MAPS Podcast

The State of Psychedelic Therapy, Culture and Policy in the UK and Beyond with Dr. Ben Sessa

Ben beams in via cyberspace for an original episode of The MAPS Podcast. Ben's talk with Zach weaved in and out of topics including the psychedelic dance in the UK, his own experiences with various methods, how to integrate results with traditional therapy and the culture wars that we're still fighting. Ben's experience, candor and passion is not to be missed. He's a force on the front lines of the psychedelic movement. 

Intro: An excerpt was read from "Why I'm microdosing LSD" By Erica Avey. The entire piece can be read here

From DrSessa.com - 

I am a medical doctor providing private psychiatric consultation through Mandala Therapy Limited 

I am a published medical and fiction author

I carry out psychopharmacology research with psychedelic medicines

I am researching MDMA Therapy for mental disorders

I publish in the academic and medical press

I present regularly in multi-media platforms

I carry out medico-Legal family law expert witness work

I am co-founder and chair of the Breaking Convention conference.

Have you wondered what happens on a neuro-scientific and physiological level when phsychedelics enter your body? That question has been at the root of the psychedelic experience for generations if not centuries. Ancient mystics had the understnading that these sacred plant medicines contained tribal DNA which was necessary to keep cultures and history alive. However, now that we have more data and research available we can augment that thinking with actual stuides that illustrate how the brain is effected when these agents enter our system. 

Highlighting the results of two fMRI studies and one MEG study with psilocybin and an fMRI study with MDMA, Carhart-Harris will report the effects of both drugs on regional brain activity and brain network organization. Additionally, he will report the effects of both drugs on brain and subjective responses to personal autobiographical memory cues.

Dr Robin Carhart-Harris talks about his scientific research into the effects and potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic drugs. Join him as he discusses brain imaging work involving psilocybin, the active ingredient of magic mushrooms, and explains how the drug works in the brain.   In 2005, Robin began a four year PhD in Psychopharmacology at the University of Bristol. In 2009, he successfully coordinated the first clinical study of psilocybin in the UK and the first clinical study of a classic psychedelic drug in the UK for over 40 years. Also in 2009, Robin moved to Imperial College London to continue his work under the supervision of Professor David Nutt. Robin has since coordinated the first resting state fMRI and MEG investigations of a psychedelic drug and the first fMRI study of MDMA in the UK. Robin and David Nutt recently received ethics approval for an MRC-sponsored clinical trial that will investigate the efficacy of psilocybin as a treatment for depression and an LSD fMRI and MEG study. Robin's work is published in PNAS, Brain, Schizophrenia Bulletin and the British Journal of Psychiatry and he has appeared in television interviews for BBC news and Channel 4.  

Microdosing: The Phenomenon, Research Results, and Startling Surprises

From Psychedelic Science 2017

Yes, Dr. Fadiman is back on the show! I know it seems disproportionate and it is. But after you listen to this episode you'll see why!

Microdosing is by far one of the most popular revolutions happening within the psychedelic community today. The wide ranging applications for use in increased cognitive capacity based experiences is fast becoming a legitimate psychedelic method for use within the general population. James Fadiman and Sophia Korb at the center of cyclone with their ongoing research of over 1500 active participants. 

From their site, 

These are the three most frequently asked questions:

• How much is a microdose? Most people start at 1/20 to 1/10 of a recreational dose of whatever substance they are trying and adjust based on their experience. If you are experiencing visual effects, you have taken too much.
• How often are microdoses taken? Most participants dose every three days.
• Is microdosing right for me? Only you can make that determination. There is more information about who has benefited so far and possible risks in the full FAQ.

Over 1500 participants have reported their experiences of microdosing as of this writing, and submitted narrative reports and daily data. We are taking time to read and analyze and report on all the data.

 

This episode of the MAPS Podcast is from the Psychedelic Science 2017 conference in Oakland, CA. Draulio Barros de Araujo gives a very compelling and engaging talk on his research into the use of Ayahuasca in Treatment-Resistant Depression. It seems that life in the modern world sees that depression issues touch nearly everyones life either directly or indirectly. Research into how these plant medicines can unlock certain parts of the brain to aid in natural anti-depression re-balancing functions is very eye opening. The research isn't fully matured yet but is well on its way. 

