The Psychedelic Therapy Podcast

After the shocking decision of an advisory committee recommendation that the FDA reject MDMA as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, I wanted to speak to someone who understands the difference between clinical trials and private practice. Dr. Jennifer Tippett is a licensed clinical psychologist and Director of Psychotherapeutic Development at atai Life Sciences, where she creates therapeutic protocols and provides facilitator training for psychedelic clinical trials.

On the show, we start with Jennifer’s experience in forensic psychology. Then we discuss the difference between industry trials, academic trials, and private practice. We talk about making novel psychedelics, and if it is possible, or desired, to make a psychedelic that doesn’t have the trip. We also discussed equity and access, including both cultural and financial barriers to psychedelic healing. Jennifer has spent a lot of time considering how one might create a sustainable business model for psychedelic therapy, especially looking at what has been going on in Oregon. As an employee of atai Life Sciences, which is a publicly traded company, Jennifer responds to some criticisms of for-profit psychedelic companies. And finally, we end with her response to the recent FDA advisory finding against using MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jennifer previously directed the Substance Use Disorder Specialty Program at the University of Denver, focusing on addiction and the neurobiology of trauma. Her early career involved working with incarcerated individuals and those with severe mental illness, inspiring her to explore innovative mental health care, including psychedelic medicine. Dr. Tippett studied psychedelics through shamanistic traditions and obtained certifications from Fluence, Polaris, MAPS, and the Integrated Psychiatry Institute. She is also a Level 1 Internal Family Systems provider, dedicated to integrating psychedelics with evidence-based therapies. In her private practice she supports clients with psychedelic integration. 

The views and opinions expressed by Jennifer in this episode are her own and do not necessarily represent those of atai Life Sciences. 

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A year and a half ago, I went on an antidepressant medication, Wellbutrin, which is a dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. After 20 years of plant medicine, meditation, therapy, and other healing modalities, which I still use, I was still experiencing persistent challenges. With the support of my advisors and my doctor, I decided to an antidepressant while maintaining my alternative healing practices. Today on the show I discuss the intersection of psychopharmacology and psychedelics with a psychiatric pharmacist, Ben Malcolm.

On the show, we talk about how Ben became a psychedelic pharmacist and how he created his website, Spirit Pharmacist. We discuss the origins of mental health treatment, the use of psychedelics and psychotropics together, and important contraindications for LSD, psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, and ayahuasca. We cover the process of tapering off antidepressants, the reasons behind it, how it works, and the period needed for tapering. Ben also speaks directly to psychedelic practitioners. This is offered for informational purposes only, and I would direct you to Ben Malcolm's website for more specific answers.

Ben Malcolm is a psychopharmacologist and professor of pharmacy with experience in plant medicine and psychedelics. He helps people get off psychiatric meds for journeys and is available to help you or your clients if you are in the healing arts. Ben Malcolm is a board-certified psychiatric pharmacist with a passion for psychedelic drugs, antipsychotics, antidepressants, and alternative medicines. He offers psychopharmacology consulting, educational courses, and a membership program at his website Spirit Pharmacist.

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Welcome back to the Psychedelic Therapy Podcast. I'm your host, Eamon Armstrong. Today on the show, we're welcoming back Tony Moss. Tony is an artist, producer, and member of the Bird Tribe Music Collective. He is also an ayahuasca facilitator with 30 years of experience and has just released a new album, Joy.

In today's conversation, we discuss the magic and science of medicine music. We talk about the state of medicine work in 2024, why psychedelics change the way we hear music, and the difference between an Icaro, a medicine song, and other genres. We also explore the hymns of Santa Daime, Tony's gospel-inspired music, and his new album, Joy, which turns unexpected genres into medicine music.

Tony is a recording artist, producer, and creative director. Born into a musical family of R&B gospel singers, he was raised in California's psychedelic and spiritual cultures. Inspired by over 25 years of working with plant medicines, Tony combines science, shamanism, and multiple music genres to create music dubbed "Soulful Ceremonial."

