In this episode, Dori Lewis, MA, MEd, LPC-S discusses the common myths and misconceptions surrounding psilocybin for healing. Dori is a psychotherapist, co-founder of Elemental Psychedelics, and owner of Reflective Healing in Fort Collins, CO, who specializes in psychedelic-assisted therapy, blending transpersonal psychology with spiritual practices. With experience facilitating ketamine sessions and training clinicians, she advocates for ethical standards in psychedelic medicine while championing a feminine-centered approach to facilitator training.

The first myth that Dori addresses in this conversation is the idea that it is the psilocybin mushroom itself that does all the healing work. Contrary to this common misconception, Dori suggests that it is the client’s own initiative working in tandem with the mushroom that really spurs healing. She also emphasizes that there are not any set protocols for how often psilocybin should be taken for healing, instead suggesting that clients should be guided to attune to their own internal intuition to determine when a psilocybin journey may be particularly helpful.

Another misconception Dori addresses is that healing with psilocybin can occur without causing deep transformations in one’s identity or shifts in one’s worldview. She suggests facilitators must be very transparent about these possible impacts to best prepare clients for these kinds of major changes that psilocybin can catalyze. In closing, Dori reiterates that clients should be supported and prepared to encounter intense emotional experiences with psilocybin, as some of the most difficult psychedelic journeys can actually be the most healing.

In this episode, you'll hear:

The biggest myths and misconceptions Dori encounters working with clients in her practice

The importance of a relational understanding of psychedelic healing

The specific types of trauma where psilocybin may be a particularly effective healing modality

The training for psilocybin facilitators in Colorado under the Natural Medicines Program and the importance of scope of practice

Why some people’s mental health gets worse before it gets better following a psilocybin experience

What can cause lack of response to psilocybin therapy and how better preparation can often mitigate this

Quotes:

“Mushrooms are amazing and they can help us in our healing journey. But they are one tool in a mosaic of other tools that we can use to help ourselves heal and grow and change.” [6:54]

“I don’t really know where this message came from—that mushrooms cure PTSD—but that is a huge myth. They can help—with certain types of trauma within the context of a healthy therapeutic relationship with a skilled provider, yes, at times when it is right. But ultimately the best medicine for trauma is going to be MDMA—and ketamine.” [18:18]

“It is the responsibility of providers and facilitators to inform clients of the realistic expectations they should have for their [psychedelic] journeys—and that is also an ethical need and something that facilitators need to consider through an ethical lens.” [25:20]

“There’s a lot to be said about the unique ways that mushrooms express through our bodies and through our minds and through our hearts that give us information about where we are at and where we need to work or continue to work in order to access the healing we so desire.” [37:34]

Links:

Dori on LinkedIn

Elemental Psychedelics on LinkedIn

Elemental Psychedelics website

Previous episode: Integrating Challenging Psychedelic Experiences with Keith Kurlander, MA

Previous episode: The Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project with Jules Evans

Previous episode: The Dangers of "Ayahuasca Told Me…" with Jerónimo Mazarrasa

Psychedelic Medicine Association

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In this episode, Jodie NewDelman, PsyD joins to discuss the benefits and risks of leveraging psychedelics for professional growth. For over three decades, Dr. NewDelman has been an executive consultant, health system advisor, licensed psychologist, and clinical supervisor. She is also trained and certificated in psychedelic medicine and has been working with growth-oriented professionals developing greater alignment between their leadership roles at work and their personal lives.

In this conversation, Dr. NewDelman discusses the typical struggles people experience in their professional lives and where psychedelic experiences may provide insight and empowerment to become more aligned with one’s work. She unpacks the psychological experience of being “stuck,” something that psychedelics may specifically help overcome.

Beyond individualistic approaches to professional growth, Dr. NewDelman also discusses the importance of humanizing the workforce and how conscious leadership is crucial to achieve this goal. In closing, Dr. NewDelman warns against the danger of trying to implement radical changes after a psychedelic experience without sufficient integration, emphasizing the importance of a holistic approach to this work.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Navigating feelings of imposter syndrome and experiences of marginalization
• The importance of work life balance and how to psychedelic experiences can empower reflection on this topic
• Why clear intention is crucial for leveraging psychedelic experiences for professional growth
• The danger of spiritual bypassing after profound psychedelic experiences

Quotes:

“No matter who you are, you're going to have your own set of intentions. The intentions will be bespoke. And maybe you don't know the first or second time what you want to work on when you go into it—an experiential medicine session. But eventually we can narrow those themes down to what it is that we really need insight on.” [22:01]

“if you need to focus on some nitty gritty, annoying detail [at work], no matter how transcendent your perspective is in your psychedelic medicine session, you still have to do the thing at work. You still have to make the practical changes. So we need to kind of stay tethered to reality in that way.” [38:58]

“Our tendency is to avoid pain, right? We want to go away from the obstacles. And if psychedelics teach us nothing else, it's that we need to go through the storm. We need to turn toward the issue.” [40:25]

Links:

Essensuate website

Essensuate on Instagram

Essensuate on LinkedIn

Essensuate on Facebook

What Are The Habits of Mind? - The Institute for the Habits of Mind

Previous episode: Psilocybin for Addressing Burnout with Tracy Kim Townsend, MD

Psychedelic Medicine Association

Porangui

Email: jodie@essensuate.com

In this episode, Tracy Kim Townsend, MD, joins to discuss the potential efficacy of psilocybin therapy for addressing burnout, particularly in healthcare professionals. Dr. Townsend is a Harvard-trained medical doctor, licensed psilocybin facilitator, and the Co-Founder & CEO of Meadow Medicine, one of the only legal psilocybin service centers based in the U.S., founded and led by an MD.

In this conversation, Dr. Townsend gives an overview of burnout and discusses its prevalence amongst healthcare professionals due to the intense nature of these professions. She mentions the relevance of the wounded healer archetype for many physicians and how this identity can intersect with experiences of burnout. Turning to psilocybin therapy, Dr. Townsend discusses how these psychedelic treatments can help address burnout through promoting neuroplasticity and facilitating effective emotional processing. Following these experiences, patients are often much better poised to make well-considered life changes to help stave off burnout. Dr. Townsend concludes by emphasizing the importance of integration following psychedelic journeys to ensure maximal benefit and effectiveness of these treatments.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• How burnout develops
• How technology and culture have contributed to the rise of burnout
• The symptoms of burnout
• Supporting career longevity for physicians
• How psilocybin may support patients looking to address burnout
• Clinical research into psilocybin for burnout in healthcare professionals
• Why loosening the grip on one’s identity and ego dissolution may be tied to the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics

Quotes:

“One core area that I see psilocybin playing a role [for addressing burnout] is just creating these spaces where we can process emotions and integrate them.” [21:41]

“SSRIs, which are the gold standard intervention right now for depression, usually result in about a nine-point drop [in depression scores on the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale], which is really no better than placebo… Whereas psilocybin showed a three-fold drop—there’s really no intervention for depression we see with that dramatic of results.” [25:17]

“Another thing that I think is remarkable, too is… you continue to see the benefits—if you check scores immediately after the [psilocybin] journey and then at six months out, there continues to be improvement in mental health scores.” [29:06]

Links:

Dr. Townsend on Instagram

Dr. Townsend on X

Meadow Medicine website

“Psilocybin Therapy for Clinicians With Symptoms of Depression From Frontline Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Clinical Trial” by Anthony L. Back, MD et al.

Psychedelic Medicine Association

Porangui