CW: talk of rape and sexual dysregulation

Dr. T and the Truth Fairy welcome guests Gam, a sociologist, activist, and soon-to-be craniosacral therapist from Scandinavia, and Rachael, a somatic sex educator, intimacy guide, and body worker in Canada, to the show to talk about solo psychedelic medicine journeys. Both Gam and Rachael have worked in cohorts with Truth Fairy and come from experiences in guiding themselves on solo journeys, and they share what the solo journey is like.

Gam embarked on solo journeys out of necessity, due to a lack of support and community in psychedelic therapy in Scandinavia. He admitted he also wasn’t particularly comfortable in groups so decided to start a long exploration into solo work and appreciates the deep understand he got from both good and bad experiences on his own. Rachael began in group work but explored solo work through the pandemic. Through that she found a certain strength in having external support she could reach out to if solo work became rough.

Dr. T., Truth Fairy, Gam, and Rachael discuss the benefits of ceremony and community, the necessity of inner work and preparation to precede solo journeys, relationship with the erotic self in solo work, and how our systems respond to psychedelics according to need. The conversation sheds light on how bodily integration and internal work are part of psychedelic medicine and the nature of support even within solo journeys.

“Psychedelics are an opportunity to open up our trust in our erotic bodies, to trust that we can hold that incredible life force and not inflict pain or desire in unwelcome spaces, not open ourselves to violation, and just be in the pleasure of our erotic body in community.” -  Rachael

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Sharon Stanley
• Antonio Damasio

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CW: sexual content, trauma

Dr. T and the Truth Fairy welcome Temptress (she/her they/them), sex worker and advocate for psychedelics, to the show to discuss sex positivity and queerness in the psychedelic ecosystem. Temptress shares psychedelic healing and sexual experiences from their own past and addresses the need to define safe and sensitive psychedelic care for trans and queer individuals.

Temptress explains the gender trauma that defined much of her formative years and how psychedelics started her on the path towards healing. She did a lot of solo work, exploring on her own, until she was able to connect with a partner with whom she connected and could share psychedelic exploration. The experiences allowed them to reunify aspects of themselves that had been disconnected due to trauma.

Temptress, Dr. T and Truth Fairy talk about sex positivity within psychedelic healing, psychedelics in rave culture, queer connection and expression, and the need for language in psychedelic healing to shift to better support trans and queer folks as well as gender trauma. Temptress has a lot of personal insight and advocacy knowledge that opens valuable conversations that the psychedelic community needs to have. 

“You know, cisgender folks tend to be able to access health care with much more ease than transgender folks do and queer folks do. Cisgender folks and straight folks alike are able to access employment opportunities, as well as just the sexual economy, a lot easier. And so as practitioners, being educated on these differences can I think really help with establishing a sense of safety for other trans folks and queer folks who are entering those spaces.” -  Temptress

Resources discussed in this episode:

• NARM Training Institute
• Chacruna conferences - Queering Psychedelics
• “Queering Psychedelics: From Oppression to Liberation in Psychedelic Medicine” by Alex Belser PhD, Clancy Cavnar PsyD, and Beatrix Caiuby Labate PhD
• Sensei Kevon Simpson
• Lilla Watson
• José Esteban Muñoz

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CW: End of life care and distress

Dr. T and the Truth Fairy welcome Michelle Gagnon, a registered nurse with a background in medical assistance in dying. She is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of British Columbia where her research focuses on ethics, therapeutic psychedelics, and health care practices, specifically where they intersect. Michelle shares a wealth of health care experience and knowledge with Dr. T and Truth Fairy. 

Michelle’s masters’ research examined moral distress among intensive care nurses losing patients. She explains what moral distress encompasses and how she is researching the potential for psychedelics to help treat folks struggling with it. Dr. T shares a related personal experience that lends perspective to what Michelle is exploring.

In conversation with Michelle Gagnon, Dr. T and Truth Fairy learn about Michelle’s work with non-profit association TheraPsil, her hopes for the legalization of psychedelics like psilocybin for medical use, the limits of the current health care structure, and how ethics must factor into every aspect of research and practice. There is a lot of insightful information imparted about Canadian research into psychedelics and the individuality of approach necessitated by each person’s reaction to medicines in this episode. 