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(05:00) - The state of medicine work in 2024

(10:30) - Why do psychedelics change how we hear music

(18:30) - The difference between an icaro and a medicine song

(29:00) - Some songs are medicine but not medicine music

(35:00) - The Hymns of Santo Daime and Tony’s own Gospel inspired song Grateful  

(42:30) - Does speaking without song work?

(50:00) - Tony’s album Joy and making medicine music out of unexpected genres

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Welcome back to the Psychedelic Therapy Podcast. After a hiatus of a year and a half, we're excited to announce our return, thanks to our new sponsors, Hurricane Lotus (formerly Maya, the original sponsor of this show) and Holos Global, we are now back and releasing regular episodes.

On today's show, I’m speaking with Alexander Beiner, author of "The Bigger Picture: How Psychedelics Can Help Us Make Sense of the World." We discuss the roots of the mental health crisis, the role of psychedelics in healing, and what healing actually means according to Beiner. We also explore understanding existential risks and how this relates to psychedelic healing, as well as the ethical dilemmas in psychedelic healing. We conclude our conversation with Alexander's account of his extended state DMT experience at Imperial College London and his belief in the power of the teaching presence.

Alexander Beiner is a writer, cultural commentator, and podcaster. He's one of the founders of Rebel Wisdom, a media and events organization with a quarter of a million subscribers and a focus on making sense of culture and complexity. He's also an executive director of Breaking Convention, Europe's longest-running conference on psychedelic science and culture. He is a leading critical and countercultural voice in the "psychedelic renaissance" and has produced a number of films, articles, and events at the leading edge of the conversation about the potential of psychedelics.

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Today on the show we are discussing the state of psychedelic legislation in the wake of Colorado’s Proposition 22 passing in November. Sharing the most relevant implications for psychedelic therapists and healers we have the best person for the job, MAPS Director of Policy and Advocacy Ismail Lourido Ali.

On the show we discuss legalization vs decriminalization. We look at the different tracks for psychedelic legalization from medicalization to religious exception to regulated adult use. We discuss Oregon’s Bills 109 and 110 exploring “scope of practice,” residency laws, and training reciprocity. We look at Colorado’s Proposition 22 and the two big differences between that and what was passed in Oregon two years ago. We discuss equity initiatives. Ismail shares what legalization efforts look like on the federal level and to close our conversation, he speaks directly to psychedelic healers.

As MAPS’ Director of Policy and Advocacy, Ismail advocates to eliminate barriers to psychedelic therapy and research, develops and implements legal and policy strategy, and supports MAPS’ governance, non-profit, and ethics work. Ismail earned his J.D. at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law in 2016, after receiving his bachelor’s in philosophy from California State University, Fresno. Ismail has previously worked for the ACLU of Northern California’s Criminal Justice & Drug Policy Project, and Berkeley Law’s International Human Rights Law Clinic. Ismail is licensed to practice law in the state of California, and is a founding board member of the Psychedelic Bar Association. Ismail is passionate about setting sustainable groundwork for a just, equitable, and generative post-prohibition world.

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Could enhancing creativity be the key to healing mental illness? Laura Dawn of Grow Medicine, makes a compelling case for the value of psychedelics for enhancing flow.

Our conversation begins with an exploration of eldership and indigenous concepts of reciprocity based on Laura Dawn’s recent trip to Columbia. Laura Dawn gives us practical tools for enhancing creativity and makes the case for psychedelic healing through optimizing flow states. We conclude with how to prevent burnout amongst healers, facilitators, and other leaders in the psychedelic space.

Laura Dawn hosts The Psychedelic Leadership Podcast and is the founder & director of Grow Medicine. She has a Masters in Science specializing in Creativity Studies & Change Leadership and is at the forefront of exploring the intersection between psychedelics and creative cognition for leadership development.

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Can sound help us disconnect from unhealthy habitual patterns? Today’s guest Alexandre Tannous, creator of the Sound Meditation protocol, shows how we can use harmonic frequencies to release trauma, enhance self-awareness and live happier, healthier lives.

