Psychedelics Today

Download What is breathwork and Transpersonal Breathwork? Kyle and Joe talk about the components and mechanics of breathwork and share some personal experiences. Breathwork is a topic that is brought up often on Psychedelics Today, so here is a more in-depth discussion about what it is. The form of breathwork that Joe and Kyle are trained in is Transpersonal Breathwork. More about this practice below. About Dreamshadow Transpersonal Breathwork From dreamshadow.com Dreamshadow Transpersonal Breathwork is an applied, practice-linked philosophy that uses the method of Stanislav Grof’s Holotropic Breathwork as a modern shamanic practice for self-discovery through cathartic re-experience of events from a person’s biographic history and the process of birth, as well as the potential apprehension of archetypes and events in the cosmos. The experiential aspect of Dreamshadow Transpersonal Breathwork uses a combination of group process, intense breathing, evocative music, body work, and expressive drawing. The term “transpersonal” refers to those experiences where our sense of self-identity expands beyond our personal biography and ego boundaries and transcends the usual limitations of time and space. These experiences facilitate deeper understanding of ourselves, our relation to others and our place in the universe. They help us gain increased comfort in daily life and a spiritual intelligence that fosters calm and optimism amidst the difficulties of the world. Dreamshadow Transpersonal Breathwork draws on the work of William James, Carl Jung, Abraham Maslow, Stanislav Grof and others. Grof is a pioneering psychedelic researcher, investigator of exceptional human experiences and cofounder of the transpersonal psychology movement. Together with his wife Christina Grof, he developed Holotropic Breathwork, an inspiration of Dreamshadow Transpersonal Breathwork, Integrative Breathwork and other methods. In his book The Holotropic Mind, Grof describes Holotropic Breathwork as a seemingly simple process with “extraordinary potential for opening the way for exploring the entire spectrum of the inner world.” 5 Components of Breathwork

1. Intense Breathing  - Deep circular breathing with a minimal pause in between the in and out breaths. There is no "right" technique, but to intensify and deepen one's breathing.
2. Evocative Music- A music setlist is created to help drive the breathing session. The music is typically all instrumental with no distinguishable language. There are often times when music with foreign languages will be used because of the lack of context. The music setlist is around two to three hours long.
3. Focused Bodywork - Emotional energy can become stuck in the body. To help assist with stuck emotional or physical energy, bodywork is performed to help release the energy. Bodywork can also be in the form of support by offering a hand to hold.
4. Expressive Drawing - After the breathwork session, participants are asked to create a mandala or drawing. This helps to process the experience without language or words and can be very symbolic. This process helps to integrate the experience.
5. Group Process- We are social creatures. As Lenny Gibson states, "we are the descendants of successful tribes." We need one another to survive in the world. The group helps to form a safe container for participants to dive deep into their psyche and being. The group holds the space for a healing process to occur.

Links & Notes

• Dreamshadow: Holotropic Breathwork, Personal Development, and Transpersonal Education
• SettingSun Wellness - Kyle's breathwork page
• Breckenridge Breathwork - Joe's breathwork page
• Grof Transpersonal Training
• Stanislav Grof 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP17faUXLtk

• Morphic Resonance 
• The Neuroscience of Human Relationships

Download Caitlin Thompson, the founder of EntheoZen, joins us on Psychedelics Today to share her healing story, her interests in psychedelics, and the supplement company that she started. Caitlin is also involved in the psychedelic community - she hosts events for the Aware Project San Diego and is a Kambo practitioner. After struggling with her own depression and anxiety, Caitlin founded EntheoZen. She applied her background in neuroscience, diving deep into the scientific literature and discovered the importance of nutrition in brain and mood health. She created a scientifically-supported line of products that nourish, resource and balance the nervous system to promote a happy, healthy mind. Caitlin uses EntheoZen as a platform to provide informative resources and tools to empower people to take their mental wellness into their own hands in a natural and sustainable way. EntheoZen provides educational media on cutting-edge wellness modalities including nutrition, herbs, meditation, psychedelics, neurofeedback training, kambo, and float tanks. Caitlin is a researcher and advocate in the psychedelic medicine movement, using EntheoZen to support research and promote awareness of psychedelic therapies as effective psychiatric interventions. EntheoZen [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57PZK74BK00] EntheoZen is a nutritional supplement company based in San Diego, CA. It was launched in 2014 by Caitlin Thompson. At EntheoZen, our goal is to contribute to the practice of using safe and natural ways to balance brain chemistry and promote brain health and a happy mood. Blending neuroscience and holistic nutrition, we believe that the mind, body, and soul need the proper resources to stay balanced and lively. Our products are based on proven scientific principles and target specific mechanisms & issues related to mood disorders based on scientific literature. When the brain has access to the raw materials it needs to repair and function optimally, it can often heal and regulate itself. About TransZen TransZen is an all natural mood enhancement and stress support supplement designed to:

• -fill in nutritional gaps that may be causing low mood
• -promote neurotransmitter production such as serotonin and dopamine
• -maintain a healthy inflammatory response in the brain
• -promote the repair and regeneration of brain cells.

