Psychedelic Safety and Self-Experimentation with Dennis McKenna and Dr. Richard L. Miller

Are you curious about the potential benefits and risks of using psychedelics in therapy, creativity, and personal development? Dennis McKenna, a renowned ethnopharmacologist and expert in psychedelic medicine, returns to our podcast to explore this fascinating and complex topic.

Psychedelics have been used for centuries in traditional healing practices around the world, but their modern resurgence has brought both excitement and concern. Research suggests that they may hold promise for treating a range of mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD, as well as for enhancing creativity and spiritual experiences. However, their use also carries risks, and much remains unknown about their long-term effects and optimal dosing and administration.

In this episode, Dennis McKenna draws on his extensive experience and knowledge to provide a nuanced and informative discussion on the therapeutic and creative potential of psychedelics. Whether you are a seasoned user or a curious skeptic, this episode will expand your understanding and appreciation of the power of psychedelic medicines.

“And there is no such thing as a bad trip.”

Dennis McKenna has conducted research in ethnopharmacology for over 45 years. His research has been focused on the interdisciplinary study of Amazonian ethnopharmacology, primarily in the Peruvian Amazon. His doctoral research (University of British Columbia,1984) investigated the comparative ethnopharmacology of ayahuasca and oo-koo-he, two tryptamine-based hallucinogens used by indigenous peoples in the Northwest Amazon.

He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute and was a key investigator on the Hoasca Project, the first biomedical investigation of ayahuasca. He was part of the original Scientific Strategy Team at Shaman Pharmaceuticals in the early 90s. He is the younger brother of Terence McKenna. From 2000 to 2017, he taught courses on Ethnopharmacology and Plants in Human affairs as an adjunct Assistant Professor in the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota. In the spring of 2019, in collaboration with colleagues in Canada and the US, he incorporated a new non-profit, the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy. In collaboration with colleagues he organio landmark conferences in 2017 and 2022, the Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs (see ESPD50.com and ESPD55.com) He emigrated to Canada in the spring of 2019 together with his wife Sheila, and now resides in Abbotsford B.C.

Show notes:

* Protecting our democracy

* Psychedelics are catalysts for challenging our assumptions

* Integration is a crucial part to healing

* Are people dying from psychedelics?

* How entheogens were discovered

* Albert Hoffman discovering LSD

* Is microdosing effective or a placebo?

* Experimenting with psychedelics

* The risk in taking these medicines

* Could psychedelics give us an internal focus of the mind?

Links and references:

* Psychedelic Wisdom

* Psychedelic Medicine

* The Secret Chief Revealed

* Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss

* ESPD55.com

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