Description:
What happens when psychedelics move from the underground to the therapist’s office? In this episode, Mike unpacks the real research behind psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine — the so-called “breakthrough” treatments for depression, PTSD, and trauma.

Forget the festival folklore — we’re talking Nature Medicine, JAMA Psychiatry, and NEJM studies that are changing how scientists think about healing the brain. From rewiring rigid thought loops to boosting neuroplasticity, these substances might just teach the mind to loosen up — safely, and under medical supervision.

Along the way:

• The MDMA + therapy trials that helped PTSD patients reclaim their lives

• Psilocybin’s rapid antidepressant effects and what makes guided sessions so powerful

• Ketamine and esketamine — how anesthetics became one of psychiatry’s fastest-acting treatments

• Why microdosing hype doesn’t match placebo-controlled data

• And why science, not rhetoric, should guide the psychedelic renaissance

Because the brain deserves more than buzzwords — it deserves evidence (and maybe a sense of humor).

Key Studies Mentioned:

• Mitchell et al., Nature Medicine (2021) — MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD

• Davis et al., JAMA Psychiatry (2020) — Psilocybin therapy for major depression

• Carhart-Harris et al., PNAS (2014) — Brain network changes under psilocybin

• Ly et al., Cell Reports (2018) — Psychedelics and neuroplasticity

• Biological Psychiatry (2022) — Ketamine and esketamine for treatment-resistant depression

• eLife (2021) — Microdosing and the placebo problem

Episode length: ~9 minutes
Host: Mike — Planting Thoughts / Brain Blossoms

🎧 Listen, learn, and keep your skepticism stylish.