-It consists of 17 scientifically-studied ingredients including vitamins, minerals, amino acids and potent plant extracts. -Works by providing your body with the raw materials it needs to balance the nervous system. -It is made in a USA facility that is certified by the FDA as having Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and third-party tested. **Can not ship outside of the U.S. Links & Notes

• EntheoZen
• Medicine Frog Kambo (Cailtin's Kambo practice site)
• International Association of Kambo Practitioners
• The Aware Project

About Caitlin Thompson After struggling with her own battle with depression and anxiety, Caitlin Thompson applied her background in neurobiology and dove into the cutting edge scientific literature on mood disorders and mental illnesses. This led her down a health rabbit hole, realizing that Lyme disease, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, microbiome dysbiosis and emotional trauma were at the root of her and many others' depression. After successfully improving her own health, Caitlin founded her nutritional supplement company, EntheoZen in 2014. Caitlin now uses EntheoZen as a platform to spread information about modalities and tools to empower others to heal and achieve optimal mental wellness. Caitlin also works in the psychedelic field advocating for psychedelic research and education around their implications in mental wellness and autoimmune conditions. Caitlin is also a certified Kambo frog medicine practitioner based in San Diego CA.

Download Caitlin Thompson, the founder of EntheoZen, joins us on Psychedelics Today to share her healing story, her interests in psychedelics, and the supplement company that she started. Caitlin is also involved in the psychedelic community - she hosts events for the Aware Project San Diego and is a Kambo practitioner. After struggling with her own depression and anxiety, Caitlin founded EntheoZen. She applied her background in neuroscience, diving deep into the scientific literature and discovered the importance of nutrition in brain and mood health. She created a scientifically-supported line of products that nourish, resource and balance the nervous system to promote a happy, healthy mind. Caitlin uses EntheoZen as a platform to provide informative resources and tools to empower people to take their mental wellness into their own hands in a natural and sustainable way. EntheoZen provides educational media on cutting-edge wellness modalities including nutrition, herbs, meditation, psychedelics, neurofeedback training, kambo, and float tanks. Caitlin is a researcher and advocate in the psychedelic medicine movement, using EntheoZen to support research and promote awareness of psychedelic therapies as effective psychiatric interventions. EntheoZen [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57PZK74BK00] EntheoZen is a nutritional supplement company based in San Diego, CA. It was launched in 2014 by Caitlin Thompson. At EntheoZen, our goal is to contribute to the practice of using safe and natural ways to balance brain chemistry and promote brain health and a happy mood. Blending neuroscience and holistic nutrition, we believe that the mind, body, and soul need the proper resources to stay balanced and lively. Our products are based on proven scientific principles and target specific mechanisms & issues related to mood disorders based on scientific literature. When the brain has access to the raw materials it needs to repair and function optimally, it can often heal and regulate itself. About TransZen TransZen is an all natural mood enhancement and stress support supplement designed to:

• -fill in nutritional gaps that may be causing low mood
• -promote neurotransmitter production such as serotonin and dopamine
• -maintain a healthy inflammatory response in the brain
• -promote the repair and regeneration of brain cells.

-It consists of 17 scientifically-studied ingredients including vitamins, minerals, amino acids and potent plant extracts. -Works by providing your body with the raw materials it needs to balance the nervous system. -It is made in a USA facility that is certified by the FDA as having Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and third-party tested. **Can not ship outside of the U.S. Links & Notes

• EntheoZen 
• Medicine Frog Kambo (Cailtin's Kambo practice site)
• International Association of Kambo Practitioners 
• The Aware Project 

About Caitlin Thompson After struggling with her own battle with depression and anxiety, Caitlin Thompson applied her background in neurobiology and dove into the cutting edge scientific literature on mood disorders and mental illnesses. This led her down a health rabbit hole, realizing that Lyme disease, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, microbiome dysbiosis and emotional trauma were at the root of her and many others’ depression. After successfully improving her own health, Caitlin founded her nutritional supplement company, EntheoZen in 2014.  Caitlin now uses EntheoZen as a platform to spread information about modalities and tools to empower others to heal and achieve optimal mental wellness. Caitlin also works in the psychedelic field advocating for psychedelic research and education around their implications in mental wellness and autoimmune conditions. Caitlin is also a certified Kambo frog medicine practitioner based in San Diego CA.

