INbodied Life with Lauren Taus

Dr. Frank Anderson is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist. He completed his residency and was a clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He specializes in the treatment of trauma and dissociation and is passionate about teaching brain-based psychotherapy and integrating current neuroscience knowledge with the IFS model of therapy.   Dr. Anderson is the vice chair and research director of the Foundation for Self Leadership.   He is a lead trainer at the Center for Self Leadership and maintains a long affiliation with, and trains for Bessel van der Kolk’s Trauma Center in Brookline MA.   Dr. Anderson has lectured extensively on the Neurobiology of PTSD and Dissociation and wrote the chapter “Who’s Taking What” Connecting Neuroscience, Psychopharmacology and Internal Family Systems for Trauma in Internal Family Systems Therapy-New Dimensions. He co-authored a chapter on “What IFS Brings to Trauma Treatment in Innovations and Elaborations in Internal Family Systems Therapy” and recently co-authored the book “Internal Family Systems Skills Training Manual.”   Dr. Anderson maintains a private practice in Concord, MA, and serves as an Advisor to the International Association of Trauma Professionals (IATP).    In this conversation, we talk about Internal Family Systems, how it works, and what’s different about it, the importance of doing your own personal work as a clinician, the impact of trauma, and the ways in which IFS dovetails with psychedelic therapy.      What You Will Learn:    The foundational principles of Internal Family Systems Work and how they differ from traditional psychotherapeutic approaches The difference between empathy and compassion  Why anybody working with trauma must do their own healing work. It’s the U-Turn Baby! How to navigate the challenging reality that trauma blocks love and love heals trauma with the understanding that permanent healing is available to all How Frank and the thought leaders at IFS are engaging with psychedelic medicine   Resources:   Frank's Website   Internal Family Systems Website

This series of conversations came out of the K-Dome, a virtual camp within this year’s Multiverse, Burning Man’s digital landscape. I collaborated with my mentor Dr. Phil Wolfson and the Ketamine Research Foundation with its Indra’s Net Coalition to put together over 90 hours of content on psychedelic medicine. I will be sharing some of my favorite hours with you here, and I hope you enjoy them all.    In this conversation, I sit down with my friend, visual artist Louie Schwartzberg. Louie is an award-winning producer, director and cinematographer whose notable career spans more than four decades. His prolific and breathtaking imagery from over 54 countries is featured in films, television shows, documentaries and commercials. We talk about his latest film Fantastic Fungi, and its powerful impact on the world during Covid 19. The film is consistently listed as the number one documentary on Apple TV and among the top ten of all genres. Listen to our chat to explore what makes this film so compelling for all of us, especially now.    What You Will Learn:  How Louie and his film, Fantastic Fungi, capitalized and catalyzed the underground mushroom movement for good  Why gratitude as a practice is such an important antidote to depression  The importance of community and why practicing models of connection can help keep us alive. Hint: Nothing lives alone.   What it means to be an eco-warrior, and learn from the mushroom teacher     RESOURCES: www.movingart.com www.fantasticfungi.com

This series of conversations came out of the K-Dome, a virtual camp within this year’s Multiverse, Burning Man’s digital landscape. I collaborated with my mentor Dr. Phil Wolfson and the Ketamine Research Foundation with its Indra’s Net Coalition to put together over 90 hours of content on psychedelic medicine. I will be sharing some of my favorite hours with you here, and I hope you enjoy them all.    In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Joseph McCowan, Charlotte James and Undrea Wright to discuss psychedelics, anti-racism and transformative justice. We talk about psychedelic harm reduction, anti-racism as a form of harm reduction. We explore the historical harms of the medicine community on the BIPOC community and how its still affecting communities of color while also leaning into personal responsibility. How can we be better with one another? How can we celebrate our shared humanity?   This conversation is moving into a 4 part series on social justice. The course will invite us all to confront personal bias through ceremony, and integration for collective liberation. Link in show notes to join.   What You Will Learn:  Why cultural competency is not enough and the absolute need for BIPOC representation in psychedelic medicine The significance of the BIPOC community’s painful historical relationship with the medical community and the police in the United States  The breadth of microaggressions and how harm can be tied to inaction or silence; how to engage in models of harm reduction   The importance of joy and rest in sustaining anti-racism   Resources:   Psychedelic Anti-Racism Course with All of US! The Sabina Project  Mutual Ceremony Fund The Black Burner Project

This series of conversations came out of the K-Dome, a virtual camp within this year’s Multiverse, Burning Man’s digital landscape. I collaborated with my mentor Dr. Phil Wolfson and the Ketamine Research Foundation with its Indra’s Net Coalition to put together over 90 hours of content on psychedelic medicine. I will be sharing some of my favorite hours with you here, and I hope you enjoy them all.    In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Adele Lafrance, Deanna Rogers, Dr. Ido Cohen and Kyle Buller to discuss psychedelics as a disruptive technology and how we can best integrate these experiences to optimize the benefit for both individuals and for the systems that hold us all.    As a psychedelic assisted therapist, this topic is of the greatest importance. Transforming a powerful psychedelic experience into a powerful life change takes real effort, and learning how to do that well is what will allow the psychedelic community to be a bridge between the world that is and the world that can be. My deepest wish is for experiences to be more than amusement park rides for the mind, but rather moments to trigger permanent, positive changes over time.   What You Will Learn:    What gets dis-integrated with psychedelic experiences, how dis-identifying with who we think we are allows us to access more of our true nature, and what can happen when we widen our scope Why informed consent is imperative and why you shouldn’t just blindly trust a facilitator The importance of support after a psychedelic experience, and why choosing authenticity over attachment can be a real challenge  The ways in which psychedelics hold the promise to create systems change beyond the individual heart    Resources:   Dr. Adele Lafrance’s Website: Emotion Focused Family Therapy   Deanna Rogers Website: Integrating Ayahuasca   Kyle Buller’s Website: Psychedelics Today   Ido Cohen’s Course: Psychedelics and the Shadow  

This series of conversations came out of the K-Dome, a virtual camp within this year’s Multiverse, Burning Man’s digital landscape. I collaborated with my mentor Dr. Phil Wolfson and the Ketamine Research Foundation with its Indra’s Net Coalition to put together over 90 hours of content on psychedelic medicine. I will be sharing some of my favorite hours with you here, and I hope you enjoy them all.    In this conversation, you will hear from some of the leading female clinicians working with ketamine assisted psychotherapy. Facilitated by Sunny Strasburg LMFT, this panel includes Gita Vaid MD, Jennifer Dore MD, Julane Andries LMFT, Marcela Ot’alora LPC, Melissa Whippo LCSW, Monica Winsor, Veronika Gold LMFT and yours truly.     What You Will Learn:   The challenges and benefits of being a woman in psychedelic medicine The unique and powerful properties of ketamine; why it’s great for beginners and can also be as profound as entheogens like ayahuasca and DMT How ketamine has a uniquely clean morphogenic field  The importance of operationalizing feminine values of inclusivity, caring, humility in the larger space of psychedelic medicine  Why offering more feminine protocols (ie: somatic and slow) in psychedelic therapy may offer unique benefits in the healing space   References:    Sunny Strasburg’s Website   Helios    The Ketamine Training Center   MAPS   Melissa Whippo’s Website   Veronika Gold’s Website   Inbodied Life  

