Psymposia discusses flaws in Andrew Callaghan's journalism, his response to sexual abuse allegations, and how it relates to our experience as the subjects of targeted reporting from Channel 5.

1) Two Women Accuse Documentary Filmmaker Andrew Callaghan of R***, [SA] (The Stranger): https://www.thestranger.com/news/2023/02/28/78881322/two-women-accuse-documentary-filmmaker-andrew-callaghan-of-rape-sexual-assault

2) More Women Accuse YouTuber Andrew Callaghan of Sexual Misconduct and Assault (The Stranger): https://www.thestranger.com/news/2023/01/13/78812714/more-women-accuse-youtuber-andrew-callaghan-of-sexual-misconduct-and-assault

3) How Elon Musk's billionaire Doge lieutenant took over the US's biggest MDMA company (The Guardian): https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ng-interactive/2025/aug/28/elon-musk-antonio-gracias-mdma-psychedelics-company

4) The Psychedelic Syndicate (Psymposia): https://www.psymposia.com/psychedelic-syndicate-executive-summary-silicon-valley-maps-lykos-mdma-fda-billionaires/

5) The Psychedelic Alt-Right Pipeline, Part 1: Lessons for the psychedelic left from Hasan Piker's "Collargate" (Chemical Poetics): https://chemicalpoetics.substack.com/p/the-psychedelic-alt-right-pipeline

Psymposia senior writer Russell Hausfeld sits down with author Bitter Karella to discuss their debut novel "Moonflow," their micro-fiction and text adventure projects, psychedelic mushrooms, writing queer and trans horror stories, ritual magic and more. Video of this interview is available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=einhwPk3K2Y Footnotes: - Midnight Pals Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/midnightpals.bsky.social - Bitter Karella's itch.io page: https://bitterkarella.itch.io/ - Our Opinions Are Correct podcast: https://www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/

On June 6, Psymposia reported on the presenter contract for MAPS' Psychedelic Science 2023. The contract includes clauses that limit when and where presenters can speak, and a "MAPS Reputation" clause that warns speakers to not "tarnish" the organization's "reputation and goodwill." After our reporting, MAPS announced that all presenters would be released from the radius clause of the contract. Concerns with the "MAPS reputation" clause were not acknowledged. We also discuss Russell Hausfeld's reporting on Kentucky's recent decision to use opioid settlement money on ibogaine research.

Read more:

Psychedelic Science 2023 Contract Muzzles Speakers: Two Clauses Dictate What Presenters Can and Can't Say by Russell Hausfeld

$42M for psychedelics research is not how Kentucky should be fighting opioid addiction by Russell Hausfeld

State of Kentucky Sets aside $42 Million for Psychedelic Research, with Focus on Ibogaine by Psychedelic Alpha

The Ibogaine Conversation by Psymposia

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In this episode, Psymposia Senior Writer Russell Hausfeld interviews Church of Psilomethoxin co-founder Greg Lake. Hausfeld and Lake discuss recent chemical analysis of the Church's sacrament which indicates that it is not the drug the Church has claimed.

Footnotes:

Fungi Fiction: Analytical Investigation into the Church Of Psilomethoxin's Alleged Novel Compound Using UPLC-HRMS by Samuel Williamson and Alexander Sherwood https://chemrxiv.org/engage/chemrxiv/article-details/64358de9736114c96352edf9

Psychedelic Capitalism, Scientific Integrity, and a Wider Look Into Current Events; Response to USONA Article by The Church of Psilomethoxinhttps://web.archive.org/web/20230413174458/https://psilomethoxin.com/psychedelic_capitalism/

Church of Psilomethoxin, Part 1: Sacramental Skepticism. Is the Church in Denial? by David Nickles

https://www.psymposia.com/magazine/church-of-psilomethoxin-part-1-sacramental-skepticism-is-the-church-in-denial-church-of-the-sacred-synthesis/

The Church of Psilomethoxin Part 2: Unraveling the Sacred Chemistry

https://www.psymposia.com/magazine/the-church-of-psilomethoxin-part-2-unraveling-the-chemistry-of-canned-peas-with-david-nichols/

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In this episode, the Psymposia team speaks with writer Travis Kitchens about his recent piece "A Channel for Magic: Ralph Hood's Mysticism Scale and the Occult Roots of the Johns Hopkins Psychedelic Research Program"

Watch:

https://youtu.be/Ued8NNIraFs

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In this episode, Psymposia senior writer Russell Hausfeld interviews independent reporter Sasha Sisko about being kicked out of Wonderland Miami 2022. Sisko discusses their history with conference organizer Microdose Psychedelic Insights, appearing on stage at Wonderland Miami 2021, and being removed from Wonderland Miami 2022.

