MAPS Canada Podcast

"Isn't microdosing just placebo effect??" You may have heard this before but is it true? Dr. Zachary Walsh, a leading clinical psychologist and researcher, explores the therapeutic potential of psychedelics in this episode, focusing on psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for opioid titration and his involvement in the Microdose.me study. He explains the distinction between cannabis, used for symptom relief, and psychedelics and discusses the controversial link between cannabis and psychosis, emphasizing the need for further research. Join us as he shares insights on the evolving role of clinicians in supporting patients interested in microdosing and the challenges of integrating psychedelic medicine into healthcare! Donate to MAPS Canada at https://mapscanada.org/donate/

Have you humbled yourself to your elders? These women elders of the psychedelic underground are spiritual warriors-fearless in their journeys to the shamanic realms. Rachel Harris, PhD, is the author of "Swimming in the Sacred: Wisdom from the Psychedelic Underground" and "Listening to Ayahuasca." A psychologist who has been in private practice for 40 years, she spent 10 years in an academic research department where she published more than 40 scientific studies in peer-reviewed journals and received a National Institutes of Health New Investigator’s Award. Rachel splits her time between an island in Maine and the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit her online at http://www.swimminginthesacred.com Donate to MAPS Canada at https://mapscanada.org/donate/

Michael Phillip is the creator and host of Third Eye Drops, a media vessel dedicated to philosophy, psychology, spirituality, meaning, and adventure (both physical and mental). Michael is a writer, podcast host, speaker, community-builder, and wonder junkie holding a B.A. in Journalism. Check it out at https://thirdeyedrops.com/ And consider donating to MAPS Canada at https://mapscanada.org/donate/

Don Lattin is a veteran religion journalist and award-winning author of several books on psychedelics including The Harvard Psychedelic Club and his latest book God on Psychedelics. He was a speaker at Psychedelic Science 2023, the world biggest ever conference on psychedelics, and he has been closely following the movement from it's beginnings. In this podcast, hear Don Lattin's perspective on the rise of psychedelic churches, the NYU-John Hopkins study on religious clergy members experience after two psilocybin sessions Find more about Don Lattin here: www.donlattin.com More information on Don Lattin's latest book God on Psychedelics: https://apocryphilepress.com/book/psychedelics/

David Bronner is the CEO (Cosmic Engagement Officer) of Dr. Bronners as well as a board member of MAPS and a long-time activist and leader in the psychedelic, hemp and organic-fair trade movements.

Listen to this interview with Rick Doblin on new results from the MAPS Phase III clinical trials for MDMA assisted therapy, the upcoming biggest psychedelic conference in the world ever—Psychedelic Science 2023—and stories of getting banned from the U.S for life. Rick Doblin, Ph.D., is the founder and president of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) founded in 1986. MAPS is a nonprofit organization that provides public education, research and policy reform towards the legal, responsible and evidence–based use of psychedelics. Rick has dedicated 50 years of his life towards this mission and MAPS now leads the way towards creating legal context for the beneficial uses of psychedelics on an international scale. We are MAPS Canada, a sister organization to the U.S. based MAPS. MAPS needs MDMA therapists! Learn more about becoming an MDMA therapist here: https://mapsbcorp.com/training/ Check out the biggest psychedelic conference ever, Psychedelic Science 2023: https://psychedelicscience.org/

In this episode Dennis McKenna joins MAPS Canada in discussing Ayahuasca tourism, the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy, Biognosis, the future of the psychedelic movement and the counter-force to the movement—the "war on consciousness". Dennis McKenna has conducted research in ethnopharmacology for over 40 years. 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 organized two 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. Learn more about the McKenna Academy, Biognosis and how you can support, here: https://mckenna.academy/

🇺🇦 Meet the researcher conducting research to bring MDMA assisted therapy to Ukrainian refugees abroad and ultimately, to the countless victims of the Ukraine War. In this MAPS Canada Podcast episode, Luc Briedé-Cooper and Sabrina Ramkellawan sit down with Dr. Olga Chernoloz a Ukrainian researcher based in Canada. Become part of the psychedelic movement by donating at: https://mapscanada.org/donate/ Dr. Chernoloz has extensive experience in research of psychoactive compounds for mental health and neurological applications. She is a scientific advisor to Psychedelics Studies Research Group at University of Toronto and has held a number of roles in clinical trial management, drug development, biotech, and pharmaceutics.

