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.
Site
RSS
Apple
Data updated on 04/07/2026
Recent rankings
Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.
Shared links between episodes and podcasts
Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.
Understanding Psychedelics and Neuroplasticity with Robin Carhart-Harris, PhD
Season 1 · Episode 180
Thursday, June 12, 2025 • Duration 44:46
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]
Myths and Misconceptions About Psilocybin with Dori Lewis, LPC
Season 1 · Episode 179
Wednesday, May 28, 2025 • Duration 42:32
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
Benefits and Risks of Psychedelic Use for Professional Growth with Jodie NewDelman, PsyD
Season 1 · Episode 178
Wednesday, May 14, 2025 • Duration 47:03
In this episode, Jodie NewDelman, PsyD joins to discuss the benefits and risks of leveraging psychedelics for professional growth. For over three decades, Dr. NewDelman has been an executive consultant, health system advisor, licensed psychologist, and clinical supervisor. She is also trained and certificated in psychedelic medicine and has been working with growth-oriented professionals developing greater alignment between their leadership roles at work and their personal lives.
In this conversation, Dr. NewDelman discusses the typical struggles people experience in their professional lives and where psychedelic experiences may provide insight and empowerment to become more aligned with one’s work. She unpacks the psychological experience of being “stuck,” something that psychedelics may specifically help overcome.
Beyond individualistic approaches to professional growth, Dr. NewDelman also discusses the importance of humanizing the workforce and how conscious leadership is crucial to achieve this goal. In closing, Dr. NewDelman warns against the danger of trying to implement radical changes after a psychedelic experience without sufficient integration, emphasizing the importance of a holistic approach to this work.
In this episode, you'll hear:
Navigating feelings of imposter syndrome and experiences of marginalization
The importance of work life balance and how to psychedelic experiences can empower reflection on this topic
Why clear intention is crucial for leveraging psychedelic experiences for professional growth
The danger of spiritual bypassing after profound psychedelic experiences
Quotes:
“No matter who you are, you're going to have your own set of intentions. The intentions will be bespoke. And maybe you don't know the first or second time what you want to work on when you go into it—an experiential medicine session. But eventually we can narrow those themes down to what it is that we really need insight on.” [22:01]
Psilocybin for Addressing Burnout with Tracy Kim Townsend, MD
Wednesday, April 30, 2025 • Duration 40:53
In this episode, Tracy Kim Townsend, MD, joins to discuss the potential efficacy of psilocybin therapy for addressing burnout, particularly in healthcare professionals. Dr. Townsend is a Harvard-trained medical doctor, licensed psilocybin facilitator, and the Co-Founder & CEO of Meadow Medicine, one of the only legal psilocybin service centers based in the U.S., founded and led by an MD.
In this conversation, Dr. Townsend gives an overview of burnout and discusses its prevalence amongst healthcare professionals due to the intense nature of these professions. She mentions the relevance of the wounded healer archetype for many physicians and how this identity can intersect with experiences of burnout. Turning to psilocybin therapy, Dr. Townsend discusses how these psychedelic treatments can help address burnout through promoting neuroplasticity and facilitating effective emotional processing. Following these experiences, patients are often much better poised to make well-considered life changes to help stave off burnout. Dr. Townsend concludes by emphasizing the importance of integration following psychedelic journeys to ensure maximal benefit and effectiveness of these treatments.
In this episode, you'll hear:
How burnout develops
How technology and culture have contributed to the rise of burnout
The symptoms of burnout
Supporting career longevity for physicians
How psilocybin may support patients looking to address burnout
Clinical research into psilocybin for burnout in healthcare professionals
Why loosening the grip on one’s identity and ego dissolution may be tied to the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics
Quotes:
“One core area that I see psilocybin playing a role [for addressing burnout] is just creating these spaces where we can process emotions and integrate them.” [21:41]
“SSRIs, which are the gold standard intervention right now for depression, usually result in about a nine-point drop [in depression scores on the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale], which is really no better than placebo… Whereas psilocybin showed a three-fold drop—there’s really no intervention for depression we see with that dramatic of results.” [25:17]
Exploring Psychedelic Benefits for Chronic Illness with Christina P. Kantzavelos, LCSW, MSW, MLIS
Season 1 · Episode 176
Wednesday, April 16, 2025 • Duration 37:54
In this episode, Christina P. Kantzavelos, LCSW, MSW, MLIS joins to discuss the use of psychedelics to address chronic illness. Christina is an international psychotherapist, coach, writer and artist, who specializes in treating clients with chronic illness, and complex trauma utilizing various modalities, including psychedelic assisted therapy.
