Podcasts about Heffter Research Institute

In this episode, Guy spoke with Dennis McKenna, a respected ethnopharmacologist, discussed the nature of reality and consciousness, and how they are shaped by our brain's neurochemistry. He elaborated on the role of psychedelics in expanding consciousness and their therapeutic applications in mental health. McKenna also reflected on his career, significant influences, and the development of ethnopharmacology as a field. He touched on his brother Terence McKenna's impact, shared personal anecdotes, and shedded light on the McKenna Academy's mission. The conversation delved into the importance of safe and informed use of psychedelics and emphasizes curiosity, open-mindedness, and the pursuit of understanding in exploring the mind and consciousness. About Dennis: 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 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. Key Points Discussed:  (00:00) - It's a SIMULATION! Psychedelics, Consciousness, and the Reality You're Not Seeing (00:55) - Podcast Announcement and Engagement (01:37) - Guest Introduction: Dennis McKenna (03:00) - Defining Ethnopharmacology (05:48) - The 2017 Conference and Its Significance (10:10) - The Influence of Early Books on Psychedelics (13:02) - Understanding Psychedelics and Their Impact (18:14) - The Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelics (21:26) - Personal Experiences with Ayahuasca (23:22) - Exploring Consciousness and Reality (30:36) - Understanding the Default Mode Network (31:07) - Therapeutic Benefits of Psychedelics (34:34) - Exploring Different Psychedelics (35:50) - Mechanisms of MDMA and SSRIs (37:29) - Alternative Psychoactive Substances (38:53) - Resources for Learning About Psychedelics (44:30) - The McKenna Academy and Its Mission (49:34) - Personal Reflections and Insights (54:51) - Recommended Resources and Final Thoughts How to Contact Dennis McKenna:mckenna.academy About me:My Instagram: www.instagram.com/guyhlawrence/?hl=en Guy's websites:www.guylawrence.com.au www.liveinflow.co''

Psychiatrist Charles Grob is at the forefront of psychedelic research. How are telepathy and synchronicity are enhanced by psychedelic experiences? They are and evidence is accumulating. Dr. Grob also offers advice about how to enhance your psychedelic journey. Here are fundamental guidelines: Be careful about your expectations and the setting in which you take your journey. Define clear intentions for the journey. Afterwards, take the time to integrate the experience into your personal narrative. You will supercharge your journey. Charles S. Grob, M.D. is Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the UCLA School of Medicine and the Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. He has conducted approved clinical research with psychedelics since the early 1990s. From 2004-2008 he was the Principal Investigator of the first study in several decades to examine the use of a psilocybin treatment model for patients with advanced-cancer anxiety. He has also conducted research into the range of effects of MDMA, in both normal volunteers and in a selected subject population of adult autistics with severe social anxiety. And, he has conducted a series of ayahuasca research studies in Brazil. Over the last thirty-five years Dr. Grob has published numerous articles and chapters on psychedelics in the medical and psychiatric literatures and he is the editor of Hallucinogens: A Reader (Putnam/Tarcher, 2002), co-editor (with Roger Walsh) of Higher Wisdom: Eminent Elders Explore the Continuing Impact of Psychedelics (SUNY Press, 2005) and co-editor (with James Grigsby) of the recently published Handbook of Medical Hallucinogens (Guilford Press, 2021). He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute. Bernard D. Beitman, MD has broken out of the restrictive bounds of conservative academic research to produce a blueprint for the practically-oriented new discipline of Coincidence Studies. He has served as chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology and then as chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He has reached more than one million people through his Psychology Today blog, radio show, website, and two coincidence books, Connecting with Coincidence and Meaningful Coincidences. Yale and Stanford educated, He is the founder and president of The Coincidence Project. https://www.innertraditions.com/books/meaningful-coincidences to purchase Dr. Beitman's new book "Meaningful Coincidences". Visit https://www.coincider.com/ to learn more about Dr. Beitman's research. #coincidence #serendipity #synchronicity

