Altered States

This is one of my favorite podcasts. Informative, interesting, inclusive and respectful of varying cultures, science-based, and spiritually-informed, all in balance. Excellent hosting, too. I’ve gone back and listened to all the episodes, some more than once. My favorite was the report of the study with spiritual leaders of many faiths, all taking psilocybin. Always appreciate Michael Pollan’s perspectives. We need to normalize and decriminalize these practices, and this podcast helps. Thanks for putting this together!

I hope they keep cranking out episodes… Everyone I’ve listened to has been enlightening and interesting

I hate to spoil all the experiences that were life-changing, insightful, and even spiritual, but the truth is there is no shortcut to self-realization. As someone who endured trauma for the first half of my life, it was the work I put into changing the narrative I believed was true. I've seen too many people still believe that one or two psychedelic sessions have done wonders for relief only to see them back at square one a year later. Healing the human soul is work, and it will sometimes be painful. The sooner one can recognize oneself from their ego self and personas they display in the “ real world “ the sooner they can truly know themselves. Mental health and psychology have made very few advancements since Carl Jung, and even Jung’s greatest works were not published until 2009. We need to look at trauma and mental health in a new light because we are currently in its darkest age. Big pharma and Dr’s, even well intended have overprescribed mental health drugs and lacked interest in any collective goal to step back, and truly address what is going on.

Very interesting listen. I feel like it provides a lot of useful context around these substances that is generally opaque to the general public. I hope they eventually do an episode on esketamine and FDA approval of this drug for medicinal use. A lot of people don’t know about it.