The Psychedologist

Dr. Adele Lafrance is a clinical psychologist, research scientist, author and co-developer of emotion-focused treatment modalities, including Emotion-Focused Family Therapy.

Her latest book, What to Say to Kids When Nothing Seems to Work, is a neuroscience-informed effort to help parents support their kids.  With colleagues, she also makes a wealth of caregiving resources available at no cost at Mental Health Foundations.

Adele is also a leader in the research and practice of psychedelic medicine, with a focus on ayahuasca, MDMA, psilocybin and ketamine. Currently, she is the clinical investigator and strategy lead for the MAPS-sponsored MDMA-assisted psychotherapy study for eating disorders and a collaborator/clinical support on the Imperial College study for psilocybin and anorexia nervosa. She is a founding member of the Love Project.

Adele has a particular interest in mechanisms and models of healing, including emotion processing, spirituality and family-based psychedelic psychotherapy. She is a frequent contributor in the media relating to emotion, health and the science of psychedelics.

Links:

www.dradelelafrance.com

www.hoffmaninstitute.org

Global interest in psychedelic substances increases by the day, and although clinical trials have yielded positive results, psychedelic research and clinical practice is in its infancy.  We find ourselves at a unique moment in time where increased access to information about psychedelics, even to the psychedelics themselves, is moving forward at a faster rate than the cultural and relational foundations can shift to accommodate this change in a safe, accessible, meaningful way. 

Alyssa Gursky and Rafael Lancelotta come on the Psychedologist to discuss the implications of this psychedelic "gold rush." We talk about how the vast and rapid growth of psychedelic businesses and therapies is not trauma informed.  We ponder questions such as, can psychedelics relieve the mental health crisis in the world, or is this an oversimplified pipe-dream, similar to the revolution SSRIs were expected to be? How does privilege come into play when it comes to psychedelic healing? Should we slow things down, rather than pressing forward to bring psychedelic therapies to the general population? Is there a more responsible, ethical, trauma informed model for rolling out psychedelic therapies than what is currently happening in the psychedelic landscape?

http://neilcic.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/edbassmaster

https://www.marcrebillet.com/

David Krantz returns! In this episode, we talk about a paper he recently co-authored, "The Role of Psychedelics and Counseling in Mental Health Treatment." Leia shares about her recent training in psychedelic somatic interactional psychotherapy, and in true form, the conversation follows a rich myriad of twists and turns from there, including but not limited to the nervous system, psychological transference, power dynamics, relationship, and kink.

David is a certified Epigenetic Coach, Mental Health Counseling Masters Student at Western Carolina University, and sought-after expert in the field of individualized genetic-based nutrition and peak performance. As a lifelong musician, David sees the various systems of the body as parts of a complex symphony. And, as a coach, he excels at helping clients fine-tune those parts to create resonant harmonious health.

David is best known for developing a proprietary genetic test that helps people understand their unique and individual response to cannabinoids and was nominated in 2019 as a Top 100 Health innovator by the International Forum For Healthcare Advancement. An artist by nature, David enjoys working with others who have a deep passion for getting the most out of life.

Links:

https://www.attachment-and-trauma-treatment-centre-for-healing.com/blogs/understanding-and-working-with-the-window-of-tolerance

Dr. Diana Quinn, naturopathic physician, ceremonialist, and end of life doula comes on the show to talk about healing justice, nature, connection, language, and finding the way forward. 

Diana Quinn ND (she/her) is a licensed naturopathic doctor and healing justice practitioner specializing in integrative mental health, grief and end of life care, and decolonized healing modalities. A queer mestiza Xicana, her work centers Black, Indigenous, and people of color, and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.  She offers monthly psychedelic integration circles for BIPOC and queer folks, entheogenic support for individuals and groups, and psychedelic education for healthcare professionals. She is a member of the Psychedelic Medicine Association, the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, and the Queer Psychedelic Collective. For more information visit drdianaquinn.com and follow her on FB, IG and Twitter @drdianaquinn.

