Furthure

One of the most systematic and comprehensive systems of documenting the effects of psychedelics and other psychoactives wasn’t made in academia, but was crafted by some drug nerds with high trait-level systematizing and a penchant for self-expirementation. In this episode, Josie Kins is the founder of PsychoanutWiki, the Subjective Effects Index, and the Replications Reddit tells us about the back...

Nervewing may be the closest thing the field of psychonautics has seen to a Shulgin of dissociatives. Having cataloged an extensive repertoire of 253 unique substances ingested in their lifetime, including many substances that they were the first to synthesize and experience. Nervewing also has the honor of being the person with the most Erowid reports submitted. But unlike Shulgin, there was a da...

The structure of clinical trials is generally not the most interesting thing in the world. But for psychedelic science, going through the “gold standard” double-blind placebo-controlled paradigm is all but impossible– and presents arguably one of the largest barriers to psychedelic treatments gaining approval. After all, how can one even pretend that seeing a bunch of fractals everywhere is even r...

Rebekah Senānāyaka, PhD, is an anthropologist and a certified explorer, having spent a combined total of 27 months of fieldwork in the heart of the Amazon, often living in a house with no walls, protected from the jungle by only a mosquito net. She also shares a bit about her experience as an apprentice with a Kichwa maestro, a first for a woman in the community she lived in. We also go beyond psy...

This is one of the most fun and wide-ranging conversations I’ve had on Furthure in a while — and one of the weirder ones. Dr. David Luke, author of Otherworlds: Psychedelics and Exceptional Human Experience , investigates everything from how psychedelics may increase the odds of ESP-like experiences and paranormal beliefs to how people cope with existential distress after challenging psychedelic e...

Dan Grossman takes us on a tour of a very uncharted—but important—aspect of psychedelics’ effects: somatic experiences. We discuss the role that weird and wacky, “energy-like” experiences might play in the effects of psychedelics, and how, despite sounding a little out-there, these experiences are grounded in rich psychological and somatic traditions in both the East and West. If you’re wondering...

Ria Xi is taking running further than many people could even conceive of as possible. She is planning a 20,000-km (~12,427-mile) run from the edge of Russia to Portugal. She has already pushed running to its limits—setting the fastest known time on the Camino trail in Spain and becoming the first person to ultrarun the Sinai Trail in Egypt. In our conversation, we talk about what she is running to...

How often do you feel amazed—or experience a sense of wonder? When was the last time you looked up at a tree, even in an ordinary park, and felt awe? Sean Goldy, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Psychedelics and Consciousness Research, takes us on a tour through his work on awe. We discuss the role it plays in psychedelic experiences—but also move beyond psychedelics to explore som...

Psychedelics have long been a hot topic. But in the early days of psychedelics, back in the 1950s, even mainstream media outlets were enthusiastically covering research on a bizarre new drug that was active in minuscule doses. On this episode of Furthure, Dr. Steve Siff, a journalism professor at Miami University and author of Acid Hype , discusses media coverage surrounding psychedelics. We talk...

Dr. Willoughby Britton tells her journey from a meditation evangelical to a meditation skeptic. She discusses how stumbling into cases of people getting worse from meditation catalyzed her research examining meditators in distress, and also led her to create the non-profit Cheetah House, which provides evidence-based support for meditators in distress. She talks about the Varieties of Contemplativ...

Manoj Doss, PhD, has been known as a force of skepticism in psychedelic science and a critic of psychedelic neuroimaging. But he is also an expert on one often overlooked—but potentially very important—aspect of how psychedelics and other drugs impact people: how they affect memory. We also learn how Manoj became interested in memory research through a rollerblading mishap. We talk about how psych...

Lisa Gezon, an anthropologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, joins Furthure to share her experience investigating what many may consider an unlikely cultural group – a psychedelic integration group in America’s Deep South. We discuss how the religious landscape of the region intersects with the kinds of experiences people face during their journeys. Additionally, we explore how psyche...

Maria Bǎlǎeț, PhD is a cognitive neuroscientist who has explored how the use of psychedelics “in the wild” might impact both cognition and mental health. She discusses her experiences with the Great British Intelligence Test and her research on the mental health resilience of psychedelic users during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she uncovered some unexpected results. We also talk about the influen...

There are some unique occupational hazards to being a psychedelic facilitator. One you might not hear much about is getting stabbed by a client while extracting their astral parasites or demons. This is what happened to Julio Rivera, who shares his story of a client attack during what he describes as a parasite extraction gone wrong. We also learn more about Julio’s unique method of working with p...

Julie Holland, MD is launching a groundbreaking trial on the safety of MDMA in people with schizophrenia—something she has been working toward for nearly 40 years. She shares what first sparked her interest in studying psychedelics and psychosis and discusses her book, Good Chemistry , which explores the science of connection, both through psychedelics, and more everyday experiences. Learn more ab...

In this episode, Sophie Jacobs, author of The Intuition Experiment, tells us about her time studying in a Theravada monastery to be a Buddhist nun. We discuss what catalyzed her desire to train in the monastery and her day-to-day life there. Ultimately, Sophie, compelled in part by her creative spark, decided to leave the monastery and wrote a book about her experience there. Follow Sophie here: I...

Danny Goler is in the process of making a documentary about his discoveries involving DMT and lasers and what this might mean for simulation theory. His work is rapidly gaining interest within the psychedelic community, with figures such as Andrew Gallimore, PhD discussing and critiquing his theories. At first glance, many might assume these ideas are “crazy.” However, I believe it’s important to...

In this episode, Alex Sieleff, PhD, delves into how we live with death and how psychedelics, along with other altered states of consciousness such as breathwork, can help us make sense of our lives. Alex has conducted fieldwork on the effects of naturalistic psychedelic use on intrinsic motivation and has studied how breathwork can induce mystical experiences. Follow Alex Sieleff, PhD at curious.e...

MDMA-assisted psychotherapy did not get approved by the FDA. This shocked many, and the critiques surrounding the trial varied substantially in their constructiveness. Still, it is essential to remember that there are real people out there who benefited from their participation in the trial. So, I decided to let Becca Kacanda, a MAPS MDMA-assisted psychotherapy trial participant, tell us about her...

Caitlin Thompson discusses her experiences as a kambo practitioner who has both published scientific research on kambo and learned from Matsés practitioners. We discuss how psychedelic wellness culture has intersected with kambo to create highly structured, often spiritual experiences, despite this being quite different than how many matsés people use kambo. Caitlin is also quite open about the nu...

Ever wonder what it would be like to go on a mission to Mars? 🚀 In this episode, Dr. Carli Domenico tells us about her experience as a participant in NASA's Human Exploration Research Analog study, which simulates a 45 day flight to Mars. We discuss everything from how NASA selects a team of people to stay in a small box for 45 days to the best space snacks and what pseudo-astronauts listen to. C...

Dr. Malin Uthaug, a pioneer in 5-MeO-DMT research, tells us about her work studying 5-MeO-DMT in the field and the importance of somatic experiences. Aside from psychedelics, we also discuss her experience of freediving and whether extreme sports can also produce altered states of consciousness. More about Malin Uthaug: https://www.drmalinvedoyuthaug.com/ Instagram: @drmalinuthaug Give the show a...