Psychedelics in Social Work

In the final episode of Em's deep dive into the self, identity, and non-ordinary states of consciousness, Em and Libby talk through the field of ecopsychology, pushing against philosophical assumptions of Western academia, and animism with Professor Travis Cox.

Professor Cox is a core associate professor of Ecopsychology at Naropa University. You can find out more about Dr. Cox and by visiting his faculty page.

Maybe you have comments, questions, or just want to get involved in the conversation some how. As we mention in the episode, we will be doing an Ask Me Anything episode later in the season. If you'd like to pose an anonymous question and hear answers from the hosts and/or specific guests please send your questions to:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @psychedelicsinsocialwork.

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Music by the Groovy Tad Nicol

What does it mean to reclaim your self? Continuing their exploration of identity, the self, and non-ordinary states of consciousness, Em and Libby look at the intersection of psychedelics and Black-American experience. This episodes' guests, Dr. Nicholas Powers and Sara Oke, offer their perspectives on what it really means to liberate the self.

Dr. Nicholas Powers is an associate professor of English at SUNY Old Westbury and the author Black Psychedelic Revolution: From Trauma to Liberation. We dive into this collection of essays, autofiction, and psychedelic visions. You can find out more about Dr. Powers and his book by visiting his website, his Instagram, or his Facebook.

Sara Oke is the lead Psychedelic Research Therapist at Imperial College London. She lectures internationally on ways psychedelic-assisted therapists can be more culturally attuned and responsible in their work. You can find more about her on her website and LinkedIn.

Maybe you have comments, questions, or just want to get involved in the conversation some how. As we mention in the episode, we will be doing an Ask Me Anything episode later in the season. If you'd like to pose an anonymous question and hear answers from the hosts and/or specific guests please send your questions to:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @psychedelicsinsocialwork.

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Music by the Groovy Tad Nicol

This week, Em and Rafaelle Lancelotta take a detour into the molecule of 5-MeO-DMT. No, they aren't taking it in this episode, but they are discussing some other ways the "expanded self" might well be understood. For more information on Rafaelle and her work, visit her website relationshipispsychedelic.com or check out her ResearchGate profile at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rafaelle-Lancelotta.

In this episode, our audio cuts out when Rafaelle explains how 5-MeO-DMT is metabolized into bufotenine. Rafaelle also wanted to add this note: While the molecule itself cannot be patented in its natural form, synthetic processes, delivery systems, formulations, and clinical protocols can be patented. There are several companies trying to do that currently for better or worse.

Maybe you have comments, questions, or just want to get involved in the conversation somehow. As we mention in the episode, we will be doing an Ask Me Anything episode later in the season. If you'd like to pose an anonymous question and hear answers from the hosts and/or specific guests please send your questions to:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @psychedelicsinsocialwork.

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Music by the Groovy Tad Nicol

Em and Libby continue their exploration of identity, the self, and non-ordinary states of consciousness, this time through the lens of sexual and gender identity. Our first guest, Maya Seale, shares her story of personal, political, and psychedelic transformation. Our second guest, Rafaelle Lancelotta helps fill in some of the research behind queer identity and psychedelic use.

Maya and Rafaelle draw from a couple of concepts that can be cited from original sources and/or explained a bit further. They include:

- "Tethering together" systems of oppression: Maya cites bell hooks as an important figure in her thinking about white supremacist, colonial, capitalist patriarchy. She notes how this concept can help explain "transmisogyny," which denotes how discourses around sex binarism and misogyny go hand in hand.

- Relatedly, Maya wanted to clarify one way in which these systems might interrelate. Oppositional sexism, for instance, pairs well with white supremacist discourse, in that both seek to define differences in sex, ethnic, and racial characteristics as markers of degrees in civility and/or racial and cultural superiority.

- "Set, setting, and support" can be linked to Dr. Kwasi Adusei and Jasmine Virdi, who have collaborated on scholarship related to this topic.

You can find Maya on IG @mayamelieee or send her an email at [email protected]. For more information on Rafaelle and her work, visit her website relationshipispsychedelic.com or check out her ResearchGate profile at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rafaelle-Lancelotta.

Maybe you have comments, questions, or just want to get involved in the conversation some how. As we mention in the episode, we will be doing an Ask Me Anything episode later in the season. If you'd like to pose an anonymous question and hear answers from the hosts and/or specific guests please send your questions to:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @psychedelicsinsocialwork.

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Music by the Groovy Tad Nicol

This week, Em and Taita Daniel continue their conversation from the previous episode. In their exploration of self, identity, and plant medicines, Taita Daniel shares what two-spirit identity means for them, how gender factors into colonization, and how their gender identity relates to their work as a healer. To find out more about Taita Daniel and their work, you can find them on their Instagram @taitadaniel or send an email to [email protected].

Maybe you have comments, questions, or just want to get involved in the conversation somehow. As we mention in the episode, we will be doing an Ask Me Anything episode later in the season. If you'd like to pose an anonymous question and hear answers from the hosts and/or specific guests please send your questions to:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @psychedelicsinsocialwork.

Like, subscribe, and share!

Music by the Groovy Tad Nicol

Em and Libby continue exploring the self, identity, and non-ordinary states of consciousness in an interview with Taita Daniel, a mestizo-indigenous two spirits medicine healer. Em and Taita Daniel talk about what it means to "decolonize the self" and approach plant medicines with humility and respect. To find out more about Taita Daniel and their work, you can find them on their Instagram @taitadaniel or send an email to [email protected].

Maybe you have comments, questions, or just want to get involved in the conversation some how. As we mention in the episode, we will be doing an Ask Me Anything episode later in the season. If you'd like to pose an anonymous question and hear answers from the hosts and/or specific guests please send your questions to:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @psychedelicsinsocialwork.

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Music by the Groovy Tad Nicol

Em and Libby continue their exploration of identity, the self, and non-ordinary states of consciousness by turning to two pre-modern contemplative traditions: Medieval Christian mysticism and Zen Buddhism.

Dr. Niklaus Largier, professor at UC Berkeley in the Comparative Literature and German departments, gives a peek into his recent book, Figures of Possibility: Aesthetic Experience,Mysticism, and the Play of the Senses. We talk media, the politics of contemplation, and the dramatization of the self as a practice in divinity.

Taigen Dan Leighton, ordained Zen priest and founder of Ancient Dragon Zen Gate in Chicago, rounds the episode out with an introduction to Zen Buddhism and its translation in the West. He patiently walks Em and Libby through the importance, nonsense, and artifice of the self and emphasizes the political edge of contemplative practice.

Dr. Largier can be found at his UC Berkeley faculty page. For more on Taigen Leighton, you can visit his personal webpage and/or www.ancientdragon.org.

Maybe you have comments, questions, or just want to get involved in the conversation some how. As we mention in the episode, we will be doing an Ask Me Anything episode later in the season. If you'd like to pose an anonymous question and hear answers from the hosts and/or specific guests please send your questions to:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @psychedelicsinsocialwork.

Like, subscribe, and share!

Music by the Groovy Tad Nicol

Welcome to Season 2 of PSW! We've split this season into two parts, each spearheaded by Em and Libby, respectively. To begin, Em's series of episodes will focus on questions of self, identity, psychedelics, and liberation.

The first in the series features Professor Eric Oliver of University of Chicago, who talks about his new book How To Know Your Self: The Art & Science of Discover Who You Really Are. You can find out more about Professor Oliver at his website: jericoliver.com.

Maybe you have comments, questions, or just want to get involved in the conversation some how. As we mention in the episode, we will be doing an Ask Me Anything episode later in the season. If you'd like to pose an anonymous question and hear answers from the hosts and/or specific guests please send your questions to:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @psychedelicsinsocialwork.

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Music by the Groovy Tad Nicol

Guess who's back???

Listen in to hear all the juicy details for our upcoming season, starting in January, 2026!

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More resources: https://linktr.ee/pswuchicago

Music by the Groovy Tad Nicol

Surprise! Co-host Abby offers a bonus interview with Virginia State Senator Ghazala Hashmi. Sen. Hashmi is the first Muslim and South Asian-American to serve in the Virginia Senate, first elected into office in 2019 and recently (this last week!) nominated as Democratic candidate for Virginia Lieutenant Governor. She is an experienced educator and advocate of inclusive values and social justice. Her legislative priorities are public education, voting rights, preservation of democracy, reproductive freedom, gun violence prevention, affordable housing, and health care access. She is a chief sponsor of Senate Bill 1101, Breakthrough Therapies for Veteran Suicide Prevention Advisory Council.

Update: Unfortunately the bill did not advance, but we are happy to leave this here for additional information and insight. Additionally, we encountered some technical difficulties with this episode and thank you for your patience!

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Email us: [email protected]

Music by the Groovy Tad Nicol