Kevin Franciotti is a Masters addictions counselor, writer, and recovery advocate based in Denver. He is an advisory board member for the Project New Day foundation’s inaugural community-engaged public health project, Psychedelics in Recovery: Outreach and Service, focusing on support for mutual aid groups that advocate the integrative use of psychedelics for ongoing addiction recovery. In 2011, Kevin underwent treatment for opioid use disorder with ibogaine, a drug derived from the iboga shrub indigenous to west-central Africa. He has previously written about his experience in various publications, including New Scientist magazine and TheFix.com.   In this conversation, we dive into Kevin’s addiction and recovery journey. We speak about the role of psychedelics in recovery from substance abuse, and open the question, Is abstinence the only model?    What You Will Learn:    How ibogaine supported Kevin in healing his opiate addiction; and the possibility of making this medicine available in a medical context to help others   Why the gateway theory on drugs is bogus, the way taboos on drugs can make them more alluring, and the many problems with the war on drugs (transformative justice please!). Hint: structural and societal flaws proliferate addiction   The power of connection and authentic support on the road to recovery; and the importance of the right people working with psychedelic medicine, whether above board or underground How and why total abstinence isn’t the only way to stay sober in recovery from addiction. Did you know that Bill Wilson, one of the co-founders of AA, advocated for the use of LSD in recovery? True story. Maybe there is a cure?   Resources:    Kevin’s Website Psychedelics In Recovery

Dr. Adele Lafrance is a clinical psychologist, research scientist, and certified eating disorder specialist and supervisor. She is a leader in the research and practice of psychedelic medicine in the context of eating disorders, with a focus on ayahuasca, MDMA, and psilocybin. Currently, Dr. Lafrance is the clinical investigator and strategy lead for the MAPS-sponsored MDMA-assisted psychotherapy study for eating disorders, and a collaborator on the Imperial College study for psilocybin and anorexia nervosa. She is also co-developer of Emotion-Focused Ketamine-assisted Psychotherapy and Emotion-Focused Family Therapy. Dr. Lafrance has a particular interest in mechanisms and models of healing, including love, spirituality, emotion processing, and the application of psychedelic medicine in the context of couples and family therapy.    Adele is pioneering powerful healing possibilities for people in great need. In this conversation, we talk about how eating disorders develop, why we need to involve caregivers in the healing journey, and why love is necessary.    What You Will Learn:    How eating disorders develop as a response to an overwhelmed nervous system when external stressors overcome a person’s internal resources and why they deserve to be celebrated for their protective skill on the way to recovery The importance of moving beyond blame in eating disorder treatment and including caregivers in patient treatment because eating disorders (and any other chronic mental illness) impact the entire family system Why we need to rehab the concept of love in therapy, and how the experience of love is as important as mystical experiences for positive outcomes with psychedelic experiences   Resources:    Emotion Focused Family Therapy Adele’s Book MAPS Gabor Mate

Psychotherapist and Yoga Teacher Melissa Whippo is a pioneer in the maternal wellness space with 20 years of experience. Her work is deeply influenced by attachment theory, object relations, mindfulness meditation and herbalism. Currently, she offers Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy at the Center for Transformational Psychotherapy in San Anselmo. She also has a private practice.    Melissa is the ultimate champion for women. In this conversation, we talk about tripping mama’s, the challenges and blessings of motherhood and the importance of self care.    What You Will Learn:    How ketamine assisted psychotherapy can be a safe and powerful treatment for postpartum depression, and for mama’s in general The importance of a Time-Out for mothers as they recalibrate and reclaim themselves after giving birth; the normality of intrusive thoughts The beauty of a blended family and using language in a more loving way Why telling yourself the truth, sustaining practices of self care and leaning into sisterhood is powerful medicine, and the responsibility of women to uplift the voices of other women who are most often unheard Learning from plant teachers how to celebrate the uniqueness of every body   Resources:   Melissa’s Website Article: Ghosts in The Nursery 

In this episode of Inbodied Life, Lauren sits down with her father who is the primary prescribing medical doctor  in her Los Angeles based private practice. Dr. Dad supports Lauren’s work with ketamine assisted pscyhotherapy. In this conversation, we talk about Stephen’s journey into psychedelic experience, shifting from an attitude of "all drugs are bad" to understanding the healing powers that psychedelics carry.    Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, Stephen Taus MD graduated from Chicago Medical School in 1970. He’s been in private practice in San Pedro, California for nearly 50 years where he integrates alternative approaches such as acupuncture into his work. Stephen loves his family, healing work, and being a doctor.    What You Will Learn:   How one doctor became open to psychedelic experience later in life, and why education is so important for those considering transformational experiences with consciousness medicine The beautiful privilege of working with psychedelic medicine, and what its like to offer medicine as a father - daughter team The importance of acceptance and authenticity  The emerging problems in the medical field    Resources:    www.inbodiedlife.com

Annie Mithoefer, B.S.N., is a Registered Nurse living in Asheville, NC. She was co-investigator on two of the MAPS-sponsored Phase 2 clinical trials for individuals with PTSD and a pilot study treating couples combining MDMA-assisted psychotherapy with Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD.   She is currently co-investigator in MT1, a protocol allowing MAPS-trained therapists to receive their own MDMA-assisted session, she conducts MAPS Therapist Trainings with her husband, Michael, and is a supervisor for Phase 3 therapists. Annie is a Grof-certified Holotropic Breathwork Practitioner and she is trained in Hakomi Therapy.   I met Annie several years ago as a student of hers in the MAPS MDMA training, and I so enjoyed reconnecting in this conversation.    What You Will Learn:    How MDMA therapy works to heal trauma, and the rich possibilities that exist for MDMA as effective treatment for couples, eating disorders, depression, end of life care, addiction treatment and more The importance of the body and the breath in healing; how Annie has activated both with tools like the Hakomi method, creating deeper presence and safety for patients  What makes a good psychedelic therapist or sitter, and why advanced training or education of some type is needed Best practices for Annie’s self care The challenges of the moment with covid-19 and creating clear systems to support new therapists working in this space   Resources: MAPS

Eamon is a podcast host, festival enthusiast, and passionate proponent of psychedelic medicine. He hosts the popular podcast Life is a Festival, about life lessons from festival culture and beyond. He also hosts the Psychedelic Therapy Podcast for Maya Health where he serves as the Vice President of Community. Maya Health is building software to support psychedelic healers and the wise stewardship of data between patients and researchers.    What You Will Learn:    The importance of destigmatizing all drugs, including alcohol! Shifting from a harm reduction model to an enhancement benefit model The value in heavy psychedelic experiences like ibogaine and in more subtle ones like silence What one man learned from his experience with Ibogaine in Gabon How self expression can come through regalia and avatarism  That we all have medicine where are our wounds are, and how families can heal together     Resources:    Eamon's Website Eamon's Instagram

