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The MAPS Podcast

MAPS Podcast – Episode 30 – LIVE from LAPSS!

Posted on July 14, 2024

Episode 30 – LIVE from LAPSS: Transcending the Medical Frontiers, Exploring the Future of Psychedelic Drug Research

Making up the panel is David Jay Brown, Daniel Pinchbeck, James Oroc, Ben Stewart and was moderated by Zach Leary.

Taped live at the first ever Los Angeles based psychedelic symposium (LAPSS) the hour long conversation is a lively exploration into what lies beyond the medical applications of psychedelic drugs.

Based on an article written by David Jay Brown the panel itself took on many of the core concepts originally presented in the piece. The science of pleasure, increased creativity, increased problem solving ability, ESP and psychic phenomena are just some of the potential psychedelia applications touched on by these incredible minds.

Tune in to hear this engaging, funny and inspiring conversation that opens up the myriad of possibilities on the psychedelic horizon.

The MAPS Podcast

MAPS Podcast – Episode 22 – Kathleen Harris, M.A.

Posted on December 13, 2017

This episode of the MAPS Podcast is taken from the Psychedelic Science 2017 conference in Oakland, CA. The talk is by the legendary and luminous Kathleen Harrison, M.A. and is entitled “Cannabis and Spirituality – Exploring the Plant Human Spirit Relationship”.

Kat’s decades of work as an ethnobotanist focussed largely on the deeply inter-connected history and relationship between human beings and cannabis. A relationship existing not just in a cultural setting but also a spiritual one. This talk explores the nuances of the relationship, cultural appropriation in respect to psychedelic mysticsm and a holistic blueprint for how one might approach spirituality with cannabis as a guide.

Kathleen (Kat) Harrison, M.A. is an ethnobotanist who loves to explore the relationship between plants, mushrooms and human beings—particularly in the realms that are often hidden: cultural beliefs, personification of species, rituals of healing and initiation, vision-seeking modalities, and artistic creations that illustrate the plant-human relationship. She also studies and teaches the deep history of humans in nature, encompassing both before and since the advent of agriculture.

Kathleen founded Botanical Dimensions in 1985, with her then-husband, the late Terence McKenna.

The MAPS Podcast

MAPS Podcast – Episode 17 – Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris

Posted on September 29, 2017

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.

@rcarhartharris

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.

The MAPS Podcast

MAPS – Episode 16 – THE Microdosing Episode

Posted on August 24, 2017

Live from Psychedelic Science ’17 in Oakland!

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, microdosingpsychedelics.com:

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.

Please visit www.maps.org for more information

The MAPS Podcast

MAPS – Episode 10 – Future of Psychedelic Psychiatry

Posted on June 7, 2017

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.

Please visit www.maps.org for more information

The MAPS Podcast

MAPS – Episode 5 – Robert Jesse

Posted on April 12, 2017

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.

Please visit www.maps.org for more information

For info on the CSP please visit www.csp.org/about.html

The MAPS Podcast

MAPS – Episode 4 – Dr. Gabor Mate

Posted on April 5, 2017

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

Me The MAPS Podcast

The MAPS Podcast is live!

Posted on March 26, 2017

I’m so thrilled, honored and humbled to announce that the MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) Podcast is now live. It’s been in the works for some time and took a little crafting to get it just right. Myself and the good people at MAPS are finally ready to release it to the world!

The intention of the podcast is to take the very rich and valuable MAPS audio archives and to curate them in a way that can target not only researchers but also the general public that is looking to learn more about the vast landscape of modern psychedelic research. Some episodes will feature some of the great talks by many of the great minds that have spoken at past Psychedelic Science conferences, breakout panels and keynote speeches while others will be original content that tap some of the great modern luminaries, scientists, journalists and even comedians.

My role, as the host, is to give each episode context and flavor stemming from my life long admiration and association for the community, the research and culture. Without getting into too much personal melo-drama (because the podcast is not about me) I do want to say that I am very humbled to be able to contribute to this community in any sort of official capacity. I spent many years keeping a distance because of the ever looming presence and brilliance of my dads work. Being too close to it simply felt too nerve racking and not authentic to my own path. Time does pass and it’s afforded me wisdom in the form of being granted confidence in my own voice and knowing exactly what I have to offer. With that, I am beyond excited to find a little niche that works for me.

Thank you to the MAPS family for including me in this adventure!
These two episodes are now available:

Episode 1 – James Fadiman, Scientific Problem Solving with Psychedelics

Episode 2 – Stephen Ross, MD – Psilocybin, Addiction and End of Life Anxiety

To listen and subscribe on iTunes please click here

To get more information on MAPS please visit their site at www.maps.org