The Psychedelic Therapy Podcast

Today I am speaking to Bia Labate, the Executive Director of Chacruna, a popular psychedelic website and research institution. She is the Public Education and Culture Specialist at MAPS, adjunct professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), and author of over 20 books.

On the show we discuss the mission of Chacruna--to give a voice and platform to people who have been traditionally excluded from the field of psychedelic science. We discuss how psychedelic therapists can become more engaged with the movement and give back to the community. We explore topics of social justice in the field and Bia’s own personal journey coming to California from Brazil. Finally, we highlight how psychedelics can be used for collective and how psychedelic healing is inherently political--from queering psychedelics--to Black Lives Matter.

Bia is a huge proponent of including more diverse voices in the psychedelic community, especially of queer, women/non-binary, Latinx, and indigenous folks in these important and societal-shifting conversations.

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Today I am speaking to Kevin Franciotti, founder of Psychedelics in Recovery, a fellowship of individuals in 12-step programs who wish to use psychedelics and plant medicines as part of their recovery. A passionate enthusiast of psychedelic medicine, Kevin’s work is informed by his own relationship to addiction.

On the show we discuss Kevin’s experience using ibogaine as a treatment for his own opiate addiction and how his work in recovery helped him become a leader in the community.. We talk about the history of Alcoholic Anonymous and other 12-step programs. We explore recovery with a harm-reduction ethos and finally how psychedelic therapists can collaborate with the recovery community.

Kevin is a journalist, a psychedelic researcher, a harm reduction educator, and a substance use recovery advocate.

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Are you curious about psychedelic medicine for addiction and people in recovery?

Today’s guest, Dr. Charles Flores (Vital Puma Integral Recovery), has spent 25 years exploring transpersonal psychology and substance abuse disorders.

On the show we discuss how psychedelic medicine can facilitate breakthroughs in addictive patterns. We talk about “process addiction” and the default mode network and we do so through the lens of pornography and internet addiction. Dr. Flores cautions against seeing psychedelics as a silver bullet for substance abuse issues and that the integration process must be longer and more skillful.

Dr. Flores is a nationally certified psychotherapist and advanced drug and alcohol counselor. He is a professor of Chemical Dependency Studies at Cal State, East Bay and is also the new Psychedelics and Addictions Fellow for the CIIS Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research.

There are no simple answers in addiction treatment, but over the next hour, Dr. Flores helps us better understand the landscape.

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Today I am speaking to a Spiritual Doula, Maria Teresa Chavez. The former Therapeutic Director of Crossroads Ibogaine Treatment Center has gone all in on integration.

On the show we talk about her work at Crossroads, which is now closed, and the particular therapeutic qualities of ibogaine (from the west African Tabernanthe iboga plant) and 5-MeO-DMT (from the Sonoran Desert Toad) which were administered at Crossroads in tandem. We discuss Maria’s own story of healing including the psychedelic San Pedro cactus and the purgative kambo frog. Most importantly we talk about the healing power of nature and meditation and the profound importance of integration.

Maria is a transformational and spiritual doula, a holistic health coach, and an educator with 16 years of expertise in the metaphysical and holistic lifestyle fields. In addition to her work at Crossroads, she is the founder of Sacred Earth Warriors, a transformational healing event and retreat company. Pairing her Peruvian and Venezuelan heritage and background of shamanic plant medicine work, she brings a reverence for the land and aspects of ceremony into all of her offerings.

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Psychedelic medicine is both a science and an art, and Akoni Anthony, co-founder of Maya Health finds his joy at their intersection.

On the podcast we discuss Akoni’s personal relationship to psychedelics including how he connected with his name. We talk about barriers to psychedelic medicine for the Black community and what white healers need to understand to better serve people of color. We talk about measuring the ineffable and why we need to collect data about psychedelic experiences. Finally Akoni emphasizes the importance of striking a balance between science and spirituality.

Akoni is the co-founder and Chief Data Officer of Maya Health, a psychedelic software company that presents the Psychedelic Therapy Podcast. He previously worked in the cannabis sector, leading data for Baker Technologies. Akoni has also served as the Chief Technology Officer for Realm of Caring, a nonprofit in cannabinoid education and research helping over 55,000 families world-wide through observational data.

Maya Health: https://www.mayahealth.com/

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Richard C. Schwartz, is the founder of a style of psychotherapy called Internal Family Systems. IFS is based on the idea that the mind is made up of discrete subpersonalities and that healing occurs when they are brought into harmony. Dick is bullish about psychedelics as a way of accessing and understanding these different subpersonalities or “parts” and believes that IFS can be a helpful topography for anyone doing psychedelic-assisted therapy.

On the show we discuss the IFS system and why it’s particularly good for working with trauma. Dick shares his personal experiences with psychedelic medicines and Eamon shares his own spontaneous IFS work during his iboga journey. We talk about how IFS can inform psychedelic-assisted therapy and why a knowledge of parts is important for the therapist. We talk about indigenous wisdom traditions and the spirit guides of the DMT world. As always, we conclude with Dick’s specific advice to the aspiring psychedelic therapist.

It is an honor to speak to such an affable and studied luminary in the field of Psychology and we are excited to bring you other perspectives beyond the psychedelic community moving forward.