Founded by Charlotte James and Undrea Wright, The Sabina Project is an educational, healing and inclusive space for all modern journeyers. The Sabina Project offers online and in-person Sacred Earth Medicine integration sessions and workshops to inspire radical self transformation and community liberation, focusing on the BIPOC (Black, Indigenou and People of Color) community.   Charlotte James has been a harm reductionist and psychedelic explorer for over ten years, but her path through this work has not been linear. After leaving harm reduction due to rapid burn out, she is back in the psychedelic space with renewed energy. Charlotte works to create a world in which everyone is able to live in fearless pursuit of their own radical transformation. She uses her skills as a marketing strategist and content creator to build and engage a virtual community focused on pursuing equitable liberation.    Undrea Wright has been working to heal himself with sacred medicines for over 11 years. He is a cannabis entrepreneur that was instrumental in the decriminilization and medical bill pass in Maryland. Dre practices in the Traditional Amazonian ways, informed by the South American Shipibo-Conibo and Quechua-Lamista lineages, having trained with various global indigenous masters. He focuses on ancient teachings as a means to achieve spiritual enlightenment. At the core of the teachings lies the transformation of consciousness, a spiritual awakening that he sees as the next step in human evolution. An essential aspect of this awakening consists in transcending our ego-based state of consciousness. This is a prerequisite not only for personal happiness but also for the ending of violent conflict endemic on our planet.   What You Will Learn:    Why harm reduction is so important and why letting go of judgment around all drugs is a good idea The value of ancestral work, and why you should invite your family to join you in psychedelic journey work if you’re already doing it  Learn about the unique barriers to psychedelic exploration in the BIPOC community, and how you can support more BIPOC travelers  Why Dre and Charlotte named their project after Maria Sabina, and the need to decolonize Sacred Earth Medicines  How white people can be better allies. Hint: Do the deep inner work. It’s a daily practice.    Resources:    The Sabina Project Website    Mutual Ceremony Fund   Patreon    Dre's Instagram    Charlotte's Instagram  

SHANNON LEE is the CEO and Owner of the Bruce Lee Family Companies. Shannon’s mission is to provide access for people to Bruce Lee’s philosophy through education and entertainment. In addition to being the daughter of Bruce Lee, Shannon is the Executive Producer of Cinemax’s WARRIOR based on her father’s writings as well as a singer, actor, producer, speaker, writer, and mother.   Her first book, Be Water, My Friend, will be released October 2020 on her father’s philosophy and how to use it in daily life. Shannon hopes that these insights will help uplift, heal and unify people the world over. I am grateful to call Shannon a very dear friend of mine, and when we sat down to chat, the conversation just flowed...like water! We talked about mental health, martial arts, philosophy, identity, spirituality, death and, of course, psychedelics!   What You Will Learn:    A taste of Bruce Lee’s philosophy and how you may be able to practice some of his rich wisdom in your own life The critical importance of freeing yourself from self image by training your mind  The power of shifting perspective, the promise of change and the art of losing  How psychedelics are one among many tools that you can utilize at the right time for personal and spiritual development    Resources from This Episode:    Bruce Lee Foundation    Bruce Lee Website   Shannon's Instagram    Bruce Lee Instagram    Pre-Order Shannon’s Book!  

As Founder and President of the Heroic Hearts Project, Jesse Gould spearheaded the research and acceptance of ayahuasca therapy programs for military veterans. Jesse has raised over $200,000 in scholarships from donors including Dr. Bronner’s, partnered with the world’s leading ayahuasca treatment centers and is researching psychiatric applications with the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Georgia.    His mission is to help military veterans struggling with mental trauma and to spread awareness of the benefits that ayahuasca therapies offer as an alternative treatment to pharmaceuticals. Jesse has spoken globally about the benefits of psychedelics on mental health and he has been recognized as one of the Social Entrepreneurs To Watch For In 2020 by Cause Artist.   In this conversation, we talk about Jesse’s personal experience in the service, his journey into psychedelics, and how he’s been working to bring psychedelic medicine (specifcially ayahuasca) to military veterans.    What You Will Learn:    How one man went from supporting The War on Drugs to starting an organization dedicated to psychedelic medicine for military veterans   Learn about the Mission of The Heroic Hearts Project and why supporting the vulnerable population of military veterans is so important  Hear a few success stories about veterans who have been treated with ayahuasca Why the military is still necessary; and why those willing to give up everything for the greatest good deserve to be respected   Resources:   Heroic Hearts Project Website   Heroic Hearts UK   Instagram 

Françoise Bourzat is a consciousness guide with sanctioned training in the Mazatec tradition and other indigenous traditions. She has a master’s degree in Somatic Psychology from New College of California and is a Certified Hakomi Practitioner. Drawing from more than 30 years of experience, Bourzat’s skillful and heartfelt approach presents the therapeutic application of expanded states without divorcing them from their indigineous, ritual contexts.    Bourzat trains therapists and facilitators, teaches at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), and lectures internationally. In 2019, North Atlantic Books Consciousness Medicine, a book co-authored by Francoise and one of her students Kristina Hunter. The book delivers a coherent map for navigating non-ordinary states of consciousness and offers an invaluable contribution to the field of healing and transformation.    Born in France, Francoise spent much of her early life traveling the world and she now lives in the San Francisco area with her husband.    In this conversation, we talk about Francoise’s personal experience and journey into psychedelics, the special magic of mushrooms, and the work that she is currently doing to address some of the very real problems we face in the world now.    WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:   How psychedelics can facilitate a process of liberation, open fields of compassion and allow a person to feel/heal more deeply  Some characteristics of indigenous traditions and the unique ways in which they educate individuals to do medicine work; how to ensure respect while engaging in practices from other cultures Why a guide is so important in psychedelic work, and how Francoise is bridging the gap between ancient traditions and contemporary psychotherapy  How psilocybin may be able to support the mental health pandemic and the complex grief that so many face with losses due to Covid 19 What it’s been like as a woman working in the psychedelic space   RESOURCES   Francoise Bourzat's Website Order Francoise’s Book, Consciousness Medicine: Indigenous Wisdom, Entheogens, and Expanded States of Consciousness for Healing and Growth  Francoise’s Instagram