Tim Ferriss is an author, investor, and founder of Saisei Foundation. In conversation with Matthew Monahan. Watch this episode on video: https://youtu.be/0UuoU6TFguU Watch a preview: https://youtu.be/1ewifgx29JE Saisei Foundation: https://saiseifoundation.org/ The Tim Ferriss Show: https://tim.blog/podcast/ THE REGENERATION WILL BE FUNDED Ma Earth Website: https://maearth.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@maearthmedia Community Discord: https://maearth.com/community Podcast Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/theregeneration/feed.xml EPISODE RESOURCES Donors Choose: https://www.donorschoose.org/ Quest Bridge: https://www.questbridge.org/ Zero Gravity book: https://www.amazon.com/Zero-Gravity-High-Tech-Start-Up-Breakout/dp/B002XWUPGW/ref=sr_1_1 The Power Law book: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Law-Venture-Capital-Disruption/dp/0241356520 More Money Than God book: https://www.amazon.com/More-Money-Than-God-Relations/dp/0143119419 Dr Roland Griffiths article in New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/04/03/magazine/roland-griffiths-interview.html John Hopkins Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research: https://hopkinspsychedelic.org/ Psychedelics-related posts on Tim's blog: https://tim.blog/category/psychedelics/ María Sabina: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/María_Sabina R Gordon Wasson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._Gordon_Wasson Smoking Cessation research by Matt Johnson at John Hopkins: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/articles/johns-hopkins-receives-grant-for-psilocybin-research-in-smoking-cessation Beckley Foundation: https://www.beckleyfoundation.org/ RiverStyx Foundation: https://www.riverstyxfoundation.org/ MAPS: https://maps.org/ Usona Institute: https://www.usonainstitute.org/ Heffter Research Institute: https://www.heffter.org/ Pass the Pufferfish: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dolphins-seem-to-use-toxic-pufferfish-to-get-high-180948219/ Stanislav Grof: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislav_Grof Words That Work: https://www.amazon.com/Words-That-Work-What-People/dp/1401309291 Edmund Hillary Fellowship: https://www.ehf.org/ Waking Up by Sam Harris: https://www.wakingup.com/ Awareness book: https://www.amazon.com/Awareness-Opportunities-Reality-Anthony-Paperback/dp/B00ZT18PNO/ref=sr_1_1 Spark book: https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514 Tim's Twitter (mention #NZ for New Zealand related): https://twitter.com/tferriss RELATED SEASON 1 INTERVIEWS Erin Matariki Carr (RIVER): https://youtu.be/VbAAM40gRjs SOCIAL Farcaster: https://warpcast.com/maearth X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/maearthmedia Lenstube: https://lenstube.xyz/channel/maearth.lens Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maearthmedia/ Mirror: https://mirror.xyz/maearth.eth LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/maearth/ Lenster: https://lenster.xyz/u/maearth Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maearthcommunity TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maearthmedia

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/

Today we are honored by the presence of the legendary Dr. Dennis McKenna. Dr. 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 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 2018, Dr. McKenna conceived the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy to explore modern and traditional practices, ideas and technologies that foster the understanding of nature, consciousness, the cosmos and their interweavings with humanity. The Academy's mission is to be a catalyst for the transformation of global consciousness, through educational experiences that interweave our collective intelligence, science, and ancestral wisdom.   TOPICS COVERED:   The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss   The Experiment at La Chorrera   Ethnopharmacology   Tryptophan, Tryptamines & 5HT2A ReceptorsPsychedelic Biochemistry   Messenger Molecules & Signal Transduction   Psychedelic CommunicationsNeural Gating & The Reality Hallucination   Future of Psychedelics in Modern, Western Culture   Psychedelics Sourced from South America – Short-Term Extraction, Long-Term Symbiosis?   Nature Wave Zero   Humans as an Endangered Species   Undiscovered Psychedelic Compounds   The McKenna Academy   EPISODE RESOURCES   McKenna Academy: https://mckenna.academy/   McKenna Academy IG: https://www.instagram.com/mckenna.academy/   "The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss": https://www.amazon.com/Brotherhood-Screaming-Abyss-Terence-McKenna/dp/0878396365   "Botanical Medicines: The Desk Reference for Major Herbal Supplements": https://typeset.io/papers/botanical-medicines-the-desk-reference-for-major-herbal-2df0ifn7xz   5-HT2A Receptors: https://en.wikipedia.org//wiki/5-HT2A_receptor   ESPD55 Website: https://espd55.com/   Stephen Harrod Buhner: https://www.stephenharrodbuhner.com/books/   Psilocybin: Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide: https://www.amazon.com/Psilocybin-Mushroom-Growers-Handbook-Enthusiasts-ebook/dp/B00BOE16V8   

