Hacking the Self

Guest Bio:

The professional and personal interests of Dennis McKenna, Ph.D are centered on the interdisciplinary study of ethnopharmacology and plant hallucinogens. He received his Doctorate in 1984 from the University of British Columbia, where his doctoral research focused on ethnopharmacological investigations of the botany, chemistry, and pharmacology of ayahuasca and oo-koo-he, two orally-active tryptamine-based hallucinogens used by indigenous peoples in the Northwest Amazon. He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute and serves on the advisory board of non-profit organizations in the fields of ethnobotany and botanical medicines. At the Heffter Research Institute, he continues his focus on the therapeutic uses of psychoactive medicines derived from nature and used in indigenous ethnomedical practices.

Shownotes:

* Comparative consideration of psychedelics and their respective benefits and challenges

* Ayahuasca

* Scientific knowledge and its limitations

* Fundamental differences between Eastern and Western modes of thought

* Organized religion and its problems

* and more…

Links:

* Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs: 50th Anniversary

* Can pre-order the book from this site

* Watch talks from the conference here

* Dennis’ Ayahuasca Retreats in Peru

* Heffter Research Institute

* Dennis on Twitter

How to connect with Dennis: https://hackingtheself.org/2017/12/05/this-weeks-guest-dennis-mckenna-phd/

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Guest Bio: Psychologist Rachel Harris, PhD is the author of Listening to Ayahuasca: New Hope for Depression, Addiction, PTSD and Anxiety. She was in private practice for thirty-five years working with people interested in psychospiritual development. During a decade working in research, Rachel received a National Institutes of Health New Investigator’s Award and published more than forty scientific studies in peer-reviewed journals. She has also consulted to Fortune 500 companies and the United Nations.

Links:

Website

Facebook

Please help to make Hacking the Self a sustainable project by:

* Making a donation at https://www.patreon.com/hackingtheself

You can also help us to get the word out by:

* Sharing this interview with friends and on your social media platforms

* Writing a review for the podcast on iTunes, Sticher or the Google Music Store

This week I sit down with James Barrat, documentary film maker and author of “Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and The End of the Human Era.” James walks us through the history of AI, outlines the potential dangers, and talks about the need for a thoughtful and honest conversation about how to reap the benefits and mitigate the risks of AI in the future.

Guest bio:

Time Magazine named author and filmmaker James Barrat one of 5 Very Smart People Who Think Artificial Intelligence Could Bring the Apocalypse because of his groundbreaking nonfiction book, Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era. 

For more than 20 years Barrat’s award-winning documentary films have set ratings records for National Geographic, Discovery, PBS, and other broadcasters in the US and Europe.

Show links:

Personal Website

Twitter

James’ Book on Amazon

Please help to make Hacking the Self a sustainable project by:

* Making a donation at https://www.patreon.com/hackingtheself

You can also help us to get the word out by:

* Sharing this interview with friends and on your social media platforms

* Writing a review for the podcast on iTunes, Sticher or the Google Music Store

This week on Hacking Consciousness: science writer John Horgan on his book Rational Mysticism. We explore the following topics:

* what science and reason can help us to understand about the nature of consciousness

* the limits of scientific knowledge

* the idea of enlightenment

* the value and drawbacks of using psychedelics to understand the mind

* and more…

Guest Bio:

John Horgan is a veteran science journalist and Director of the Center for Science Writings at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey. He writes the “Cross-check” blog for Scientific American (https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/). His books include The End of Science, The Undiscovered Mind, Rational Mysticism and The End of War. He is now completing a book on the mind-body problem.​

Horgan’s work has been covered by print, radio, and television media, including The New York Times, PBS, BBC, MSNBC and National Public Radio. His awards include the Science Journalism Award of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Association of Science Writers Science-in-Society Award.