 Draulio Barros de Araujo works as a professor in neuroimaging at the Brain Institute, Natal, Brazil. Since 2006 my research has focused on using functional neuroimaging methods (EEG and fMRI) to investigate the acute and lasting effects of a psychedelic called Ayahuasca. Our research group has also been studying the antidepressant potencial of Ayahuasca.

PART TWO of a three part series on the similarities between psychedelic and Buddhist experiences. This part is primarily the question and answer session from the audience. The audience is clearly very well versed and attentive. Many great questions are asked. 

On Saturday, October 20, 2012, Rev. Kokyo Henkel and James Fadiman, Ph.D., engaged a diverse crowd in Santa Cruz with a discussion about the similarities between psychedelic and Buddhist experiences. Rev. Kokyo Henkel has been practicing Zen Buddhism since 1990 at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, and Bukkokuji Monastery in Japan. He was ordained as a priest and received Dharma Transmission from Tenshin Anderson Roshi, and is currently the Head Teacher at Santa Cruz Zen Center. James Fadiman, Ph.D., author of The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys (2011) has been teaching about, working with and doing research on psychedelic and entheogenic experiences for decades. He has taught at Brandeis, San Francisco State, Stanford, and is now at Sofia University.

 

 

 

 

This is part one of a three part series on the similarities between psychedelic and Buddhist experiences. This topic is also explored in depth in the now seminal book by Allan Badiner called "Zig Zag Zen" which is of course highly recommended. 

On Saturday, October 20, 2012, Rev. Kokyo Henkel and James Fadiman, Ph.D., engaged a diverse crowd in Santa Cruz with a discussion about the similarities between psychedelic and Buddhist experiences. Rev. Kokyo Henkel has been practicing Zen Buddhism since 1990 at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, and Bukkokuji Monastery in Japan. He was ordained as a priest and received Dharma Transmission from Tenshin Anderson Roshi, and is currently the Head Teacher at Santa Cruz Zen Center. James Fadiman, Ph.D., author of The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys (2011) has been teaching about, working with and doing research on psychedelic and entheogenic experiences for decades. He has taught at Brandeis, San Francisco State, Stanford, and is now at Sofia University.

 

 

This episode of the podcast was taped LIVE in Los Angeles on June 28th in partnership with the Aware Project.

Zach Leary led an hour long engaging, funny and insightful panel discussion with the great wisdom of Dr. Cole Marta and Ashley Booth. The conversation ranged from a look at the current state of psychedelic research, how culture and community plays a role, actual medical updates from the front lines and each persons own personal awakenings and journeys. 

The Aware Project hosts bi-monthly salons that are not to be missed if you're in the LA area. Also, look out for more live tapings of The MAPS Podcast.

Dr. Marta completed undergraduate studies at UC – Santa Cruz majoring in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology where he graduated with highest honors in the major, with a focus on genetics. After graduating, he was a Junior Specialist in a Howard Hughes Medical Institute laboratory studying neurogenetics in the model organism C. Elegans.

Ashley Booth, M.S. is a scientist, philosopher, and advocate. She is the founder of a Los Angeles based community education group called the Aware Project (awareproject.org) and the co-producer of the monthly Psychedelic Awareness Salon series and the first Bicycle Day event in Los Angeles (www.bicycleday.la). She has given numerous talks at festivals and conferences to balance the public conversation about psychedelics, spread accurate information, and give a new face to psychedelia. She believes that the conscious use of psychedelics is an important tool to be utilized in medicine, creativity, and the creation of a more peaceful world.

“The opiates were stealing my life bit by bit,” she confided. For years, she had been eating very little and her nutrition was abysmal, and in more recent years the opiates hadn’t even provided relief from pain. But then, as she put it, “ibogaine gave my life back to me.” She went on to tell me about the importance of the ongoing support and care she received at Clare’s clinic and at another clinic in Mexico, and how she’d realized that what had happened after the ibogaine treatment was nearly as important as the treatment itself.