Dr. Peterson's extensive catalog is available now on DailyWire+: https://utm.io/ueSXh Dr. Jordan B. Peterson and Dr. Dennis McKenna discuss the science behind psychedelics, the entities found through the looking glass, the current pharmaceutical approach to long life, and why it needs to change. Dr. Dennis McKenna is an American ethnopharmacologist, lecturer and author. He is a founding board member and the director of ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute, a non-profit exploring the therapeutic uses of psychedelic medicines. McKenna received his masters in botany at the University of Hawaii in 1979, followed by his doctorate in the same field at the University of British Columbia in 1984. Dennis is the brother of Terrence McKenna, a cultural figure and proponent for the exploration of psychedelics. Together they co-authored The Invisible Landscape. Much later Dennis would write a memoir, Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss,  detailing he and his brothers exploits in the field. Today, Dennis tours and lectures, while also running the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy, which seeks to uncover the mysteries of consciousness held within the realm of botany and pharmacology. —Links— McKenna Academy: https://mckenna.academy The Experiment at La Chorrera https://mckenna.academy/events?id=32 ESPD55 Livestream Symposium ESPD55.com Those interested in donations may contact connect@mckenna.academy - Sponsors - Birch Gold - Text "JORDAN" to 989898 for your no-cost, no-obligation, FREE information kit Elysium Health - Save 25% off Basis monthly subscriptions with code JBP25: https://trybasis.com/Jordan Shopify - Get a FREE 14-day trial with full access to Shopify's entire suite of features: https://shopify.com/jbp - Chapters - (0:00) Coming up(0:40) intro(2:33) Dr. Dennis McKenna now(6:47) What is ethnopharmacology?(12:45) Ayahuasca(26:02) Hierarchy of concepts(30:00) The Reality Hallucination(43:50) Breaking down hyper reality(49:30) Commonalities of entities(55:50) The intrinsic form of personality(1:00:15) Ritual, bad shamans(1:02:58) Carl Rogers, voluntary exposure(1:09:15) Roland Griffiths, the flaw in how medicine is practiced(1:12:05) Impending mortality(1:24:45) Dr. McKenna's future plans(1:26:19) Looking back at a life long career  // SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL //Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/jordanbpeterson.com/youtubesignupDonations: https://jordanbpeterson.com/donate // COURSES //Discovering Personality: https://jordanbpeterson.com/personalitySelf Authoring Suite: https://selfauthoring.comUnderstand Myself (personality test): https://understandmyself.com // BOOKS //Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life: https://jordanbpeterson.com/Beyond-Order12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos: https://jordanbpeterson.com/12-rules-for-lifeMaps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief: https://jordanbpeterson.com/maps-of-meaning // LINKS //Website: https://jordanbpeterson.comEvents: https://jordanbpeterson.com/eventsBlog: https://jordanbpeterson.com/blogPodcast: https://jordanbpeterson.com/podcast // SOCIAL //Twitter: https://twitter.com/jordanbpetersonInstagram: https://instagram.com/jordan.b.petersonFacebook: https://facebook.com/drjordanpetersonTelegram: https://t.me/DrJordanPetersonAll socials: https://linktr.ee/drjordanbpeterson #JordanPeterson #JordanBPeterson #DrJordanPeterson #DrJordanBPeterson #DailyWirePlus #podcast #DennisMcKenna 

(Psychedelics Series)Dennis McKenna has spent more than 40 years researching the interdisciplinary study of Amazonian ethnopharmacology and plant hallucinogens. He has conducted extensive ethnobotanical fieldwork in the Peruvian, Colombian, and Brazilian Amazon.He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute and was a key organizer and participant in the Hoasca Project, the first biomedical investigation of ayahuasca used by the UDV, a Brazilian religious group.In 2019, in collaboration with colleagues, @McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy was born...Currently, the Academy has several projects underway, which will cover a wide range of topics related to psycho-ethnopharmacology. and features an exclusive, pre-release screening of the McKenna Academy's first short documentary, "BioGnosis, Bridges to Ancestral Wisdom". Register with an email and password, then access is free at https://espd55.com/login/.Website | https://mckenna.academy/Website | https://espd55.com/espd/Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/mckenna.academy/Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/mckenna.academyTikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@mckennaacademy#BenStewart #DennisMckenna #Psychedelics #Ethnopharmacology #NaturalPhilosophyBen Stewart Podcast strives to offer awareness and solutions to a rapidly evolving world, while building community… Produced live, Thursdays at 5:00 PM EST. Producer: IG @Gordon_CummingsNow Multicast Streaming Live on Twitch! (Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/benjosephstewart)Join Our Kickass Discord Community!  https://discord.gg/7QadgxEK4zAccess Exclusive Content!https://www.benjosephstewart.com/plans-pricingCheck Out Latest Documentaries -   “Awake In The Darkness” - https://www.aubreymarcus.com/"DMT QUEST" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My95s6ZryPgVisit https://www.BenJosephStewart.com/ to get more involved.Gaia Shows "Psychedelica" & "Limitless" with Free Trial.  https://www.gaia.com/invite/join?rfd=AGvFiE&utm_source=iafLike & Follow, Much Love -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BenJosephStewartMinds: https://www.minds.com/BenJosephStewart/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/BenJosephStewart/Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-1044023Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenJosephStewBitChute: https://www.bitchute.com/channel/aanpGqOQt8ZX/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@benstewartofficialOdysse: https://odysee.com/@BenStewart:6Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/benjosephstewart

