Emory Center for Psychedelics and Spirituality

Hallucinogenic drugs—popularly called psychedelics—have been used by human societies for thousands of years. Today, scientists are taking a second look at many of these mind-altering substances–both natural and synthetic–and discovering that they can have profoundly positive clinical impacts, helping patients struggling with a range of afflictions from addiction to depression and PTSD. (Premiered October 19, 2022)

Albert Garcia-Romeu, Ph.D.

One of the world’s most popular podcasters, Tim Ferriss, covers the ins and outs of what it takes to become a psychedelic therapist with Marcela Ot'alora G., MAPS’ therapist trainer and Lead Principal Investigator for MDMA studies in Boulder, Colorado. Psychedelic Science Summit: Austin, Texas (November 1-3, 2019)

A creative and funny overview of Brian Muraresku's book The Immortality Key in a quick 15 minutes. The Immortality Key is a look into the psychedelic origins of the world's great spiritual practices and what those might mean for how we view ourselves and the world around us.

Amid the so-called psychedelic “renaissance” in science, researchers at Johns Hopkins University, New York University, and elsewhere report that they can occasion “mystical-type experiences” among trial volunteers being treated for depression, addiction, end-of-life anxiety, and other conditions.

This presentation, held September 15, 2020, reviewed a series of studies investigating the effects of psilocybin administered to carefully screened and psychologically prepared volunteers who were encouraged to close their eyes and direct their attention inwards. Under such conditions, psilocybin occasions profound personally and spiritually meaningful mystical-type experiences in the majority of participants.

Bill Richards is a psychedelic researcher with a special interest in the religious and spiritual experiences occasioned by psychedelics, which he details in his book Sacred Knowledge. Bill was a key figure in psychedelic research in the 60s and 70s and was instrumental in initiating the current renaissance in psychedelic research that began in the early 2000s. In this episode, Bill and James talk about the research in this area, all the way from the 60s to the present day, as well as mystical and visionary experiences and much more.

A descriptive time-lapse journey about the magical, mysterious and medicinal world of fungi and their power to heal, sustain and contribute to the regeneration of life on Earth that began 3.5 billion years ago.

A New Understanding explores the treatment of end-of-life anxiety in terminally ill cancer patients using psilocybin, a psychoactive compound found in some mushrooms, to facilitate deeply spiritual experiences. The documentary explores the confluence of science and spirituality in the first psychedelic research studies since the 1970s with terminally ill patients.

Psychedelic drugs, once dismissed by some as a flashback to 1960s counterculture, have generated a resurgence of mainstream interest in the last few years. According to a study published by the National Institutes of Health, the use of psilocybin mushrooms has taken over as the predominant psychedelic in use globally since the 1970s, ahead of LSD. Will the use of psychedelics ever be universally accepted? Are stigmas associated with drug use and abuse curtailing important research on the true benefits and detriments of these substances? This conversation showcases the expertise of researchers, practitioners, and investors on the cutting edge of the use of psychedelics, and it offers innovative perspectives to help expand our minds and open up to the healing potential of these drugs.

Ayelet Waldman is the author of several novels, and A Really Good Day, a book that documents a month microdosing LSD as a radical solution to a life of suicidal depression. With humor and candor she introduces us to this story and describes the outcome. As a woman who has taught the legal implications of the War on Drugs at the UC Berkeley law school, Ayelet Waldman does not neglect the legal ramifications of the therapeutic use of psychedelics.

Johns Hopkins Researcher Mary Cosimano shares promising results from clinical trials of guided psilocybin sessions being utilized in the treatment of addiction, depression, and cancer/end-of-life. The impressive results offer much hope for an effective treatment to heal “hearts and minds.” One of Mary’s key observations is the importance of love and connection — it seems, love is literally part of the answer. Mary Cosimano, MSW, has been working with the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research since 2000 when they began research with psilocybin. In her role as Director of Guide/Facilitator Services she is responsible for training and supervising Session Facilitators. She has served as Session Facilitator and research coordinator involved with all the psilocybin studies and has conducted over 450 study sessions. In addition to her work with the psilocybin studies, she has worked with the Club Drug Studies including Salvia Divinorum and Dextromethorphan. She taught individual and group meditation to breast cancer patients in a Johns Hopkins research study, and taught at California Institute to Integral Studies (CIIS) for their Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research program. In 2003 she started and has maintained a meditation group for employees in her department. She also has 15 years of experience with direct patient care as a hospice volunteer. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.