosing: A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30212082-a-really-good-day)

Welcome to the first episode of the MAPS Canada podcast. This episode introduces listeners to MAPS Canada, it’s mission, goal, and future vision for the safe and beneficial use of psychedelics to treat mental illnesses. This episode also provides an introductory overview of what psychedelics are and how they came to be. You’ll also get a brief history of the role psychedelics have played in early religions, the use of psychedelics in scientific research, and lastly, the neuroscience behind it all. This episode was brought to you by a dedicated team of diverse volunteers with MAPS Canada. The Podcast Committee would like to thank the entire team of researchers and other individuals who helped with promoting the podcast, and lastly, we’d like to thank journalist and historian, Ross Crockford, for his contribution to this episode. This episode was produced and edited by Brendon Campbell. It was written by Sidath Rankaduwa, Jaipreet Mattu, Monica Lau, and Brendon Campbell. Original music and audio engineering by Andrew Illmann. References & Sources: Bradford, T., & Dyck, E. (2012). Peyote on the Prairies: Religion, Scientists, and Native-Newcomer Relations in Western Canada. Journal of Canadian Studies, 46(1), 28-52 Carhart-Harris, R.L. (2018). How do Psychedelics Work? Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 32(1), 16-21. Dobkin de Rios, M., & Janiger, O. (2003). LSD, spirituality, and the creative process: Based on the groundbreaking research of Oscar Janiger, MD. Inner Traditions Bear and Company. Dyck, E. (2019). Psychedelic Research in 1950 Saskatchewan. In The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/psychedelic-research-in-1950s-saskatchewan. Accessed 25 January 2021. Dyck, E. (2012). Psychedelic Psychiatry: LSD on the Canadian Prairies. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press. Griffiths, R.R., Johnson, M.W., Carducci, M.A., Umbricht, A., Richards, W.A., Richards, B.D., Cosimano, M.R., & Klinedinst, M.A. (2016). Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 30(12), 1181-1197. Hofmann, A. (1994). High Times Magazine [Interview Recording]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN6rYHAZ30c Hofmann, A. (1978). LSD: My Problem Child and Insights/Outlooks. Oxford University Press. Osmond, H. (Performer), Littlefield, C. (Director). (2002). Hofmann’s Potion. [Documentary]. Retrieved from https://www.nfb.ca/film/hofmanns_potion/ Huxley, A. (1954). The Doors of Perception. Harper & Row. Lau, M. (2021). [W-wait… Did you say psychedelics were used in psychiatry?] [Speech audio recording]. Leary, T. (1966). Turn on, tune in, drop out. World Heritage Encyclopedia. Leary, T., Metzner, R., & Alpert, R. (1964). The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Zihuatanejo Project. (n.p.) Johnson, M.W., Garcia-Romeu, A., & Griffiths, R., (2017). Long-term Follow-up of Psilocybin-facilitated Smoking Cessation. American Journal of Alcohol Abuse, 43(1), 55-60. May, P. (2014). Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD). In P.M. & S.C. (Eds.), Molecules That Amaze Us (pp. 293-303). Taylor and Francis Group, LLC. Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies. (2021). Welcome to MAPS Canada. https://mapscanada.org/ Nichols, D.E. (2016). Psychedelics. Pharmacological Reviews, 68, 264-355. Passie, T., Halpern, J.H., Stichtenoth, D.O., Emrich, H.M., & Hintzen, A. (2008). The Pharmacology of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: A Review. CNS Neuroscience and Therapeutics, 14(4), 295-314. Sessa, B. (2012). The Psychedelic Renaissance: Reassessing the Role of Psychedelic Drugs in 21st Century Psychiatry and Society. Muswell Hill Press. Stevens, J. (1987). Storming heaven: LSD and the American dream. New York: Grove Press. Wasson, G.R., Hoffman, A., & Ruck, C.A.P. (2008). The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the Mysteries. North Atlantic Books.

Whether you're curious about psychedelics, skeptical of their benefits, or even an experienced psychonaut yourself - this podcast will aim to highlight everything you need to know to navigate their role in our society. Hit subscribe! We'll be releasing new episodes every third monday of the month starting on April 19th.