Episode 93 of The Simpa Life Podcast features Dennis Mckenna. Dennis is an American ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacologist, highly respected lecturer, public speaker, and a founding member of the Heffter Research Institute and director and president of The McKenna Acadamy.   Links:   - ESPD 50 - ESPD 55 - McKenna Academy - Dennis McKenna Twitter Watch this episode on Youtube here. If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider liking, sharing, and subscribing and if you loved it, please consider becoming a Patreon today! Check out TheSimpaLife.com for more content, and exclusive blogs, and follow The Simpa Life on Social media on Twitter Facebook Instagram “The Simpa Life is a media and lifestyle company that seeks to inform, entertain and educate through the creation and curation of alternative thought-provoking content and conversations” #TheSimpaLifePodcast #TheSimpaLife #DennisMcKenna

Dennis McKenna is the founder of the McKenna Academy and 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. Important Links: McKenna Academy: https://mckenna.academy/ ESPD 55 (Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs): https://espd55.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DennisMcKenna4 ICEERS (International Center for Ethno-botanical Education, Research, and Service): https://www.iceers.org/ Show Notes: ESPD 55 conference Goals of the McKenna Academy How psychedelics affect our relationship with nature Bridging the gap between ancestral and moderns scientific knowledge Psychedelics on the safety scale Nixon's war against drugs Fear of persecution in the medical community LSD being really responsible for the birth of modern neuroscience DMT reopening the door to clinical research Using psilocybin for end of life applications Psychedelics are not just “band-aids” Dissipation of knowledge among indigenous tribes Reality hallucination Therapeutic utility of psychedelics Future of psychedelic research Making psychedelics more accessible Protecting endangered plants Forming alliances with indigenous communities Books Mentioned: The Immortality Key; by Brian Muraresku How to Change Your Mind; by Michael Pollan Psychology and Alchemy; by Carl Jung

Conversation starts @ 7:26 This conversation begins with a discussion of the banisteriopsis vine (ayahuasca) featured in the background. We explore Dr. McKenna's first adventure down to South America to study and explore psychedelics used in the Amazonian medico-religious process. This endeavor would eventually connect him with several elder medicine men who created mixtures for Dennis to study – “We want to learn everything that you know about ayahuasca.” We discuss how the indigenous folks of the Amazon responded to the scientists who sought to investigate their sacramental plant, the rubber boom of the early 20th century, lost aspects of the Amazonian ethnomedical tradition, the hard problem of consciousness, the limitations of reductionism, the value of science, limitations of science, an overview of the journey to La Chorrera, building the temple for “spiritual” experience, or ecstatic/mystical experience, the body as apothecary, theories of consciousness, the molecule and the “trip,” scientific bias of the west, the Default Mode Network, the value of psychedelics to the scientific community, and the McKenna Academy. Bio: Dennis McKenna is an American ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer and author. He is a founding board member and the director of ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute, a non-profit organization concerned with the investigation of the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic medicines. Dennis also serves on the Advisory Board of the American Botanical Council; as Founder and Executive Director for the Institute for Natural Products Research; as an Independent Research Consultant to the Phytomedicine and Nutraceutical Industry; was formerly on the Editorial Board of Phytomedicine, International Journal of Phytotherapy and Phytopharmacology; and is an adjunct professor in the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota. In that role, he has taught graduate courses in Botanical Medicines and Ethnopharmacology and an inter-session ‘intensive' in Hawaii each January called Plants in Human Affairs. He has also taught summer field courses in Ecuador for the University of Arizona, and courses in the Amazon and Andes for Pharmacy doctoral students at the University of Kansas and the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Dr. McKenna received his Master's Degree in Botany from the University of Hawaii in 1979, his Ph.D. in Botanical Sciences from the University of British Columbia in 1984, and continued into post-doctoral research fellowships in the Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and in the Department of Neurology, Stanford University School of Medicine. His research has included the pharmacology, botany, and chemistry of ayahuasca and oo-koo-hé. He has also conducted extensive ethnobotanical fieldwork in the Peruvian, Colombian, and Brazilian Amazon. Since 2019, he has been working with colleagues to manifest a long-term dream: the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy, a non-profit organization founded in the spirit of the ancient Mystery Schools and dedicated to the study of plant medicines, consciousness, intelligence in nature, preservation of indigenous knowledge and a re-visioning of humanity's relationship with Nature. Dr. McKenna is author or co-author of 6 books and over 50 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. https://mckenna.academy Website for The Sacred Speaks: http://www.thesacredspeaks.com WATCH: YouTube for The Sacred Speaks https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOAuksnpfht1udHWUVEO7Rg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesacredspeaks/ @thesacredspeaks Twitter: https://twitter.com/thesacredspeaks Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesacredspeaks/ Brought to you by: https://www.thecenterforhas.com Theme music provided by: http://www.modernnationsmusic.com