Download Tim Cools joins us on Psychedelics Today to talk about his project, Psychedelic Experience, a web platform that allows individuals to post reviews about different psychedelic retreat centers and organizations. There is a psychedelic journal feature that is currently in beta-testing that allows users to write about their experiences, in hopes to further phenomenological and qualitative research in the future. As described on the site, this is a "one-stop-shop" for resources surrounding psychedelics.

About Psychedelic Experience

We aim to reduce harm and stigma associated with psychedelics by helping to best inform users, offer tools to help with integration of their experiences, and a space for communal support.

One-stop-shop web resource surrounding psychedelics

• Online community by and for beginning and experienced psychonauts.
• Promote safe use of psychedelics by providing scientific, responsible information.
• Privacy is a top-priority. Users have full control over what is public and what isn't.

Psychedelic experiences journal

• Keep a private journal of your psychedelic experiences.
• Share your experiences with your friends or the community. Reports are peer-reviewed by community to ensure quality.
• Integrate your experiences by discussing them with fellow psychonauts and professional therapists.
• Advanced search functionality by substance and keywords. Anonymous statistics can beused for scientific research.

Global organisations directory

• A community managed global directory of organisations related to psychedelic experiences.
• Connect people with honest organisations to stay updated on meetings, events and retreats.
• Collect reviews by the community to create an unbiased image of the organisations.
• Promote sustainable projects to help indigenous communities.
• Issue warnings for organisations linked to abuse or dishonesty.

Support Psychedelics Today by becoming a Patron Show Notes/Links

• Psychedelic Experience
• Erowid
• The Aftercare Project
• Psilohuasca
• Netherland Retreats

About Tim Cools

Tim lives in Belgium as a professional software developer/social entrepreneur. With his latest project, PsychedelicExperience.net, he aims to reduce harm and stigma associated with the use of psychedelics, and to support psychedelic research. Driven by some profound experiences, he hopes to make psychedelics more accessible in a safe way.

Download Tim Cools joins us on Psychedelics Today to talk about his project, Psychedelic Experience, a web platform that allows individuals to post reviews about different psychedelic retreat centers and organizations. There is a psychedelic journal feature that is currently in beta-testing that allows users to write about their experiences, in hopes to further phenomenological and qualitative research in the future. As described on the site, this is a "one-stop-shop" for resources surrounding psychedelics.

About Psychedelic Experience

We aim to reduce harm and stigma associated with psychedelics by helping to best inform users, offer tools to help with integration of their experiences, and a space for communal support.

One-stop-shop web resource surrounding psychedelics

• Online community by and for beginning and experienced psychonauts.
• Promote safe use of psychedelics by providing scientific, responsible information.
• Privacy is a top-priority. Users have full control over what is public and what isn’t.

Psychedelic experiences journal

• Keep a private journal of your psychedelic experiences.
• Share your experiences with your friends or the community. Reports are peer-reviewed by community to ensure quality.
• Integrate your experiences by discussing them with fellow psychonauts and professional therapists.
• Advanced search functionality by substance and keywords. Anonymous statistics can beused for scientific research.

Global organisations directory

• A community managed global directory of organisations related to psychedelic experiences.
• Connect people with honest organisations to stay updated on meetings, events and retreats.
• Collect reviews by the community to create an unbiased image of the organisations.
• Promote sustainable projects to help indigenous communities.
• Issue warnings for organisations linked to abuse or dishonesty.

Support Psychedelics Today by becoming a Patron Show Notes/Links

• Psychedelic Experience
• Erowid 
• The Aftercare Project
• Psilohuasca 
• Netherland Retreats

About Tim Cools

Tim lives in Belgium as a professional software developer/social entrepreneur. With his latest project, PsychedelicExperience.net, he aims to reduce harm and stigma associated with the use of psychedelics, and to support psychedelic research. Driven by some profound experiences, he hopes to make psychedelics more accessible in a safe way.  