One important note: This podcast, Maya, and I personally support the Black Lives Matter movement. We recognize that the Psychedelic Renaissance has challenges with diversity and we commit to continuing to platform the enormous gifts of BIPOC communities as well as subjects like equal access to psychedelic medicine, healing ancestral trauma, and social justice on this podcast. There are many brilliant melanated voices carrying psychedelic wisdom, if you’d like to nominate a guest for this show, please let us know in the Psychedelic Therapy Facebook group.

LINKS

• IFS Institute: https://ifs-institute.com/
• Richard C. Schwartz, Ph.D: https://ifs-institute.com/about-us/richard-c-schwartz-phd
• “MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy: How Different is it from Other Psychotherapy?” By Michael Mithoefer, MD: https://maps.org/news-letters/v23n1/v23n1_p10-14.pdf

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• :09 - Forthcoming Studies with Internal Family Systems and MDMA, psilocybin, and ketamine.
• :12 - What is IFS and why is it so good for dealing with trauma
• :22 - Dick’s personal experiences with ketamine and MDMA
• :28 - Eamon shares his spontaneous IFS experience during an iboga journey
• :33 - The IFS map of parts including protectors, managers, firefighters, and exiles
• :41 - How a psychedelic therapist can better hold space by being aware of their own parts.
• :47 - The importance of safety for IFS & psychedelic healing
• :54 - IFS through the lens of Ayahuasca and other indigenous wisdom traditions
• :59 - Dick Schwartz’ advice to aspiring psychedelic therapists

Today’s guest is Erica Siegal a co-investigator and psychotherapist for MAPS-sponsored Phase 3 Clinical Trials for MDMA-assisted therapy.

On the show we talk about Erica’s background in social work and how someone interested in psychedelic therapy can get started in the field. We discuss the MAPS protocol for MDMA-assisted therapy including the cost for treatment. We discuss psychedelic integration and whether coaching is a viable path to becoming a psychedelic-assisted therapist. Finally we discuss Erica’s work with harm-reduction from her time with the Zendo Project, MAPS psychedelic peer support organization to her current project NEST: the Network of Emotional Support Teams.

Erica is a a co-Investigator and psychotherapist with New School Research, a sub-investigator on the MAPS-sponsored Phase 3 Clinical Trials. In addition to her work in harm reduction at events, during the COVID-19 Crisis, she is facilitating psycho-educational workshops on trauma and providing low-income crisis support to first responders and essential workers.

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Today’s guest is Tony Moss, a respected teacher and plant medicine advocate who has been working with Ayahuasca for over 25 years.

On the show we discuss the concept of shamanism, as well as issues with ego and integrity that accompany that title. We talk about how someone can become an ayahuasca ceremony leader through apprenticeship and Tony shares his approach to handling “freakouts.” I ask Tony whether it’s better to experience Ayahuasca in the Amazon and we go deep on the importance of integration.

Tony is a musician, artist, and founder of I.AM.LIFE, a non-profit event production project focused on interconnectivity. Tony is a public advocate for the decriminalization and responsible use of all plant medicines and is passionate about the synthesis of indigenous and modern world views.

Tony Moss has lead enough ceremonies in legal jurisdictions to see the patterns that aspiring facilitators must be aware of. There’s no substitute for practical facilitation experience, no matter how much you’ve studied, which is why we need elders like Tony Moss to continue to guide the movement of psychedelic medicine.

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My guest today is Ian-Michael Hébert, co-founder Holos, an organization of holistic healing centers and communities, launching first in Costa Rica.

On the show we discuss a holistic approach to psychedelic medicine. We talk about the retreat model and Ian-Michael’s recommendations globally. He shares his perspective on psychedelic ethics and why it’s so important to be in integrity with local communities.

Born in Alaska, Ian-Michael is the former Director of Projects at Esalen Institute at Big Sur, he holds a Masters in Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies and he is co-founder and CEO of Holos.

Psychedelic healing is holistic. Let’s take this movement forward in a way that best honors the places, people, plants, and practices that make this work possible.

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My guest today is Irina Alexander, co-founder of Sage Institute for Integrative Health, a new psychedelic-assisted therapy clinic and training center that prioritizes equal access to psychedelic therapy.

On the show we discuss the Sage model which provides access to psychedelic medicine for underserved communities, training for therapists from diverse backgrounds, and psychedelic research. We discuss Sage’s perspective on psychedelic ethics, and how to orient oneself towards social justice. Finally, Irina explains the journey of recruiting Sage interns- from community outreach in the Bay Area, to how you, the listener, might apply to the next cohort (applications are due May 15th).

Irina has a background in drug policy reform and harm reduction as Chair of the Board of Students for Sensible Drug Policy and supervisor in psychedelic peer support with the Zendo Project. She is also an adherence rater for the MAPS Phase 3 MDMA clinical trials. She studied Marriage and Family Therapy at University of San Francisco and is now a therapist at the Harm Reduction Therapy Center and at Sage Institute which she co-founded with Genesee Herzberg, Heather Valdez, and Shanna and Jason Butler.

If psychedelic healing gives advantages in life and it’s only available to the most fortunate, then this powerful movement of healing might only serve to increase inequality. Sage is on a mission to make sure that doesn’t happen.

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