Psychedelic Medicine Podcast with Dr. Lynn Marie Morski

Lynn Marie Morski, MD, JD

Curious about the possible therapeutic benefits of psychedelic medicines? The Psychedelic Medicine Podcast with Dr. Lynn Marie Morski has you covered with the latest in scientific research, medical practices, and legal developments involving these substances and their incredible therapeutic potential. Covering the full range of psychedelic therapies, including psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, LSD, ayahuasca, ibogaine, and more, this podcast serves as an auditory encyclopedia of information for anyone interested in learning about the safe, therapeutic uses of these medicines.

  1. 4 SEP

    Psychedelics for Stroke Healing with Steven Zeiler, MD, PhD

    In this episode Steven Zeiler, MD, PhD joins to discuss the promise of psychedelics for stroke healing. Dr. Zeiler is an associate professor and physician at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine specializing in cerebrovascular disease, including acute stroke therapy, prevention, and recovery. He is a lead investigator for a Rose Hill Life Sciences research trial, conducted in partnership with Johns Hopkins University, exploring the use of psilocybin-assisted therapy to enhance motor function in patients with neurological injuries. In this conversation, Dr. Zeiler explains that after a stroke, there is a natural but time-limited critical period during which the brain is highly plastic and capable of repairing motor function. His research, inspired by work on psychedelics reopening critical learning windows, shows in animal models that a single high dose of psychedelics combined with intensive rehabilitation can restore lost motor abilities even after recovery has plateaued. Throughout, Dr. Zeiler emphasizes that psilocybin itself doesn’t heal the brain directly but creates a window of heightened neuroplasticity that, when paired with targeted therapy, may dramatically improve recovery outcomes for stroke survivors.   In this episode, you'll hear: What happens to patients during a stroke The critical period of stroke recovery and how psychedelics may reopen this opportunity Why conducting a safety and tolerability study of psilocybin for stroke patients is crucial What forms of deficits and recoveries Dr. Zeiler’s study will measure  Dr. Zeiler’s speculations on what integrating psychedelic treatments into stroke medicine could look like The importance of specialized interventions that take advantage of the critical recovery period   Quotes: “What has been a little forgotten about in a lot of stroke management situations is helping the person get over the deficits with which the stroke has left them. And if you can't move an arm, you can't move a leg, that's a big deal. And we are not quite as good at addressing some of those problems.” [5:11]  “[The potential of psychedelics for stroke recovery] is probably less about addressing the injury itself and more about helping the remaining parts of the brain turn on to address what's lost.” [7:36] “We're not suggesting that the psychedelic itself has some sort of magical property that would just repair the brain, but it primes the situation to allow that input that we then provide over the next many days, many weeks, to affect a recovery.” [13:31] “Imagine something as complicated as the brain going through a repair mechanism: could you imagine one molecule acting on one receptor being able to affect a recovery? I couldn't imagine that—it's too complicated a thing. And so having something like a mechanism of action that is acting through multiple pathways, I think has to be the case if we're going to affect something as complicated as brain repair.” [17:30]   Links: Dr. Zeiler on LinkedIn Super Room for Enriched Neurological Repair at Green Spring (SENRG) PHATHOM (Psychedelic Healing: Adjunct Therapy Harnessing Opened Malleability)-Stroke Project Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

    33 min
  2. 20 AGO

    Long-Term Psychedelic Integration with J. Ashley T. Booth, LCSW, MS

    In this episode J. Ashley T. Booth, LCSW, MS joins to discuss the importance of long-term psychedelic integration. Ashley is a Los Angeles-based psychedelic therapist, IFS practitioner, and author of Quieting the Storm Within: An Illustrated Introduction to Your Parts Through Internal Family Systems and Beyond. With a background in research, education, and clinical work—including serving as a co-investigator on the MAPS MDMA trials—she specializes in helping clients integrate psychedelic experiences through compassionate parts work and Self-led healing. In this conversation, Ashley explores the nuances of psychedelic integration, discussing how this process can be supported through ongoing self-audits, somatic practices, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) work. She highlights the need to slow down, focus on one insight at a time, and anchor felt experiences into the body so they become lived behaviors rather than fleeting memories. The discussion also addresses challenges such as insufficient integration, psychedelic narcissism, and the pressure to “fix” oneself. In closing, Ashley stresses that even years after a journey, integration is possible if one revisits experiences with intention, and she underscores the central role of supportive communities in sustaining lasting transformation   In this episode, you'll hear: What things are important to focus on in long-term integration How someone can discern when their integration process has been sufficient to pursue a subsequent psychedelic journey  An overview of the internal family systems model of the psyche  The downsides of insufficient integration Developing deeper relationships with the parts of one’s psyche through IFS Why it's never too late to integrate psychedelic experiences from one’s past What to do when integration seems to come into conflict with feeling well adjusted to society’s expectations   Quotes: “What I encourage clients to do is to take notes on everything that felt important and then separate them out into: ‘I'm going to just focus on this one thing for like a month, and then maybe next month will be that second piece of it.’ And so you're really allowing yourself to make particular practices and focus on one thing at a time.” [6:21] “So whatever wound we're dealing with in our bodies, whether it's an extreme sort of big T trauma or little T trauma… there's a slowness that needs to happen. And so if there's parts of us that want to speed up that process, we need to be curious about that and see if there are ways that we can tend to that before the next journey.” [13:59] “I think that part of the longer term questions are not just how we change our life but what kind of meaning are we making of our lives and how are we sitting more comfortably in that meaning in a way that is serving us and empowering us?” [25:52]   Links: Ashley’s website IFS and Beyond on Instagram  IFS and Beyond website Quieting the Storm Within: An Illustrated Introduction to Your Parts Through Internal Family Systems and Beyond by J. Ashley T. Booth Aware Project: Southern California Psychedelic Society website Previous episode: Navigating Psychedelic Narcissism with Adam Aronovich Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

    35 min
  3. 7 AGO

    Combining Ketamine Therapy with Other Modalities with Genesee Herzberg, PsyD

    In this episode, Dr. Genesee Herzberg joins to discuss the ways ketamine therapy can be combined with other healing modalities. Dr. Herzberg is a clinical psychologist and co-founder and director of Sage Integrative Health, an integrative psychedelic therapy clinic and training center in the SF Bay Area. She worked as a therapist on the MDMA for PTSD clinical trials and co-edited the book Integral Psychedelic Therapy. In this conversation, Dr. Herzberg explains how somatic therapy, touch therapy, bodywork, and movement support trauma processing. She also highlights the benefits of combining ketamine with acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, and functional medicine—including nutritional and hormonal assessments—to address physiological contributors to mental health. In closing, Dr. Herzberg emphasizes trauma-informed, team-based, and individualized approach to psychedelic healing, where ketamine acts as a bridge between psychological, somatic, and biomedical treatments.   In this episode, you'll hear: How somatic therapy is used within ketamine therapy sessions How ketamine helps quiet the default mode network to support therapeutic processing Ensuring safety during physical and movement-based therapies  The importance of establishing boundaries and explicit consent for therapeutic work that involves touch Dr. Herzberg’s first hand experience of the reciprocal benefits of combining acupuncture and ketamine therapy Using functional medicine and nutrition therapy to support the therapeutic process with ketamine   Quotes: “I see ketamine, especially at lower psychoanalytic doses… as a support in turning down the volume on emotional and physical pain, which can then help us to better experience them. So I think of it as a sort of ‘re-associative’.” [4:08] “Another aspect of the healing potential of therapy in general has to do with a therapeutic relationship: developing this sense that there's someone who cares about you, who's there to support you, who's going to be right there with you as you're dropping into your scariest and darkest places. And touch is one of the best ways to communicate that.”  [13:53] “Acupuncture can help the nervous system to relax and help the system to open to the ketamine such that we are able to more fully receive the benefits of the medicine and feel the effects of it.” [25:07]   Links: Sage Integrative Health website  Dr. Herzberg on LinkedIn  Sage Integrative Health on LinkedIn  Sage Integrative Health on Instagram Sage Integrative Health on Facebook   Integral Psychedelic Therapy: The Non-Ordinary Art of Psychospiritual Healing edited by Jason A. Butler, Genesee Herzberg, and Richard Louis Miller Previous episode: Psychedelic Adjunct Series: Somatic Therapy with Jenna Valentine, DACM, LAc Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

