Stand In The Circle

Dr. Franklin King joins Dr. Rosalind Watts for a wide-ranging conversation about the realities of psychedelic therapy, beyond the hype. They explore Franklin's research on psilocybin for IBS, MDMA for chronic pain and fibromyalgia, and group MDMA therapy for veterans with PTSD. The conversation challenges the "miracle cure" narrative around psychedelics and digs into how much actual work is involved, the importance of integration, and why expectations shape outcomes.

Topics include

• Franklin's path from skepticism to psychedelics via MAPS training in 2016
• Psilocybin for IBS:  unexpected findings on sleep and heart rate
• MDMA for fibromyalgia and chronic pain using hyperscan brain-to-brain imaging
• Group MDMA therapy for veterans; ketamine paired with Fireside Project coaching
• Why psychedelics aren't a panacea,  and the danger of "miracle cure" media narratives
• How expectations shape outcomes; the concept of "work" measured in years, not weeks
• Historical psychedelic research (1950s–60s)- psycholytic models, Thorazine, and Franklin's paper database project
• Psychedelics and anxiety in 2026; microdosing; connectedness as the true outcome
• Cost, accessibility, and the Oregon psilocybin model
• Listener question on phobias; The Pearl Dive as a preparation tool; holotropic breathwork

The Pearl Dive is a ~30-minute guided imagery journey created by Dr. Rosalind Watts, originally used to prepare participants in the Psilocybin for Depression trials at Imperial College London. In this episode, Franklin describes how it was used in the IBS study to give participants a non-drug "dry run" of the vulnerable, eyes-closed inner state before their medicine session.

It's available to purchase from acerintegration.com/the-pearl-protocol — £7/month for personal use (includes "The Pearl Dive" for preparation and "Planting a Pearl as a Seed" for integration), or £30/month for small clinic access. ACER also runs free live virtual workshop versions,  check their events page for upcoming dates. Next event is on the 11th of November 2026- sign up here https://acerintegration.com/acer-live-events/pearl-dive

In this week’s episode I talk to ACER members, Sin and Indira about their personal experiences with anxiety, and how, in different contexts, psychedelics can either ease or amplify it.

Indira has lived with IBS-D for thirty years. She now believes that, for her, the condition was rooted in years of pushing anxiety down rather than feeling it and listening to it. After trying many treatments, it was psychedelics and learning to communicate with her gut that finally worked.

My second guest, Sin, began experiencing anxiety and panic attacks after taking part in a psychedelic clinical trial of 5-MeO-DMT for depression. Her depression lifted but the anxiety arrived afterwards, leading her to seek her own care, communities and support network.

Together, these stories show how psychedelics can interact with anxiety in very different ways, depending on context, preparation and support. Next week we will hear from two clinicians to explore this from a clinical and research perspective.

Apply to join ACER: https://acerintegration.com/apply-now
The next cohort of applications close on the 26th of September.

What you hear on this podcast is first-hand experience. Stories, not advice. Not medical advice, not any kind of advice. In our ACER sharing circles, the ethos is that we share our stories and others listen, and nobody gives advice, because what's right for one person is wrong for another. Sometimes in this podcast I'll tell you what research says, or what  guidelines say, and this might be a starting point for deeper reflections and conversations with people who know you and can help you find your own path.  A word on psychedelics: they are absolutely not for everyone. They can cause real harm when they aren't handled safely.

Books/media mentioned: Michael Pollan - How to Change Your Mind; Netflix Documentary - How to Change Your Mind

5-MeO-DMT support:
James W. Sanders and Dr. Bianca Sebben are seeking to connect with those interested in joining a participant network for individuals who were administered 5-MeO-DMT as part of a research study. The group has been developed in response to participants contacting us seeking additional support with integration following their studies, however they also welcome participants who may not be seeking support but still wish to share with others about their experience of the study. The group will provide avenues to share your perspectives, find support if needed, and may create opportunities for participant perspectives to play a greater role in shaping standards of preparation, dosing, and integration in future research and clinical practice. To connect with them and have your say about the potential group format and activities, please complete the form below.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc-94GZsY0nK15uHHglsCTQE9XF1ZN1E9qAUG0T_jHycvvKaA/viewform?usp=dialog
You can also contact [email protected] with any questions.

