MINDBEND with Matthew Dunehoo

Kerstin Hern (she/her), is a Los Angeles-based registered Associate Marriage & Family Therapist (AMFT #139178) supervised by Gaea Woods (LMFT #117978).

She earned my M.A. in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Spiritual, Jungian & Depth Psychology from Antioch University, Los Angeles. She also hold a B.A. in English Literature, spent many years working in the music industry, and has studied eclectic folk magick, Western astrology, and tarot since 1993.

I thought Kerstin would be a great guest for Mindbend as someone who has taken the academic route in the study of the psyche, as well as having studied ritual magick and its benefits + correlations with 3rd wave cognitive therapies. While not utilizing psychedelics in her personal practice, she is quite familiar with their therapeutic and ceremonial applications, and has traversed through many doors of perception in her own exploration and growth.

Kerstin is a person who was willing to "go there" with me, entertaining my interest in particular in learning about what "magick" means, why there are so many scary connotations to that topic for so many. Is there an irrefutable "demonic" or "dark" energy that wants to mess with human beings in our attempt to understand what's happening here, and hopefully grow in the right direction? What do we make ourselves vulnerable to, exactly, by being vulnerable? By laying our psyches bare, under the care of psychotherapeutic practitioners, or plant medicine guides?

Follow Kerstin:

IG: @themirroredlantern

WEB: kerstinherntherapy.com

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Website: www.mindbendcreative.com

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Cristianna Hougland is the founder of Mushee Medicinal, which is a functional mushroom elixir company, working to create the purest possible functional mushroom supplement product, for individuals to use in "elevating their wellness."

What exactly are "functional mushrooms?" This is how she explains this magic on the Mushee website: "These (functional) mushrooms have been traditionally used in ancient and traditional medicine for their various health benefits. They are often called medicinal mushrooms because of their therapeutic properties." Turkey Tail, Reishi, Lion's Mane, Cordyceps and Chaga and the brand's shrooms of choice.

I first heard Cristianna as a panelist during the Awakening of Consciousness Conference here in LA, the summer of 2023. I appreciated her advocacy for the game-changing attributes of these powerful organisms, and the way she spoke of her own transformational experiences by the microdosing of psychedelic mushrooms, the likes of which are not curated by Mushee. Here, she shares a bit about the company's origins, its future, and how we're all related in states of mind and heart.

Follow Mushee:

IG: @musheemedicinal

WEB: musheemedicinal.com

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Website: www.mindbendcreative.com

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Jodi Green and Mike Goldfarb were two of the first people working within the greater "psychedelic community" that I met when I first moved to Los Angeles, a year and change ago at the time of this writing. I'm fortunate to say that I was at the inaugural gathering of the Department of Consciousness and have wanted to have them on the show ever since. It's fitting, as Mike pointed out, that this interview should fall very close to one year from that first event.

Department of Consciousness curates intimate, educational, and experiential gatherings designed to spark self-exploration, facilitate inspired debate, uncover insights, and foster authentic connection and collaboration.

Their mission is to bring together individuals from multidisciplinary backgrounds including executives, investors, creatives, scientists, clinicians, activists, and business partners in the psychedelic, wellness, and healthcare ecosystems, to push the boundaries of consciousness, and create a more compassionate world.

website: departmentofconsciousness

IG: @departmentofconsciousness

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Website: www.mindbendcreative.com

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Laughing Dragon is a man who has dedicated his life to exploring consciousness and teaching the world about the power of Amanitas Muscaria. He and I connected at the Psychedelic Awakening conference in July, 2023 here in Los Angeles.

Spending nine years in South America he learned from many masters of plant medicines until developing his own path by utilizing psychedelics to study the mechanics of the multiverse and how to explore it as a first hand experience. He is a high dose psychedelic veteran, He is a facilitator of psychedelic ceremonies, a dedicated forager of Amanita Muscaria, and a leader in the psychedelic revolution.

He gets into the nitty gritty of what he believes to be at the root of the mystery behind the world's most easily recognized mushroom, but perhaps the most misunderstood and under-discussed. Perhaps it's a secret hidden in plain sight? (the Vatican)

IG: @thebananajane

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Website: www.mindbendcreative.com

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Narrative-Shifting Artist, Leader, and CEO, Mr $now doesn't "rap" - he speaks to the soul from self-love, painting pictures with words, reconnecting the collective to our Higher Selves — introducing new ways to observe our experience and new ways to express the consciouness, viewing external factors simply as extensions of ourselves, like tools.