Download Nicholas Powers Ph.D. is a poet, journalist, and Associate Professor of English, SUNY Old Westbury. Nick joins us to talk about psychedelics, race, cultural diversity, and the future of psychedelics. Race and diversity within the psychedelic community has been a hot topic lately, and it is an important topic to continue discussing and examining. Unfortunately, the community is exclusive to people of privilege and power, which shows some concern when it comes to the future direction of this field, as it leaves out diverse ideas and beliefs from people from other cultural backgrounds and communities. What are your thoughts on this topic? Leave us a comment below! Show Topics

• Diversity in research
• Monica Williams - Diversity in the psychedelic research
• The trust between diverse populations and institutional research
• History of forced sterilizations and the Tuskegee syphilis study
• The importance of storytelling and authentically listening to stories of people from other cultural backgrounds
• Start your own psychedelic community
• Psychedelics and intergenerational trauma
• Including minority groups into the psychedelic community

https://vimeo.com/237699822 Nick's Book The Ground Below Zero: 9/11 to Burning Man, New Orleans to Darfur, Haiti to Occupy Wall Street Links/Show Notes

• Nick's Blog
• SUNY Old Westbury
• Nick's Writing on "The Indypendent"
• Race-Based Trauma: The Challenge and Promise of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy
• Tuskegee syphilis experiment

About Nicholas Powers, Ph.D. Nicholas Powers is a poet, journalist and professor. His books, The Ground Below Zero and Theater of War, was published by Upset Press. He has written for The Indypendent, Alternet and The Village Voice. He has spoken and read all over the country. He teaches literature at SUNY Old Westbury and co-hosts the long running New York City College Poetry Slam at the Nuyorican Cafe. If you would like to work with Nick, please contact [email protected].

Download Nicholas Powers Ph.D. is a poet, journalist, and Associate Professor of English, SUNY Old Westbury. Nick joins us to talk about psychedelics, race, cultural diversity, and the future of psychedelics. Race and diversity within the psychedelic community has been a hot topic lately, and it is an important topic to continue discussing and examining. Unfortunately, the community is exclusive to people of privilege and power, which shows some concern when it comes to the future direction of this field, as it leaves out diverse ideas and beliefs from people from other cultural backgrounds and communities. What are your thoughts on this topic? Leave us a comment below! Show Topics

• Diversity in research
• Monica Williams - Diversity in the psychedelic research
• The trust between diverse populations and institutional research
• History of forced sterilizations and the Tuskegee syphilis study
• The importance of storytelling and authentically listening to stories of people from other cultural backgrounds
• Start your own psychedelic community
• Psychedelics and intergenerational trauma
• Including minority groups into the psychedelic community

https://vimeo.com/237699822 Nick's Book The Ground Below Zero: 9/11 to Burning Man, New Orleans to Darfur, Haiti to Occupy Wall Street Links/Show Notes

• Nick's Blog
• SUNY Old Westbury
• Nick's Writing on "The Indypendent"
• Race-Based Trauma: The Challenge and Promise of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy
• Tuskegee syphilis experiment

About Nicholas Powers, Ph.D. Nicholas Powers is a poet, journalist and professor. His books, The Ground Below Zero and Theater of War, was published by Upset Press. He has written for The Indypendent, Alternet and The Village Voice. He has spoken and read all over the country. He teaches literature at SUNY Old Westbury and co-hosts the long running New York City College Poetry Slam at the Nuyorican Cafe. If you would like to work with Nick, please contact [email protected].

Download Dr. Matt Brown of the Chicago Psychedelic Club and the Psychedelics and the Future of Psychiatry Meetup joins us to talk about his interests and involvement with psychedelics. We talk about how Dr. Brown got interested in psychedelic research and how he got involved in forming two psychedelic meet up groups in Chicago. Leave us a comment below and let us know what you think! Show Notes

• Perspectives on psychedelics
• Creating a psychedelic meetup
• Building community
• Introducing more voices into the conversation besides medical professionals and students - artists and other creative people can help to provide various insights into the psychedelic conversation.

Show Links

• Dr. Matt Brown's Website
• Chicago Psychedelic Club
• Psychedelics and the Future of Psychiatry

If you enjoy the show, please consider donating to our Patreon! About Dr. Matt Brown D.O., M.B.A. Dr. Brown Specializes in whole health psychiatry. This approach differs from many other practitioners who more and more practice symptomatic management when it comes to mental health. Dr. Brown takes the perspective that the body has the ability to heal itself, but from time to time may need assistance through balancing the things that are important for physical health that are also important from mental health. These include, sleep, diet, exercise, meditative/spiritual practice and cultivating positive social relationships. Dr. Brown also has a strong command of how to balance vital nutrients in our body with the aid of supplementation to augment traditional psychopharmacological therapies. Dr. Brown's method is aimed primarily at the treatment of Depression and Anxiety as well as other mood disorders and ADHD. Dr. Brown is a specialist in the treatment of OCD specifically and is board certified by the ABPN in both adult as well as child and adolescent psychiatry. ​

Download Dr. Matt Brown of the Chicago Psychedelic Club and the Psychedelics and the Future of Psychiatry Meetup joins us to talk about his interests and involvement with psychedelics.  We talk about how Dr. Brown got interested in psychedelic research and how he got involved in forming two psychedelic meet up groups in Chicago. Leave us a comment below and let us know what you think! Show Notes

• Perspectives on psychedelics
• Creating a psychedelic meetup
• Building community
• Introducing more voices into the conversation besides medical professionals and students - artists and other creative people can help to provide various insights into the psychedelic conversation.