Where to Find John:

Twitter

Website

Scientific American

Please help to make Hacking the Self a sustainable project by:

* Making a donation at https://www.patreon.com/hackingtheself

You can also help us to get the word out by:

* Sharing this interview with friends and on your social media platforms

* Writing a review for the podcast on iTunes, Sticher or the Google Music Store

In this episode I speak with Jerry B. Brown, Ph.D., co-author of The Psychedelic Gospels. Jerry is an anthropologist, author, and activist. From 1972 to 2014, he served as founding professor of anthropology at Florida International University in Miami, where he taught a course on “Hallucinogens and Culture.”

Guest Bio:

In this episode I speak with Jerry B. Brown, Ph.D., co-author of The Psychedelic Gospels. Jerry is an anthropologist, author, and activist. From 1972 to 2014, he served as founding professor of anthropology at Florida International University in Miami, where he taught a course on “Hallucinogens and Culture.”

Julie M. Brown is an integrative psychotherapist, who conducts research on the role of sacred plants in religion.

Shownotes:

0:00-4:15: Welcome and introductory remarks.

4:15-12:15: Jerry’s background and backstory to writing the book

12:15-24:15: The evidence for psychedelic mushrooms in Christian art

24:15-37:20: Role of psychedelics in religions

37:20-48:10: Considering the evidence for psychedelic use by Jesus and his disciples

48:10-59:20: The esoteric vs. exoteric sides of religion; why psychedelics can facilitate

                         mystical experiences

59:20-1:00:02: How to get in touch with Jerry

Links:

Psychedelic Gospels

* Website

* Twitter

* Amazon

Please help to make Hacking the Self a sustainable project by:

* Making a donation at https://www.patreon.com/hackingtheself

You can also help us to get the word out by:

* Sharing this interview with friends and on your social media platforms

* Writing a review for the podcast on iTunes, Sticher or the Google Music Store

Guest Bio for this week: Dr. Stephen Bright

Dr. Stephen Bright is a leading voice on psychedelic research and drug policy in Australia.

Stephen is a clinically-trained psychologist, though he identifies as an ethnopharmacologist (i.e, a person who studies the human relationship with drugs). He is a leading Australian voice on the role of drug policy on emerging drug trends such as synthetic cannabis and darkweb marketplaces.

Shownotes

0:00-3:09: Welcome, opening remarks, Dr. Stephen Bright’s bio.

3:09-7:10: Steve’s background in psychedelic research

7:10-12:45: How MDMA & other psychedelics can help treat trauma

12:45-18:42: Psychedelics (Entheogens) & Spiritual Experiences

18:42-23:23: Integrating psychedelic experiences

23:23-34:23: What distinguishes MDMA from other psychedelics

34:23-40:10: Obstacles to psychedelic research in Australia

40:10-47:05: Consideration of the relative toxicity of alcohol, psychedelics and opiates

47:05-51:14: Upcoming events and contact info for Dr. Bright

Links:

PRISM

* Website

* Twitter

* Facebook

How to find Dr. Stephen Bright

* Website

* Twitter

Please help to make Hacking the Self a sustainable project by:

* Making a donation at https://www.patreon.com/hackingtheself

You can also help us to get the word out by:

* Sharing this interview with friends and on your social media platforms

* Writing a review for the podcast on iTunes, Sticher or the Google Music Store

In this episode I speak with Julian Vayne, author of Getting Higher: The Manual of Psychedelic Ceremony. Julian shares with us his insights for crafting the ideal psychedelic experience. Moreover, he talks about the value of techniques for exploring consciousness that span many cultures and are independent of the underlying belief systems, such as the power of chanting and using breathing to alter one’s consciousness.

Please help to make Hacking the Self a sustainable project by:

* Making a donation at https://www.patreon.com/hackingtheself

You can also help us to get the word out by:

* Sharing this interview with friends and on your social media platforms

* Writing a review for the podcast on iTunes, Sticher or the Google Music Store

In “Thinking Out Loud” sessions I’ll share my own views in podcast format. In this first one my main goal is to provide information about my evolving views toward religion and my intentions for starting this show. The purpose of this podcast is, in part, to excavate the many valuable aspects of wisdom traditions from the dogma of organized religion.