    38 min
  4. 24 JUL

    Art Therapy for Psychedelic Preparation and Integration with Charmaine Husum, RCAT

    In this episode, Charmaine Husum joins to discuss how art therapy can be a powerful tool for psychedelic preparation and integration. Charmaine is a Registered Art Therapist, Somatic Counsellor and Kundalini Yoga Teacher with over 12 years of experience supporting psychedelic preparation and integration. Her courses train professionals globally using specifically developed protocols in trauma-informed, harm-reduction practices, with her book, Psychedelics and Art Therapy: A Trauma-Informed Manual for Somatic Self Expression (Routledge, 2025), endorsed by numerous experts in the field including Stan and Brigitte Grof. In this discussion, Charmaine distinguishes between art as therapy and art therapy, emphasizing that the latter involves clinically informed, trauma-sensitive practices that externalize inner experiences to support healing. She outlines structured protocols used before and after psychedelic experiences, including creating visual representations of inner strength, setting intentions, and integrating experiences through multi-phase art exercises. Throughout, Charmaine emphasizes choice, embodiment, and the historical roots of art in altered states, offering a rich alternative for those seeking non-verbal, experiential ways to work through trauma and transformation.   In this episode, you'll hear: The types of art and materials employed in art therapy How art therapy can be employed to support preparation for a psychedelic experience Using art therapy for grounding and restabilization following an intense psychedelic journey Judith Herman’s three stage model of healing trauma Why drawing a self portrait with one’s non-dominant hand could be therapeutic Pursuing shadow work in art therapy Working with a client’s perfectionism in art therapy   Quotes: “[Art therapy] is not about making art, actually. It's about being in the present moment, about moving materials, about allowing for often a cathartic release, and giving expression to what we often don't have words for.” [3:14] “Art therapy isn't just about making the art, it's about processing the art afterwards.” [7:48] “Art therapy is very helpful when we're trying to express something that's ineffable—something without words—which is… at the heart of psychedelics. There's often no words to describe what our experience has been. And so using creativity can be a real help there.” [29:06]   Links: Centre of the HeArt website Centre of the HeArt on Instagram Centre of the HeArt on Facebook Charmaine on LinkedIn Charmaine’s book: Psychedelics and Art Therapy: A Trauma-Informed Manual for Somatic Self Expression Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