In this conversation, Christina overviews the complex mental and physical health impacts of chronic pain conditions and shares her expertise on psychedelic and non-psychedelic treatments for these conditions. Christina mentions that chronic pain can put one’s body in a state that encourages fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses which can disempower the patient’s efforts to address their condition. She also explores the intersection of identity and chronic pain conditions, discussing how that while receiving a particular diagnosis can be helpful and affirming, taking this as a core part of one’s identity can also be a major roadblock to healing. In closing, Christina emphasizes that pain starts in the brain, so leveraging neuroplasticity through psychedelics and other means can be a particularly powerful way to address both physical and mental health aspects of chronic pain conditions.
In this episode you'll hear:
How Christina got involved in working with patients with chronic pain
The common mental health presentations in those with chronic pain
The importance of addressing physical health and mental health concurrently
Why psychedelics may be helpful for addressing chronic pain conditions
The immunomodulating effects of psychedelics
The power of neuroplasticity for addressing chronic pain
Utilizing neural retraining and microdosing in conjunction to prepare for more successful higher dose psychedelic experiences
The Dangers of "Ayahuasca Told Me…" with Jerónimo Mazarrasa
Season 1 · Episode 175
Wednesday, April 2, 2025 • Duration 55:04
In this episode, Jerónimo Mazarrasa joins to discuss how to interpret visions and insights disclosed during ayahuasca journeys more effectively. Jerónimo is Program Director at ICEERS, founder of ICEERS Academy, and creator of AyaSafety, an online course for people interested in increasing the safety of ayahuasca ceremonies.
To start, Jerónimo emphasizes that answering the question of whether ayahuasca visions originate in the plant medicine itself or if these are just disclosures of one’s own subconscious is actually not what's most important. Instead, he suggests that in either case, what is crucial is spending time carefully considering how one should respond to these disclosures. Jerónimo shares insights from expert facilitators on how one can best go about interpreting and responding to such experiences, suggesting that an important aspect of this process is that participants feel comfortable taking personal responsibility for whatever decisions they eventually decide to make rather than thinking of these major life changes as necessary consequences of the psychedelic experience itself. In closing, Jerónimo discusses the tension between externalization and psychologization of psychedelic experiences and why both of these can lead to issues.
In this episode, you'll hear:
The common experience of feeling as though the ayahuasca has communicated something to you
Examples of where taking an ayahuasca vision literally can lead to problematic outcomes
The “three confirmations” one should look for before making a major decision based on a psychedelic experience
The metaphor of ayahuasca as a microscope
How skilled ayahuasca facilitators ensure proper psychological hygiene with participants
Judging the validity of potential repressed memories that seem to surface during psychedelic experiences
Quotes:
“The way that ayahuasca becomes useful for people, I think, is that it shows you—it amplifies and shows you—what is already inside of yourself. Now, this is very useful for certain things but one has to understand the nature of the language.” [9:23]
Can Psychedelics Lead to False Beliefs? with Hugh McGovern, PhD
Season 1 · Episode 174
Wednesday, March 19, 2025 • Duration 37:16
In this episode, Hugh McGovern, PhD joins to discuss his research on the impact of psychedelics on beliefs. Dr. McGovern is a Research Fellow at the School of Medicine, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.
To start, Dr. McGovern introduces the inference or predictive processing framework utilized in his paper “An Integrated theory of false insights and beliefs under psychedelics”. He explains the role of prediction in cognition, showing how insights occur when our existing perspectives are unable to make sense of our experience. In this vein, Dr. McGovern discusses how the psychedelic experience disrupts our normal modes of prediction and perception, leaving room for greater influence of environmental factors on insight production. In closing, Dr. McGovern shares ideas on further clinical directions for this research that could give guidance for helping patients more effectively integrate insight experiences.
In this episode you'll hear:
The research into how psychedelics can influence and change beliefs
The role beliefs and insights can play in psychedelic journeys
How false insights can be experimentally induced
The connection between prediction errors in our cognition and insight experiences
The hippocampus, memory, and psychedelics
The association between insight moments and increased mental health following psychedelic experiences
Quotes:
“[In psychedelic experiences] your expectations are no longer helping you make sense of your current sensory experience. And so you’re uniquely susceptible to environmental input under psychedelics—which would account for things like visual hallucinations [and] these novel insight moments.” [18:30]
“When you have really really strong prediction errors or really really strong insight moments, they can have a disproportionately important influence on your worldview going forward.” [20:03]
Psychedelics for Grief and Loss with Heather A. Lee, LCSW
Season 1 · Episode 173
Wednesday, March 5, 2025 • Duration 32:23
In this episode, Heather A. Lee, LCSW joins to discuss the topic of psychedelic healing for grief and loss. Heather is a licensed psychotherapist, educator, speaker, and consultant. With over 30 years of practice in mental health, her focus is on supporting midlife and beyond women as they navigate life transitions.
