Integrating Psychedelics

Integrating Psychedelics

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Integrating Psychedelics episodes

  • Psychedelics and Forgiveness with Vero Ruelas

    *Formerly Everyday Nonordinary The Podcast* Welcome to Integrating Psychedelics, featuring insights gleaned from psychedelic experiences and conversations around how to integrate this wisdom into our daily lives. I'm your host, Jenny Weinar, and in today's episode I'm speaking with Vero Ruelas.

    Veronica Ruelas is the co-CEO and creator of the app called Forgivity.  She hopes to bring Forgiveness to 88 gazillion people in the world through Science, Technology and Humor. Vero believes that the lack of forgiveness fluency manifests in mental and physical health challenges, staggering suicide rates, increased cultural division and malignant widespread hatred. It's a silent epidemic and a generational problem in our world.

    Before Forgivity, Vero practiced as an Optometrist for 20 years. She is the founder and Chairwoman of ThirdEyeVision Foundation, a nonprofit which has brought eye sight to thousands around the world since 2008. The mission’s current focus is on raising awareness on Human Trafficking in New York City.

    Vero currently resides in California and Miami with her husband, Leonberger puppy (130 lb and growing) and 2 attitude-loving cats.

    In this episode we discuss:

    • How Vero went from using psychedelics to numb out to using psychedelics to heal her trauma
    • How psychedelics catalyzed Vero’s yoga and meditation practice
    • How the experiential aspect of psychedelics brought Vero closer to a sense of truth in herself and the universe
    • The intention of working towards embodying the journey space in our everyday lives without the medicine
    • Vero’s introduction to ketamine for therapeutic purposes
    • How ketamine helped Vero create some space between herself and her inner critic
    • Vero’s experience of exploring different doses of ketamine within a therapeutic setting
    • How intentional work with psychedelics enabled Vero to rewrite her trauma story
    • How Vero worked with the themes of shame and forgiveness that began to emerge from her journeys
    • The negative health implications of not-forgiving compared with the physical and mental health benefits of forgiving
    • How Vero’s deep dive into the research on forgiveness led to the creation of her app, Forgivity
    • Vero’s 7 step process of forgiveness and the importance of having permission not to forgive
    • How forgiveness can coexist with justice and accountability
    • Why forgiveness is ultimately for the person who was harmed and how it can liberate us
    • ...and more!
    • Head over to the Forgivity website to try the app out for free, and make sure to follow Forgivity and Vero on Instagram.

      You can connect with me on Instagram and make sure to sign up for my newsletter where I'll share occasional reflections and updates on services I'm offering. You can also show this episode some love by subscribing, leaving a positive review and sharing.

      This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice. Please do your research about the legality and safety of any substance you are considering using and make the most informed choice possible for your unique situation and self.

      50 min
    • Overcoming Trauma and Addiction through Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy with Kabir Ali of Nue Life

      *Formerly Everyday Nonordinary The Podcast* Welcome to Integrating Psychedelics, featuring insights gleaned from psychedelic experiences and conversations around how to integrate this wisdom into our daily lives. I'm your host, Jenny Weinar, and in today's episode I'm speaking with Kabir Ali.

      Kabir Ali is an advocate for accessible and innovative mental health care. As an operations executive in the wellness industry, his passion is to create collaborative teams that provide effective treatment at the highest standards of compliance. Kabir grew up in West Africa and Bombay and began his career as an actor and filmmaker in Bollywood. The pressures of the entertainment industry, however, ultimately led to struggles with addiction. While in treatment, he began working in healthcare communications, where he found satisfaction using his storytelling skills to help others heal. Today Kabir serves as COO of Mind Body Medicine and My Ketamine Home and as Head of Operations for Nue Life, a recently launched startup that provides at-home psychedelic therapy. He plans to return to school to study the intersection of addiction and family systems and looks forward to developing additional programs that bring affordable mental health treatment to underserved communities.