    34 min
  5. 9 JUL

    Is Psilocybin Safe for Me? with Seth Mehr, MD

    In this episode, Seth Mehr, MD joins to share his expertise on safety planning prior to a patient undergoing psilocybin therapy. After a 20 year career as an Emergency Medicine physician, Seth founded Cascade Psychedelic Medicine in 2021, treating clients with depression, anxiety and PTSD with psychedelic ketamine therapy. He also serves as the Health & Safety Director and a state licensed psilocybin facilitator at the Innertrek service center in Portland, Oregon. In this conversation, Dr. Mehr outlines key risk categories for psilocybin therapy: medical conditions, medication interactions, and mental health history. He emphasizes the importance of individualized safety planning over binary yes/no decisions. Dr. Mehr discusses specific considerations such as cardiovascular issues, diabetes, serotonergic medications, substance use disorders, suicidal ideation, and family history of psychosis. The conversation also covers strategies for mitigating risk, including delaying treatment, contingency plans, improving support systems, and ensuring informed consent. Throughout, Dr. Mehr stresses a collaborative, nuanced approach that balances potential benefits with careful preparation and personalized care.   In this episode, you'll hear: Stories from Dr. Mehr’s practice of helping patients with different conditions and histories ensure safe psilocybin experiences Interactions between GLP-1 agonists and psilocybin How Dr. Mehr works with patients who have family histories of psychosis Harm reduction practices which leverage other psychedelics or non-psychedelic interventions to help prepare a client for a psilocybin session Why insulin dependent diabetes can be a contraindication for psychedelic therapy What medication combinations can increase the risk of serotonin toxicity with psilocybin  Supporting clients experiencing spiritual emergency following psilocybin therapy Safety considerations when working with clients who have a history of seizures The importance of having contingency plans if medical emergencies arise during psilocybin therapy The intricacies of providing fully informed consent for psychedelic therapy   Quotes: “There is some evidence now that taking a single serotonergic agent—say, taking Lexapro—and no other medications that increase the risk of serotonin toxicity seems safe where I am not at this point recommending that people stop, skip, or taper a single SSRI in preparation for a psilocybin session due to safety.” [12:20] “One of the difficulties with making these decisions or speaking with some confidence or authority on the matter is that the clinical trials that have been done largely exclude people with lots of conditions—family history and specifically first degree relatives with history of psychosis and bipolar disorder… So we have anecdotal evidence, we have population based surveys to go by. And so when I talk to clients about this, I speak from a place of humility.” [27:30] “I always emphasize to clients that while we're talking about a specific safety issue like serotonin toxicity, we don't want to trade that for psychological instability and crisis and declare success because we've helped somebody taper off of a medication that seems less safe and now they aren't sleeping, they're agitated, they're depression is worse, their suicidality is worse. So we have to take a holistic approach to this and consider the totality of what's happening with that client.”  [36:45] “There are so many different components to trying to set somebody up for success rather than a yes/no, black and white approach [to psilocybin therapy].” [48:44]   Links: Cascade Psychedelic Medicine website InnerTrek website Managing Medical Risk In Patients Seeking Psilocybin Therapy CME/CE Course Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

    53 min
  6. 25 JUN

    Addressing Racial Trauma through Psychedelic Therapy with Monnica T. Williams, PhD, ABPP

    In this episode, Monnica T. Williams, PhD, ABPP joins to discuss how psychedelics may help alleviate mental health impacts of racial trauma. Dr. Williams is a licensed clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Ottawa in the School of Psychology, where she is the Canada Research Chair in Mental Health Disparities. In this conversation, Dr. Williams begins by highlighting the daily stress and trauma experienced by people of color, likening it to PTSD. She discusses a survey her team conducted which revealed that many people of color use psychedelics to manage racial trauma, showing significant reductions in stress, depression, and anxiety. Additionally, Dr. Williams emphasizes the importance of a safe environment and culturally competent therapists. In closing, she discusses ongoing research at this intersection and the need for more funding and awareness in this field.   In this episode, you'll hear: How racial trauma manifests as conditions like PTSD, depression, and anxiety The importance of an intersectional perspective Current treatments for mental health struggles stemming from racial trauma Results from Dr. Williams’ research into psychedelic use amongst people of color The importance of safe and supportive settings for psychedelic experiences How shared life experiences between a therapist and client can strength the therapeutic alliance and improve outcomes Why bias training is particularly important in the context of psychedelic therapy   Quotes: “People of color who live in these white dominated Western contexts are continually bombarded by subtle —and not so subtle—messages about their worth, about their standing in society, about their intelligence, their character, on and on and on and on. And so really the daily onslaught just wears and wears away at people, and the stress of that can actually become traumatizing.” [1:49] “People heal from trauma when someone witnesses their pain, right? When people can compassionately witness your pain and join in it with you—this is the basis behind all therapeutic approaches for trauma treatment.” [10:13] “We saw [from our survey study] that many, many people of color are using psychedelics to manage racism, often very quietly. But it seems for many people to be quite effective and quite helpful.” [11:53] “We looked at some separate psychedelics where we had enough people who described a specific one like psilocybin or LSD or peyote in some cases. And so we were able to look at those psychedelics separately and we didn't actually find a difference. It didn't seem to matter which psychedelic it was. It seemed that they were all, more or less equally effective.” [15:20]   Links: Dr. Williams’ website Dr. Williams on X Dr. Williams on Instagram Dr. Williams on LinkedIn Dr. Williams’ study “Investigating the associations of acute psychedelic experiences and changes in racial trauma symptoms, psychological flexibility, and substance use among People with Racial and Ethnic Minoritized Identities in the United States and Canada” Behavioral Wellness Clinic - Connecticut Behavioural Wellness Clinic - Ottawa  Masters Program in Psychedelics and Consciousness Studies at University of Ottawa Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