In this conversation, Heather explores the ways psychedelic healing may have transformative contributions to peoples’ journeys navigating grief and loss. She explains that we live in a culture that doesn’t have a good understanding of grief, how to navigate it, or how to support others who are grieving, so it can be a difficult issue to address. Heather discusses the neuroplasticity-promoting effects of psychedelics and elucidates the ways this can be helpful for processing grief, especially by allowing the person grieving the opportunity to hold their grief in new, productive ways alongside other healthy emotions. In closing, Heather emphasizes how psychedelics can also provide healing for existential distress brought on by the many planetary crises humanity is now facing through providing a broader, life-affirming viewpoint on these issues.
In this episode you'll hear:
Heather’s journey from working in hospice settings to working with psychedelic therapy
Navigating the grief of losing others and the grief of realizing the imminent end of one’s own life
Why Heather thinks psychedelics are particularly useful for grief and loss
How grief can manifest both mentally and physically
Client stories from Heather’s practice where patients are able to process grief to achieve a better quality of life
Neuroplasticity, psychological flexibility, and processing grief
Psychedelics for end-of-life grief and anxiety
Physiological impacts of spending quality time in nature
Quotes:
“Psychedelics are a really important and powerful option that are coming into the conversation about how people can take some control of how they navigate that psycho-spiritual-emotional component of coming to end of life.” [3:19]
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety with Thomas Kim, MD
Season 1 · Episode 172
Wednesday, February 19, 2025 • Duration 41:13
In this episode, Thomas Kim, MD joins to discuss ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety. Dr. Kim is the Chief Medical Officer of Noma Therapy, which is a ketamine-assisted psychotherapy program available via telehealth and in-person with licensed therapists. He has devoted 20 years of his professional life to realizing a value-based approach to healthcare through telehealth.
In this conversation, Dr. Kim shares his journey of working in early telehealth contexts to now working with ketamine. He discusses the research on ketamine treatments for anxiety and explains the significant comorbidity of anxiety, depression, and PTSD, stressing that anxiety is best understood from a more holistic perspective that considers the social determinants of health. Dr. Kim also emphasizes the importance of psychotherapy alongside ketamine dosing sessions, explaining that therapists have a window of opportunity in the days following the ketamine dose to best take advantage of the state of ketamine-induced neuroplasticity the patient is experiencing. In closing, Dr. Kim shares his philosophy of prescribing the least amount of medicine which produces the largest impact for the patient to ensure that side effects are mitigated and financial burdens are reduced.
In this episode you'll hear:
Balancing maximal safety and maximal accessibility in medicine
The research on ketamine treatments for anxiety
How psychotherapy fits with ketamine treatments
The neuroscience of why patients can have strong emotional reactions following ketamine sessions
Stories of success from Dr. Kim’s practice
The importance of understanding how adverse childhood experiences and social determinants of health significantly contribute to mental health struggles
Collaborative ketamine-assisted psychotherapy with a patient’s existing therapist
Quotes:
“Over time, continued effort in the field [of telehealth] has led to cost-effective, scalable solutions that can reach more people. I’m really hopeful that we can find solutions in the psychedelic and ketamine landscape to do a similar thing.” [5:36]
Guruism and Cult Dynamics in Psychedelic Practices with Joseph Holcomb Adams
Season 1 · Episode 171
Wednesday, February 5, 2025 • Duration 49:54
In this episode, Joseph Holcomb Adams joins to discuss the important topic of guruism and cult dynamics in psychedelic communities. Joseph is an ethicist who specializes in issues related to psychedelics, altered states, and transformative experiences.
In this conversation, Joseph introduces the concepts of a guru, guruism, and cult dynamics. He describes the social-psychological mechanisms behind the devotee-guru relationship and the development of ideological conformity in cults, explaining how the heightened states induced by psychedelics can contribute to these dynamics if participants and facilitators are not aware of these dangers and vigilant in guarding against them. Joseph explains that psychedelic experiences can lead to “experiential verification,” where the participant’s sense of the facilitator as a wise spiritual guide can seem to be confirmed through the intense mystical nature of the experience, which in turn can feed into a guru-disciple power dynamic where the participant feels reliant on the facilitator for their healing. In closing, Joseph focuses on the profound importance of education on these topics. He emphasizes that these potentially harmful dynamics will always be present, so raising awareness is crucial as psychedelic healing continues to become more mainstream.
