British historian Mike Jay wants to challenge the narrative of psychedelic “exceptionalism.” He also believes more scientists should talk about their personal psychedelic experiences.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Religion and Philosophy
Psychedelic therapy has shown great promise for treating depression, but it's still unclear why exactly it works. Psychiatrist Charles Raison wants to know if it's the drug or the trip that makes psychedelics so potent. Is it biology or consciousness?
The news about psychedelics tends to focus on clinical trials and lab research. But there’s a long tradition of underground guides working with plant medicines who refer to "unseen beings" and plants as "teachers." Psychologist Rachel Harris talked with many women elders in the psychedelic underground. She calls them "spiritual warriors."
Over the course of 20 years, Chris Bache had 73 high-dose LSD experiences — doses so high that the human body couldn’t tolerate anything more.
Yuria Celidwen has a wide-ranging critique of how the modern psychedelic movement is taking shape. She was the lead author of a recent article in Lancet arguing for new ethical guidelines for using psychedelics — what she calls “spirit medicine.”
Stephen Alvarez — a National Geographic photographer and founder of the Ancient Art Archive — has spent years documenting ancient rock art around the world. He takes Steve Paulson on a long hike in the Cumberland Plateau, where they find an "unnamed cave" with 2,000-year old engravings.
Gül Dölen is a pioneering neuroscientist who's investigating the “critical periods” of psychedelics, including studies where she's given MDMA — also known as “Molly” — to octopuses.
In this episode of "Luminous," we go inside Usona Institute’s chemistry lab and go deep with co-founder Bill Linton about what brought him to this unique moment in the psychedelic revolution.
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