Show Links

• Dr. Matt Brown's Website
• Chicago Psychedelic Club
• Psychedelics and the Future of Psychiatry

If you enjoy the show, please consider donating to our Patreon! About Dr. Matt Brown D.O., M.B.A. Dr. Brown Specializes in whole health psychiatry. This approach differs from many other practitioners who more and more practice symptomatic management when it comes to mental health. Dr. Brown takes the perspective that the body has the ability to heal itself, but from time to time may need assistance through balancing the things that are important for physical health that are also important from mental health. These include, sleep, diet, exercise, meditative/spiritual practice and cultivating positive social relationships. Dr. Brown also has a strong command of how to balance vital nutrients in our body with the aid of supplementation to augment traditional psychopharmacological therapies. Dr. Brown's method is aimed primarily at the treatment of Depression and Anxiety as well as other mood disorders and ADHD. Dr. Brown is a specialist in the treatment of OCD specifically and is board certified by the ABPN in both adult as well as child and adolescent psychiatry. ​

Download Dr. Scott Shannon joins Psychedelics Today to share his experience and insights about ketamine therapy used in conjunction with integrative psychiatry. Dr. Shannon has been working with ketamine for the past year within his psychiatry practice and has found tremendous benefit in using this medicine for particular disorders. Dr. Shannon is also part of the Fort Collins MAPS MDMA-assisted psychotherapy Phase 3 study, which is just starting up. Show Topics/Notes

• What is ketamine?
• Mechanisms of action of ketamine.
• What is the ketamine experience like?
• Three types of administration methods - IV, IM, and oral
• MDMA-assisted psychotherapy and the MAPS Phase 3 trials
• Transpersonal experiences fostering change and transformation
• Critiques of traditional psychiatry.
• Patient with 40 years of depression became a new person no longer suffering from depression.
  • Electro Convulsive Therapy was almost an option, thankfully avoided.
• The importance of music with ketamine therapy and other psychedelics

Scott Shannon: Cannabidiol in the Treatment of Anxiety [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1TvU6Hqf2U] Show Links

• Wholeness Center
• WavePaths.net

Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America Hardcover – April 13, 2010 Audio version About Scott Shannon, MD Dr Scott Shannon's Bio from Wholeness Center I decided to become a psychiatrist in high school after my first psychology class. The amazing capacity of the human mind simply astounded me. I wanted to help people by using this power of the mind. What intrigued me the most then (and now) is that our human potential remains only partially understood. I am still on that journey of discovery about our true potential. To this end, I resonate with the theme of empowerment: my greatest day is the day that you have the skills to thrive without my services. I feel blessed with all that I have been given in my life. I have been married for almost thirty years to Suze with two wonderful children, Noah and Sarah. I love to travel the world teaching or just exploring. My nature is relentlessly creative and curious. I love to cycle, snowboard, golf, run, climb, backpack and listen to music. Seamus, my big black Lab, may accidentally show up to work with me occasionally just because he likes people so much. My spiritual life is very important to me and I have meditated for over thirty years. Helping people makes my heart sing. As a child and adolescent psychiatrist, my current focus involves supporting young people to find wholeness and recover their full health in body, mind and spirit. Although I use prescription medication at times, I much prefer to employ natural methods like nutrition, supplements, mind-body skills, acupuncture and a shift in awareness to support the healing process. This approach represents the new field of Integrative Psychiatry. Most importantly, I employ a holistic philosophy to understand people and their struggles. The single most important thing that I have learned in my professional life is to listen well: deeply and intuitively. After this listening, much of my work involves teaching you what I have heard. I founded Wholeness Center to work in collaboration with a team of gifted healers to help you better understand your story. College: University of Arizona Medical School: University of Arizona Internship: Columbia Program, Cooperstown, NY Psychiatric Residency: Columbia Program, Cooperstown, NY Child/Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship: University of New Mexico https://youtu.be/u1TvU6Hqf2U If you liked this episode you may also like these episodes Shane LeMaster – Ketamine Lex Pelger – Psymposia, Ibogaine, Ketamine, Research and Knowing Your Dose