This presentation is an overview of the MAPS-funded study of long-term outcomes for ibogaine-assisted treatment of opiate dependence for patients at two clinics in Baja California, Mexico. Beginning in September of 2010, the study enrolled thirty US residents seeking ibogaine treatment for opiate dependence at the clinics. Tom Kingsley Brown, PhD started his research on ibogaine treatment in November of 2009 when he conducted interviews with ibogaine patients at ibogaine clinics in northern Baja California, Mexico and collected data for the purpose of studying changes in Quality of Life for those patients. 

The Ibogaine first person experience blog that was read can be found here:

http://www.paijealexandra.com/prose/2016/5/2/the-world

And to visit host Zach Leary's site please visit - www.zachleary.com

 

Live from Psychedelic Science '17 in Oakland, this panel explores the future of psychiatry in the psychedelic context. In this conversational panel format, the conversation discucces with great candor and honesty all the pros, cons, triumphs and setbacks that have occurred within the last 10 years. Dr. Summergrad and Dr. Insel both share their experiences from the mental health and patient-doctor perspective. 

Moderated by George Goldsmith and featuring Paul Summergrad, MD, and Thomas Insel, MD.

George Goldsmith is a co-founder and director of COMPASS – a non-profit medical research organisation dedicated to accelerating access to evidence-led innovation in mental health and wellbeing. George’s early training and experience was a blend of cognitive psychology, clinical psychology and computer science.

Paul Summergrad, M.D., is the Dr. Frances S. Arkin professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and psychiatrist-in-chief at Tufts Medical Center.

Thomas Roland Insel is an American neuroscientist and psychiatrist who led the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) from 2002 until November 2015. Prior to becoming Director of NIMH, he was the founding Director of the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Live from Psychedelic Science '17 this talk from the legendary and iconic Stanislav Grof explores the implications of altered states of consciousness and their implications within the fields of psychiatry, psychology and psychotherapy.

Based on his 50 years of exploring methods in the fields of psychedelics and their various applications Dr. Grof presents a compelling talk on why there is still lots of room for the traditional psychological modalities to expand in order to make room for the various data sets being presented as a result of expanded consciousness research. 

Stanislav Grof  is a Czech psychiatrist, one of the founders of the field of transpersonal psychology and a researcher into the use of non-ordinary states of consciousness for purposes of exploring, healing, and obtaining growth and insights into the human psyche. Grof received the VISION 97 award granted by the Foundation of Dagmar and Václav Havel in Prague on October 5, 2007.

Taken from the Psychedelic Science '13 conference this epic talk from Heffter Research Institute Founder, David E. Nichols, explores the depths of the brains relationship with LSD. 

This talk will provide a foundation for understanding the importance of 5-HT2A receptors in the brain, now widely believed to be the key brain target for psychedelics. The study of this G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) has required research efforts across several disciplines. Although it was initially thought to couple only to Gq, leading to activation of phospholipase C, it is now known to couple to multiple intracellular signaling pathways. The unique psychopharmacological properties of psychedelics clearly demonstrate that this receptor has special importance as a critical component of sensory perception in humans, and by extension, may be a key player in mediating consciousness. 

David E. Nichols is the founding president of the Heffter Research Institute, named after German chemist and pharmacologist Arthur Heffter, who first discovered that mescaline was the active component in the peyote cactus. In 2004 he was named the Irwin H. Page Lecturer by the International Serotonin Club, and delivered an address in Portugal titled, "35 years studying psychedelics: what a long strange trip it's been." Among pharmacologists, he is considered to be one of the world's top experts on psychedelics. Nichols's other professional activities include teaching medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN, and teaching medical students at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

This episode was recorded live at the Psychedelic Science '17 conference in Oakland, CA! It took place on the last day of the conference on the wildly fun and irreverent Psymposia Stage. Hosted by Zach Leary this round table discussion features the immense wisdom of Shane Mauss, Lex Pelger and Berra Yazar-Klosinkski. 