This is the first episode of the (relaunched) MAPS Canada Podcast featuring MAPS Canada's own board member Kayla Breelove Carter discussing trauma, race and psychedelic therapy. Kayla Breelove Carter works with individuals and organizations to increase their awareness and understanding of trauma, racial trauma, and adverse childhood experiences. With over ten years of clinical experience, Kayla specializes as well in nutritional psychology and psychedelic assisted therapy. As a clinical supervisor for those seeking licensing in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Kayla also dedicates her time in supporting graduate students through Breelove’s weekly free counselling clinic and community counselling program, where individuals seeking counselling therapy can engage in one on one mental health counselling for free. Become part of the psychedelic movement by donating at https://mapscanada.org/donate/

This episode concludes Season 1 of the MAPS Canada Podcast. What better way to end our first season than with a very special guest, Dr. Erika Dyck. Erika is a Canadian Historian, Professor of History at the University of Saskatchewan, a Canadian Research Chair, and an editor with the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. Erika joins us for an interview with Jaipreet Mattu to discuss her 20 years of research on Canada’s past with psychedelic psychiatry, the growing awareness of the role women played in the development of psychedelic therapy, Indigenous use of psychedelic plants and protecting their cultural rights, and lastly, the global future of psychedelic plant medicine. Erika’s research focuses mainly on the history of medicine, health and social justice, and of course, the history of psychedelics in psychiatry. She’s taught classes on the history of medicine and psychiatry, social justice and gender equality in medicine, and eugenics. She’s also written on women’s health in other aspects of Canadian health care. More recently, Erika’s research focuses on women in the history of psychedelic psychiatry. She highlights the importance of thinking about the intersections of gender in psychedelics and incorporating new voices and discussions about gender considerations in the development of psychedelic therapy. Links: * Chachruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines (https://chacruna.net/) * Graphic Novel—"Wonder Drug: LSD in the Land of Living Skies” (https://btlbooks.com/book/wonder-drug) * MAPS Special Bulletin—Women and Psychedelics (https://maps.org/news/bulletin/articles/436-maps-bulletin-spring-2019-vol-29,-no-1/7697-maps-bulletin-spring-2019-vol-29,-no-1) * Women on Psychedelics (https://www.womenonpsychedelics.org/resources?fbclid=IwAR0Bqg-FAMGvcn0WeWDgD0Un4b2P1ot1i85MAcibEUhnw0VNXn4ESFkPUiM) * Société Psychédélique Française - Webinar ‘Gender, Women and Psychedelics’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byWcX6GZmr4) MAPS Canada is a registered non-profit; we rely on the generosity of our supporters to fund our life-changing research. Please visit mapscanada.org/donate to become a monthly donor or to make a one-time donation today! Feedback? Feel free to email us at: podcast@mapscanada.org This episode was produced and edited by Brendon Campbell. Original music and audio engineering by Andrew Illmann.

For this bonus interview, we’re joined by Canadian lawyer turned historian and journalist, Ross Crockford. Ross was the editor of Monday Magazine, an alternative weekly paper in Victoria, BC and has over two decades of experience researching Canada’s past, present, and future with psychedelics. It was during his work as an editor that he discovered the work done by Dr. Abram Hoffer; he actually went on to interview Hoffer himself as well as several of his patients, along with many other early psychedelic pioneers. We’ll be back on July 19th, with an episode featuring Canadian Historian, Dr. Erika Dyck. Erika joins us to discuss her research on Canada’s history with psychedelics, the history of women and psychedelics, and some of the exciting projects she is collaborating on with individuals from around the world, alongside the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. This episode was produced and edited by Brendon Campbell. Original music and audio engineering by Andrew Illmann. MAPS Canada is a registered non-profit; we rely on the generosity of our supporters to fund our life-changing research. Please visit mapscanada.org/donate to become a monthly donor or to make a one-time donation today! Feedback? Feel free to email us at: podcast@mapscanada.org