Submit a question for a future episode: https://forms.gle/JgJaAjDRbowAcyWZ9

This week Ros answers the question: "I have incredibly supportive friend relationships with five people, but none of them know each other. It feels like individual community, because I am the link to everyone, each from different parts of my life. Does this count as a circle? How do I move from this to a true circle to stand in?” 

Ros explains how circles contain two key ingredients, fun and support; either of which can be a great place to start when shifting a collection of separate friendships into a true circle to stand in.

When starting with fun: you could get all five friends in one place, once, with no agenda. Perhaps in a woodland cabin, a big kitchen table, or a call if that's easier. It doesn't have to be a wedding or a funeral to be worth doing. 

Or start with support: you could use The Hologram framework, a peer care structure from artist Cassie Thornton, where each person in a small circle holds a different part of one person's life, then you rotate. In ACER we open a Hologram space to members after being with us for seven months. Or you could do a year together: using the Twelve Trees as a shared structure, with the option to train afterwards to run your own local circle. Like Ros's Sapwood Circle, the twelve-tree group Ros started in her garden in Frome, where none of them knew each other before they began.

If you are interested in joining ACER please note that applications for the October cycle close on Thursday 1st October.

Please note: A change from next month: Stand in the Circle moves to fortnightly. Two episodes per terrain instead of four. The first with ACER community members who have lived it, the second with researchers and practitioners. Questions get answered as we go along. 

Next month the terrain is anxiety.

Links: 

Cassie Thornton, The Hologram: https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745343327/the-hologram/

Cassie Thornton, It's Too Late. Do It Anyway!, which includes a Hologram starter kit: https://thickpress.com/product/its-too-late-do-it-anyway-a-book-about-being-a-cultural-worker-in-the-apocalypse-a-hologram-starter-kit/

Submit a question: https://forms.gle/JgJaAjDRbowAcyWZ9

Apply to join ACER:  https://acerintegration.com/apply-now 

Emma, Margot, and Hattie.  Emma talks about  navigating perimenopause and autism. She lives in Canada where microdosing is legal, and found support through the careful use of tinctures.  Margot had almost ten years of perimenopause before menopause, in a new town, sent from doctor to doctor with nobody telling her what was going on. Her medicine was finding a circle of crones. Hattie is near the end of a seven year perimenopause and chose not to take HRT, with a really interesting and thoughtful perspective. 

Apply to join ACER: https://acerintegration.com/apply-now. Next cohort applications close at the end of September. Half price financially supported places open until  1 September. 

What you hear on this podcast is first-hand experience. Stories, not advice. Not medical advice, not any kind of advice. In our ACER sharing circles, the ethos is that we share our stories and others listen, and nobody gives advice, because what's right for one person is wrong for another. Sometimes in this podcast I'll tell you what research says, or what  guidelines say, and this might be a starting point for deeper reflections and conversations with people who know you and can help you find your own path.  A word on psychedelics: they are absolutely not for everyone. They can cause real harm when they aren't handled safely. 

Books mentioned: Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom by Christiane Northrup. Hagitude by Sharon Blackie. Wise Power by Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer.

Submit a question for a future Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/JgJaAjDRbowAcyWZ9

Melissa Whippo is a psychedelic psychotherapist and founder of Deva Collective. Their 1st study is a naturalistic observational survey of perimenopausal women who microdose San Pedro. We also talk about PMDD, late ADHD diagnosis, rage, and the crone. Dr Grace Blest-Hopley is a neuroscientist and founder of Hystelica, the 1st research organisation focused on women's biology and psychedelic use. She talks about HRT, why oestrogen and psychedelics may share pathways, and body set. Mikaela de la Myco is a lay womb practitioner working with herbs, water and story. She talks about steams and bajos, and the phrase ‘plant medicine.'

Deva Collective: https://www.devacollective.org Survey eligibility and FAQ: https://www.devacollective.org/faq Melissa's recent article: https://psychedelicstoday.com/2026/08/13/perimenopause-psychedelic-research-2/
Chacruna Institute: https://chacruna.net Hystelica: https://hystelica.com Mikaela de la Myco: https://www.mushwomb.love Mikaela's videos, including yoni steaming: https://www.youtube.com/@mamadelamyco  IAPMD, for PMDD support: https://iapmd.org On microdosing: A Really Good Day by Ayelet Waldman, and Microdosing for Health: Healing and Enhanced Performance by James Fadiman and Jordan Gruber.