The psychedelic researcher and visionary, Dennis McKenna, joins us for an in-depth exploration of plant medicine and a wake-up call from nature to humanity. He has researched ethnopharmacology for over 40 years and performed extensive ethnobotanical fieldwork in the Peruvian, Colombian, and Brazilian Amazon. Dennis 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 is the younger brother of the late Terence McKenna, known as a psychedelic guru and mystic.  Together, the brothers changed the narrative around the psychedelic experience and its role in culture and society. In 2018, he birthed the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy whose mission is to be a catalyst for the transformation of global consciousness, through educational experiences that interweave our collective intelligence, science, and ancestral wisdom. He has authored or co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed scientific papers and written books, including “The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss: My Life with Terence McKenna”, and co-author of “The Invisible Landscape” with his brother Terence. His publications have appeared in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, European Journal of Pharmacology, Brain Research, Journal of Neuroscience, Journal of Neurochemistry, Economic Botany, Alternative and Complementary Therapies, and elsewhere. Dr. McKenna and two colleagues are co-authors of a widely recognized reference work on herbal medicines, titled “Botanical Medicines: the Desk Reference for Major Herbal Supplements”. During the early 1970s McKenna developed a technique for cultivating psilocybin mushrooms and, in collaboration with his brother Terence, published a small book entitled “Psilocybin – Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide” under the pseudonyms O.N. Oeric and O.T. Oss. This simple and reliable method for cultivating psilocybin mushrooms at home placed the visionary realms of psilocybin within reach of millions. Dennis McKenna has also joined other thought-leaders and podcasts for interviews including — Tim Ferriss, Joe Rogan, and Brian Rose. You can check out an appearance of Dennis McKenna on "Reconnect," a documentary filmed by London Real.    0:00 - Dennis McKenna Intro 4:45 - Dennis' Beginning Curiosity Into Psychedelics 8:10 - Patterns From Over 500 Ayahuasca Journeys 11:45 - Wake Up: The Plants Are Speaking To Us 19:45 - Terrence McKenna & Mushrooms As Extraterrestrials 26:55 - Stoned Ape Theory + The Matrix 40:15 - Morality of Using Psychedelics 50:15 - Become A Wiser Species 59:05 - Dennis' Sense of Self & Ego 1:05:00 - Final Message to Future Generations   Guest: Dennis McKenna, Ethnopharmocologist  McKenna Academy  Instagram  Twitter Dennis McKenna's Books  Host: Emilio Ortiz Instagram | https://bit.ly/35fkcJx Twitter | https://bit.ly/35hMMda TikTok | https://bit.ly/3lKjs3W  Watch Video Interviews on YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/emilioortiz  Special Offerings to Support the Show: ✦ Receive 15% off any purchase from Ra Optics, the world's best blue-light-blocking glasses. Use our code "justtapin" at checkout for your special discount - https://bit.ly/RaOptics-EmilioOrtiz ✦ Receive 10% off any purchase from Intelligent Change, elegant tools, and simple daily routines to instill positive change, including products such as "Five Minute Journal" and "Productivity Planner." Use our code "EMILIO10" at checkout for your special discount - https://bit.ly/IntelligentChange-EmilioOrtiz  Leave a Rating for Just Tap In with Emilio Ortiz: ✦ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3BOnqQr ✦ Apple Podcasts | https://apple.co/3IeWnjD Our mission at Just Tap In is to bridge the new consciousness and empower, inspire, and uplift the next generation of leaders to co-create the New Earth. Business inquires emortiz0717@gmail.com