Footnotes:

Rick Perry Texts: https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/25/politics/rick-perry-mark-meadows-text

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/04/mark-meadows-trump-chief-of-staff-strangest-texts.html

Sasha Sisko's thread about being removed from Wonderland 2022:

https://twitter.com/SashaSisko/status/1588172019409076224

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On November 3rd, the "Wonderland Miami" psychedelic conference banned the entire Psymposia team from the event. Compass Pathways consultant Hamilton Morris then took to the stage to distort and misrepresent our research. This podcast was edited for clarity from a YouTube livestream recorded on November 15, 2022.

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/ckxKJQedx1c

If you're not terminally online, here's a bit more context:

• Psymposia's Twitter rundown
• Dr. Brian Pace's Twitter rundown
• Wonderland Miami Exposes Growing Rift in Psychedelic Community, by James Kent

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We're back…mostly. In this episode we ramble about the Psychedemia conference, the serpent handler researcher who helped legitimize Johns Hopkins' psychedelic research, Steve Jobs' guru "Toxic Bob", hot psilocybin patent garbage, Mind Medicine Australia's utterly cringe appearance on ABC's Four Corners documentary "Psyched Up", popping psychedelic hype bubbles, and Dave's new studio that's covered in fractal horses.

References

A Channel for Magic: Ralph Hood's Mysticism Scale and the Occult Roots of the Johns Hopkins Psychedelic Research Program

Psychologist Ralph Hood's study of serpent handling and mysticism helped legitimize the study of psychedelics. So why doesn't he want them approved for medical use?

The Misadventures Of "Toxic Bob"Throughout his lifetime, Robert Friedland has evolved from Steve Jobs' psychedelic guru to mining guru, leaving a trail of environmental destruction in his wake.

On Drugs Substack: Hot Psilocybin Patent Garbage How to invalidate a psychedelic patent in 30 minutes on a Sunday afternoon.

On Drugs Substack: Three Fever Thoughts As the World Turnbulls

ABC Four Corners: Psyched Up In Australia and overseas there's a push to make psychedelic drugs part of mainstream medicine for the treatment of trauma and other mental health conditions. Results from clinical trials are promising for PTSD sufferers where conventional treatments have failed. Reporter Elise Worthington also investigates the dark side of this form of therapy where disturbing cases of abuse and malpractice are emerging in both clinical trials and the underground. There's now pressure in the industry to downplay the negative stories by those who stand to profit from the business of psychedelics.

Preparing for the Bursting of the Psychedelic Hype Bubble

Is the Psychedelic Therapy Bubble About to Burst?

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This talk was presented live by Dr. Brian Pace and Dr. Neşe Devenot at the UW–Madison Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Psychoactive Substances. This talk was presented on April 28 as part of the "Psychedelic Humanities" speaker series, organized by Dr. Lucas Richert.

Public discourse concerning psychedelics and the emerging industry in psychedelic-assisted therapy has extended beyond the potential benefits of novel treatments for specific mental health disorders to claims that widespread psychedelic use may tilt social relations towards more egalitarian norms. Researchers and media outlets have pointed to several recent studies which present data asserting that classical psychedelics can reduce authoritarianism, increase liberal views, and deepen nature-relatedness.

Taken together, these studies are cited to promote a vision of drug-assisted social progress. Yet counter examples abound of psychedelic-experienced individuals expressing views explicitly opposed to egalitarianism and liberal politics. Moreover, acceptance of psychedelics by institutions and aspirational business and celebrity figures has only increased right-wing psychedelic interest in recent years.

This presentation highlights the numerous contemporary and historical cases where the use of psychedelics failed to reduce authoritarian tendencies in users, or even facilitated adoption of authoritarian views. We demonstrate that psychedelics can catalyze change in political or religious belief, but not in a consistent direction. Instead, we propose that many transformative experiences—including those induced by psychedelics—can challenge and radically shift a person's worldview, and that extra-pharmacological factors influence the character of change in ideology or political belief.

Watch: https://youtu.be/GkOjwIe3hE4

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In part two of this deep dive, Psymposia and Thought Slime analyze Jordan Peterson's fascination with psychedelics as an example of the reactionary, right-wing ideologies that have been developing within psychedelia in recent decades. Reacting to a 2021 podcast of Peterson's, we discuss the significance of Peterson's popularity among some prominent psychedelic researchers. As figures like Jordan Peterson and Ben Shapiro continue to advocate for harmful "conversion therapies" for minority sexual orientations and gender identities, we discuss the dangers of reactionary interest in psychedelic-assisted therapies, given that psychedelics are already associated with increased suggestibility and shifts in identity. Considering the fact that many scientists and CEOs in the psychedelic renaissance are lobbying right-wing donors and politicians, we highlight the risks inherent to reactionary forces developing frameworks for accessing psychedelics.

Watch: https://youtu.be/SBejCu8MnfQ

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