FREE EVENTS TO GO DEEPER: Stand in the Circle webinar: https://acerintegration.com/stand-in-the-circle-webinar-lp
Superblooming the Aftermath, Thursday 3 September, 20:00 to 21:30 (UK): https://acerintegration.com/acer-live-events/event-two-57yhe-j9hxt-sps5t-9n39m The Orison Tree, a free 15 minute tree journey: https://acerintegration.com/meditations-and-guides Apply to ACER Integration: our next Cohort starting in October https://acerintegration.com/apply-now

Ask Ros a question for a future podcast episode:  https://forms.gle/jVcGniTN3uS1bjz18

Most of us reached perimenopause with no idea what it was. In this episode I go through what's actually happening, tell my own story:  BRCA, surgical menopause, PMDD, and a conversation in a taxi that changed what happened to my body.

Content warning: the second half discusses violence against women, including sexual violence, and the Gisèle Pelicot case. 

This podcast is first-hand experience: stories, not advice. Not medical advice, not any kind of advice. In ACER sharing circles we share our stories and nobody gives advice, because what's right for one person is wrong for another. Psychedelics come up on this podcast because that's my background. Nothing here is an encouragement to use them. If you disagree with anything you hear this month, write in. I'll raise it in the Q&A at the end of the month.

If you're struggling: Your GP, first. Samaritans (UK) 116 123

https://www.samaritans.org The Daisy Network, for premature ovarian insufficiency https://www.daisynetwork.org IAPMD, for PMDD support https://iapmd.org

Links: The Pomegranate Grove, https://psychedelicsociety.org.uk/

www.acerintegration.com
The PMDD Healing Podcast, Charisma Whitefeather

Fawcett Society, Menopause and the Workplace (2022) https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk
NICE guideline NG23, Menopause: identification and management https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23
SWAN, Study of Women's Health Across the Nation https://www.swanstudy.org
UNODC & UN Women, Femicides in 2024 — https://www.unwomen.org
Menopause-specific CBT: the MENOS trials, self help book:  Living Well Through The Menopause: An evidence-based cognitive behavioural guide https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/How-to-Have-a-Magnificent-Midlife-Crisis/Kate-Muir/9781398525504 (Another great self help book)

PLUS link to NEW stand in the circle webinar  https://acerintegration.com/stand-in-the-circle-webinar-lp

Submit a question for Ros to answer next month: https://forms.gle/jVcGniTN3uS1bjz18

The last episode of our month with cancer, where I answer your questions

1)How to find a circle. 2)How to get into the psychedelic field without lots of money. 3)How to choose a retreat safely.  4)And what non-psychedelic therapies are helpful when walking through cancer.

With Christine Caldwell, founder of End of Life Psychedelic Care, and Dr Ellie Cavalli, clinical psychologist and founder of After Cancer.

LINKS

After Cancer, Dr Ellie Cavalli https://www.thetunbridgewellspsychologist.co.uk/dr-ellie-cavalli
End of Life Psychedelic Care https://eolpc.org/
Survivorship Collective, psilocybin retreats for cancer survivors https://survivorshipcollective.com/
Dr Lauren MacDonald https://drlaurenmacdonald.com/
Maggie's, who run the Where Now? course for after treatment https://www.maggiescentres.org/
Find your local psychedelic society https://globalpsychedelic.org/locator/
Volunteer with Zendo Project https://zendoproject.org/volunteer
Volunteer with PsyCare UK https://www.psycareuk.org/volunteer
Volunteer with Samaritans https://www.samaritans.org/
Free live ACER circles https://acerintegration.com/acer-live-events
Train to offer the twelve trees where you livehttps://acerintegration.com/connect

NB: stewardship training info coming to ACER website soon, in the meantime, just send us a message and we’ll get back to you. 

Submit a question for Ros to answer next month: https://forms.gle/jVcGniTN3uS1bjz18

DIRECTORIES

A starting point, not a substitute for asking the questions in this episode. Most of these are self-listed, and MAPS and PRATI both say openly that they do not verify the credentials of the people on their lists.

End of Life Psychedelic Care connector directory https://eolpc.org/international-psychedelic-connector-directory/
MAPS Psychedelic Integration List https://integration.maps.org/
PRATI, ketamine and psychedelic practitioners https://integration.maps.org/
Psychedelic Support provider network https://integration.maps.org/

Katherine was a guide in the early psilocybin trials at Johns Hopkins. 

Yvan Beaussant is a palliative care physician in Boston. We talk about the circles of care that hold people through serious illness and through losing someone.