This episode is the first in our two-part series on Canada’s captivating history with psychedelics. Join us as we take a trip down memory lane... Did you know Canada was once the leading country in psychedelic research? Beginning in the late-1940s, Canada’s first so-called socialist provincial government in Saskatchewan set out to improve the state of mental health care with research at the Weyburn Mental Hospital. Over the course of the 1950s, groundbreaking research with LSD and mescaline was conducted at Weyburn and LSD made its way to British Columbia which became home to the most prominent mental healthcare facility in the world during the 1960s. In this episode, we deliver a behind-the-scenes look at the introduction of LSD and peyote into Canada and the story behind the fascinating scientists and researchers that pioneered psychedelic research in the realm of psychiatry, while also advocating Indigenous Peoples and their cultural rights to peyote. This episode was produced and edited by Brendon Campbell. It was researched and written by Jaipreet Mattu, Sean Hallam, Rebecca Troock, Sidath Rankaduwa, Monica Lau, Ross Crockford, and Bob Sybydlo. Readings by Sean Hallam, Jaipreet Mattu, and Brendon Campbell. Original music and audio engineering by Andrew Illmann. We’d like to give a special thanks to Ross Crockford for providing research material and helping us make this episode come alive. MAPS Canada is a registered non-profit; we rely on the generosity of our supporters to fund our life-changing research. Please visit mapscanada.org/donate to become a monthly donor or to make a one-time donation today! Feedback? Feel free to email us at: podcast@mapscanada.org Sources: Bradford, T., & Dyck, E. (2012). Peyote on the Prairies: Religion, Scientists, and Native-Newcomer Relations in Western Canada. Journal of Canadian Studies, 46(1), 28-52 Brown, J.E. Introduction to LSD Experience, December 8, 1957. Cathedral of the Holy Rosary. Letter. Cameron, D. (Executive Producer) (1960). 1960 Saskatchewan election: Tommy Douglas' medicare plan dominates the 1960 election campaign [Television Broadcast]. CBC News Magazine. CBC Television. Crockford, R. (2001a). B.C.’S Acid Flashback. Vancouver Sun. http://www.rave.ca/en/news_info/142625/canada/. Accessed 31 January 2021. Crockford, R. (2001b). Dr. Yes. Western Living. December 2021 issue. Dyck, E. (2019). Psychedelic Research in 1950 Saskatchewan. In The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/psychedelic-research-in-1950s-saskatchewan. Accessed 25 January 2021. Dyck, E. (2012). Psychedelic Psychiatry: LSD on the Canadian Prairies. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press. Dyck, E. (2007). The History of LSD - The Original Psychedelic Drug: Acid trip. Biochemist, 29(2), 20-23. Dyck, E. (2006). Hitting Highs at Rock Bottom’: LSD Treatment for Alcoholism, 1950–1970. Social History of Medicine, 19(2), 313–329. Hofmann, A. (1978). LSD: My Problem Child and Insights/Outlooks. Oxford University Press. Huxley, A. (1954). The Doors of Perception. Harper & Row. Osmond, H. (Performer), Littlefield, C. (Director). (2002). Hofmann’s Potion. [Documentary]. Retrieved from https://www.nfb.ca/film/hofmanns_potion/. Accessed 5 March 2021. Metcalfe, B. (1959, Sep 1). The Experience: Moment of truth's alarming. The Province, 1. Sagi, D. (1956, Oct 13). White Men Witness Indian Peyote Rites. Saskatoon Star-Pheonix, 15.

This episode features our interview with Dr. Balázs Szigeti. Dr. Szigeti is a neuroscientist from Imperial College London who recently published a study (https://elifesciences.org/articles/62878) with his team investigating the placebo effect in psychedelic microdosing. In this interview, we talk about how this unique ‘self-blinding’ microdose study was designed, the benefits of using a citizen science approach in psychedelics research, and ultimately what his findings reveal about microdosing. We even discuss how the effects of microdosing might be similar to the positive experiences reported with homeopathic medicines. This episode was produced and edited by Brendon Campbell. Original music and audio engineering by Andrew Illmann. We’ll be back on June 21st with our first Canadian History of Psychedelics episode! MAPS Canada is a registered non-profit; we rely on the generosity of our supporters to fund our life-changing research. Please visit mapscanada.org/donate (https://mapscanada.org/donate/) to become a monthly donor or to make a one time donation today! Feedback? Feel free to email us at: podcast@mapscanada.org (mailto:podcast@mapscanada.org) Links: Self-blinded microdosing paper: Self-blinding citizen science to explore psychedelic microdosing (https://elifesciences.org/articles/62878) MDMA imaging study Dr. Balázs mentions he critiqued at a conference in 2016: The Effects of Acutely Administered 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine on Spontaneous Brain Function in Healthy Volunteers Measured with Arterial Spin Labeling and Blood Oxygen Level–Dependent Resting State Functional Connectivity (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4578244/) Published reinterpretation of those MDMA imaging results: Are ecstasy induced serotonergic alterations overestimated for the majority of users? (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0269881118767646) MyDelica app: MyDelica | Charting a path to wellness (https://mydelica.com) Ayelet Waldman’s book on microdosing: A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30212082-a-really-good-day)