“I think sometimes with psychedelics as it's framed now, there's a lot of excitement about it and sometimes we can get lost in the hype that this could change things drastically. And it could, but it's not an easy cure, like you said, it's not necessarily even a cure or an assist for everybody. It's not right for everyone. It's just the way I kind of see it is it's another potential tool under our umbrella of other tools. And it's so unique in so many ways. And I think it is, like you mentioned, disrupting potentially a lot of the way we do things, which is exciting.” -  Michelle Gagnon

About Michelle Gagnon, RN:

Michelle Gagnon is a registered nurse with a background in emergency critical care and medical assistance in dying. As a by-product of her master's research, which focused on moral distress in pediatric critical care nurses related to the death and dying of child patients, Michelle became interested in the use of psychedelic medicine for distress. She is currently a PhD student at the University of British Columbia with a research focus on the intersection of ethics, therapeutic psychedelics and health care practices. 

Michelle worked for nonprofit TheraPsil to support Canadians seeking access for medical psilocybin through Health Canada. She also spends time volunteering with the Psychedelic Association of Canada's Ethics Working Group to draft and disseminate articles related to pressing ethical topics in the psychedelic field. 

In her free time, Michelle is an avid baker and enjoys reading mystery and fantasy. Through mud and snow she enjoys mountain biking the trails where she lives in the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Tsuut'ina, the Stoney Nakoda nations and the Metis Nation, and all who make their homes in the treaty seven region of Southern Alberta.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Michelle Gagnon on Medium
• TheraPsil
• Psychedelic Association of Canada

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CW: Physical assault, trauma, and suicide

Dr. T and the Truth Fairy welcome Dr. Sharon Stanley - renowned psychotherapist, author, and developer of the psychotherapeutic model of somatic transformation - to the show. They have a searching and revealing conversation with Dr. Stanley about her career and the decades of work she has done with humans and trauma. 

Sharon Stanley describes her work as “relational to the core” and explains how her somatic work uses relationship to at times discern a particular technique. She shares the personal story of how she first became interested in trauma and how her study moved into the idea of somatic transformation from there. Dr. Stanley also names many foundational figures whom she has drawn insight from along the way.

The discussion Dr. T and the Truth Fairy have with Sharon Stanley involve how Sharon keeps boundaries in the relationship formed through trauma bonding, what the intersubjective field is, and the six steps of somatic transformation. Sharon describes what ‘meaning making’ encompasses and she invites Dr. T and Truth Fairy into a brief thematic reflection. This episode sheds light on how much Truth Fairy has learned from Dr. Stanley and why she has been mentioned so frequently on PUNK Therapy. It gives insight into her intentions and careful trauma healing methods.

“When we do have an experience of going through something together, we can have an experience called trauma bonding. And the trauma bonding is a kind of an enmeshment where I feel what you feel, you feel what I feel. And we don't have clear boundaries. And that kind of leads me a little bit further into your question that working professionally with trauma, it's relational, but the boundaries are very clear. And how to make sure [in] those boundaries that there's a time, there's a place, there's a way we will, it's almost like a ritual that we will follow.” -  Dr. Sharon Stanley

About Sharon Stanley, PhD:

Over the past 17 years Sharon Stanley has developed and taught an emerging curriculum for healing trauma to thousands of  mental health practitioners. The educational experience of ST actively engages psychotherapists in exploring emerging research and practices in their own professional and personal lives. Sharon then applies their findings to the ongoing development of Somatic Transformation.

As an instructor for Somatic Transformation, Sharon has had the privilege of teaching psychotherapists from Canada, United States, Middle East and Europe. Her doctoral studies at the University of Victoria involved research into the development of empathy in caregivers working with traumatized children and identifies the transformative effects of ST as an amplification of empathic connection. Sharon has been engaged in a small study group with Dr. Allan Schore, a well-known neuroscientist, for 18 years. She lives and practices psychotherapy on Bainbridge Island, just outside of Seattle.  Her book, Relational and Body-Centered Practices for Healing Trauma: Lifting the Burdens of the Past was published by Routledge in 2016 and is used by psychotherapists interested in a humanistic, developmental, body-centered, relational approach to healing trauma.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• “Relational and Body-Centered Practices for Healing Trauma” by Sharon Stanley, PhD
• Judith Herman
• Edith Stein
• John O’Donohue
• Matryoshka dolls
• Max van Manen
• Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World

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Punk Therapy: website |email

Dr. Sharon Stanley: somatic transformation website | email

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Truth Fairy flies solo again for a deep conversation with Daan Keiman, co-founder of Guild of Guides Netherlands, to explain what a Psychedelic Chaplain is. Daan himself is a Psychedelic Chaplain and guides listeners through what that means, as well as discussing education and training in the realm of psychedelics.