      In this episode we discuss:

      • Kabir’s experience as a patient of ketamine assisted psychotherapy (KAP) to treat his depression and cocaine addiction
      • How KAP expedited Kabir’s healing after many other forms of treatment failed to do so
      • How ketamine helped Kabir get honest about his substance use and become more vulnerable and authentic in therapy
      • The “window of opportunity” following psychedelic medicine sessions
      • Journaling and meditation as a part of psychedelic integration
      • How we often use maladaptive means of coping to survive our trauma
      • How Kabir assesses his relationship to ketamine as someone with a substance abuse history
      • The mindfulness and self-awareness that can come from the intentional use of psychedelics
      • How psychedelic assisted therapy changed Kabir’s inner dialogue from one of self-judgment to self-compassion
      • Kabir’s calling to help others access ketamine assisted psychotherapy
      • The oral at-home ketamine model used by Kabir’s company
      • ...and more!
      • You can learn more about Nue Life on their website and connect with Kabir on Instagram and LinkedIn.

        You can connect with me on Instagram and make sure to sign up for my newsletter where I'll share occasional reflections and updates on services I'm offering. You can also show this episode some love by subscribing, leaving a positive review and sharing.

        This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice. Please do your research about the legality and safety of any substance you are considering using and make the most informed choice possible for your unique situation and self.

        42 min
      • Psychedelics, Breathwork and Embodiment with Kyle Buller of Psychedelics Today

        *Formerly Everyday Nonordinary* Welcome to Integrating Psychedelics, featuring insights gleaned from psychedelic experiences and conversations around how to integrate this wisdom into our daily lives. I'm your host, Jenny Weinar, and in today's episode I'm speaking with Kyle Buller, Co-Founder and Director of Training and Clinical Education of Psychedelics Today, an online media and education platform exploring the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. 

        Kyle's interest in exploring non-ordinary states of consciousness began at the age of 16 when he suffered a traumatic snowboarding accident. After this near-death experience, Kyle’s life changed dramatically. Kyle subsequently earned his B.A. in Transpersonal Psychology from Burlington College, where he focused on studying the healing potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness by exploring shamanism, Reiki, local medicinal plants and plant medicine, Holotropic Breathwork, and psychedelic psychotherapy. Kyle has been studying Dreamshadow Transpersonal breathwork with Lenny and Elizabeth since October 2010. 

        Kyle earned his M.S. in clinical mental health counseling with an emphasis in somatic psychology from Prescott College. Kyle’s clinical background in mental health consists of working with at-risk teenagers in crisis and with individuals experiencing an early episode of psychosis and providing counseling to undergraduate/graduate students in a university setting.

        In this episode we discuss:

        • Kyle’s interest in consciousness starting at a young age which continued to develop throughout his life
        • How Kyle’s near-death experience during a traumatic snowboarding accident as a teenager shifted his view on reality and sense of self
        • Kyle’s first experience with psilocybin mushrooms, which helped provide some answers surrounding his physical and psycho-spiritual trauma
        • How this first journey helped Kyle analyze and understand the suicidal ideation he was experiencing
        • How Kyle’s spiritual emergence and personal healing process led him to study transpersonal psychology and breathwork
        • How disembodiment through psychedelic journeys can support the process of embodiment afterwards
        • Developing a relationship with our bodies even when we experience suffering or pain
        • Facing painful memories in psychedelic journeys as compared to when we are triggered in everyday life
        • How everyday life can become psychedelic
        • Kyle’s thought-provoking perspective on embodiment
        • ...and more!
        • Learn more about Kyle and his work over at Psychedelics Today and Setting Sun Wellness, and if you're a mental health practitioner, make sure to check out the course Navigating Psychedelics: For Clinicians and Therapists.

          You can connect with me on Instagram as well as the podcast, and make sure to sign up for my newsletter where I'll share occasional reflections and updates on services I'm offering. You can also show this episode some love by subscribing, leaving a positive review and sharing.

          This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice. Please do your research about the legality and safety of any substance you are considering using and make the most informed choice possible for your unique situation and self.

          53 min
        • Exploring the Universe Within Through Psychedelics with Dr. Gita Vaid

          *Formerly Everyday Nonordinary The Podcast* Welcome to Integrating Psychedelics, insights gleaned from psychedelic experiences and conversations around how to integrate this wisdom into our daily lives. I'm your host, Jenny Weinar, and in today's episode I'm speaking with Dr. Gita Vaid.