    35 min
  7. 12 JUN

    Understanding Psychedelics and Neuroplasticity with Robin Carhart-Harris, PhD

    In this episode, Robin Carhart-Harris, PhD joins to elucidate the intersection of psychedelics and neuroplasticity. Dr. Carhart-Harris is the Ralph Metzner Distinguished Professor in Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. Robin founded the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London in April 2019, was ranked among the top 31 medical scientists in 2020, and in 2021, was named in TIME magazine’s ‘100 Next’ – a list of 100 rising stars shaping the future. Dr. Carhart-Harris begins by discussing the impact of psychedelics on neuroplasticity and mental health. He explains neuroplasticity as the brain's ability to change, emphasizing its role in mood disorders and substance use and describes how stress atrophies the brain, leading to mental illness. Dr. Carhart-Harris differentiates between neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, noting that while neurogenesis is limited in adults, neuroplasticity can be influenced by psychedelics like ketamine, psilocybin, and MDMA. In closing, he also discusses the entropic brain hypothesis, suggesting that increased brain entropy leads to richer subjective experiences.    In this episode, you'll hear: The relationship between neuroplasticity and “canalization”  Why homeostatic neuroplasticity may promote mental wellbeing Differences between ketamine, MDMA, and serotonergic psychedelics in terms of neuroplasticity The details of the entropic brain hypothesis Psychedelics’ effect on the default mode network The frontiers of research into psychedelics and neuroplasticity  Quotes: “So changeability is what plasticity is. And neuroplasticity—that's the ability of the brain to change. Okay, and how is neuroplasticity related to mood disorders like depression and anxiety or substance use disorder or something like that? Well, that's a great question cause we don't have it entirely nailed down. But one of the most reliable findings in biological psychiatry is that stress atrophies the brain.” [2:47] “The main thing with ketamine is that the window of increased plasticity is brief… That makes sense because that reflects how ketamine seems to work therapeutically—that it provides relief somewhat short-term, unless it is twinned with, say, psychotherapy or you do repeat administration and get someone out of the rut they were in.” [22:15] “We’ve seen in people with depression, brain networks can become quite segregated from each other—they are ordinarily, they’re quite functionally separate and distinct—but that modularity might be a bit elevated in depression. But what we’ve seen with psilocybin therapy is that separateness between systems, that segregated quality of organization of brain networks, brain systems actually decreases after psilocybin therapy for depression. I’ll put it another way: the brain looks more globally interconnected after psilocybin therapy for depression and the magnitude of that… correlates with improvements.” [39:19]   Links: Carhart-Harris Lab website Dr. Carhart-Harris on X Dr. Carhart-Harris’ 2025 article: “Neuroplasticity and psychedelics: A comprehensive examination of classic and non-classic compounds in pre and clinical models” Dr. Carhart-Harris’ 2012 article: “Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin” Dr. Carhart-Harris’ 2010 article with Karl Friston: “The default-mode, ego-functions and free-energy: a neurobiological account of Freudian ideas” Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

    45 min
  8. 28 MAY

    Myths and Misconceptions About Psilocybin with Dori Lewis, LPC

    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 Porangui

    43 min
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Curious about the possible therapeutic benefits of psychedelic medicines? The Psychedelic Medicine Podcast with Dr. Lynn Marie Morski has you covered with the latest in scientific research, medical practices, and legal developments involving these substances and their incredible therapeutic potential. Covering the full range of psychedelic therapies, including psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, LSD, ayahuasca, ibogaine, and more, this podcast serves as an auditory encyclopedia of information for anyone interested in learning about the safe, therapeutic uses of these medicines.

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