Daan shares details of how he views the work of a Psychedelic Chaplain and what informs his practice. He is trained as an interfaith spiritual caregiver and has a Master’s of Arts in both theology and religious studies. He was trained as a Buddhist chaplain so approaches his role with more of an existential questioning stance. He has psychedelic experiences to share, ones that helped shape his journey. 

Truth Fairy and Daan Keiman explore their experiences as instructors, in education capacities, and what it means to be trained in psychedelic healing. They address psychedelic apprenticeship, legalization, the bottleneck problem, and what Daan will be talking about in his upcoming conference. Their conversation explores crucial ideas at the heart of psychedelic medicine and approaches questions from a healing and helping perspective, informed by their combined experiences.   

“The profession of spiritual care, of offering spiritual care to people while they prepare for or move through or seek to integrate psychedelic experiences, can really provide a lot of pointers, practices and approaches on how to do that ethically, how to do that well. And a term that we could use is existential integrity, which might be understood as, I'm a client, I have a sort of right to be supported in understanding a psychedelic experience, in an existential language and through existential practices that I either consent to and/or that are deeply familiar to me.” - Daan Keiman

About Daan Keiman:

Daan holds an MA in Spiritual Care and is the co-founder of Guild of Guides Netherlands: an organization that seeks to professionalize psychedelic sitting services. His experience with guiding and caring for people in altered states of consciousness spans over a decade; ranging from psychedelic harm reduction work on festivals to his private practice as a Psychedelic Chaplain.

Daan draws from his personal Buddhist practices, psychedelic research and his professional experiences to create compassionate and powerful containers for personal and relational transformation. As an avid explorer of consciousness, he is highly capable of supporting others who are traversing the landscapes of the mind.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• “Thresholds” by John O’Donohue
• Vajrayana Buddhism
• Erowid.org
• De Hollandse Psychonaut
• Communitas
• “Towards psychedelic apprenticeship: Developing a gentle touch for the mediation and validation of psychedelic-induced insights and revelations” by Christopher Timmermann, Rosalind Watts, and David Dupuis

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Punk Therapy: website |email

Dr. T: email  |  Truth Fairy: email

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Truth Fairy appears solo for this special episode in conversation with guests James Clifton, former Lead Facilitator, and Daan Keiman, former Lead Facilitator and Director of Program and Product Development, of the Synthesis Institute. This conversation aims to shed more light on the recent headlines surrounding the termination of employees and contractors by Synthesis as reported recently in psychedelic outlets like Lucid News.

James Clifton and Daan Keiman introduce themselves and get in depth about their own stories of how they came to psychedelic therapy and the formational time period in discussion with Martijn Schirp. They each give much-needed context to discussions about Synthesis - its origins, how the retreats came together, the thought and care put into the approach. They also note when some tensions started and what was behind the tension. 

Truth Fairy leads a very probing and insightful conversation with James and Daan in which they explore the truths and requirements for working with psychedelics, how the attitude of potential clients changed after the release of “How to Change Your Mind” by Michael Pollan, the complexities with diverse practitioners and educational considerations the leadership team constantly considered as Synthesis grew, and the challenge of balancing psychedelic reality against capitalist needs. James and Daan give context and meaning to the headlines, unpacking the impetus behind Synthesis and truths of its journey.   

“I think this may be something that I want to emphasize, because in a lot of what has been published, this is a perspective that is missing, it is that the leadership team itself struggled with the complexity. They had this monumental task ahead of them of bringing together this very diverse group of practitioners with their own perspectives on how to do this work, of navigating all these legal challenges, not to mention all the financial constraints and financial commitments that they made to investors, and to then ride this wave of this massive hype that started to started to emerge. I think it's within that sort of vast growing field - adding a corona pandemic that locked everything down and that required the organization to really make a radical shift in orienting themselves now towards the practitioner training - there's this challenge that comes with both asking yourself as an organization, who are we and what do we do and what do we offer as services.” - Daan Keiman

About James Clifton:

James Clifton has been a guide and ally for hundreds of individuals and groups in a variety of complex settings and environments, including hospice care, conflict zones and navigating non-ordinary states and realms of consciousness in psychedelic spaces for over 35 years.