East Forest is a unique bird in the Wild West aviary of electronic-chamber music, bridging the digital and natural realms. The fundamental mission of his project is to create sonic architecture for listeners to explore their inner space. As a leader in the field of wellness, he offers a spiritual yet secular pathway aimed squarely at the challenges of our contemporary lives.    As a spiritual teacher and facilitator, East Forest has trail-blazed a path in the wellness movement building connections between the digital and natural worlds. His collaborations include Google and John Hopkins neuroaesthetics program, Consciousness Hacking, Science And Nonduality (SAND), in addition to his weekly podcast series that offers discussions with thought leaders alongside musically guided original meditations.  As a consistent pillar of his public offerings, East Forest offers in person retreats for deeper immersive experiences both at the Esalen Institute where he is a faculty member as well as in his adopted home of the high desert in Southern Utah.  His albums and collaborations have three times charted #1 on iTunes as well as several Billboard top ten releases.   In 2019, East Forest released a soundtrack featuring Ram Dass, which includes guest appearances from Trevor Hall, Grammy nominated artist Krishna Das and more. In that same year, he released his first long-form album, “Music For Mushrooms: A Soundtrack For The Psychedelic Practitioner.” This remarkable 5-hour, fully connected experience is designed to act as a ‘digital shaman’ that can musically guide a psilocybin experience. The album reached #1 on the iTunes charts after it’s release (iTunes May, 2019).     East Forest has a B.A. from Vassar College and an M.F.A. from the IATT at Harvard University/Moscow Art Theater.  He teaches regularly both privately and on online.   In this conversation, we talk about his personal journey with music along with the foundational influences of nature and psychedelic experience in everything he does.   What you will learn:    Why following your bliss creates purpose, impact and good (medicine) music What it was like to record with Ram Dass at the end of his life, and the process whereby East Forest created an album with him (that also featured Krishna Das) Why making a mess is part of being human, and the importance of leaning in. Learn about the Black Lives Matter vigil that East Forest created music for, and what it meant to him to use his voice as a white man in the name of transformative justice How nature and psychedelic experiences have been some of East Forest’s biggest teachers and muses; what it means to live a life of meaning and consciousness, and why inviting depth and exploration to the inner journey is the common thread in everything East Forest creates     Resources:   East Forest's Website   Instagram    Spotify  

Camille Barton (they/them) is a non binary artist, writer and somatic educator, working on the intersections of wellness, drug policy and transformative justice. Camille is the director of the Collective Liberation Project, and the creator of a trauma informed approach to diversity and decolonization work that centres on the body and lived experience.    Camille offers Embodied Social Change - movement sessions that fuse somatics and partner work to explore how oppression, such as racism and ableism, is rooted in the body; and how we can re-pattern it using mindful attention and movement.   Camille is currently researching grief on behalf of the Global Environments Network, creating a tool kit of embodied grief practices to support efforts for intersectional ecological justice. They also work as an advisor for MAPS, ensuring that MDMA psychotherapy will be accessible to global majority communities (POC), most harmed by the war on drugs.   In this conversation, we talk about the critical importance of the body in anti-racist work and social justice. We dive into dance, psychedelic medicine, our ancestors and the possibility of collective liberation.    What You Will Learn:    - The limits of traditional activism, and the need for somatic social justice to repattern areas of dominance and oppression in the body  - The need for white people to pivot from guilt, shame, and white saviorism into a place of collective liberation for everyone plus the significance of white on white violence - How dance has been colonized in the West with its focus on how it looks and why shifting into a model of dance as reclamation, pleasure, and reconnection with ancestors is a powerful medicine for healing. Go on, dance like nobody’s watching! - How so many Western New Age Movements are guilty of spiritual bypassing and how conscious communities can do the needed work of social change by dissolving ego - The ways in which drug policy has been a tool for creating fear and racism; the importance of harm reduction and why the process of building trust will take time   RESOURCES   Camille's Website The Collective Liberation Project The Roots of White Supremacy Are In Our Bodies Healing Our Thousand Year Old Trauma by Rezma Menakem White Awake Selfish Activist  Body Intelligence http://radicaldharma.org/ Book: Medical Apartheid Ray Johnson  James Baldwin  Maria Sabina 

Christopher M. Bache is professor emeritus in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Youngston State University where he taught for 33 years. He is also adjunct faculty at the California Institute for Integral Studies, Emeritus Fellow at the Institute for Noetic Sciences and on teh Advisory Council of Grof Legacy Training. An award winning teacher and international speaker, Chris’ work explores the philosophical implications of non-ordinary states of consciousness, especially psychedelic states. He has written four books translated into eight languages: Lifecycles - a study of reincarnation in light of contemporary consciousness research; Dark Night Early Dawn - a pioneering work in psychedelic philosophy and collective consciousness; The Living Classroom, an exploration of teaching and collective fields of consciousness and LSD and the Mind of the Universe, the story of his 20 year journey with LSD. In this conversation, we talk about Chris’ personal experiences with altered states, the cosmology of consciousness, and what we need to do in order to shift the world from ego driven to soul driven.    What You Will Learn:    The difference between psycholytic therapy and psychedelic therapy  The five levels of consciousness: 1. Personal mind; 2. Collective mind, species mind; 3. Archetypal mind; 4. One Mind; 5. Diamond Luminoscity, clear light of absolute reality, dharmakāya  Why death is beautiful and we don’t need to fear it How we might create a new human and a new collective consciousness that transcends the smallness of constructed separation What God is for a post-religious world The integral importance of community and integration with psychedelic work    Resources: LSD and The Mind of The Universe: Diamonds from Heaven 

Amanda Feilding is the founder and executive director of the Beckley Foundation, and is widely recognised as one of the driving forces behind the current psychedelic research renaissance. By establishing key research collaborations with some of the world’s most prestigious universities, she has propelled the field forward over the last 20 years, conducting several landmark studies, such as the world’s first LSD brain imaging study.   Since its inception, the Beckley Foundation has been at the forefront of the development of evidence-based drug policy. Through a series of pivotal international seminars at the House of Lords, over 50 much-cited reports and numerous meetings with thought-leaders, academics, policy-makers and the public, Amanda has ensured that the Beckley Foundation is a leader in the movement for drug policy reform. Through her work with the Beckley Foundation, Amanda is bridging the gap between science and policy, allowing them to complement and inform one another, ultimately harnessing our knowledge of the benefits of many prohibited substances to maximise human wellbeing. In this conversation, we dive deep into Amanda’s personal life experience and work in the field over the last several decades.   I know that this conversation will be the first of many with Amanda, and I hope you enjoy getting to know this Psychedelic Queen as much as I did!   What you will learn:    Why LSD is such a powerful tool for consciousness exploration with specific attention to the brain and the safety profile of this compound The importance of questioning authorities and being an independent thinker The devastating problem of current drug policy  How LSD can bridge the gap between science and religion  Why trappanation (drilling a hole in the human skill) may be of value for humans now   Resources   Beckley Foundation  Instagram: @beckleyresearch

Dr. Ido Cohen is a clinical psychologist trained at CIIS and the Jung Institute in San Francisco. Ido works with individuals, couples and groups in the Bay Area, specializing in early childhood trauma treatment, recovery from addiction, relationship issues, and psycho spiritual exploration. Ido’s doctoral dissertation focused on the psychospiritual integration process of Ayahuasca ceremonies using a Jungian psychology lens. Ido offers preparation and integration services to individuals and groups, as well as various workshops and trainings on the topic. He is the founder of The Integration Circle, an organized community of professionals who are dedicated and passionate about helping individuals and groups prepare and integrate psychedelic and entheogenic experiences into long term and sustainable changes. In this conversation, we talk about the need for personal and systemic integration, the mess of healing, and why being you means giving.      What You Will Learn:    How to turn profound psychedelic experiences into big life changes with integration work The intimate intersection between personal and systemic integration work, looking at racism in the USA and in Israel The beauty in shadow work, how suffering can create deep freedom, and the necessary mess of transformation     Resources:  Course: Psychedelics and The Shadow: The Shadow Side of Psychedelia Instagram: @theintegrationcircle Facebook: The Integration Circle 