Links:

https://www.drdianaquinn.com/

https://www.healingbychoicedetroit.com/

https://www.drdianaquinn.com/healing-justice

A Not-So-Brief History of the Healing Justice Movement by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha: https://micemagazine.ca/issue-two/not-so-brief-personal-history-healing-justice-movement-2010%E2%80%932016

Susan Raffo on healing justice and disrupting the medical industrial complex: https://www.susanraffo.com/blog/healing-histories-disrupting-the-medical-industrial-complex-1 

The history of healing justice movement: https://www.susanraffo.com/blog/healing-justice-at-the-us-social-forum-a-report-from-atlanta-detroit-and-beyond 

Robin Wall Kimmerer on the language of animacy: https://orionmagazine.org/article/robin-wall-kimmerer-language-animacy/ 

Free monthly integration circles: one for BIPOC, one for 2SLGBTQIA+ folks https://www.drdianaquinn.com/events 

Aaron and Justine come on the show to talk about Autism on Acid, the Autistic Psychedelic Community, and the neurodiversity paradigm.

Aaron Paul Orsini is the author of Autism On Acid: How LSD Helped Me Understand, Navigate, Alter & Appreciate My Autistic Perceptions. He is also the cofounder of the Autistic Psychedelic Community, a peer support group for neurodivergent individuals interested in discussing psychedelics. He is currently editing his second book, a neurodiversity-minded anthology of psychedelic essays that is available for preorder via 

www.AutisticPsychedelic.com

Justine is presently a graduate student in pharmacology at University of California, Irvine under the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. She also received her BSc in Neurobiology from UCI and earned membership into the National Honor Society in Neuroscience. Currently, she is investigating the therapeutic potential of psychedelic compounds with respect to autism and other neurological conditions. In conjunction with her academic pursuits, she co-founded the Autistic Psychedelic Community with Aaron Orsini where she co-facilitates online support for members, elucidating evidence-based research and neuroscience-related topics.

Links:

https://www.autisticpsychedelic.com/

https://www.autismonacid.com/

Terms Guide: 

https://neurocosmopolitanism.com/neurodiversity-some-basic-terms-definitions/

Wild Darlings Sing the Blues is a feature-length documentary following The Wild Darlings, a queer healing arts collective of black women and non-binary artists, as they embark on an epic road trip from New York to a plantation in Mississippi.

In this episode of The Psychedologist, we go behind the scenes and down the rabbit hole of Wild Darlings Sing the Blues with director, Nova Scott-James, and Grandmother Sangoma, the matriarch of the journey. 

The Wild Darlings approach abuse through the lens of ancestral trauma. This journey to the site of America’s core wound is a physicalization of the work done by each cast-member: to revisit painful memories, and to alchemize suffering into wisdom and magic.

Accompanied by three wise elders, the Darlings are tasked with harnessing their collective spiritual gifts, to bless the plantation land and honor their ancestors. As the group explores their experiences of racialized and gender based violence, they create a performance art homage to The Blues.

This visionary film invites viewers to connect with the healer within themselves. Wild Darlings is a visionary alchemical union of spiritual activism, ancient healing arts and cinema.

Please donate to the GoFundMe:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thewildarlings/wild-darlings-sing-the-blues-and-its-a-song-of-freedom

Links:

kindredofsangoma.org

novasottjames (IG)

wilddarlingssingtheblues (IG)

What an honor to host Dr. Michael Yellow Bird on the podcast! In this episode, we hear about the cycle of water; how Spirit embodies everything (and THAT is consciousness); that trauma has a consciousness; and that consciousness is shared: it goes beyond the individual. He shares about the clown who can show us that there is humor in death; he also says that indigenous peoples have safeguards to keep them well and healthy.

The conversation turns to the topic of colonization and oppression, and how this makes people ill, and changes the brain and body. Dr. Yellow Bird discusses the collectivist gene, and how we can all get back to our ancestral heritage (I have been working on this lately and I find it very consciousness positive, indeed). 

Another critical point that comes up is the misuse of the term decolonization. Dr. Yellow Bird breaks down the stages of settler colonialism (exposure, contamination, infection, assimilation) and the stages of decolonization (purification, renaissance, enlightenment). Decolonization MUST be done in consultation and relationship with indigenous people. Dr. Yellow Bird is hopeful that we can use western and indigenous science to propel people forward.

The episode wraps up with some discussion of the medicine wheel; approaching new ideas, medicine, places, cultures with respect; and being a great observer.

