Andrew Sharp began researching altered states of consciousness in high school after a friend introduced him to Erowid, a popular website with educational and harm-reduction material about psychoactive substances. Despite his interest in drugs, Andrew had a hard time shaking the indoctrination he received from the D.A.R.E. program taught in public schools in the United States. He also grew up in a strict Christian household. One day, Andrew's friend was riding his bike and witnessed someone get out of their car and put a container in a tree. Andrew's friend intercepted the dead drop after the car left and found that the container had a huge stash of cannabis. This eventually led to Andrew's first experience getting high. 

Andrew smoked a lot of cannabis in college and eventually became interested in mescaline. He had a number of experiences with mescaline he brewed from San Pedro cacti from Home Depot. However, he didn't have the life-changing experience many people report after trying psychedelics. Andrew usually tripped on mescaline at parties in a group setting. One day he decided to do it at home on his own. This trip served as an unlikely savior from the depression that ailed him and helped him change his outlook on life and his relationship with his girlfriend.

The purpose of the podcast is for entertainment and harm reduction. Please consult a physician and your local laws before trying anything mentioned in this podcast. Please also understand that you may not hold us liable or responsible for relying on any information contained on the podcast or our website.

Links from this episode:

Erowid
A non-profit educational organization providing information about psychoactive plants and chemicals

Fantastic Fungi
A film about the magical world of fungi

Noon Calvo's introduction to psychedelics came as a teenager when he had a scary experience on LSD. After his initial experience, he learned to work with the substance and sat with friends to make sure they were safe during their LSD experiences. Noon eventually wanted to try plant based psychedelics and turned to salvia. His experiences on salvia then led him to ayahuasca. Noon shares a number of interesting experiences on psychedelics, including a time where he switched places and saw a fist fight he got into from the perspective of his opponent. He had a memory of an alien abduction surface and recalled past life experiences on psychedelics and through hypnotic regressions. Noon is part of the ayahuasca scene in Portugal and has led many ayahuasca ceremonies.

The purpose of the podcast is for entertainment and harm reduction. Please consult a physician and your local laws before trying anything mentioned in this podcast. Please also understand that you may not hold us liable or responsible for relying on any information contained on the podcast or our website.

Links:

Radical Protagonista
Noon's YouTube channel

The Christos Technique
Past life regression technique

Santo Daime Church
A church that holds ayahuasca ceremonies

Communion
A 1989 alien abduction movie

Andrea Hill dealt with depression and complex PTSD for over a decade. She used SSRI medication but still felt depressed. She started researching psychedelics and had her first experience with LSD after tapering off her medication. On LSD, Andrea felt like she had received a hug from the universe. From there, Andrea did a number of intravenous ketamine infusions. She experienced ego death and felt as though she was a cloud floating through the universe. In one session, her deceased uncle visited her and offered her comfort. After researching ayahuasca, Andrea participated in two sessions at a retreat center in Florida. In the first session, she relived her uncle's funeral and some of her childhood traumas. In her second session, Andrea felt as though she had been reborn as a divine goddess. Andrea talks about how her life has changed since these experiences and describes some of the mindfulness practices she's adopted, including the use of float tanks, meditation, breathwork, and yoga.

The purpose of the podcast is for entertainment and harm reduction. Please consult a physician and your local laws before trying anything mentioned in this podcast. Please also understand that you may not hold us liable or responsible for relying on any information contained on the podcast or our website.

Links:

Unwell
A Netflix Docuseries

Soul Quest Ayahuasca Church
An ayahuasca church located in Florida

Mark Parrillo became friends with a classmate in high school who had recently immigrated to the United States from China. Mark’s friend got him interested in concepts he hadn’t heard about in Western culture, including Chi, which is defined in English as “air”, “material energy”, “life force”, or “energy flow.” Mark began practicing Qigong and Chi Kung, which typically include systems of coordinated body posture, movement, breathing, and meditation. Mark’s practice developed to the point where he began experiencing visual and auditory sensations similar to what someone would experience on a powerful psychedelic substance. Mark discusses the benefits these experiences have had in his day-to-day life as he and his wife raise their young children.

The purpose of the podcast is for entertainment and harm reduction. Please consult a physician and your local laws before trying anything mentioned in this podcast. Please also understand that you may not hold us liable or responsible for relying on any information contained on the podcast or our website.

Links:

The Root of Chinese Chi Kung
A book by Yang Jwing-Ming

Qigong, The Secret of Youth
A book by Yang Jwing-Ming