Kyle Buller is the co-founder of Psychedelics Today, an education/media platform and weekly podcast that explores the science and culture of the emerging psychedelic field. Kyle earned his B.A. in Transpersonal Psychology from Burlington College, where he focused on studying the healing potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness by exploring shamanism, Reiki, local medicinal plants and plant medicine plus Holotropic Breathwork. Kyle has been studying breathwork since October 2010 with Lenny and Elizabeth Gibson of Dreamshadow Transpersonal Breathwork. Kyle earned his M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with an emphasis on Somatic Psychology. Kyle’s clinical background in mental health consists of working with at-risk teenagers in crisis and with individuals experiencing an early-episode of psychosis and providing counseling to undergraduate/graduate students in a university setting.   What You Will Learn:    How one man’s near death experience and healing journey inspired his ongoing (and growing) relationship with, spirituality, his study of transpersonal psychology and his careful engagement with consciousness through psychedelics How breathwork can be just as psychedelic as an entheogen or a synthetic compound, and what’s unique about it! The power and importance of relationship in any healing journey  Why Weird Matters   Resources:    You can learn more about Kyle's work at psychedelicstoday.com and settingsunwellness.com. You can even take the next step and sign up for a course on Psychedelics Today! Navigating Psychedelics: For Clinicians and Therapists Psychedelics and the Shadow Spiritual Emergence or Psychosis 

Marcela Ot'alora, M.F.A, M.A., L.P.C is a principal investigator for MDMA Assisted Psychotherapy Research at the Multi Disciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies, MAPS. She is dedicated to the treatment and research of trauma, through art and through the use of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. She worked as a co-therapist in the first government approved MDMA-assisted psychotherapy study in Madrid, Spain and is the Principal Investigator of the Phase 2 and 3 MDMA-assisted psychotherapy trials in Boulder, Colorado. She received her MA in Transpersonal Psychology from Naropa University and MFA from University of Greensboro in North Carolina. She was born and raised in Colombia, South America and now lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband Bruce Poulter. She is one of the leads in the MDMA therapy trainings for MAPS. In this conversation, Marcela and I sit down to talk about her journey, the work and how it works!    What you will learn:    - How MDMA impacts the brain and invites a person receiving MDMA assisted psychotherapy to return to a pre-conditioned self   - The qualities of a good psychedelic assisted therapist, and a few ways to dislodge traumatic material as a clinician. Hint: French Fries and Movies!    - Why the MAPS MDMA protocol calls for two clinicians working with a single client is so important and how it works   - The value of art in the healing journey and how Marcela integrates her own creativity along with the gifts of her clients    Resources:    MAPS Public Benefit MAPS Film: Trip of Compassion 

Dr. Phil Wolfson is a sixties activist, psychiatrist/psychotherapist, writer, practicing Buddhist and psychonaut who has lived in the Bay Area for 38 years. Phil is Principal Investigator for the  MAPS sponsored Phase 2, FDA approved 18-person study of MDMA Assisted Psychotherapy for individuals with significant anxiety due to life threatening illnesses. His clinical practice with ketamine has informed his leadership role in the development of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy.  Phil’s book The Ketamine Papers, published by MAPS, is the seminal work in the burgeoning ketamine arena.  He is the author of  Noe – A Father/Son Song of Love, Life, Illness and Death (2011, North Atlantic Books).  In the 1980s, he participated in clinical research with MDMA (Ecstasy). He has been awarded five patents for unique herbal medicines. He is a journalist and author of numerous articles on politics, transformation, psychedelics, consciousness and spirit, and was a founding member of the Heffter Research Institute. Phil has taught in the graduate psychology programs at JFK University, CIIS and the UCSF School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. Phil is my dear friend and my mentor in my practice of ketamine assisted psychotherapy. It’s my deepest privilege to share this conversation with all of you.  WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:    How ketamine assisted psychotherapy works and why ketamine is particularly valuable for clinicians seeking to accelorate healing and transformation with their clients  Why psychedelic medicine must happen in the context of relationships and the power of community for sharing, processing and integration How to widen world wide caring and the importance of social activism; being a conscious citizen of the world   RESOURCES:    www.philwolfsonmd.com https://ketaminepsychotherapy.com/ www.ketamineresearchfoundation.com Click HERE to buy The Ketamine Papers

Natalie Lyla Ginsberg is the Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Before joining MAPS in 2014, Natalie worked as a Policy Fellow at the Drug Policy Alliance, where she helped legalize medical cannabis in her home state of New York, and worked to end New York’s race-based marijuana arrests. Natalie received her B.A. in history from Yale, and her master’s of social work (M.S.W.) from Columbia. In this conversation, we dive into her personal journey. We also explore the many facets of the work she is doing to disentangle science from political partisanship and to create safe, equitable, regulated access to psychedelics - and all criminalized substances. Natalie is inspired by psychedelics’ potential to assist in healing intergenerational trauma, for building empathy and community, and for inspiring creative and innovative solutions.      What You Will Learn:    How current drug laws in the United States support hierarchical systems, and why we need to use harsh, confrontative language in order to make much needed changes in the collective conditioning What other countries are doing with their drug policies that we might want to learn from; Thank you Portugal, Spain, Canada and the Czech Republic! How psychedelics might be supportive tools for conflict resolution and peace building Harm reduction and the beautiful work of the Zendo Project

Visual artist Louie Schwartzberg is an award-winning producer, director and cinematographer whose notable career spans more than four decades. His prolific and breathtaking imagery from over 54 countries is featured in films, television shows, documentaries and commercials. Louie most recently released Fantastic Fungi, 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). In this podcast, we take a deep dive into his personal experiences and how they’ve shaped his deep dedication to nature.    What You Will Learn:   How sacred medicines shaped Louie’s spiritual and professional life Why we need to celebrate the feminine (in politics), overcome adversity, stay out of victim stories and focus on harmony with the planet  How Louie and Paul Stamets developed a bromance around art and science, then shared in the 13 year journey of creating the film Fantastic Fungi  How growing up the son of two Holocaust survivors impacted Louie’s work, his environmentalism, his commitment to protect “the little guys,” and his gratitude   RESOURCES: www.movingart.com www.fantasticfungi.com