Michael Yellow Bird, MSW, PhD, is Dean and Professor of the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba. He is an enrolled member of the MHA Nation (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara) in North Dakota, USA. He has held faculty and administrative appointments at the University of British Columbia, University of Kansas, Arizona State University, Humboldt State University, and North Dakota State University. His research focuses on the effects of colonization and methods of decolonization, ancestral health, intermittent fasting, Indigenous mindfulness, neurodecolonization, mindful decolonization, and the cultural significance of Rez dogs. 

He is the founder, director, and principal investigator of The Centre for Mindful Decolonization and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles, book chapters, research reports, and the co-editor of four books: 

For Indigenous Eyes Only: The Decolonization Handbook, 2005

For Indigenous Minds Only: A Decolonization Handbook, 2012

Indigenous Social Work around the World: towards Culturally Relevant Education and Practice, 2008 

Decolonizing Social Work, 2013

He is the co-author of two recent books,: A Sahnish (Arikara) Ethnobotany (2020), and Decolonizing Holistic Pathways Towards Integrative Healing in Social Work (2021). 

Evelyn Hale comes on the podcast to talk about trauma, healing, her personal journey, and a question I ask myself often: "what is trauma and what is me?"

Evelyn Hale, formerly Shelbi DuBord, is a Trauma Coach, Master Healer, and intuitive with a rich background in psychology and personal transformation. Her consciousness journey threads back to childhood when her body locked away memories of trauma. As an adult, she recovered repressed memories stored in her body and learned how to unlock the hidden emotions that were keeping her stuck in cycles of self-sabotage and limiting beliefs. She helps women reconnect to the deep well of wisdom within their pain so they can wake up to their own power. Through this healing, they end the cycle of generational trauma for their lineage and for the collective.

Download Evelyn’s free Trauma Bundle at https://www.evelynhale.com/trauma-bundle

Connect with Evelyn on Instagram @inner.light.healing

Shira Collings comes on the show to discuss Health at Every Size, Intuitive Eating, Embodiment, Control, and being who we are.

Shira is a graduate student in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in Tampa, Florida. She hopes to work with people with eating disorders, substance use concerns, and histories of trauma. She is a strong advocate of the Health At Every Size paradigm, and her work is informed by feminism, fat liberation, queer studies, and disability studies. 

Links:

Poodle Science: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H89QQfXtc-k

https://thebodyisnotanapology.com/

https://thefuckitdiet.com/book/

"It was me and a backpack, recreating myself and no going back"

Leia visits Abundant Eden to hear from a long time farmer and permaculturist, Desiree Wells. This is a great episode with considerations for anyone who is starry eyed, dreaming of moving to the tropics and living off the land.

Desiree begins by talking about how she first came to Costa Rica around the time of the Y2K panic. We hear about Desiree's unicorn aka glorified great dane aka beautiful white horse, Athena, who she rescued from a flood during a storm that blew out over 50 bridges. She talks about the trials and tribulations of finding where you fit in. The paradox of working the land full time - no project ever really gets done.

Desiree shares about the value of growing with perennials (and how one can more easily traverse borders with sticks instead of seeds). She talks about bioregional mapping and some of the mother farms (and farmers) she has worked with.. Randy, founder of Sendero Natural, joins the conversation. We discuss some of the changes he has seen in Costa Rica in the last few decades, and how society has impacted people to value degrees and educations that don't actually give us the skills to provide for ourselves.

The three of us talk about being good neighbors and the complexity of being white people coming to Costa Rica amidst a trend toward gentrification. The shadow side of "intentional community" and "conscious" community. The colonialism of permaculture. The secret to starting a successful community (or at least, avoiding disaster): develop an exit strategy. Desiree imparts more important lessons: get your own backyard straight before you're trying to get your hands in someone else's backyard or teach them how to farm/do permaculture. Linking with our neighbors, doing it for each other, with each other.

Desiree will be part of a PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE in Southern Costa Rica April 11-May 7. This will be a pre-planting season "BootCamp" initiation. The course will be run in alignment with the new moon, centering on the four elements over the course of four weeks. The course includes 6 fieldtrips, other special guest speakers to be announced, a seed exchange to follow in May, and all who complete it will receive a permaculture design certificate.

Further logistic information TBA on www.ecomaste.com

FuenteVerde #iriecycles #AbundantEdenNursery

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