As a clinically trained, trauma and integrally informed psychotherapist, he works in professional practice with individuals and their direct experiences that come with all the varieties that an extra-ordinary state demands and as it unfolds.

He was part of the core faculty and also retreat team lead at the Synthesis institute from 2019. He continues to consult internationally, advise, lead, supervise and support developing teams and organizations committed to the best emergent practices in psychedelic care.

He lives mostly in the UK on the South Coast and sometimes you’ll find him in the wilds of the South West Coast of Cornwall.

About Daan Keiman:

Daan holds an MA in Spiritual Care and is the co-founder of Guild of Guides Netherlands: an organization that seeks to professionalize psychedelic sitting services. His experience with guiding and caring for people in altered states of consciousness spans over a decade; ranging from psychedelic harm reduction work on festivals to his private practice as a Psychedelic Chaplain.

Daan draws from his personal Buddhist practices, psychedelic research and his professional experiences to create compassionate and powerful containers for personal and relational transformation. As an avid explorer of consciousness, he is highly capable of supporting others who are traversing the landscapes of the mind.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• “Synthesis Founder Confirms Bankruptcy of Dutch Sister Company” by Joseph Gallivan for Lucid News March 20, 2023
• Synthesis website
• “How to Change Your Mind” by Michael Pollan
• Bayo Akomolafe

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Dr. T: email  |  Truth Fairy: email

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Dr. T and the Truth Fairy welcome writer Seth Lorinczi to the show to talk about his writing focus on psychedelics, Jewish intergenerational trauma, and the punk scene of the eighties and nineties. Seth also shares insights from his new book, Fatherland, coming out in Fall 2023.

Seth opens up about all the real life experiences that informed his new book; his marriage crisis, family trauma, how his father left Hungary after the Holocaust and the journey after. There were many disconnected moments of struggle and searching for truths throughout Seth’s story. He found that psychedelic medicines and a connection to the punk scene gave him a much-needed creative outlet and lightness.

The discussion Dr. T and the Truth Fairy have with Seth Lorinczi is honest, raw, and deeply interrogative of his father-son dynamic, what he views as the link between psychedelic healing and punk, the truths about the Holocaust confronted in his father’s story, and what the journey through psychedelic therapy looks like. It’s a powerful episode, not to be missed.

“I mean, some people who've researched ayahuasca and DMT in particular, the active molecule suggests that those who drink it are essentially disconnected from time’s forward flow. That time can sort of pool and eddy around you. And any of us who have worked with that medicine know that there is a sense of forward-looking and backwards-looking through the generations, connecting with those who came before, connecting with those who will come later. It's sort of like time has been suspended.” -  Seth Lorinczi

About Seth Lorinczi:

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but raised in Washington, D.C., Seth Lorinczi is a writer and musician. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, he participated in the punk scene that centered largely around Dischord Records. 

In addition to writing for nonprofits and the music, food, and cannabis industries, Seth writes nonfiction. He’s currently at work on a memoir exploring the threads embedded in his family by anti-Semitism, the trials of immigration, and the Holocaust.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Seth Lorinczi
• “Fatherland: A Post-Holocaust Psychedelic Memoir”by Seth Lorinczi
• Dr. Gabor Maté

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Punk Therapy: website |email

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Dr. T and the Truth Fairy celebrate their one year podcast anniversary! A return to their original format of just them in an enlightening conversation marks the occasion. In an open and heartfelt discussion, they share new discoveries about medicine use in their personal and professional journeys. 

Truth Fairy tells of her recent ayahuasca medicine sessions with a shaman friend and how she pushed through a difficult year and deep-set trauma revelations. She arrived at a very beautiful place of realization for herself. Dr. T dives into more detail about what his PhD studies are focused on and the insights he is gaining from the studies.

This episode is a wonderful example of the bond between Dr. T and Truth Fairy and the intimate conversations they share with their listeners. They reveal personal moments, discuss new understandings of medicine, unpack therapy in general as well as their own therapeutic approaches to healing, and even reveal some of the exciting guests who will join the show in future episodes.