          Gita Vaid, MD is a board certified psychiatrist and psychoanalyst practicing ketamine assisted psychotherapy in New York City. She is a co-founder of the Center for Natural Intelligence, a multidisciplinary laboratory dedicated to psychedelic psychotherapy innovation and clinical practice. Dr Vaid completed her residency training and is on faculty at NYU Medical Center, psychoanalytic training at the Psychoanalytic Association of New York. She trained as a fellow in clinical psychopharmacology and neurophysiology at New York Medical College and completed a research fellowship at NYU Medical Center. Dr Vaid serves as the Director of Psychedelic Awareness at The Chopra Foundation and is on Faculty as a lead instructor at The Ketamine Training Center.

          In this episode we discuss:

          • Gita’s unexpected foray into psychedelics while working as a psychoanalyst
          • The transformative nature of Gita’s first personal experience with psychedelics
          • The value of having first hand experience with psychedelics as a provider
          • How psychedelics can enhance the therapeutic relationship and deepen the work in psychotherapy
          • Gita’s interest in the subtler aspects and downstream effects of psychedelics use
          • The impact of psychedelics on meditation
          • The value of lower-dose experiences despite our bias towards higher doses and ego dissolving, mystical experiences
          • How psychedelics can help us to better know ourselves
          • How psychedelics invite us to recognize and utilize the knowledge in our bodies to expand beyond our stories of ourselves and our pasts
          • ...and more!
          • You can connect with Gita through the CNI website and on Instagram. She'll also be presenting on Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy at the Horizons Conference in New York City in December 2021.

            You can connect with me on Instagram and sign up for my newsletter where I share occasional reflections and updates on services I'm offering. You can also show this episode some love by subscribing, leaving a positive review and sharing.

            This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice. Please do your research about the legality and safety of any substance you are considering using and make the most informed choice possible for your unique situation and self.


            53 min
          • Learning to ask for and receive help through plant medicine with Mary Sanders, LCSW

            *Formerly Everyday Nonordinary* Welcome to Integrating Psychedelics, featuring insights gleaned from psychedelic experiences and conversations around how to integrate this wisdom into our daily lives. I'm your host, Jenny Weinar, and in today's episode I'm speaking with Mary Sanders, LCSW.

            Mary Sanders is a committed licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and social justice advocate. Mary's goal is to explore the depths of transgenerational trauma and peel off the layers of oppression so that we can relate to our true self. Mary's experience is working with Black, Indigenious, and People of Color (BIPOC), 2SLGBTQIA+, veterans, immigrants and refugees from Iraq and Syria, and foster youth. Mary is committed to treating trauma, certified in Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and is a somatic experiencing psychotherapist in-training. Additionally, Mary is a trained psychedelic-assisted therapist from California Institute of Integral Studies' Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research, MAPS, and Ketamine Training Center. Mary is founding board member of the People of Color Psychedelic Collective and works towards collective healing and justice for Black, Indigenous people, and People of Color within the context of psychedelics. Mary integrates her extensive training and lived experience in her private practice, EMPATH Center and social work role at Veteran Affairs' homeless programs in San Francisco, CA.

            I loved this conversation with Mary and could have kept talking for hours. In this episode we discuss:

            • How Mary’s longtime interest in altered states of consciousness led her to psychedelics as a way of exploring past traumas and attachment wounds
            • How altered states of consciousness support us in confronting uncomfortable sensations in the body
            • The corrective emotional experience that comes through asking for and receiving help in medicine circles
            • How licensed providers in the psychedelic space can learn from underground and indigenous practitioners
            • The role of psychedelics in both pleasure and healing, and the significance of this particularly for Black and Brown communities
            • Singing and dancing as psychedelic integration practices that help us explore the full range of self-expression
            • Carrying the lesson of asking for and receiving help in the medicine session out into other areas of life
            • How modeling asking for help to others can deepen our relationships
            • The need for greater representation of marginalized identities in the psychedelic space
            • ...and more!
            • You can connect with Mary through her private practice and through the People of Color Psychedelic Collective on their website, Facebook and Instagram pages.

