Rachel Harris, PhD, is the author of Swimming in the Sacred: Wisdom from the Psychedelic Underground and Listening to Ayahuasca. A psychologist who has been in private practice for 40 years, she spent 10 years in an academic research department where she published more than 40 scientific studies in peer-reviewed journals and received a National Institutes of Health New Investigator’s Award. Rachel splits her time between an island in Maine and the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Episode Highlights

▶ How Dr. Harris' childhood experiences led her to pursue a spiritual path and become a psychologist

▶ The transformative psychedelic experiences Dr. Harris had at the Esalen Institute in the 1960s

▶ Dr. Harris’ study with top therapists and spiritual leaders at the Esalen Institute, which shaped her understanding of psychedelics

▶ How a particular medecine retreat led Dr. Harris to research Ayahuasca use in North America

▶ Dr. Harris' most recent research, which has culminated in her book, Swimming in the Sacred: Wisdom from the Psychedelic Underground, which has a focus on the work of women elders in the psychedelic underground

▶ The importance of trusted mentors when working with psychedelic medicines in the psychedelic therapy space, especially for women

▶ Cautions against blindly believing everything experienced in a psychedelic journey

▶ Having a support system and seeking guidance from elders as vital in navigating the complexities of psychedelic integration

▶ Recognizing - with humility and gratitude - the power of psychedelics to help in our troubled world 

▶ The limitations of current research methodologies to fully understand the scope of psychedelic experiences

▶ How ongoing relationships with plant medicine offer continued guidance and growth over time

Rachel Harris’s Links & Resources

▶ Website:  http://www.swimminginthesacred.com/

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