“That idea that allowing thoughts to come in, allowing them to simply be there and not try to push them away or pretend they're not there or pretend that the fear isn't there, but to invite it in and invite it closer and get curious about its energy, you know?” -  Truth Fairy

“Yeah. To be a witness to the transference without kind of getting totally caught up in the enactment and without rejecting what's happening and just getting curious with yourself like, wow. Oh, wow. Okay. I'm feeling a bit of resentment here, a bit of anger or something.” - Dr. T

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Ojibwe writer Richard Wagamese
• Sharon Stanley, PhD
• Bessel van der Kolk, MD
• “The Ethics of Caring” by Kylea Taylor
• Brené Brown audiobooks
• Scott Thompson

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It’s just Dr. T and the Truth Fairy, like in the early episodes, and the two reconnect with Truth Fairy interviewing Dr. T about his PhD. Now in his third year, he dives into what he’s researching and working on in response to Truth Fairy’s insightful questions.

Dr. T tells Truth Fairy that the current working title of his PhD subject is “Psychedelic Healing and Interpersonal Neurobiology: A Qualitative Integration”. Truth Fairy digs into what the subject means and how Dr. T views interpersonal neurobiology. Their conversation reveals Dr. T’s thoughts and the purpose behind his study in a very honest way.

The discussion Dr. T and the Truth Fairy have through the course of the interview weaves through topics of psychedelics and manifestations, relationship with one’s body, the burden placed on therapists, schema therapy, Dr. T’s term of “embeddedness”, and beyond. This is a revealing discussion between friends that opens up truly fascinating things to ponder.

“That speaks to that aspect of embeddedness which is that we're embedded in a natural environment, and that our system mirrors and reflects the systems around us as well, like the shell and the inner ear and also just the biology of ourselves. You look at a plant cell, you look at a human cell, and there is a lot of similarity there. There's some uniqueness, but we share a common ancestry with all life on earth, and we are so, so connected.” -  Dr. T

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Dr. Dan Siegel
• Antonio Damasio

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Dr. T and The Truth Fairy welcome special guest Sky Otter, founder of Sacred Earth Network and author of “Wild Earth, Wild Soul: A Manual for an Ecstatic Culture”, to the podcast to share his teaching and experience. Sky leads listeners into Siberian shamanism, the raw vitality of the environment, and the connectedness of our healing journeys.

Sky tells Dr. T and the Truth Fairy about his awakening into realizing the power of life when he was on the New York subway en route to a peace rally in Central Park. He has pursued peacefulness, connectedness to the natural world, and the embracing of wildness in soul since. Sky believes we need to embrace Indigenous and Aboriginal teachings far more deeply.

The discussion Dr. T and the Truth Fairy have with Sky Otter is soul-searching and beautiful. They explore the dominator worldview and the need to regain connectedness with each other and the earth, they discuss Sky’s time in Russia and the ongoing situation in Russia and the Ukraine now, and Sky describes the awe of a Siberian shamanic fire circle. Healing and connectedness truly are the focus of this episode and many vulnerable and inspiring moments are shared.

“Us smart Westerners need to sort of put aside those big brains a little bit and, not losing our faculty for critical thinking, but just saying, wait a minute, I don't really know everything here and all that stuff I was taught, you know, I'll take it with a grain of salt. And I'll just humble myself before Mother Earth and the Aboriginal people and learn from the earth and learn from them.” -  Sky Otter

About Sky Otter:

Sky Otter formerly known as Bill Pfeiffer is the founder of Sacred Earth Network (SEN) which implemented leading edge visions for over 25 years. In that time, Sky made Russia a second home having traveled there 44 times assisting the environmental and indigenous movements through SEN. This has given him a rare cross-cultural perspective. He has also led hundreds of spiritual ecology workshops, including men’s and breath work.  He has 25 years of experience in Re-evaluation Counseling and Vipassana meditation, and has undergone extensive training with Siberian shamans. Sky has partnered with and designed experiential workshops with Joanna Macy, John Perkins, Llyn Roberts, Cathy Pedevillano, and John Seed. He has also spent much time in the US Southwest learning about Native medicine ways and the crucial importance of the petroglyphs and pictographs. His  book, “Wild Earth, Wild Soul: A Manual for an Ecstatic Culture” has been met with high acclaim.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Sacred Earth Network
• "Wild Earth, Wild Soul: A Manual for an Ecstatic Culture" by Sky Otter 
• Rainer Maria Rilke
• “Ishmael” by Daniel Quinn
• Amanita muscaria
• Siberian Shamanic drum
• “Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations” by Richard Wagamese

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Punk Therapy: website |email

Sky Otter: website

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