              You can connect with me on Instagram, however I'm actually trying to transition away from social media a bit (not entirely) - so your best bet is to sign up for my newsletter where I'll share occasional reflections and updates on services I'm offering. You can also show this episode some love by subscribing, leaving a positive review and sharing.

              This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice. Please do your research about the legality and safety of any substance you are considering using and make the most informed choice possible for your unique situation and self.

              58 min
            • Ayahuasca and the Power of Community with Jesse Gould of the Heroic Hearts Project

              *Formerly Everyday Nonordinary The Podcast* Welcome to Integrating Psychedelics, featuring insights gleaned from psychedelic experiences and conversations around how to integrate this wisdom into our daily lives. I'm your host, Jenny Weinar, and in today's episode I'm speaking with Jesse Gould.

              Jesse is a pioneer in psychedelic therapies. As Founder and President of the Heroic Hearts Project, he has spearheaded the research and acceptance of ayahuasca therapy programs for military veterans. Jesse has raised over $500,000 in scholarships from donors including Dr. Bronner’s, partnered with the world’s leading ayahuasca treatment centers, and is researching psychiatric applications with the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Georgia. His mission is to help military veterans struggling with mental trauma and spread awareness of the benefits that ayahuasca therapies offer as an alternative treatment to pharmaceuticals. Jesse has spoken globally about the benefits of psychedelics on mental health and has been featured in the New York Times and Rolling Stone Magazine and recognized as one of the most influential voices in psychedelics today.

              I was fortunate to meet Jesse while training in Ketamine Assisted Therapy and I was thrilled to speak with him for the first episode of the podcast. In this episode we talk about:

              • Jesse's perspective on the geopolitical situation in Afghanistan as an Army veteran there
              • The warrior archetype and what happens when society or politicians take advantage of their soldiers
              • How Jesse found himself one a plane with a one-way ticket to Peru for a week of Ayahuasca ceremonies
              • The limits of traditional talk therapy as compared to psychedelic assisted healing
              • Bad trips vs. challenging trips and the importance of preparation and integration
              • How Jesse's experiences with psychedelics taught him the importance of community in everyday life
              • How limiting one's emotional expression compounds trauma
              • The role of psychedelics as heart openers
              • ...and more!
              • You can connect with Jesse and support the Heroic Hearts Project at www.heroicheartsproject.org. Heroic Hearts Project is a 501(c)(3) and donations are tax deductible.

                You can connect with me on Instagram, however I'm actually trying to transition away from social media a bit (not entirely) - so your best bet is to sign up for my newsletter where I'll share occasional reflections and updates on services I'm offering. You can also show this episode some love by subscribing, leaving a positive review and sharing.

                This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice. Please do your research about the legality and safety of any substance you are considering using and make the most informed choice possible for your unique situation and self. 

                58 min
              • A brief introduction

                Welcome to Everyday Nonordinary The Podcast!

                I'm your host, Jenny Weinar. I'm a psychotherapist and general enthusiast for the role of psychedelics in the process of healing ourselves, our relationships, and the planet.

                In this quick introductory episode I'm sharing my hope and intention for the podcast as a space to highlight the diversity and breadth of psychedelic experiences, as well as conversations with other movers, shakers, thinkers and feelers in the psychedelic space around integrating the wisdom from nonordinary states of consciousness into our everyday lives.

                You can connect with me on Instagram and Twitter, *however* I'm actually trying to transition away from social media a bit (not entirely) - so your best bet is to sign up for my newsletter where I'll share occasional reflections and updates on services I'm offering. Thanks for joining me on this journey!

                Everyday Nonordinary records on the unceded territory of the Lenni-Lenape people.

                This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice. Please do your research about the legality and safety of any substance you are considering using and make the most informed choice possible for your unique situation and self.





                5 min

              About Integrating Psychedelics

              From the publisher's feed

              *Formerly Everyday Nonordinary, The Podcast* Conversations around psychedelic integration: how do we take the insights gleaned from nonordinary states of consciousness and translate these into…