In this episode of High and Healthy, host Richard Zwicky sits down with medical journalist and author Jennifer Chesak to discuss her groundbreaking work, The Psilocybin Handbook for Women. The conversation dives into the fascinating intersection of psychedelics, hormonal health, and female physiology, revealing how estrogen can actually amplify the effects of psilocybin.

Chesak highlights the historical exclusion of women from medical research and explains how many are now turning to "magic mushrooms" to self-treat conditions like depression, PTSD, and endometriosis. From regulating menstrual cycles to enhancing intimacy and body image, this episode offers a compassionate and evidence-based look at how psilocybin can be a unique tool for female empowerment and healing.

Richard Zwicky speaks with North Spore founder Matt McInnis who chronicles his journey from a teenage forager to co-founding a mycology company that has pivoted from a fresh mushroom farm to a leader in cultivation products, wellness, and education.

They explored the core differences between wild (mycorrhizal, non-cultivable) and cultivated (saprophytic, like oyster and shiitake) fungi, acknowledging the profound, yet still mysterious, power and utility of mycelial networks.

Licensed therapist Jillian Amodio, author of "Nurturing the Inner Child," introduced the concept of "pleasure as therapy," advocating for contentment as the foundational goal for daily happiness over a constant pursuit of extreme joy.

The therapeutic approach emphasizes balancing opposing emotions (like love and loss) and employing mindfulness-based techniques to confront stress and trauma by becoming "comfortably uncomfortable."

Dr. Eugene Lipov, pioneer of the Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) for Post-Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI), joined the "High Healthy" show to discuss trauma, mental health, and veterans.

He advocated strongly for changing the stigmatizing term PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) to PTSI, viewing it as a physiologic injury, and detailed ongoing efforts to gather public support via ptsi.com after the APA rejected the name change.

Health coach and nervous system specialist Mitch Webb, explores the profound connection between unresolved emotional trauma and physical symptoms like chronic anxiety, insomnia, and autoimmune challenges.

Drawing from personal experience, Mitch details a successful therapeutic approach that integrates both somatic ("bottom up") and cognitive ("top down") healing.

Richard Zwicky speaks with Rachel Stanton, a clinical social worker and founder of EMDR Intensives in Boston, on clinical innovation in mental health care. Stanton explains Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) as a process of "memory reconciliation" that helps the adult brain integrate new information with past traumatic memories.

She clarifies that EMDR intensives are best suited for clients with some stability, not those in severe crisis. A major focus of the discussion is the critical gap in mental health education, particularly the chronic lack of training on dissociation among practitioners, which Stanton attributes to historical stigma.

Richard Zwicky introduced Mitch Webb as a health coach, nervous system specialist, and trauma-informed practitioner to discuss the critical connection between emotional trauma and physical bodily functions, which Mitch Webb detailed through personal experience with chronic anxiety and insomnia, and their successful therapeutic shift combining both somatic ("bottom up") and cognitive ("top down") healing approaches.

Mitch explained their tailored client process, which utilizes titration and orienting to build body capacity and safety, while they and also discussed the link between unresolved trauma and autoimmune conditions and the importance of unlearning high-achieving survival strategies.

Dr. Ari Greis and Richard Zwicky discussed the efficacy of medical cannabis as an alternative treatment for chronic orthopedic pain, particularly among the aging patient population, and its role in reducing reliance on opioids.

Dr. Greis, a leading clinical voice in the field, shared their experience finding that non-inhalable cannabis products with a mix of cannabinoids (THC, CBD, CBG, CBN) offer mild to moderate pain relief comparable to opioids for general arthritic pain, and are notably more effective for neuropathic pain. They highlighted a study where half of the medical cannabis users denied intoxication while 80% reported symptom relief, suggesting a therapeutic window without psychoactive side effects.

Richard Zwicky hosted licensed psychoanalyst Charley Wininger to explore the potential of MDMA-assisted therapy to improve emotional intimacy, communication, and empathy in relationships.

Drawing from personal transformative experiences, Wininger highlighted the critical importance of proper protocols, including supplement use and purity, to avoid negative after-effects. MDMA is explained to temporarily dissolve the ego and emotional defenses by flooding the system with hormones like serotonin and oxytocin, which facilitates vulnerable communication for couples navigating modern challenges and attachment style issues.

The discussion also covered crucial ethical considerations and contraindications, such as avoiding its use in abusive relationships or by individuals with pre-existing medical or mental health conditions, and stressed the necessity of a trained, present guide and a protocol that incorporates integration sessions.

Casey A. Paleos, MD, a principal investigator and study therapist in psychedelic-assisted therapy, covered his extensive experience with MDMA, psilocybin, and ketamine across research and clinical settings for trauma, depression, and anxiety.

Dr. Paleos detailed the mechanism of psychedelics, explaining that they increase the permeability of the "psychic membrane," allowing individuals to access unresolved trauma for potential healing and growth.

He also introduced Innermost, a public benefit corporation focused on training, education, and research in psychedelic medicine, currently specializing in ketamine work. They also noted the lack of "extremely convincing" large-scale trials to definitively prove the effects of microdosing beyond anecdotal evidence.