Curious to Serious Psychedelic Grad

In this episode, we talk with Oskar Bull-Hansen.

He is a practicing above-ground underground psychedelic guide in Norway.

Oskar provides preparation, psychedelic sessions, and integration services for clients using MDMA and psilocybin. In our conversation, we cover what Oskar’s practice looks like including the process of choosing a substance and dose for each patient and how to practice harm reduction.

We also discuss how Oskar’s personal experiences with psychedelics influenced his transition from a career in information technology and human resources to becoming a full-time guide, as well as the many resources he used to develop his practice.

Finally, we wrap up the episode with advice for anyone interested in aboveground underground psychedelic work and a discussion on the future of the psychedelic field.


Time Stamps:

1:34 What is an above-ground underground guide?

5:10 Why practice with psilocybin and MDMA?

6:10 How Oskar’s work contributes to harm reduction

10:06 Determining which substance and dose to work with for each client

14:15 How to help patients manage relationships with therapists who are resistant to psychedelic experiences

17:12 Oskar’s personal experiences with psychedelics that led him to his work as a guide

23:49 Resources that were helpful to building Oskar’s knowledgebase and practice

27:00 Challenges Oskar faced and the role of a strong support system

31:57 How Oskar started his practice and developed it into a full-time job

34:00 Advice for others wanting to follow a similar path

35:41 Answering the question of guides being in altered states during sessions with clients

38:21 The future of the psychedelic field and Oskar’s place within it

44:57 Additional advice for listeners

46:36 Contact information

47:19 Bonus question: how has COVID impacted Oskar’s practice

Links:

Psychedelics Today for Clinicians and Therapists:

https://www.psychedeliceducationcenter.com/p/navigating-psychedelics-for-clinicians-and-therapists

Secret Chief Revealed Conversations with Leo Zeff by Myron J. Stolaroff, M.S.

Psychedelic Psychotherapy by R. Coleman

Trust, Surrender, Receive: How MDMA Can Release Us From Trauma and PTSD by Anne Other

LSD Psychotherapy by Stan Grof, M.D.

You can connect with Oskar through email: oskar@psyn.no

Or his website: English Norwegian Swedish

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/obullhansen

To learn more about Psychedelic Grad or to join our newsletter, go to https://www.psychedelicgrad.com/

Music by: https://www.alexkahnmusic.com/

Presented by Psychedelic Grad.

In this episode, we talk with Vilmarie Narloch, Psy.D as she shares how her journey through addiction research, humanistic healing, policy reform, and academia intersect at her place in the psychedelic field.

Vilmarie wears many hats but is best known for her work at Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) as Director of Education.

She received her M.A. in Counseling and Psychological Services at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota and went on to pursue a doctorate of psychology in clinical psychology at Roosevelt University (where she also became a member of SSDP).

Focused on patient-first clinical work and expanding access to harm reduction services, Vilmarie focused her research on substance use disorder and destigmatizing drug use. With her dissertation, she revealed that students were seeking unbiased, evidence-based information about drugs, and she later delivered by establishing SSDP’s national Just Say Know peer drug education program.

Vilmarie also launched SSDP’s Psychedelic Pipeline, a project that bridges student mentees entering the psychedelic space to mentors who currently investigate psychedelic medicine.

When Vilmarie is not ending the war on drugs, she is also co-creating Sana Healing Collective,  a safe haven and patient-forward ketamine assisted psychotherapy clinic.

Look out for the next Psychedelic Pipeline cohort, accessible to SSDP members!



Contact: Vilmarie@SSDP.COM

SSDP Chapters Near you: https://ssdp.org/chapters/

Sana Healing Collective: https://sanahealingcollective.org/

SSDP Psychedelic Pipeline: https://ssdp.org/psychedelic-pipeline/


Time Stamps:

2:19 Vilmarie’s academic and research journey in clinical psychology, addiction, and harm reduction, leading to her first year as a member of SSDP as a graduate student at Roosevelt University

5:43 Her CIIS experience in 2018

6:12 What is harm reduction?

7:15 Exposure as a student to client-focused practices set a high precedent for harm reduction

8:44 How her desperation to treat a patient-led to one very influential google search

10:32 from SSDP member to Director

14:07 Dissertation turned career, on the creation of an honest drug education program--Just Say Know

22:55 Newest SSDP Project, the psychedelic pipeline

24:48 Addressing barriers to mentorship and guidance in academia and research for BIPOC. How SSDP is filling those gaps in the Psychedelic Field.

27:34 Her mindfulness-based practices (her secrets to doing so much and staying healthy)

30:45 Being Latina in research and in the psychedelic field. How has identity impacted Vilmarie’s vision for the future

33:01 On the creation and mission behind Sana Healing Collective, how to make healing collective in today’s medical framework

35:33 Addressing modern barriers to care with group-identity integration, community-centered healing, and more assessable treatment options at Sana Healing Collective.

37:54 Mentors and support systems, what they do and where to find yours (for the listeners). How support from her community helped Vilmarie achieve her greatest personal goals in the space

40:21 Can SSDP be the support system and community for you

43:42 Advice for the listeners and aspiring harm reductionists

44:24 Secret to the community is unlearning competitively amounts peers (competitively =/= connectivity )


To learn more about Psychedelic Grad, go to

https://www.psychedelicgrad.com/

Music by: https://www.alexka

In this episode, we talk with Cody Wenthur.

Cody is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy and Director of the first-of-its-kind Psychoactive Pharmaceutical Investigation Masters of Science Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Cody is also a member of the Psychedelic Pharmacists Association.

Cody’s lab researches how small-scale molecule drugs affect long-term behavioral changes.

In our conversation, we cover the many projects Cody’s lab is working on and discuss the details of the new Psychoactive Pharmaceutical Investigation MS Program.

We also discuss how Cody’s interest in drug development started in high school and the route he took to become an assistant professor getting both a PharmD and Ph.D. followed by a fellowship at the Scripps Research Institute in the Department of Chemistry.

We round out the conversation with Cody by providing some advice, a discussion of the Psychedelic Pharmacists Association, and a reflection on the future of the psychedelic field.

Time Stamps:

1:57 Cody’s research on how small scale molecule drugs affect long-term behavioral change

5:56 Implications and goals of Cody’s research

10:42 Masters of Science in Psychoactive Pharmaceutical Investigation at University of Wisconsin-Madison

23:44 How Cody became involved in psychedelic research

33:11 PharmD versus PhD

36:36 Cody’s fellowship at the Scripps Research Institute and fellowship advice

42:27 Challenges Cody faced in his academic journey

45:35 Resources that were most helpful during Cody’s academic journey

49:37 Psychedelic Pharmacists Association

55:12 Reflections on the future of the psychedelic field

1:00:54 Additional details on the MS program

1:01:44 Contact information

Links:

University of Wisconsin-Madison Professional Degrees & Certificates: https://pdc.wisc.edu

University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy: https://pharmacy.wisc.edu

Psychedelic Pharmacist Association LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/psychedelic-pharmacists-association/

You can connect with Cody Wenthur through email:

wenthur@wisc.edu

Or with his lab through social media:

https://twitter.com/wenthurlab?lang=en

To learn more about Psychedelic Grad or to join our newsletter, go to

https://www.psychedelicgrad.com/

Music by: https://www.alexkahnmusic.com/

Presented by Psychedelic Grad.

In this episode, we talk with Mati Castro. She is a neuroscience graduate student at Johns Hopkins University.

She works in the basic science field to understand how psychedelics affect brain circuits, specifically the amygdala during rewarded operant behaviors.

In our conversation, we cover her academic career of earning Bachelor’s degrees in biochemistry and psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and how that experience helped prepare her for her neuroscience research at Johns Hopkins.

We also talk about how her grandfather was one of her greatest mentors and the array of professors who supported her in her process of getting into graduate school and her current research.

We wrap up the conversation with Mati providing advice to those interested in pursuing neuroscience degrees and a look at the future of psychedelic neuroscience.

1:41 Research at John Hopkins studying associative learning in rats

8:34 Introducing psychedelics in associative learning studies using DOI

16:08 Neurobiological view of addiction: how studying natural rewards fits into understanding addiction in humans

25:05 Interest in neuroscience stems from DARE program experiences and Mati’s grandfathers’ career as an organic chemist

29:35 Undergraduate career studying biochemistry and psychology and how it helps Mati as a neuroscience graduate student

32:25 The importance of being open and honest about psychedelic interests when applying and interviewing for graduate programs

38:00 Mentors that supported Mati throughout her academic career

42:20 Advice for individuals interested in studying psychedelic neuroscience

45:20 Hopes for the future of psychedelic neuroscience

47:44 Last remarks – keep reading the literature

49:00 How to contact and connect with Mati

You can connect with Mati Castro on social media:
@yerba_mati

Or through email: mati.castro.06@gmail.com

To learn more about Psychedelic Grad or to join our newsletter go to psychedelicgrad.com

Music by: alexkahnmusic.com

Presented by Psychedelic Grad.

Presented by Psychedelic Grad.

This episode is with Dr. Rick Barnett. He's a clinical, mental/behavioral health and addiction specialist and founder of the addiction rehabilitation facility, Carter Inc., in Vermont. In this episode, we cover his path from patient to practitioner, the meanings of addiction, the 12 step program, the opioid epidemic, and the role psychedelics play in the healthcare field.

More about Dr. Rick Barnett:

Dr. Rick Barnett, Psy.D., LADC, founded the non-profit organization CARTER, Inc. in 2015 to expand addiction-related resources in Vermont and beyond. Dr. Barnett is Legislative Chair and Past-President of the Vermont Psychological Association and is a clinical psychologist and addiction specialist in private practice in Stowe, VT. Dr. Barnett has worked as a Clinical Psychologist in nursing homes, hospitals, and outpatient programs and has trained hundreds of health professionals through workshops on addiction and mental health issues over the past 20 years. He is in the long-term recovery of alcohol and substance abuse and is an active advocate for addiction treatment and recovery resources.
Dr. Barnett holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Columbia University, a Doctorate and Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology, and a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychopharmacology. He is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor and holds a certificate in Problematic Sexual Behavior (PSB-S) and Gambling Disorder. Dr. Barnett’s service goes beyond the clinical world into his community and public policy as he has served on and continues to serve on many communities and government boards and committees.

You can learn more about Dr. Barnett on social media:
twitter.com/drrickbarnett
linkedin.com/in/dr-rick-barnett/

Or on his website: cartervermont.org

To learn more about Psychedelic Grad, go to psychedelicgrad.com. 

Music by: alexkahnmusic.com

Presented by Psychedelic Grad.

In this episode of Curious to Serious, we interview Carli Domenico, a PhD candidate at Baylor College of Medicine (Houston).

She's involved with the Research and Development Spore at the Intercollegiate Psychedelic Society and also works with Tabula Rasa Ventures.

Carli is a doctoral student with a background in neuroscience and philosophy. Her research investigates the effects of LSD on memory and visual areas using direct, in vivo electrophysiology recordings in rats. These methods allow insights into the way neural representations of the world become altered and also how these brain regions may interact differently when a hallucinogen is present and also in combination with a 5ht2a receptor antagonist, which is a receptor that modulates the experience of hallucinations. Carli is fascinated by the parallels and divergence between sleep and psychedelic states, and she enjoys musing on the resulting implications for conscious perception. She believes deeply in the healing power of mindfulness meditation and psychedelic therapies, aiming to be an ambassador of accessible information to bridge scientific dialogue and the public in the pursuit of a more peaceful, present civilization.

To learn more about Carli, check out https://www.carlifrequency.com/

To learn more about Psychedelic Grad, go to psychedelicgrad.com.