He has lead countless individuals to life-changing revelations - now embracing themselves beyond the idea of acceptance, clearing energies of stagnation, and informing mindfulness by speaking life into all. Reminding people, "treat others how you would like to be treated, but first figure out how you would like to be treated."

We connected at the Awakening of Psychedelics Conference in July, 2023. I was struck by his caring and sincerity. We hope you enjoy this discussion... MR $NOW: BANDCAMP

Website: trilliondollarboyz.com

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Website: www.mindbendcreative.com

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Banana Jane Garnett, MFT, is an Oxford Educated psychotherapist with a background in film. She and I met while checking into our hotel at the 2023 MAPS Psychedelic Science conference in Denver, and it was mirth at first sight!

Producing in Hollywood Jane discovered a passion for psychology and transitioned to mental health, only to discover a disempowered and exploitative industry, in need of a vitality injection. Further adventures into non-traditional healing models helped Jane free up her understanding and mission: to bring creativity, freedom, and empowerment to mental health.

Jane feels that sex, psychics, and psychedelics all share one poignant capability in common, and that is the capability to "punch holes" in our assumptions. Be ready to have your assumptions punctured with the queen banana herself, Jane Garnett.

Follow Jane: bananajane

IG: @thebananajane

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Website: www.mindbendcreative.com

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Because I used to live in NYC I still get emails about theater performances from time to time. Fortunately, one of those recent mailers was promoting a one-man play called GRIEF: A ONE MAN SHITSHOW about a man, Colin Campbell, and his wife, whose two children, Ruby and Hart, were murdered when an intoxicated driver crashed into their car.

Colin had channeled his suffering into an extraordinary work of theater, confronting the ludicrous proposition of recollecting and forging ahead with one's life after such tremendous loss. One of the things we keep touching on in the psychedelic space is trauma. Identifying and recovering from it. People channel this effort through numerous psychedelic practices. While not an overtly psychedelic story, I think you'll find Colin's family's experience to be absolutely non-ordinary, and his transmutation of experience into art that can open and touch the psyche of others, to be truly extraordinary.

Follow Colin: @griefaonemanshitshow

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Website: www.mindbendcreative.com

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I first became aware of Craig Wedren in high school and discovering new bands that resonated with you was absolute magic. You had to work for it. You were lucky if you got tipped off by a knowledgeable friend, or read a review in the odd zine to serve as an access point into the psyche of a new sonic hero, broadcasting from some far-off corner of an as-yet unexplored world. In this particular instance, that corner was Washington, D.C., and that band was Shudder To Think.

I had the pleasure of attending a sound bath and meditation that Craig helped facilitate at the Silver Lake Independent Jewish Community Center earlier this year. Inspired by the journey he took the class on, I asked if he might be down to connect and talk all things magickal. We visit about his experience working on the score for the Showtime smash hit series Yellowjackets along with co-composer Anna Waronker, his own experiences with plant medicine, the alchemical mystery that is music making and music receiving, and much more.

Follow Craig: @craigwedren

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Website: www.mindbendcreative.com

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Everybody learns from everybody else. Sometimes, our friends can be our greatest teachers. And sometimes, mushrooms can be our greatest friends and teachers. For Edward Crowe, the relationships he values in his life are connected to and empowered by his experiences with psychedelic substances as expressed through plant medicine, specifically psilocybin mushrooms.

As the confidant and manager of the megastar rapper Yelawolf, Edward's journeys in the music and performing arts business have led him all over the world. His views are informed by the places he's visited, and the places he comes from, represented boldy by the Slumerican brand.

Edward candidly shares with us some of what it means to him to be on a mission of perpetual self-exploration and empowerment, and how through the intentional use of sacred powerful psychedelic compounds he has forged a livelihood capable of supporting his vast endeavors.

Juan and I needed to reconvene in order to bring this two-part episode to a sensible conclusion, and it just coincidentally fell on the week of his one-year anniversary clean from opioid addiction!

Oftentimes for those suffering from substance use disorder, they might be able to break the addiction temporarily through rehab, but getting results to stick is a whole other challenge.

In part two of our discussion, Juan shares more details as to how he was able to stay clean after his ibogaine therapy. He also gets into the details around his childhood trauma in a way that is incredibly brave and vulnerable. Juan hopes that by sharing his story, he might be of inspiration to anyone else out there struggling with substance use disorder.

Follow Juan IG: @ibostoic

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Watch Full Episode on YouTube: @mindbendpodcast

Website: www.mindbendcreative.com

This is an Operation Podcast production, connect with us @operationpodcast