Our conversation begins with Alexandre’s explanation of harmonic frequencies and the problem with the quantization of the 12-tone scale. We discuss the value of sound in the context of psychedelic experiences, as well as sound meditation protocols (set and setting). We conclude with issues that need to be addressed when working with these powerful tools.

Alexandre Tannous is an ethnomusicologist, sound therapist, and sound researcher. He is also the Principal Founder of ResonantMind Collective. For the past 22 years Alexandre has been researching the therapeutic and esoteric properties of sound from three different perspectives – Western scientific, Eastern philosophical, and shamanic societal beliefs – to gain a deeper understanding of how sound has been used to affect human consciousness. This search has led him to where art, science, philosophy, and spirituality intersect. He continues to do research on sound, currently works as a sound therapist, teaches the method he has created, and lectures about sound throughout the world.

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The West African psychedelic iboga (and its extraction ibogaine) continues to show an impressive ability to heal addiction and trauma and when done in a safe and ethical manner there is very little risk of harm. Today we are joined by Talia Eisenberg, of Beond, a Mexico-based ibogaine treatment center.

Our conversation begins with Talia’s personal history and how addiction relates to trauma. We discuss ibogaine integration to prevent relapse, and how Beond is designed to be a full-service wellness center for those healing from addiction and trauma. We conclude with ibogaine’s effectiveness in treating eating disorders and behavioral addictions, and Beond’s plan for rolling out future clinics.

Talia Eisenberg is a serial entrepreneur focused on developing industry-leading consumer-facing products & services in the wellness and psychedelics industry. She is the founder of Beond and also the Ibogaine Research Institute, a San Francisco-based nonprofit with the mission to raise funds and awareness required to provide people addicted to opiates the right to choice by legitimizing ibogaine as the most promising solution for opioid addiction interruption.

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In the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life. And as psychedelics are becoming more mainstream, there is an increased interest in using new tools to overcome these disorders. Today, with guest Adele Lafrance, we discuss the promising impact that ayahuasca, MDMA, ketamine, and psilocybin can have on a person who is struggling to heal from disordered eating.

We begin our conversation by discussing the challenges of healing eating disorders and how psychedelics can help. Adele then shares her work with Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), and resources that are specific to clinicians. She speaks on ayahuasca as a healing modality with the unique concerns of ayahuasca preparation diets and the importance of integration. We close with discussing MDMA, psilocybin, and ketamine as treatment options, and the importance of love in healthcare.

Dr. Adele Lafrance is a clinical psychologist, research scientist, author, and developer of Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT). She is a leader in the research and practice of psychedelic medicine, with a focus on ayahuasca, MDMA, psilocybin, and ketamine. Currently, Adele is the clinical investigator and strategy lead for a MAPS-sponsored study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

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We live in a global epidemic of sexual violence and spaces for psychedelic healing are not only not exempt, but there are also factors which make sexual violence more likely in these spaces. Join us for the second half of our two-part series with author and psychotherapist, Laura Northrup, as we understand why violations occur in spaces of healing and what we can do about it.

We open by discussing the spectrum of ethical violations in mental healthcare generally and psychedelic spaces specifically. We go over the conditions, both psychological and cultural, that contribute to harm. We discuss accountability both of individuals involved and the community generally which brings us into a conversation bystandership about deplatforming. We end our conversation with a review of Laura’s new book Radical Healership and how to build a values-driven practice.

Laura is an author, educator, somatic psychotherapist, and podcaster. She is the host and creator of the podcast Inside Eyes, an audio series about people using entheogens & psychedelics to heal from sexual trauma. Her work focuses on defining sexual violence through a spiritual and politicized lens, mentoring healing practitioners in creating a meaningful path, and supporting the spiritual integrity of our collective humanity. Her new book, Radical Healership helps practitioners build a values-driven practice in a profit-driven world.

Disclaimer: This show discusses sexual violence so please go slow and take care of yourself.