Welcome to the first episode of the MAPS Canada podcast. This episode introduces listeners to MAPS Canada, it’s mission, goal, and future vision for the safe and beneficial use of psychedelics to treat mental illnesses. This episode also provides an introductory overview of what psychedelics are and how they came to be. You’ll also get a brief history of the role psychedelics have played in early religions, the use of psychedelics in scientific research, and lastly, the neuroscience behind it all. This episode was brought to you by a dedicated team of diverse volunteers with MAPS Canada. The Podcast Committee would like to thank the entire team of researchers and other individuals who helped with promoting the podcast, and lastly, we’d like to thank journalist and historian, Ross Crockford, for his contribution to this episode. This episode was produced and edited by Brendon Campbell. It was written by Sidath Rankaduwa, Jaipreet Mattu, Monica Lau, and Brendon Campbell. Original music and audio engineering by Andrew Illmann. References & Sources: Bradford, T., & Dyck, E. (2012). Peyote on the Prairies: Religion, Scientists, and Native-Newcomer Relations in Western Canada. Journal of Canadian Studies, 46(1), 28-52 Carhart-Harris, R.L. (2018). How do Psychedelics Work? Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 32(1), 16-21. Dobkin de Rios, M., & Janiger, O. (2003). LSD, spirituality, and the creative process: Based on the groundbreaking research of Oscar Janiger, MD. Inner Traditions Bear and Company. Dyck, E. (2019). Psychedelic Research in 1950 Saskatchewan. In The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/psychedelic-research-in-1950s-saskatchewan. Accessed 25 January 2021. Dyck, E. (2012). Psychedelic Psychiatry: LSD on the Canadian Prairies. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press. Griffiths, R.R., Johnson, M.W., Carducci, M.A., Umbricht, A., Richards, W.A., Richards, B.D., Cosimano, M.R., & Klinedinst, M.A. (2016). Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 30(12), 1181-1197. Hofmann, A. (1994). High Times Magazine [Interview Recording]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN6rYHAZ30c Hofmann, A. (1978). LSD: My Problem Child and Insights/Outlooks. Oxford University Press. Osmond, H. (Performer), Littlefield, C. (Director). (2002). Hofmann’s Potion. [Documentary]. Retrieved from https://www.nfb.ca/film/hofmanns_potion/ Huxley, A. (1954). The Doors of Perception. Harper & Row. Lau, M. (2021). [W-wait… Did you say psychedelics were used in psychiatry?] [Speech audio recording]. Leary, T. (1966). Turn on, tune in, drop out. World Heritage Encyclopedia. Leary, T., Metzner, R., & Alpert, R. (1964). The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Zihuatanejo Project. (n.p.) Johnson, M.W., Garcia-Romeu, A., & Griffiths, R., (2017). Long-term Follow-up of Psilocybin-facilitated Smoking Cessation. American Journal of Alcohol Abuse, 43(1), 55-60. May, P. (2014). Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD). In P.M. & S.C. (Eds.), Molecules That Amaze Us (pp. 293-303). Taylor and Francis Group, LLC. Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies. (2021). Welcome to MAPS Canada. https://mapscanada.org/ Nichols, D.E. (2016). Psychedelics. Pharmacological Reviews, 68, 264-355. Passie, T., Halpern, J.H., Stichtenoth, D.O., Emrich, H.M., & Hintzen, A. (2008). The Pharmacology of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: A Review. CNS Neuroscience and Therapeutics, 14(4), 295-314. Sessa, B. (2012). The Psychedelic Renaissance: Reassessing the Role of Psychedelic Drugs in 21st Century Psychiatry and Society. Muswell Hill Press. Stevens, J. (1987). Storming heaven: LSD and the American dream. New York: Grove Press. Wasson, G.R., Hoffman, A., & Ruck, C.A.P. (2008). The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the Mysteries. North Atlantic Books.

Whether you're curious about psychedelics, skeptical of their benefits, or even an experienced psychonaut yourself - this podcast will aim to highlight everything you need to know to navigate their role in our society. Hit subscribe! We'll be releasing new episodes every third monday of the month starting on April 19th.