This is a special episode. I was approached by a company called MycoMeditations that wanted to sponsor the podcast. They actually were very persistent and approached me a few times about it because they were really interested in the opportunity to speak with you all. MycoMeditations is a company that hosts retreats in Jamaica that use the psilocybin mushroom, also known as the magic mushroom. It's an often misunderstood substance that research has shown to be an effective way to reduce the impact of treatment resistant mental illness such as depression and anxiety. Since this is a topic that is somewhat sensitive (psilocybin is not legal in the US), I wanted to do things a little differently. Rather than just running a short ad, I wanted to have the opportunity to dive deep and fully explore the issue. So this is a sponsored episode. MycoMeditations did pay for this interview spot, but I am approaching it just like all of the other interviews that I do on the show so that you can be appropriately informed and make your own decisions. My guest for this episode is Eric Osborne, who is the founder and head facilitator of MycoMeditations. He has a very interesting background in that he is a wild mushroom expert and mycologist. This enables him to approach things from a very unique angle, which you will hear in the episode. Rather than administering the mushroom in it's raw form, he uses a process to make measured capsules of it to have better control of the dosage. I really hope that you enjoy this episode. It was very interesting for me. Please have a look at the full show notes at duffthepsych.com/episode171 and reach out to Eric if you have any questions after listening! Check out MycoMeditations at their website to learn more!