Reverend Briana Cavion from the Earth Temple is a modern day, medicine woman. She has years of experience living with tribes serving ayahuasca in South America, and she carries a Masters degree in Peace Education from The United Nations University for Peace. Briana is also an NLP practitioner and a coach. In this podcast, Briana preaches and teaches about the power of nature, our bodies as part of the wild divine and how making peace with ourselves is the only way to make peace on the planet. She closes with a powerful prayer for us all.    What You Will Learn:    How to reprogram natural responses and be more fully you The importance of integration for any psychedelic experience The problems and pitfalls in the popularization of psychedelics The history of witches and how Briana has reclaimed the word to honor her ancestors.   Resources:    www.TheEarthTemple.com Instagram: @RevBrianaLyn

Rick Doblin, Ph.D., is the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). His commitment to psychedelic medicine, psychedelic assisted therapy, research and decriminalization spans several decades, making him one of the pioneering leaders in the psychedelic renaissance. In this conversation, Rick speaks about his experience, his perspective, his family and his why.    What you will learn:    Learn about MAPS Founder and Executive Director Rick Doblin PhD, his personal journey with psychedelics and how his experiences in life shaped his commitment to legalizing MDMA as a medicine  Why current drug laws are immoral and decriminalizing illicit substances, even the most dangerous, is not only a good idea, but an important one for social justice A defense of the compounds like LSD, MDMA and ketamine in relation to the entheogenic plants like psilocybin and ayahuasca How civil disobedience can be a way to improve the rule of law; learn about the way that this view penetrated Rick’s family life, both with his parents and his children  The critical importance of integration of psychedelic experiences; “Quantity is not the solution.” How psychedelics can mainstream a global spirituality while also infusing new meaning into traditions of the past  

Rick Doblin, Ph.D., is the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). His commitment to psychedelic medicine, psychedelic assisted therapy, research and decriminalization spans several decades, making him one of the pioneering leaders in the psychedelic renaissance. In this conversation, Rick speaks about his experience, his perspective, his family and his why.    What you will learn:    Learn about MAPS Founder and Executive Director Rick Doblin PhD, his personal journey with psychedelics and how his experiences in life shaped his commitment to legalizing MDMA as a medicine  Why current drug laws are immoral and decriminalizing illicit substances, even the most dangerous, is not only a good idea, but an important one for social justice A defense of the compounds like LSD, MDMA and ketamine in relation to the entheogenic plants like psilocybin and ayahuasca How civil disobedience can be a way to improve the rule of law; learn about the way that this view penetrated Rick’s family life, both with his parents and his children  The critical importance of integration of psychedelic experiences; “Quantity is not the solution.” How psychedelics can mainstream a global spirituality while also infusing new meaning into traditions of the past

Rachel Yehuda PhD is a pioneer in the field of intergenerational trauma, epigenetics and PTSD treatment. We speak together about her career working with Vietnam War veterans, Holocaust survivors and their offspring, as well as pregnant mothers who survived the attacks of 9/11 and their children. Rachel continues to pave powerful pathways for progress with psychedelic treatments in the VA.    In this conversation, we also speak about the impact of the Corona Virus as a form of trauma, creating a mental health pandemic. Rachel expresses her serious concerns, but her message is infused with a commitment to resilience and post traumatic growth. We dive into the risks and opportunities that this historic moment holds while she offers education, hope, and some real talk.   What you will Learn:  How science and spirituality co-mingle  How trauma can be passed down from one generation to the next, and impact a person’s biology (epigenetics) The purpose of therapy in trauma treatment, and why MDMA is such a promising intervention possibility. Rachel likens the process to giving birth - to new life - and sees the therapists as midwives! The importance of dislodging trauma material as a therapist and the value of groups for both therapists and clients How treatment can serve post-traumatic growth, and why a trauma survivor should go to therapy at all  What one woman’s experience has been like in the field, and how change is always possible

Journalist turned peace activist, Rami Aman started the Gaza Youth Committee in 2010. The organization consists of over 200 men and women between the ages of 16 and 40. The intention is to empower a new generation of leadership with the courage, willingness, skills and the vision to create a peaceful world in partnership with Israel, the United States, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and more. Rami is a real life hero, living and breathing his vision into the world no matter the cost.    What you will Learn: 1. How one Gazan shifted his perspective from a binary us versus them into one of inclusion and humanity 2. How leaders by definition inspire leadership in others and the critical importance of vision  3. Why believing in yourself and in your work (even when nobody else does) will help solve global problems 4. All media channels have an agenda and being intellectually engaged is required for responsible citizenship 5. Being free is possible even while in prison

Khaled is among the foremost figures in the Palestinian community working toward peace and reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis. He co-founded three groundbreaking organizations and he’s received a number of international prizes for his work, including the UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize for the promotion of nonviolence and tolerance.   Khaled’s understanding of the conflict is based in deep personal knowledge of what it means to experience loss. He, his mother and many of his brothers spent time in Israeli prisons. His brother was killed by an Israeli soldier, and his son was left handicap after an attack. He chose to transform his personal pain into a deeper spiritual practice, one that demands acceptance. "I don’t experience occupation," he says. “There is no war inside of me.”   In this conversation, Khaled speaks to the importance of hope, love and acceptance as well as the power of friendship with the “other.” Khaled’s views are not necessarily mainstream, but he’s outspoken and eager to share the light of peace with his people over coffee and cigarettes.    What You Will Learn:   1. How one man turned pain into peace and purpose 2. Why the future will be shaped by women and the youth  2. The power of healing trauma 3. One Muslim perspective on prophecy today      Resources:    http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/khaled_abu_awwad_everyone_must_think_of_the_other/   https://www.friendsofroots.net/khaleds-bio-landing-page   https://www.icrc.org/en/international-review/article/interview-khaled-abu-awwad-and-roni-hirshenson

Meet Wassim Razzouk. His family came from Egypt and introduced the art of tattoos to Palestine almost 1000 years ago. They've since marked countless individuals. We met in his shop in the Old City of Jerusalem where we spoke about his ancestry, what it's like living in Israel as a Coptic Christian and why riding a motorcycle in the Holy Land is so badass.    What you will Learn:    1. Discover the meaning of a Jerusalem cross  2. Learn about the significance of tattoos for Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land 3. The unique challenges of Christians living in Jerusalem    Resource from this Episode:    1. Razzouk Tattoo 2. Times of Israel Article on Easter Pilgrims Getting Ink'd 3. Atlas Obscura Feature

Hebron, which means friend, is a 4500 year old, hotbed in the Southern West Bank. In this conversation, we meet Yishai Fleisher, the international spokesperson for the Jewish community there. Yishai is also an Israeli broadcaster and a frequent columnist for major news websites. We speak about who is living in Hebron and why while we dive into the complexity of the city that he represents.    What You Will Learn:    1. Why peace isn't the right conversation to have about the Middle East 2. The complexity of guns as hot weapons and the unkindness of an army 3. The importance of Jewish self determination, defense and the Jewish "fighting spirit," specifically against jihadists   4. The power and importance of narratives, recognizing the shared, Semitic experience between Jews an Arabs in The Holy Land    Resources:    1. Yishai Fleisher 2. A Settler's View of Israel's Future in the NYT 3. The Jewish Community of Hebron   Contact 1. Yishai's Twitter 2. Yishai's Instagram 3. Yishai's YouTube