Katherine MacLean: https://www.katherinemaclean.org
Midnight Water: https://www.katherinemaclean.org/midnight-water

Being Ground, the forest sanctuary in Vermont: https://www.katherinemaclean.org/being-ground
Yvan Beaussant: https://www.dana-farber.org/find-a-doctor/yvan-beaussant
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies: https://labs.dana-farber.org/psychedelics
The Watts Connectedness Scale: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-022-06187-5

ACER runs free live drop in sessions online: join us, you don't have to say anything, you can just listen: https://acerintegration.com/acer-live-events

ACER applications https://acerintegration.com/apply-now

Submit a question: https://forms.gle/jVcGniTN3uS1bjz18

Looking for a trial in your area: https://clinicaltrials.gov (US), https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk (UK), https://www.anzctr.org.au (AUS)

UK: Macmillan Cancer Support, https://www.macmillan.org.uk, Marie Curie, https://www.mariecurie.org.uk, Cruse Bereavement Support, https://www.cruse.org.uk
US: CancerCare, https://www.cancercare.org If you are in crisis: Samaritans 116 123 or text SHOUT to 85258 (UK). Call or text 988 (US).

We explore connectedness as medicine across 3 levels: connection to self, to others, and to the living world. In this episode we meet two members of the ACER community with two different paths and a shared truth: we are not meant to carry these things alone.

Support: For families caring for a child with cancer: US: Momcology, peer support built by and for caregivers, momcology.org. UK: Young Lives vs Cancer, younglivesvscancer.org.uk. Childhood Cancer Parents Alliance, ccpa.org.uk. For anyone bereaved by suicide: UK: Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide helpline 0300 111 5065. Suicide&Co, suicideandco.org. US: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention loss resources, afsp.org/ive-lost-someone. Alliance of Hope, allianceofhope.org. For families grieving a child UK: The Compassionate Friends, 0345 123 2304. Child Death Helpline, 0800 282 986. US: The Dougy Center, dougy.org. If you are in crisis right now: UK, Samaritans 116 123. US, Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call or text 988.

ACER Integration is a year-long community for people who want to heal in connection, not isolation. https://acerintegration.com/

To submit a question for the podcast https://forms.gle/jVcGniTN3uS1bjz18

Mentioned in this episode: Rebekah trained in psychedelic-assisted therapy with the Integrative Psychiatry Institute (IPI). More at integrativepsychiatryinstitute.com.  Kim took part in a registered psilocybin clinical trial. Anyone wanting to understand what trials are open and where can search by condition and location: US, clinicaltrials.gov. UK, Be Part of Research, bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk. Australia and New Zealand anzctr.org.au. Legal, supervised psilocybin therapy in the US is currently available only through licensed programs in OR and CO, with NM expected to follow. Everywhere else, access remains within research trials.

We explore connectedness as medicine across 3 levels: connection to self, to others, and to the living world. In this episode we meet two members of the ACER community with two different paths and a shared truth: we are not meant to carry these things alone.

Support: For families caring for a child with cancer: US: Momcology, peer support built by and for caregivers, momcology.org. UK: Young Lives vs Cancer, younglivesvscancer.org.uk. Childhood Cancer Parents Alliance, ccpa.org.uk. For anyone bereaved by suicide: UK: Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide helpline 0300 111 5065. Suicide&Co, suicideandco.org. US: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention loss resources, afsp.org/ive-lost-someone. Alliance of Hope, allianceofhope.org. For families grieving a child UK: The Compassionate Friends, 0345 123 2304. Child Death Helpline, 0800 282 986. US: The Dougy Center, dougy.org. If you are in crisis right now: UK, Samaritans 116 123. US, Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call or text 988.

ACER Integration is a year-long community for people who want to heal in connection, not isolation. https://acerintegration.com/

To submit a question for the podcast https://forms.gle/jVcGniTN3uS1bjz18

Mentioned in this episode: Rebekah trained in psychedelic-assisted therapy with the Integrative Psychiatry Institute (IPI). More at integrativepsychiatryinstitute.com.  Kim took part in a registered psilocybin clinical trial. Anyone wanting to understand what trials are open and where can search by condition and location: US, clinicaltrials.gov. UK, Be Part of Research, bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk. Australia and New Zealand anzctr.org.au. Legal, supervised psilocybin therapy in the US is currently available only through licensed programs in OR and CO, with NM expected to follow. Everywhere else, access remains within research trials.