We took many twists and turns with topics ranging from a recap of the PS17 conference itself to the future of psychedelic research and some amazing insight into the cultural footprint around America concerning psychedelics. Both Shane and Lex spend lots of time taking their show on the road to everyday towns in America which affords them amazing insight into other points of view we might not otherwise consider. Berra from MAPS is the voice of reason here providing the audience with data and actual first hand accounts into the impact this research is having in actual patients. Enjoy the show!

Shane Mauss is a comedian and host of the Here We Are podcast

Lex Pelger is a writer, scientist & Shulginist and host of Psymposia

Berra Yazar-Klosinski is the Chief Research Scientist at MAPS

Ralph and myself (Zach Leary) sat down at the MAPS Psychedelic Science '17 conference in Oakland, CA on April 23rd to embark on a wide reaching conversation that focussed on the early days of his research at Harvard, the culture of the 60's and how much has changed in the last 50 years. Of course, we also talked about the time he spent with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert, the nature of consciousness itself and a new way of thinking about "ecology" as a concept. His new book "Ecology of Consciousness: The Alchemy of Personal, Collective, and Planetary Transformation" is out now wherever books are sold. Ralph is truly one of the great inspirational elder statements of the modern psychedelic movement and I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.

Ralph Metzner PhD (born May 18, 1936, in Germany) is an American psychologist, writer and researcher, born in Germany, who participated in psychedelic research at Harvard University in the early 1960s with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (later named Ram Dass). Metzner is a psychotherapist and Professor Emeritus of psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, where he was formerly the Academic Dean and Academic Vice-president.

Metzner has been involved in consciousness research, including psychedelics, yoga, meditation and shamanism for over 45 years. He is a co-founder and President of the Green Earth Foundation, a non-profit educational organization devoted to healing and harmonizing the relationship between humans and the Earth, and a signatory to the 9/11 Truth Statement. Metzner was featured in the 2006 film Entheogen: Awakening the Divine Within, a documentary about rediscovering an enchanted cosmos in the modern world.

Most of those who have engaged in the psychedelic experience can attest to some sort of mystical experience taking place. Even with that happening it doesn't always bring one close to religion. Why is that? 

Walter Houston Clark has defined "religion" as an individual's inner experience of a Beyond, especially as evidenced by active attempts to harmonize his or her life with that Beyond. The Johns Hopkins experiments suggest that a large fraction of mentally healthy people with spiritual interests can have a profound experience of a Beyond—a mystical-type experience—with the aid of several hours' preparation and a supervised psilocybin session.

Furthermore, most of the study volunteers report that encounter as among the most spiritually significant of their lives and as bringing sustained benefits. How do we get from such experiences (however occasioned) to "religion" in Clark's sense, and in the sense of a group pursuing spiritual ends? Perhaps that transition is, as Brother David Steindl-Rast claims, inevitable. The talk will address that process, and will argue that some social organizations have strong but unacknowledged religious aspects. 

Robert Jesse is Convenor of the Council on Spiritual Practices (CSP; csp.org). CSP's interest in non-ordinary states focuses on the betterment of well people, in contrast to the medical-model treatment of patients with psychiatric diagnoses. Through CSP, Bob was instrumental in forming the psilocybin research team at Johns Hopkins University, and he has co-authored three of its scientific papers. He also lead the writing of an amicus brief for the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the União do Vegetal's use of a sacramental tea containing DMT, a controlled substance. A unanimous Court upheld the UDV's right to its practice. Bob has long participated in the development of the Bay Area spiritual community that draws liberally from the non-creedal, non-hierarchical ways of the Quakers (the Religious Society of Friends). His formal training is in electrical engineering and computer science.

Many variables factor into the diseases that afflict our lives that go beyond the obvious medical symptoms. Complex unconscious psychological stresses underlie and contribute to all chronic medical conditions, from cancer and addiction to depression and multiple sclerosis.

Therapy that is assisted by psychedelics, in the right context and with the right support, can bring these dynamics to the surface and thus help a person liberate themselves from their influence.