In particular, I’m referring to contemplative practices such as meditation and yoga and pranayama, which still present us with some of the most powerful tools for understanding consciousness. I’m also a big proponent of the fact that myths have an important role to play in society, and religious metaphors are a legitimate and valuable source of meaning and identity for many people.

But in order to honestly acknowledge the positive aspects of religion for many people we have to be candid about the serious problems that religious beliefs continue to present to free societies, from terrorism to impeding scientific progress to attacks on basic human rights of individuals.

In having honest conversations about the positive and negative aspects of religion I hope to find common ground between those who find themselves on different sides of the fence. In a world that’s increasingly divided–in which we choose to curate content online that conforms only to our points of view and to ignore dissenting opinions–I think it’s essential to find some common ground.

Even more fundamentally, we have to commit to the project of trying to find common ground, of having constructive dialogue. Collectively, we’re doing very poorly at listening to people with opinions different from our own. We can only reason with those who are willing to submit to the basic rules of rational discourse: of using evidence to support arguments and basing conclusions off of evidence. But to those people who are willing to have the conversation we have to try to reach out.

I don’t intend for this show to be a “political” show, but occasionally and inevitably the issues at the heart of this show will intersect with politics and culture. After all, if we’re going to talk about the benefits of psychedelics on this show we’re implicitly saying that we should have the right to take these substances, even when we don’t always make this point explicitly. And I absolutely will make this point explicitly as well!

In having honest, candid conversations about religion we’re going to bump into political issues. In my view an honest discussion about the benefits and problems of organized religion is inevitably going to lead to positions that will offend conventional thinking across the political spectrum.

Way too many of us are stuck in “group think,” in identity politics, in points of view that not so coincidentally mirror those with whom we surround ourselves, both in person and online. I deliberately seek experiences that take me outside of my comfort zone. Psychedelics are a powerful tool for shattering one’s paradigm. Traveling to a different culture is one of the most effective. We can also harness the power of social media to engage with those with different viewpoints, in addition to connecting with others who share similar interests.

We have to “break the spell,” to use Dan Dennett’s phrase, but not only of religious literalism but in adherence to any ideology that demonizes those who dare to dissent. We have to reaffirm the fundamental value of freedom of speech in our willingness to engage in difficult conversations. We want to preserve the best of our traditions, and to discard that which is no longer useful, when we create the brighter, more hopeful future of tomorrow.

My interview on Leonie Joubert’s podcast, “The Psychonauts.” I share my views on the relationship between psychedelics and contemplative practices, and how I became interested in both.

Please help to make Hacking the Self a sustainable project by:

* Making a donation at https://www.patreon.com/hackingtheself

You can also help us to get the word out by:

* Sharing this interview with friends and on your social media platforms

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In this episode I sit down with Leonie Joubert, a science writer based in Cape Town, South Africa. Leonie became interested in psychedelics through a now high profile court case that has gone all the way to South Africa’s Supreme Court. A favorable ruling for the defendant could lead to the legalization of psilocybin mushrooms.

 Leonie shares her thoughts on how psychedelics could potentially revolutionize mental health care in South Africa, by providing an effective, low cost alternative to healing trauma and expanding access to the vast majority of South Africans who are locked out of the current system. These lessons offer great potential not only for South Africa, but for the United States and for other countries struggling with the high costs of health care and pharmaceutical drugs.

How you can follow Leonie:

Podcast: The Psychonauts

Twitter (Podcast)

Twitter (Personal)

Please help to make Hacking the Self a sustainable project by:

* Making a donation at https://www.patreon.com/hackingtheself

You can also help us to get the word out by:

* Sharing this interview with friends and on your social media platforms

* Writing a review for the podcast on iTunes, Sticher or the Google Music Store