Adventures Through The Mind

Swimming In The Sacred: Wisdom From The Psychedelic Underground | Rachel Harris


Listen Later

Rachel Harris, PhD joins us to talk about her new book, Swimming In The Sacred

Swimming in the Sacred offers a revelatory look into the past half-century of psychedelics use via in-depth interviews Harris conducted with women elders who have worked underground guiding sacred entheogenic journeys to cultivate insight, healing, and spiritual development.   

Specifically, we talk about working with unseen worlds and unseen others; thin veils, absorption, and being accidentally overdosed by psychedelics; the uncanny connection between guide and journeyer during ceremony; and how psychedelic guiding work is NOT therapy and how therapy and guiding are two different skill sets.

Furthermore, we talk about the complexity of good dosing; the value of lower doses and the risks of putting larger doses on a pedestal; the strange emerging phenomenon of “competitive ego deathing”; and learning to work with life in a bigger way by learning to let our psychedelic insights work on us over time.

We talk about the risks of harm and abuse in both under- and above-ground psychedelic therapy; the difference between certification and qualification; how we lose our capacity to properly skill psychedelic guides in our rush to certify as many as possible to meet a massive demand; how to assess if a provider is trustworthy and skilled; and why psychedelic therapists NEED to experience psychedelics themselves.

... For links to Rachel's work, full show notes and supportive materials, and a link to watch this episode in video, head to bit.ly/ATTMind179

 

*** FULL TOPICS BREAKDOWN BELOW**>>> Episode Art is a modified version of La Medicina Vive En Mi by the incredible Luis Tamani

 

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

  • Patreon: https://patreon.com/jameswjesso
  • Paypal Donation: https://www.paypal.com/biz/fund?id=383635S3BKJVS
  • Tip Me on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/jameswjesso
  • Merchandise:  https://www.jameswjesso.com/shop/
  • More Options: https://www.jameswjesso.com/support
  • Newsletter:  https://www.jameswjesso.com/newsletter
  • Telgram Channel:  https://t.me/jameswjesso

*** Extra BIG thanks to my patrons on Patreon for helping keep this podcast alive!

Especially my $23+ patrons, Andreas D, Ian C, Yvette FC, Alex F, Eliz C, Nick M, Joe A, Nanci BF, Heather S, and Heartwood Mushrooms —— 

 

Episode Breakdown

  • (0:00) Opening
  • (4:08) Guest Bio
  • (6:23 ) Patreon thanks | Support The Show
  • (7:55) Interview begins
  • (10:08) The research behind Swimming In The Sacred
  • (12:10) Focusing on the value of the wisdom of women guides, specifically
  • (14:22) How women have been doubly silenced in psychedelic circles
  • (21:11) These guides aren’t therapists; their work is not therapy
  • (24:14) The capacity to work with unseen worlds is not necessarily available to all of us
  • (29:21) Thin veils, absorption, and being accidentally overdosed by psychedelics
  • (30:57) The complexity of good dosing | “Competitive Ego Deathing”
  • (34:11) Therapists DO NOT need to dose with their client
  • (34:44) Psychedelic therapists NEED to experience psychedelics | sitting and therapy are separate skills
  • (41:47) The uncanny connection between guide and journeyer during ceremony
  • (45:20) Modern psychedelic research is lacking collaboration with the wisdom of the underground
  • (49:40) We lose capacity for skillfulness in psychedelic guidance when we rush to certify psychedelic therapists
  • (53:18) The difference between certified and qualified
  • (53:52) What to ask a psychedelic guide to determine if they are trustworthy
  • (55:28) What is lost when psychedelics become a mainstream institution
  • (56:14) Psychedelic guidance is not about symptom reductions
  • (57:51) Addressing the risk of abuse in psychedelic therapy
  • (1:07:27) Therapists, heal thyself | “Waking up” does not amount to “cleaning up”
  • (1:08:51) Waking up, Cleaning up, Growing up, Looking around
  • (1:11:13) Working with life in a bigger way
  • (1:13:59) The value of lower doses and the risks of putting larger doses on a pedestal
  •  (1:24:29) The strange trend of overdosed microdosing supplements
  • (1:25:40) Psychedelic insights work on you over time, if you support them in doing so
  • (1:34:03) Be careful not to psychologize spiritual experiences
  • (1:39:56) Discerning between a “message from the medicine” and ego projection
  • (1:42:51) Psilocybin-assisted Therapy Vs Therapy-assisted Psilocybin
  • (1:44:57) Advice for people who want to become psychedelic therapists
  • (1:47:09) Advice for therapists who want to start providing psychedelic therapy
  •  (1:48:07) Ketamine Therapy is NOT Psychedelic Therapy
  • (1:50:50) Advice for people who want to become underground guides
  • (1:52:43) Advice for finding a psychedelic guide you can trust
  • (1:54:27) Advice for people who want to develop a life practice with psychedelic plants
  • (1:56:41) “Swimming In The Sacred” comes from Maria Sabina
  • (1:57:58) Follow-up links
  • (1:58:55) Closing

 

Rachel's other interviews on Adventures Through The Mind

  • Integrating Ayahuasca (and "her" voice in your head) w/ Rachel Harris Ph.D. ~ Ep. 63
  • What Psychedelic Can Teach Us About Dealing With Crisis - Psychedelic Café 2
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Adventures Through The MindBy James W. Jesso

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

199 ratings


More shows like Adventures Through The Mind

View all
Ram Dass Here And Now by Ram Dass / Love Serve Remember

Ram Dass Here And Now

2,570 Listeners

Aubrey Marcus Podcast by Aubrey Marcus

Aubrey Marcus Podcast

3,987 Listeners

Mindrolling with Raghu Markus by Be Here Now Network

Mindrolling with Raghu Markus

502 Listeners

Buddha at the Gas Pump by Rick Archer

Buddha at the Gas Pump

625 Listeners

THIRD EYE DROPS by Michael Phillip

THIRD EYE DROPS

1,242 Listeners

Psychedelics Today by Psychedelics Today

Psychedelics Today

560 Listeners

Living Myth by Michael Meade

Living Myth

971 Listeners

The Psychedelic Podcast by Third Wave

The Psychedelic Podcast

299 Listeners

This Jungian Life Podcast by Joseph Lee, Deborah Stewart, Lisa Marchiano

This Jungian Life Podcast

1,569 Listeners

Ghost of a Podcast: Astrology & Advice with Jessica Lanyadoo by Jessica Lanyadoo

Ghost of a Podcast: Astrology & Advice with Jessica Lanyadoo

4,211 Listeners

The Emerald by Joshua Schrei

The Emerald

963 Listeners

Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories by Craig Heacock MD

Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories

465 Listeners

Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation podcast by Mark Plotkin, Ph.D.

Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation podcast

262 Listeners

Pulling The Thread with Elise Loehnen by Elise Loehnen

Pulling The Thread with Elise Loehnen

1,045 Listeners

Sounds of SAND by Science and Nonduality

Sounds of SAND

110 Listeners