Altered States of Context

A bit of an ASOC origin story! In this Episode Nate interviews the Perspectives Retreats crew, which include our very own Brian Pilecki, Jenna LeJeune, Miranda Morris and Temple Morris. The idea for Perspectives Retreats originated in the same place as Altered States of Context- at a psilocybin retreat in Jamaica 6 years ago. Since then the Perspectives crew have worked to develop the most thoroug...

Dr. Alex Belser joins us to further discuss EMBARK and how his passion for training psychedelic therapists led to the development of a broadly applicable model that includes all aspects of psychedelic experiences. With the recent rejection of MDMA-assisted therapy by the FDA, we discuss the future role of psychotherapy, in contrast to more minimal psychological support, in future psychedelic medic...

Humans are natural storytellers, for better or worse. How can we become more aware of the stories that embed our lives? How do psychedelics help us see the stories that we live inside and help us have more agency about being an author to our stories? Our guest Jennifer Beman is a documentary film editor who has created a method for visual story-telling called BioGraffs. Hear her describe how BioGr...

Dr. William Brennan describes EMBARK, a transdiagnostic flexible model of psychedelic facilitation that builds on existing approaches in clinical research of psychedelic-assisted therapy. He describes the six clinical domains and four care cornerstones, and how they can be flexibly applied to a range of conditions and settings. We discuss some of the pros and cons of a unifying model of change in...

Gabby Lehigh recently earned her PhD from the Department of Anthropology at the University of South Florida (USF). She holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in anthropology from USF. Her dissertation research focused on transformative psychedelic experiences at music events to understand how psychedelic use in everyday contexts creates meaningful a...

New EPISODES After a bit of a break, we are back with three new episodes and a new format. Instead of biweekly episodes during a season, we are simply going to release episodes whenever we feel like it! We are hoping that this intermittent schedule of reinforcement works well for all of our loyal listeners, as it makes it much easier for us to keep recording these interesting and in-depth conversa...

Andy Mitchell, author of “Ten Trips,” describes his experience having ten different psychedelic experiences in very different types of contexts ranging from academic settings to indigenous communities. Andy provides a fresh take on psychedelics with a unique perspective of sampling several sub-communities within the larger psychedelic community, including therapists and scientists, psychonauts and...

In this episode we take a slight detour from our main topic to discuss Nate’s experiences with farming in central Illinois. Hear Nate describe how he got into farming and how his experiences with animals have shaped the way he thinks about everything from diet to psychotherapy. You’ll hear Nate defend why he is virulently "pro-savanna" and discuss how living in a sustainable ecosystem allows for r...

Join us for a conversation with Franklin King, is a psychiatrist with expertise in neuroscience and psychedelics. Hear him discuss his history of working in a psych ER and his perspectives on how public health interventions can help people attain greater wellness. Dr. King’s unique experience in mental health care and research on psychedelic-assisted therapy leads to an engaging discussion about h...

Holotropic breathwork, developed by Stan and Christina Grof, [BP1]  was developed as a method to induce altered states of consciousness after LSD was made illegal and therefore no longer available. Christine Calvert is a certified Holotropic Breathwork facilitator who discusses the history and development of holotropic breathwork and how it is related to psychedelic-assisted therapy. With dec...

In this compelling episode, Nate and Brian are joined by Victor Cabral, a licensed social worker and therapist, who currently serves as the Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at Fluence Training. Victor has a passion for equity and justice in relation to drug policies and hopes to emphasize community views, oppression, and harm that has been done in relation to psychedelics and drug policy....

OSMIND Osmind is the premier platform for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy practices. The all-in-one platform includes purpose-built charting for ketamine, SPRAVATO, psychotherapy and more; as well as patient tools for the therapeutic alliance that include 40+ validated rating scales and a patient app for journaling and secure messaging too. Visit Osmind using our link below: osmind.org/aso...

Show Description: In this fascinating episode, Brian is joined by Denise Rue, who is a hypnotherapist, social worker, and experienced psilocybin retreat facilitator. Brian and Denise dive deep into the nature of psychedelic therapy and the retreat experience, from preparation through integration. Denise shares her perspective on the role of a psychedelic therapist and what it takes to successfully...

OSMIND Osmind is the premier platform for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy practices. The all-in-one platform includes purpose-built charting for ketamine, SPRAVATO, psychotherapy and more; as well as patient tools for the therapeutic alliance that include 40+ validated rating scales and a patient app for journaling and secure messaging too. Visit Osmind using our link below: osmind.org/aso...

This Episode's Sponsor OSMIND Osmind is the premier platform for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy practices. The all-in-one platform includes purpose-built charting for ketamine, SPRAVATO, psychotherapy and more; as well as patient tools for the therapeutic alliance that include 40+ validated rating scales and a patient app for journaling and secure messaging too. Visit Osmind using our lin...

Brian and I wrap things up for season two and lay the groundwork for season 3.

Dr. Rosalind Watts discusses her work in applying Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to psychedelic-assisted therapy. Dr. Watts shares about how her own challenging psychedelic experiences have provided her with valuable insight and perspective in working with depressed clients, as well as the value in opening up to our pain in helping us become more engaged in our lives. Dr. Watts emphasizes the i...

Zach Haigney is the author of the Trip Report, a weekly newsletter that synthesizes psychedelic news in the areas of medicine, science, and policy. Looking at the big picture, we discuss where the field is at and where it is going. We review the hype cycle and identify why psychedelics tend to be aggrandized, and Zach discusses his view of how the psychedelic space is an ecosystem filled with chec...

Dr. Ingmar Gorman discusses the current state of psychedelic training programs and how Fluence, the organization that he helped co-found, is attempting to meet the training needs of mental health professionals. He also discusses the little known history of psychedelics in the Czech Republic and Europe, and describes what it was like for psychedelics to flourish in a conservative region of the worl...

Psychedelics are known for their ability to shake up one’s existing belief system and provoke new ways of seeing the world. Several studies show that people often become more spiritual or religious after a powerful psychedelic experience. There is a trend in moving away from physical or materialistic worldviews into non-physical, fatalistic, or nondual worldviews. In this episode we discussion the...

Dr. Rachel Harris shares her work in investigating the ceremonial use of ayahuasca and how understanding indigenous cultures can help inform the Westernized medical framework of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Dr. Harris also discusses her upcoming book about the work of female underground guides and elders, and why the voices of women have been largely underrepresented in the modern history of psyc...

Much of the current discussion around psychedelic drugs center on their therapeutic effects. Clinical conversations, promotion, hype, controversy- who controls them, who are they good for, how can they be used for maximum benefit, who's getting paid... A little something has gotten a bit lost in the mix- FUN. Psychedelics can be a real, real good time. In this Episode, Brian and Nate discuss why c...

Dr. Chris Stauffer talks about his research investigating the use of group-administered psilocybin and MDMA. The advantages of group administration are discussed, including the opportunity to increase social connection and deepen capacities to be vulnerable with others. Dr. Stauffer also highlights how group psychedelic-assisted therapy needs to be adapted to the identities of the participants, sh...

In this edition of ASOC, we had the opportunity for a long, in-depth conversation with the one and only Dr. Steven C. Hayes. In this fun and wide-ranging conversation, Steve talks about how his personal experiences with psychedelics contributed to the development of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and his understanding of the role of language in human suffering. He shares about his involvement i...

Should psychedelic therapists have their own experiences with psychedelics? While the answer to this question may at first seem obvious, this episode explores some of the nuances in this issue. For example, if personal experience is necessary, who gets to decide how much and under what conditions? Furthermore, we explore how personal experiences may inform one’s work as a psychedelic therapist and...