Gabor Maté, MD is a Canadian physician, speaker, and the author of four bestselling books published in nearly 20 languages on five continents. His interests include the mind/body unity as manifested in health and illness, the effects of early childhood experiences in shaping brain and personality, the traumatic basis of addictions, and the attachment requirements for healthy child development. He has worked in family practice and palliative care, and for twelve years he worked in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, notorious as North America's most concentrated area of drug use. He currently teaches and leads seminars internationally

Please visit drgabormate.com for more information

Mac McClelland joins the MAPS Podcast for the first original episode of content for the show. Mac is an award winning journalist who wrote the article “The Psychedelic Miracle” for Rolling Stone magazine. The sub headline reads: "How some doctors are risking everything to unleash the healing power of MDMA, ayahuasca and other hallucinogens.” 

Mac’s fantastically in depth journalistic prose combined with her own personal experience with psychedelically assisted psycho-therapy creates an epic discovery into the world of psychedelic research and the doctors that engage in it.   Mac was interviewed by Zach Leary and the podcast is reflective of not only the Rolling Stone piece but also of her own personal journey, the current landscape of psychedelic research and an examination into corners of the country engaged in this work that you might know even exist.    Mac McClelland is an award-winning journalist and author of Irritable Hearts: A PTSD Love Story and For Us Surrender Is Out of the Question: A Story From Burma’s Never-Ending War. She's written for Wired, Reuters, Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, New York, the New York Times Magazine, New York Times Book Review, Matter, and Sunset, among other publications, and corresponded for PBS and Vice News Tonight on HBO. She's additionally appeared on major national and international media outlets C-Span, MSNBC, PBS, NPR, Al Jazeera, Democracy Now, the BBC, CBC, and Deutsche Welle.   

Since 2008, the NYU Psychedelic Research Group (established in 2006) has administered a moderate dose of psilocybin to 16 participants in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial of the efficacy of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in individuals with advanced cancer and psychosocial distress. Dr. Ross will present preliminary clinical observations and data from our study, in which a majority of patients have experienced acute and sustained reductions in death anxiety, existential distress, and depression; as well as increases in spiritual states and practices, and improved family system functioning.

Stephen Ross, M.D., is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine and Associate Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Radiology, and Medicine at the NYU College of Dentistry. He directs the Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and the Opioid Overdose Prevention Program at Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City. He is Director of Addiction Psychiatry at NYU Tisch Hospital and Director of the NYU Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship. He is certified in General and Addiction Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) and in Addiction Medicine by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). Dr. Ross has received a dozen local and national teaching awards related to education of medical students, psychiatry residents, and post-graduate fellows. Dr. Ross is an expert on the therapeutic application of serotonergic hallucinogens to treat psychiatric and addictive spectrum illnesses. He directs the NYU Psychedelic Research Group and is Principal Investigator of the NYU Psilocybin Cancer Project. Dr. Ross receives his research funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Heffter Research Institute.

Scientific Problem Solving with Psychedelics

James will describe how to best use psychoactive materials for enhanced problem solving, a poorly understood and under-researched area. However, there are established methods that open minds to useful solutions for real problems. He will share his personal experience as part of a group that established the basic guidelines: set and setting, substance and dosage, as well as whatever else was necessary to effectively dissolve barriers to solving hard science problems.

James Fadiman, PhD completed his dissertation at Stanford on the effectiveness of LSD-assisted therapy just as all research was shut down. During the subsequent 40-year lull, he has held a variety of teaching, consulting, training, counseling, and editorial positions. He has taught in psychology departments and design engineering, and for the past three decades at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (now Sofia University) that he co-founded. He has published textbooks, professional books, a self-help book, a novel, and a series of videos ("Drugs: The Children are Choosing") for National Public Television. His books have been published in eight languages. He was featured in a National Geographic documentary and had three solo shows of his nature photography. He sits on two non-profit boards and has been the president of several small natural resource companies. He was involved in researching psychedelics for spiritual, therapeutic, and creative uses when it was legal, and recently published The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys and released a series of videos (with Kokyo Henkel) on Buddhism and Psychedelics. He is now conducting surveys of psychedelic use and has pioneered research on micro-dosing of a number of substances for a host of conditions (jamesfadiman.com).