The Psychedelic Society South Africa Podcast

Lee Gayle is an entheogenic researcher and educator passionate about the science and sacred use of psychoactive plants, animals, and fungi. She’s the creator of the Psychedelic Society’s course on Naturally Occurring Psychotropics, where she shares accessible, research-based knowledge on mind-altering medicines and their ritual use. Her work blends deep curiosity, cultural respect, and a grounded approach to self-love and transformation.

The next NATURALLY OCCURRING PSYCHOTROPICS course begins 16th September 2025.

In this 9 week online course:

- Gain essential knowledge for facilitators, space-holders and any curious mind caleld to the psychedelic path

- Deepen your foundational understanding, depth and integrity in this exciting and expanding field

The course includes weekly modules that unlock as you progress, with written content, reading materials, and self-assessment tests to help you engage with the material. We also meet live every Wednesday from 6–8pm (SA time) on Zoom for interactive webinars where we explore the week’s topic in more depth and open the space for questions and discussion.

Topics we cover include:

• The chemistry, history, and cultural use of psychoactive plants, fungi, and animals

• Indigenous knowledge systems and ceremonial use

• Pharmacology, safety, and harm reduction

• Addiction, integration, and ethical considerations

• Case studies, legal context, and emerging research

To receive your certificate, you’ll need to complete all the modules and pass the final exam. The certificate reflects 120 hours of training and is recognised within psychedelic education and harm reduction circles, especially through the Psychedelic Society of South Africa.

Register for this incredible course by visiting www.psychedelicsociety.co.za

Today’s episode is all about our upcoming event Holding Space. 

Holding Space is a 3-Day in-person training workshop that teaches psychedelic care, crisis intervention and psychedelic integration derived from mindfulness and psychotherapeutic approaches, to anyone who wants to learn how to hold space for psychedelic experiences.

We'll be hosting workshops in Johannesburg from 21-23 July and one in Cape Town from 14-16 July.

Sign up or find out more about the event HERE.
And learn more about Nir, Igal and their work HERE.
In this episode, we talk about:

Donaghue Woodman is the Head of Research and Development for CMG Global and Director for CannhealthMD, global pharmaceutical and educational based companies driving acceptance and change in the cannabis and psychedelic medicine space. She has more than 13 years of experience within the Pharmaceutical industry in the public and private sector. She is an MBA graduate, holds a degree in Biochemistry, Honours in Ethnopharmacology and has been awarded a scholarship in 2021 to undertake a Master’s in Psychology through Liverpool John Moores University in the UK. She is now heading the first women’s focused phase 2 psilocybin trial on the African continent.

In this episode:

You can contact Donaghue at [email protected] or 0674006894 and you can find CannSun through their website https://cannsun.com/

In the first part of this podcast we join Sci Care for an intense conversation on how their world works. Sci Care sets up at festivals around the country to care for the victims of trips-gone-wrong. Their expertise outrank general medical teams and their interventions can be life saving. 

In this episode: 

- Founding Sci Care 

- The "Why?" behind Sci Care 

- The school of hard knocks, and personal experiences

- Psychedelic Stigma in South Africa 

- How to hold space for someone going through a difficult trip

- Examples of difficult experiences 

- The Default Mode Network

- Why you should never ask "are you okay?" 

- The perils of being an emergency worker

- How your brain regulates stress

Find Sci Care at https://sci-care.org/ 

In this podcast Nick interviews good friend, Brigitte Heeb. 

Briggs or Mama B is a multi-facetted healer who's goal of guiding people through their ascension process has brought thousands within her frequency. 

Her expertise lay within mushroom ceremonies and breathwork, but are in no way there limited.

There's a beautiful moment in this podcast where Mama B stops us and asks us to take a heartfelt breath. If you're able to suspend your resistance, she plunges you into a sweet moment of serenity. 

In this podcast: 

* The processes of a Briggs-style ceremony.

* Maternal energy and deciding who gets into the ceremony. 

* What are frequencies? 

* The awakened vs the indoctrinated state. 

* How do we balance being a healer without generational teaching? 

* What are lightworkers? 

* Where is the balance between Light and dark? 

* The dangers and gifts of charlotonne healers

* What is channeling, and how to go about it. 

* Light language and more.

Links:

Free Online Psychedelic Breathwork: https://www.bodhibreathwork.com/events

Briggite's Website: https://brigitteheeb.kartra.com/page/about

Jon Mac Gillivray is an renowned mushroom expert, businessman and author in the field of Mycology. 

He is a qualified field guide with vast experience in translating the wilds and has over 20 years of guiding experience and has been hunting fungi for over 14 years. 