Noam Shuster was raised in Wahat al Salam/Neve Shalom, the only intentional community in Israel where Palestinians and Jews live together as equals. There, she was educated in a bi-national, bi-lingual and bi-cultural school where she learned to speak fluent Arabic as a little girl. Noam was recruited to use this skill for Intelligence gathering in the army, but she declined the invitation because Noam always knew she would use it to communicate - not to spy on her neighbors.    Noam worked in peace building programs in Israel from a young age. She graduated with a degree in co-existence from Brandeis before going into activism and policy. She spent time working in Rwanda and with the UN's Interpeace Initiative before transitioning her career into full time comedy. She is now making massive audiences laugh while delivering potent messages around the problems in her country - and the potential solutions.   In this conversation, we speak about the power of courage, the importance of listening to your body and the magic of owning your unique, creative voice. Noam is currently on a fellowship at Harvard University, writing her one woman show. Look out, world! Noam is unleashed!   What you will Learn:    1. The complexity of identity constructions in Israel, and the challenge of learning an accurate history given the privileged experience of the Ashkenazi Jews in the Holy Land  2. The importance of courage 3. How listening to your own truth and living into it can create waves of unexpected change on the planet    Resources From this Episode:    1. How Noam Jokinly Proposed to a Saudi Prince and Rocked Middle Eastern Media 2. Noam's Writing for Haaretz 3. Noam's YouTube 4. Noam’s Instagram

Sulaiman Khatib spent 10 brutal years as a young man in an Israeli prison for stabbing a soldier as an act of resistance. He was 14 years old when he started his sentence. While most might develop more rage in the conditions that he survived, this man became a committed peace maker. He cofounded Combatants for Peace, a bi-national, grassroots nonviolence movement in Israel and Palestine, and he has been compared in the press to a modern-day Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr or Nelson Mandela.   In this conversation, we speak about the importance of moving beyond national identity to see a shared humanity and the need to connect activism to the heart.    What You Will Learn:    1. Why focusing on the emotional aspect of the conflict is important as a means to heal intergenerational trauma and imagine new stories 2. Why optimism makes sense, and how The Holy Land is full of medicine. Did somebody say Middle Eastern Ayahuasca?  3. The importance of mothers and nature    Resources:    1. Combatants for Peace 2. Read Sulaiman's Writing 3. Souli's Facebook

Meet Dr. Shaiya Rothberg. Living in Jerusalem, he is a conservative rabbi and teacher of theology, Kabbalah, and written and oral torah from the Midrash to the Middle Ages. In this conversation, we discuss democracy and human rights from a Jewish perspective. Here, he explains the difference between Judaism and Torah, which he defines as Truth. Unlike many observant Jews, however, he understands multiple pathways to access the capital T Truth, and he explores what it would mean for Israelis to take responsibility for the conflict in the region while holding both sides accountable. 

The Ten Principles of Burning Man create a healing field for individuals to be who they are without concern for what they do in the world. For one week in the desert, life is whimsical and designed for authentic, imaginative expression.    Sharon Avraham co-founded the Israeli Burning Man, and led many of its events for years. In one week, he with a tribe of Middle Eastern activists return to Black Rock City with a unique mission: The Kosmic Kamels.    Located at 8:45 and A, this camp offers a place for people to safely gather, play and dream together, but not just any people, a group torn apart by conflict zones, governments and religious wars. The Kosmic Kamels are eager to dissolve these painful, violent boundaries.    Flying into the dust from Israel, Palestine, Jordan, the UAE, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Europe and the USA, these individuals are committed to a world based on a shared humanity that not only allows difference, but celebrates it. Dressed up with glitter and lights, Sharon hopes that the dusty dreams that they dream together fuel each member of the camp to return home inspired and supercharged to pave pathways of change in a world that desperately needs them. 

Scarlett Lewis, the founder of the Choose Love Foundation lost her 6 year old son, Jesse, in the massacre at Sandy Hook. Jesse was granted a Commander in Chief Funeral, the type reserved for heads of state and returning war heroes, because he courageously saved the lives of 9 of his classmates before losing his own. Jesse was considered a war hero because his first grade classroom in the United States was considered a literal war zone. We have a huge problem in our country, and Scarlett has an answer in Choose Love.   Scarlett is spending her life on a mission to provide social and emotional intelligence to children in schools in order to prevent the kind of devastating loss that she experienced, the same kind that so many are suffering. Scarlett lives with love, courage, forgiveness, gratitude and a commitment to a vision for a safe world that all of us create together. The time is NOW, and we all know what we need to do. Choose Love.    What you will learn:    Social and Emotional Learning is the Solution for...everything! The importance of Proactive Prevention  The power of forgiveness, how one mom forgave the man who killed her son The charge of responsibility; the solution we seek is simple and ours to create The healing power of service   RESOURCES:    1. Jesse Lewis Choose Love Foundation 2. @chooselovemovement  3. Newton Helps Rwanda 4. DONATE

Any language that has to silence others is a weak language, just like any story that has to silence other stories is weak.” Meet Neta Weiner from the musical band System Ali. Neta was born in a secular kibbutz, educated in a boarding school in India, and he currently lives in a diverse community in Jaffa.    In this conversation, we explore the meaning of his music - a combination of hip hop and klezmer - the incredible diversity of his bandmates, and the imagination that exists in their sounds.    What you will Learn:    Discover the power of language as a form of culture, identity and expression while exploring the ways in which language can also become a form of oppression and erasure The ways in which music is and has been a source of resistance  The connection between Klezmer music and Hip Hop! Who knew?   Resources:    System Ali Band Beit System Ali  As : Is You Tube

Shuki Yashuv is the founder and winemaker at Agur Winery in the Judean Hills. While he is a proud atheist, he is an anti-wine snob who keeps his winery kosher in order to include everyone around him, even the ducks or the Haredim (as he calls them)!   Shuki participated as a paratrooper in a number of wars, and he suffers from prolonged traumatic exposure during these times. In this conversation, we discuss why war is totally avoidable, why blessings should be intended, and why learning to enjoy life is so important. 

Meet Jerusalemite-Armenian musician and writer, Apo Sahagian of Apo and the Apostles. Apo lives in the Armenian quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem and he's an most unassuming hipster making waves in the music scene.    In this conversation, we explore the complex and textured realities of identity, nationalism, religion, trauma versus healing informed policy, and groups of people exiled from their homeland. Apo considers himself an "imaginist," and boasts to have his own version of "Zionism," wishing to return to Armenia one day.    What you will learn:    1. Religion is part of culture in many communities, and separating the two is a Western concept 2. What it's like to live in Jerusalem: the good, the bad and the ugly  3. What it means to reclaim the word "goy" 

What would you do if one of your family members was killed in a terrorist attack? How would you manage your rage and your grief? What would you do?   Meet graphic designer Rami Elhanan. Born in Israel to a 7th generation Jerusalemite and a Holocaust survivor from Hungary, Rami’s personal life changed forever when his 14 year old daughter was blown up with 5 others in a Palestinian suicide attack on Ben Yehuda Street. Rami and his family have since become activists, researchers, and important voices in the struggle for peace in the Holy Land. Rami is the co-director of the Parents Circle with his Palestinian counterpart, Mazen Faraj.    In this conversation, you will hear how brainwashing perpetuates problems in the Middle East - for all communities, and why a victim mindset can be so dangerous. Learn about the challenges of healing, and be invited into a formless solution born in respect that begins and lives within.