In this episode you'll hear:
The spectrum of cult dynamics
How guruism and cult dynamics can become amplified in psychedelic practices
How psychedelics influence suggestibility, transference, and projection
Why it can be easy for psychedelic facilitators to unintentionally fall into guruism
Ego inflation following psychedelic experiences
How ecstatic ritual experiences promote group cohesion
What can be done to address the risks of guruism and cultic dynamics in psychedelic practices
The importance of informed consent
Quotes:
“[During a psychedelic experience] it can be very easy for the participant to basically associate and identify this mind-opening experience, this earth-shattering spiritual experience, with this person who facilitated it for them, who is right there, who seems to know all about this space of consciousness that they’re experiencing.” [13:22]
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]
“if you need to focus on some nitty gritty, annoying detail [at work], no matter how transcendent your perspective is in your psychedelic medicine session, you still have to do the thing at work. You still have to make the practical changes. So we need to kind of stay tethered to reality in that way.” [38:58]
“Our tendency is to avoid pain, right? We want to go away from the obstacles. And if psychedelics teach us nothing else, it's that we need to go through the storm. We need to turn toward the issue.” [40:25]
“Another thing that I think is remarkable, too is… you continue to see the benefits—if you check scores immediately after the [psilocybin] journey and then at six months out, there continues to be improvement in mental health scores.” [29:06]
“I use all kinds of modalities and I don’t just treat someone’s depression or anxiety or complex trauma—I see it as everything is interwoven and related to each other. And it’s important that we look at the entirely mosaic piece rather than just focusing on one area.” [5:20]
“There is a state of empowerment versus disempowerment in identifying with our chronic illness. I’m not saying that it is not real and it's not happening to you but it definitely is not you. It’s something you are experiencing. Even if it’s chronic and lifelong, it’s still something you are experiencing—it’s not you as a whole.” [17:48]
“I’ve noticed that any of my clients who have gone through neural retraining have had little to no bad [psychedelic] trips which is amazing and I feel like that’s partly because they worked so hard to resource themselves in advance.” [25:19]
“Facilitators should instruct their participants that one rule is that you shouldn’t make any decisions during an ayahuasca ceremony—unless they are decisions related to taking yourself out of danger.” [14:42]
“Ayahuasca is not a shortcut for personal development—it’s just a flashlight that can help you shed some light on some darker parts of [your] issues and problems, but it is not a shortcut.” [35:47]
“The main contraindication of psychedelics is not wanting to take psychedelics. You should absolutely never ever ever ever ever take psychedelics if you don’t want to because it is going to be horrible. It’s like a kiss—when you want it, its beautiful, intimate, gorgeous; when you don’t want it, it's the most intrusive, disgusting, blech thing ever.” [50:27]
“Psychedelics, from a few different studies, show they can impair the formation of hippocampally dependent memories but they can perhaps even enhance the formation of cortically dependent memories. So what that means is you come out of the experience with this sense of knowing but it's in some sense lacking in details.” [29:04]
“There is no right or wrong way to grieve and there is no normal and abnormal. I think it’s just about having markers so that we can know when and how to provide support to people.” [9:27]
“On the [psychedelic] medicine, you experience that grief, that loss—whatever that is—you’re experiencing it while you’re in that [neuroplastic] state so that you have the opportunity to get a fresh perspective. And it’s in that fresh perspective that you create the new patterns of thought around [your grief].” [20:12]
“A thing that I say routinely to patients is ‘there is no cure in the bottom of the pill bottle—ketamine included.’ They are all incredibly useful and, when used effectively, can provide you meaningful relief from your psychological distress but make no mistake, there is not a cure—which is why I’m such a huge advocate of therapy and which is why ketamine-assisted psychotherapy also needs to be distinguished from ketamine therapy.” [14:21]
“[We created] an intentionally time-limited plan which places the emphasis on the fact that, one day, you’re going to drive your own bus and you’re not going to need me. It’s a terrible business model—in fact it’s a wonderful business model because it gives us an opportunity to take care of more people because we set the intention of ‘Ketamine is not forever. You’re not broken. You’re struggling and we’re going to get you to a place where you might not need us.’” [34:04]
“If the facilitator… already has a big, inflated sense of their spiritual knowledge and ability, then that’s already right there, pushing them to step into that guru role and this can happen from their own psychedelic use.” [30:06]
“When we’re engaging in psychedelic-enhanced ecstatic group rituals, what we’re doing here is we’re basically using powerful neuropharmacological tools to help us really powerfully tap into these potentialities that are in our primordial nature as social, instinctively religious beings… That’s what we’re messing around with here.” [38:23]
“The most important risk mitigation factors—really it’s education and the awareness that comes from it.” [43:52]
Discover shows related to Psychedelic Medicine Podcast with Dr. Lynn Marie Morski, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