Jon is currently the president of the Mycological Society of Southern Africa (MSOSA) and the Chief Strategic Officer for Mycocorp, a company involved in mushroom facility design and production.

In this episode:

* Jon’s personal journey with mushrooms

* Jon’s vision of reconnecting individuals to nature and each other through mushrooms

* Mushrooms role of creating balance in our external and internal ecosystems

* Hunting magic mushrooms in South Africa 

* How foraging enhances your connection to the mushroom medicine 

* Species of magic mushrooms Jon has discovered in South Africa - focus on the Natal Super Strength 

* Empowering others by sharing knowledge in the psychedelic space

* Having fun and connecting to your inner child through magic mushrooms

* Jon’s involvement in the cultivation of the world’s first commercial crop of psilocybin mushrooms in Lesotho

* Challenges involved in mushroom facility design and cultivation

* Benefits of growing your own mushrooms 

* Potency variance within the same species of magic mushroom and improving consistency

Vanessa is a major social justice and cannabis activist and founder of the holistic cannabis organisation Neked in Clarens. Vanessa has struggled throughout her life with various mental health issues and cancers and has used a combination of psilocybin, cannabis, sound medicine and art therapy to heal herself. 

Thank you so much to Vanessa for being on this podcast and for your advocacy and courage in the plant medicine sphere. 

Here’s what we cover in this episode: 

* The havoc that the pharmaceutical industry wreaked on Vanessa’s physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing 

* How psilocybin mushrooms helped Vanessa completely wean herself off of pharmaceutical drugs and heal from her trauma

* Traumatisation during the pandemic and the increasingly imperative role of plant medicine 

* The magic mushroom as the most forgiving, understanding and all-encompassing mother

* How Vanessa healed her cervical cancer using cannabis and psilocybin mushrooms

* Intuitive dosing and the importance of dosage

* How mushrooms can change your life - the importance of intention

* Acknowledging, respecting and embracing the spiritual experience of plant medicines 

* How plant medicine facilitates deeper connection in partnerships

* Official announcement of South Africa’s first full cannabis experience hosted by Neked on the weekend of Human Right’s Day 2022

Find out more about Neked here - https://neked.co.za

Anton and Rhodi-Anne are watchers at Somaland. They organise and facilitate online and in person mushroom journeys alongside Monica Cromhout.

Thank you so much to Anton and Rhodi Anne for being on the podcast and for your unbelievable integrity and humility with which you serve.

Here’s what we cover in this episode:

Find more about Somaland here

If you believe that magic mushrooms shouldn’t be in the same category as heroine and crack cocaine, sign our petition to reschedule psilocybin here (http://psychedelicsociety.co.za/petition/)

Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram

Jean Rossouw is a certified breathwork practitioner, yoga instructor and stress relief facilitator.

In this episode we cover:

Sign up for our FREE ONLINE BREATHWORK SESSION on the 16th of November 

Find Jean’s work at www.bodhibreathwork.com

Or follow him on Instagram @bodhi_breathwork

If you believe that magic mushrooms shouldn’t be in the same category as heroine and crack cocaine, sign our petition to reschedule psilocybin here (http://psychedelicsociety.co.za/petition/)

Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram

Maaz has worked extensively with indigenous plant medicines and knowledge systems. Combining Islamic Sufi Mysticism with the medicine (Nixi-Pae/Ayahuasca) of the native Huni Kuin people from Brazil.

As you’ll hear, Maaz is a man with a life-long calling to work with Ayahuasca, but also to reignite and integrate ancient knowledge systems back into society to reinstate harmony with ourselves and nature.

I first met Maaz at a Nixi-Pae (Ayahuasca) ceremony. I was astounded by his extensive knowledge and wisdom about plants and fungi as well has his ability to articulate the spiritual dimension of the experiences that they bring about.

His ability to remain so centered and composed after drinking copious amounts of Ayahuasca and hold space in the strong, elegant way that he does made me feel like I was Frodo fighting alongside Legolas.

I have since learned that this energy shines through Maaz in all that he does, and I am so grateful that he agreed to share some of it with us in this episode.

In this episode, we talk about:

-  The Intersection of Sufism and Plant Medicine

-  Maaz’ life changing first experience with Ayahuasca, and the journey he’s been on ever since

-  How Maaz Combines the teachings of the Sufi’s and the Huni Kuin

-  The risk of charlatans in the medicine world

-  How to know if you’re being called to serve medicine

-  Ayahuasca vs Mushrooms

-  Why some people don’t have visions in Ayahuasca ceremonies

-  What is surrender and is it the only thing we need to do in ceremony?

-  Maaz recommends some tools for preparation and integration to support journeys