040: Checking in with Kirk Rutter, Psilocybin Research Participant /  by Joe

This is Entheogen. Elevate the Conversation.

Please support Entheogen by making a donation on Patreon. Become a Patron for as little as $1. Pledge just $3 or more, and get early access to new episodes, plus exclusive Patron-only features. Head over to EntheogenShow.com and click on Support.

Find the notes and links for this and other episodes at EntheogenShow.com. Sign up to receive an email when we release a new episode. Follow us @EntheogenShow on Twitter and like EntheogenShow on FaceBook. Thanks for listening.

It’s February 26, 2017, and we are checking in with Kirk Rutter, who joined us for Episode 025: Psychedelic Medicine Trials with Participant Kirk Rutter.

Topics:

  • Kirk’s Organizational Upgrade
  • Ganesh Chant/Mantra (108 times)
  • Barack Obama’s “Fired up, ready to go”
  • The zoo
  • Ecological mindset
  • Vegetarianism
  • Hanlon's razor
  • Burning Man changed Brad’s life

New Entheogen T-Shirts ready for Psychedelic Science! /  by Joe

Check out our new Entheogen 👕 T-Shirts, ready for the Psychedelic Science conference!

The conference is sold out, but the Marketplace is open to the public from Friday 4/21 through Sunday 4/23/2017. Entheogen will be selling t-shirts and EntheoZen 💊😋 supplements and would love to see you there. Stop by and say "high."

Thanks to Liz Squillace and Paradox Ink for the excellent design and quality craftsmanship!

 

039: Reflections on Our Interview with Dr. Julie Holland /  by Joe

This is Entheogen. Talk about tools for generating the divine within.

Today is July 20, 2016, and we are reflecting on our interview with Dr. Julie Holland from last season.

Find the notes and links for this and other episodes at EntheogenShow.com. Sign up to receive an email when we release a new episode. Follow us @EntheogenShow on Twitter and like EntheogenShow on FaceBook. Thanks for listening.

 

Your pledges make the show possible! We're trying to cover expenses by asking our fans to pledge at Patreon.com/Entheogen. We really appreciate your support!

Topics:

038: Interview with Alasdair from Bluelight.org /  by Joe

This is Entheogen. Talk about tools for generating the divine within.

Today is December 4, 2016, and we are talking with Alisdair from BlueLight.org.

Find the notes and links for this and other episodes at EntheogenShow.com. Sign up to receive an email when we release a new episode. Follow us @EntheogenShow on Twitter and like EntheogenShow on FaceBook. Thanks for listening.

Your pledges make the show possible! We're trying to cover expenses by asking our fans to pledge at Patreon.com/Entheogen. We really appreciate your support!

Topics:

  • BlueLight.org was founded in 1997, and Alisdair has been a member since 2002.
  • What is BlueLight.org?
  • Why “bluelight”? Is there significance to that?
  • How did you get introduced to BlueLight?
  • Legal considerations?
  • Relationship with MAPS
  • Donate to BlueLight

037: Dr. Sarah Mennenga from NYU Experimental Therapeutics Laboratory on Using Psilocybin to Treat Anxiety and Depression in Cancer Patients /  by Joe

This is Entheogen. Talk about tools for generating the divine within.

Today is December 18, 2016, and we are discussing the recent publication of studies from NYU and Johns Hopkins showing that psilocybin can reduce anxiety and depression in cancer patients, and we’re pleased to be joined by Dr. Sarah Mennenga from the NYU Experimental Therapeutics Laboratory.

Find the notes and links for this and other episodes at EntheogenShow.com. Sign up to receive an email when we release a new episode. Follow us @EntheogenShow on Twitter and like EntheogenShow on FaceBook. Thanks for listening.

Your pledges make the show possible! We're trying to cover expenses by asking our fans to pledge at Patreon.com/Entheogen. We really appreciate your support!

Topics:

  • We are grateful to be joined by Dr. Sarah Mennenga, Doctor of Neuroscience, NYU Experimental Therapeutics Laboratory

  • NYU and Johns Hopkins just released studies showing that psilocybin can reduce anxiety and depression in cancer patients

  • 80 percent of participants showed significant reduction of anxiety and depression

  • “One theory is that psilocybin interrupts the circuitry of self-absorbed thinking that is so pronounced in depressed people, making way for a mystical experience of selfless unity” i.e. interrupting or disrupting the Default Mode Network?

  • What is the neurological basis for the geometric shapes and auditory effects that characterize the psilocybin experience. What part does suggestibility play in the experience?

  • The “intensity of the mystical experience described by patients correlated with the degree to which their depression and anxiety decreased” – Why is that? What is it about the nature of the psychedelic or mystical experience that does this?

    • Octavian Mihai “saw black smoke rising from my body”

    • Kevin, a participant in the Johns Hopkins study saw “spirals of iridescent spheres that folded in on themselves”. “But you have to approach the session with the right intentions of why you’re doing it. Because you’re going to meet yourself.”

  • Study protocols, and the unique considerations for psychedelic session

    • “seven-hour music playlists.[...] N.Y.U. leaned toward New Age and world music — Brian Eno; sitars; didgeridoos. Johns Hopkins favored Western classical.”

    • Chalice

    • Buddha statue

  • Collaboration among the few institutions doing psychedelic research
  • Criticism from the academic/scientific community?

  • Political concerns; safety concerns around legalization

  • Stigma in the academic community?

  • fMRI scanning during a psychedelic experience?

  • NYU seeking participants in two upcoming studies:

  • NYU seeking $10 million funding for center to study psychedelics

How to Help:

Further Reading: