I am so excited about this podcast! I work in the medical field and I’m interested in integrative medicine, having witnessed conventional medicine’s shortcomings in achieving true healing, particularly for chronic conditions including mental health issues. We are learning more and more everyday about the power of the mind-body connection. Even for diseases/conditions typically seen as more physical in nature than mental, it is critical that any approach aimed at healing the body also incorporates the mind.
Psychotherapy is a wonderful place to start. Medications can be very helpful as well, but the process of finding the right medication almost always involves a lot of trial and error, and navigating various medication side effects. While antidepressant medications can be truly lifesaving in some instances, most were not intended for long term use. Yet countless individuals are on these drugs for decades, in part because it is difficult to find clear guidelines on whether and how to taper people off of them, and the process often requires support from a mental health clinician to help the individual work through the disturbing symptoms and emotions that led to starting meds in the first place. I also believe that our emotions and intuitions can be a window into our soul, so the fact that antidepressants can blunt these deep inner signals, means that they have the potential to adversely impact our healing as well as our life’s true path.
I’m very excited about the new frontier of responsibly using psychedelic medicines (with the support of someone trained in this work) to help people engage with their psyche on a deeper level. To date there have been many cases where psychedelic-assisted therapy effectively breaks down stubborn internal barriers to healing, and provides the fresh perspective necessary in overcoming longstanding challenges. I’m so grateful for this podcast because the hosts are mental health clinicians with a wealth of experience and knowledge, and have so much to share with the world!
