Altered States of Context

In this episode, Nate interviews Dr. Albert Garcia Romeu of Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research. First, we discuss the state of diversity within psychedelic research, both in terms of the research subjects and the researchers themselves. We pointed out how this may be particularly problematic in psychedelic science, as it tests many deep assumptions about culture and co...

What are bad trips and why do they happen? What are the different ways that things can go wrong? In this episode we explore various sub-types of psychedelic experiences and debate the differences between challenging  trips and bad trips, and how difficult experiences can often lead to healing and growth with the right support. We dismantle the idea that “there is no such thing as a bad trip”...

ACT has already been used to inform the psychotherapy portions of psilocybin-assisted therapy in several clinical trials. Dr. Jordan Sloshower shares about his experiences working on a clinical trial of psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression. He discusses why his team chose ACT from among several potential therapy models, as well as his views on ACT’s strengths and weaknesses in preparation, d...

Season two begins with a summary of recent news in psychedelics, including developments in decriminalization efforts by several states, an update on Oregon’s measure 109 and psilocybin services, and the recent dissolving of Mindcure and what that means for big money players in the psychedelic space. Nate and Brian also speculate on various potential models of psychedelic-assisted therapy and the p...

We're Back! Well, not quite. We are releasing this FULL EPISODE now because it's timely, and because we ARE coming back, and soon! New episodes will be coming back at you every other week starting at the end of March. We've been hard at work and have numerous interviews recorded and queued up for the editing bay. We're very excited to share them with you. This interview is with the fantastic Jean...

Wrapping up the year, we highlight some of the major developments in the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy and identify current trends in the psychedelic zeitgeist. While we discuss encouraging and positive news, we also identify some potential pitfalls and dangers in the future of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Additionally we share news regarding the future of Altered States of Context. We’d...

Love is a word that is often left out in traditional psychotherapy, though love remains perhaps the most central aspect of being human. Dr. Adele Lafrance discusses reasons why the concept of love is such a controversial topic and emphasizes the need to reincorporate love into psychotherapy. She discusses how experiences of love and our obstacles to feeling love are such as an important part of th...

Stigma about psychedelics remains a problem and can cause harm when psychedelic users encounter judgment or other negative consequences in social contexts. Rooted in decades of misinformation and the failed war on drugs, there is a need for greater public education about the actual risks and benefits of psychedelics. In this episode we discuss a recent study that surveyed psychologists’ attitudes...

We can't talk enough about integration on this show. To help broaden this conversation, Ryan Westrum, author of the “Psychedelic Integration Handbook”, joins us to talk about psychedelic integration and the importance of embodied action following psychedelic experiences. Ryan brings his expertise as a psychologist working in the areas of sexuality, addiction, and psychedelic integration.   We...

During psychedelic experiences people are vulnerable and more at risk to abuses of power in relationships. In this episode we discuss the prevalence of power imbalances in mental health care in general, how the are traditionally dealt with, and the need for greater awareness around the potential for emotional or sexual abuse by therapists in psychedelic-assisted therapy. We highlight a recent stud...

In this show we interview Henry Whitfield, an ACBS peer reviewed Acceptance and Commitment Therapy trainer who has also conducted legal psychedelic retreats in the Netherlands. We have the opportunity here to discuss applying ACT, not only in preparation and integration sessions, but in the course of a psychedelic journey itself. We talk about many of the useful aspects of an ACT-oriented perspect...

In this episode Brian and Nate interview Eric Osborne. Eric is a Kentucky native and cofounder of Psanctuary, a 508(c)(1)(A) faith-based organization, which is a constitutionally protected church utilizing psilocybin containing mushrooms as a sacrament. Additionally, he is the founder of Mycomeditations, a group based psychedelic retreat center in Jamaica. Eric has a unique and very interesting pe...

Integration is a concept getting plenty of love in conversations about psychedelic assisted psychotherapy. It seems to be universally regarded as important, but what does it mean? In this episode, Brian and Nate offer a definition of integration, discuss its importance within psychedelic assisted psychotherapy, and talk briefly about what might be useful to aid in integration.

How long have psychedelics been around? How were they used by older cultures? What lessons from the past can we apply to the present? In this episode Nate and Brian zoom through thousands of years of history in about an hour, covering a range of historical facts, oddities, and tidbits. With a focus on the last century, we discuss how psychedelics have mostly existed outside of mainstream culture a...

In this episode we share our interview with Dr. Gregory Wells, a clinician and researcher with Ketamine and MDMA based in San Francisco. We talk about clinical research, being in the room with a client on MDMA, and making sense of psychedelic medicine. Gregory Wells (he/him/queer) is a licensed psychologist based in San Francisco. He is a clinician and researcher in the field o...

ACT is an ideal psychotherapy model that is useful in understanding the psychedelic experience. ACT is a transdiagnostic model of human suffering that includes six core processes relevant to the manifestation of mental health issues. ACT aims to promote psychological flexibility and living a values-based life. In this episode, we review the ACT model and discuss the processes of values and committ...

ACT is an ideal psychotherapy model that is useful in understanding the psychedelic experience. ACT is a transdiagnostic model of human suffering that includes six core processes relevant to the manifestation of mental health issues. ACT aims to promote psychological flexibility and living a values-based life. In this episode, we review the ACT model and discuss the processes of contact with the p...

Psychedelics, psychotherapy, and science: a podcast about new frontiers in mental health with an abundance of heart and a dash of weirdness. Meet hosts Nathan Gates and Brian Pilecki as they describe their own personal journeys and share their passion for the use of psychedelics and psychedelic assisted therapy in healing and transformation. This introductory episode will outline the purpose of th...

What use are language and theory in making sense of psychedelic experiences? The role of Contextual Behavioral Science is discussed in preparation, dosing, and integration aspects of psychedelics. We highlight why this theory of language and human suffering is such a compatible framework for working with psychedelic spaces. We discuss how psychedelics can break down language in both helpful and ha...

Research on psychedelics has proliferated over the last ten years confirming that psychedelic-assisted therapy is an effective treatment for certain mental health conditions. In this episode we interview Jason Luoma and provide an overview of the most rigorous recent studies, as well as touch on some of the history of psychedelic research and common issues in studying the psychedelic experience.

A short teaser for the upcoming Altered States of Context podcast with Brian Pilecki and Nathan Gates