In our third episode, we talk with Aaron Orsini, co-founder of the Autistic Psychedelic Community, collaborator with neuroscientists, and author of the book Autism on Acid, about how LSD helped him understand, navigate, alter, and appreciate his autistic perceptions.

Follow Aaron:

• Websites: AutisticPsychedelic.com & AutismOnAcid.com


• Twitter: @AutisticPsyched & @AutismOnAcid


• Aaron’s book: Autism on Acid

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Psychedelic research websites:

• MAPS website: MAPS.org


• Heffter website: Heffter.org

Topics of discussion:

01:16 Aaron’s diagnosis

04:20 Aaron coming out as autistic

05:15 Wrestling with the pood, the bad, and the ugly of autism

06:35 The stages of grief and autism diagnosis

09:20 Dealing with depression and other blocks in personal development

10:36 Neurological contact lens

15:00 Autism, psychedelics, and neural rewiring

17:50 Alexithymia and autism

21:00 Autistic Roomba

23:25 Martin’s tree experience

26:26 Hypersensitivity and trauma

31:35 Synesthesia

33:40 Psychedelics aiding a person with overwhelming synesthesia

35:00 Comparing and contrasting conscious experiences in NTs and autistics

36:47 Serotonin is (seemingly) ubiquitous: the model neurotransmitter

39:10 Parallels between infant brains and adult brains on psychedelics

40:10 Aaron’s role as a bridge between autism and psychedelic neuroscience

42:40 Other autistics’ positive experiences with psychedelics

43:44 Meditation and then mushrooms help Matt with his alexithymia

45:10 Martin embraces empathy on MDMA

45:40 Aaron’s first LSD trip

49:00 Dissolving the mask: LSD improves Aaron’s social intuition

50:55 Attempting to explain the ineffable, such as falling in love for the first time

52:48 Aaron takes control of his meta-programming

54:10 Aaron’s struggle to manifest his goals

55:55 PSA on doing and acquiring psychedelic substances

57:15 Collabs & more collabs: Aaron’s goals for autism and psychedelic research

59:45 Psychedelics’ medicinal uses

1:00:00 Lessons learned

1:04:00 LSD saves Aaron’s life

1:05:00 Taking interest in others

1:07:20 Research on psychedelics as disorder treatment

1:08:45 Psychedelics easing defense mechanisms and facilitating trauma resolution

1:09:56 Aaron embraces his autism post-LSD trip

1:11:30 Founding Embrace ASD

1:11:57 Love yourself

1:12:30 Knowing an experience vs. knowing about an experience

1:13:32 Insights don’t come for free

1:16:00 Aaron makes binaural beats

1:16:30 Set and setting

1:17:55 Alicia Danforth’s study on MDMA to alleviate social anxiety in autistic subjects((Reduction in social anxiety after MDMA-assisted psychotherapy with autistic adults: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study (Danforth et al., 2018)))

1:18:55 Aaron’s vision for psychedelic-assisted therapy for autistic people

1:21:10 Aaron finds his calling in life

1:22:40 Weekly autistic meetup group

1:23:00 Tempering expectations

1:23:30 Growing support and Aaron’s identity as a community-grower

1:24:18 Aaron’s social media/wrapping up