Episode 16: Dr. Christine Ziemer - Harm Reduction & Undoing the Systems of Miseducation with Good Information | Teaching Psychedelics and Transpersonal Psychology

In this episode, we talk to Christine Ziemer. 

Dr. Christine Ziemer is a professor of psychology at Missouri Western State University, faculty advisor of the SSDP Chapter, and excellent harm reductionist. Christine became interested in psychedelics and MAPS during her time in graduate school while working for her Ph.D. in psychology. Since then it has been an interest of hers, and over time she grew braver and more confident in her serious dedication to the field of psychedelics and transpersonal psychology. The mainstream growth of psychedelics catapulted her interest and led her to propose new courses to cover the optics of Transpersonal Psych and Psychedelics. These are now regularly offered psychedelic elective courses, and they have compounded interest over the years by the students at Missouri Western! 


Christine is a healer, educator, and mindfulness leader. She is incredible, and I am so lucky to have had the chance to speak with her today. 

Christine is actively seeking community in the psychedelic field. She wants to connect with and help other educators become harm reductionists in their respective high schools, college, or community center. That being said, she wants to connect with them through this podcast–– if that educator is you or someone you know…. Please reach out to her directly! Her email is cziemer@missouriwestern.edu 

Hope you enjoy it! - Emma 

Time Description: 

4:53 Christine’s Introduction + her academic background 

15:18 Taking student interest and building the curriculum around it. How Christine academically aligns course topics and assignments to harm reduction skill-building

18:50 Identifying & overcoming stigma. Meeting students where they are at: creating the inclusive and exhaustive ‘psychedelic’ syllabus 

28:13 Christine calls them “The Systems of Miseducation''–– how to overcome the obstacles like drug-abstinence models and shaming people who use drugs in order to undo the harms of The War on Drugs. 

30:27 How can all of this information (current and historic indigenous psychedelic use, The War on Drugs, neurobiology, chemistry, modern drug policy and related discrimination, medicalization, legalization, psychotherapy…etc) be fit into one, 15-week semester?

39:10  Making the academic composition of Harm Reduction filled with fun, collaborative, inclusive, skill-building opportunities.  

47:45 Introduction to Christine's transpersonal psychology course and the biopsychosocial-spiritual model and non-psychedelic means of arrival like lucid dreaming, meditation, ecstatic dance, birth, and death. 

51:30 Why are psychedelics in the spotlight of scientific interest?  Discussing the benefits of controlling variables like dose that are unmeasurable within other transpersonal experiences.

53:58 Next Steps = Spreading HR within and outside the conventional college education systems. Brainstorming how to overcome barriers to entry. 

1:01:10 Closing and Contact

Resources: 

Contact Christine:  cziemer@missouriwestern.edu 

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

Music by Alex Hahn (https://www.alexkahnmusic.com/)