What do you know about Jerusalem? Discover the wonder of this holy city through the eyes and words of author-journalist Sarah Tuttle-Singer. Born in Los Angeles, the blond and beautiful Sarah moved to Jerusalem ten years ago with her two young children. Here, she blogs for The Times of Israel, Kveller, Scary Mommy, Ladies Home Journal and Time.com. Her writing includes a range of personal topics ranging from parenting, divorce, death, living under rocket fire and her holy hometown.    In this conversation, Sarah speaks about the magic of Jerusalem, raising children here, the importance of crossing certain boundaries, and developing close relationships with people in different communities. The podcast chat is peppered with whiskey, tacos, kittens and polyamory. Listen up! 

Do you want to party for a purpose? DJ Ramzy, self identified as an Arab, Israeli Jew, crosses cultural boundaries by spinning Arabic music to mixed audiences in Jerusalem. Quoted in the New York Times for saying, “Dialogue isn’t fun.” He found a way to make peace in the Middle East through music and nightlife.    In this conversation, Ramzy speaks to Jerusalem as the best city on earth, describes the impact of surviving terrorist attacks, and explains the power of human contact to dissolve the barriers that divide people in the Holy Land. Ramzy also explores the unfortunate impact of the Boycott, Divest and Sanction movement on his work, and the adverse role of external national forces in Israel more generally. The solution must come from the people, and Ramzy intends to be one of them.    https://www.mixcloud.com/ram-mizrhi-spinoza/

Meet Nablus born, self-made billionaire Bashar Masri and his brainchild Rawabi, a public city that is uniquely initiated, designed, financed and constructed by the private sector. Rawabi, a strategic partnership between Massar International and the State of Qatar, is built on a series of breathtaking hilltops north of Jerusalem and Ramallah. The city overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the west and the landscape of Palestine to the north and east. An innovative approach to urban development, Rawabi integrates the best practices in planning, sustainability and resource conservation with a bustling metropolitan core.   “We have one hell of an opportunity to create a model state here in Palestine, one that is secular and democratic. It is my wish to be a part of that reality.” Masri says.   In this podcast, Bashar speaks about the indescribable magic of home, and his commitment to making it a better place. He explains the importance of communicating with his national “enemy" Israel while also working with Israelis as individual human beings.   “There are good Israelis, bad Israelis and terrible ones; and, it’s the same for Palestinians, or any other group of people.”   Bashar is a champion of hope for the future, and he believes in a humble approach to taking serious responsibility.   www.rawabi.ps

Can you imagine a story that’s big enough to encompass seemingly rival narratives? Can you imagine a peace in the Holy Land that doesn’t require anyone to compromise?   Meet Rabbi Yehuda HaKohen of the Brit Hazon movement and Vision Magazine . He is an alternative peace activist and outspoken opponent of the two-state solution. Yehuda lives in an “outpost” in the West Bank, but doesn’t identify as a "settler." He works with Jewish and Palestinian radicals on the front lines of the conflict and believes that the "extremists" are better suited to make a lasting peace in the land than the "Westernized officials signing American papers."   While deeply committed to Jewish history and practice, Yehuda believes that being more inclusive brings him closer to a "capital T" Truth, and he’s committed to peace work with his Palestinian neighbors. He wants to both deepen and soften Israel's Jewish character while creating a model society that offers all of its citizens equal rights. This conversation is a post-colonial, post-Zionist approach to the conflict in the Middle East, and it requires an overall shift in our intellectual paradigm. “We need to think differently, reject the limitations, and reimagine one another.” Listen here to learn more.   Listeners can find Yehuda's writings at Vision Magazine and his podcast, The Next Stage, on Soundcloud, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and Tune-in.

Meet Achiya Schatz. Achiya works in the Communications Department of the Israeli NGO, Breaking the Silence. Established in 2004 by veterans of the Israel Defense Forces, this organization gives serving and discharged Israeli personnel and reservists a means to confidentially recount their experiences in the Occupied Territories, the West Bank.    Achiya was once a soldier in the elite counter terrorist unit, Duvdevan. The word Duvdevan means cherry in Hebrew, and ex-soldiers from this unit wrote the Netflix sensation Fauda. Achiya is now dedicated to changing Israeli policies around "security" that informed mandated action during his time in uniform.    This was a hard conversation for me to have and it remains a challenging one  to hear. Tune in to learn about psychological warfare and a terrible truth armed with guns.    What you will Learn:  - The influence of the Holocaust - and trauma in general - on Israeli society  - The psychological cost of the occupation for Israelis - The importance of vision for improved outcomes; and... - The complexity of power dynamics

Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum speaks to the importance of diversity, exploring the influence of her family on her work and her specific goals for her time in office.   She is working for an overall expansion of economic prosperity through job creation, an improvement in the educational system and an overall upgrade on the way that the rest of the world views the capital city of Israel.   She also explores what it means to be an orthodox feminist and why we need to re-imagine Zionism. Tune in!

If you haven’t yet found your no, you don’t yet have your YES.   Do you want to unlock the power, magic and secrets that dwell in your sexuality? Lead Tantra teacher Shachar Caspi shares his own personal journey from Israeli sniper to sexual shaman and a few of the meaningful stops along his way. Shachar believes in the explosive power of sexual healing and supports each individual in his or her most authentic expression of love.   In this podcast, we explore the importance of mindfulness, body awareness, boundaries in bed, the surprising problem with pornography, the worlds of open relationships and how all of this relates to The Holy Land. 

Sami Awad is a Palestinian from a Christian evangelical background with roots in the Holy Land land for over 800 years. He's also 80% Jewish, according to a DNA test. In this conversation, Sami speaks about his healing journey and the Holy Land Trust, an organization that he started in 1998 to address the traumatic histories of the people living in Israel/Palestine. Sami is dedicated to strengthening communities and creating safe spaces.   Learn from Sami about the power of stories, the devastating impact of fear, the deeper implications of being a peace maker and the promising potential of the future.    Learn more at www.inbodied.life  

Are you struggling with hedonistic impulses and looking for a fulfilling spiritual experience? Rabbi Harry in Jerusalem offers a modern twist on religion and explains how he’s living a meaningful life full of pleasure.   He also explores the role of psychedelics in ancient times. While certainly not for everyone, Harry believes that plant medicine will take an important role in developing a new world order that successfully treats trauma and breaks the cycles of violence that devastate and endanger human safety everywhere.