In today's episode we speak with the incredible Dr. Dennis McKenna. Dennis 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 is the younger brother of Terence McKenna and in today's episode we learn more about their life together exploring psychedelics and coming to the place of deciding to pursue this as a career. From 2000 to 2017, Dennis 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. From personal experience, to science to philosophy this episode is sure to inspire you! Buckle up! What we talked about:Dennis' youth with his brother, Terence McKenna, and introduction to cannabis and psychedelicsThe McKenna Brothers' approach to psychedelic journeyingSoul Retrieval and ShamanismPublishing the first user guide about growing psilocybin mushrooms in AmericaDennis' education, research history and experience in studying ethnopharmacologyThe role of psychedelics as a tools for co-evolution between humanity and the planetThe Stone Ape Theory and The Gaia HypothesisHow psychedelics help us to learn from nature and move into symbiosis and collaboration and away from the “conflict” modelKick-start your integration process with the Modern Psychedelics Integration JournalMentioned in the episode:Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss by Dennis McKenna [Memoir]The Teaching of Don Juan [book]True Hallucinations by Terence McKenna [book]ESPD 55Hawaiian acaciasICEERSDonate to the podcast via PayPalHave you gained new insights and perspectives from us and our guests? Consider sending financial energy our way to help support to cost of creating this powerful content.If this episode sparked something within, please let us know and leave us a review!More Modern Psychedelics: Instagram | Facebook  | WebsiteModern Psychedelics Integration JournalMore Lana: Instagram | YouTube| WebsiteMore Zoey:Instagram | YouTube| Website

Dennis McKenna — An Ethnopharmacologist on Hallucinogens, Sex-Crazed Cicadas, The Mushrooms of Language, BioGnosis, and Illuminating Obscure Corners | Brought to you by Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, Eight Sleep's Pod Pro Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating, and Shopify global commerce platform providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business. More on all three below.Dennis McKenna (@DennisMcKenna4) has spent more than 40 years researching the interdisciplinary study of Amazonian ethnopharmacology and plant hallucinogens. He has conducted extensive ethnobotanical fieldwork in the Peruvian, Colombian, and Brazilian Amazon.His doctoral research at the University of British Columbia focused on the ethnopharmacology of ayahuasca and oo-koo-he, two tryptamine-based hallucinogens used by indigenous peoples in the Northwest Amazon.He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute and was a key organizer and participant in the Hoasca Project, the first biomedical investigation of ayahuasca used by the UDV, a Brazilian religious group. He is the younger brother of Terence McKenna.From 2000 to 2017, he taught courses on ethnopharmacology as well as Plants in Human Affairs at the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota. In 2019, in collaboration with colleagues, he incorporated a nonprofit, the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy. Currently the Academy has several projects underway, with the most immediate being preparations for an upcoming conference in the UK May 23rd–26th, ESPD55, which will cover a wide range of topics related to psycho-ethnopharmacology. Dennis emigrated to Canada in the spring of 2019 with his wife Sheila and now resides in Abbotsford, British Columbia.Please enjoy!This episode is brought to you by Shopify! Shopify is one of my favorite platforms and one of my favorite companies. Shopify is a platform designed for anyone to sell anywhere, giving entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. In no time flat, you can have a great looking online store that brings your ideas to life, and you can have the tools to manage your day-to-day and drive sales. No coding or design experience required.More than a store, Shopify grows with you, and they never stop innovating, providing more and more tools to make your business better and your life easier. Go to Shopify.com/tim for a FREE 14-day trial and get full access to Shopify's entire suite of features.*This episode is also brought to you by Eight Sleep! Eight Sleep's Pod Pro Cover is the easiest and fastest way to sleep at the perfect temperature. It pairs dynamic cooling and heating with biometric tracking to offer the most advanced (and user-friendly) solution on the market. Simply add the Pod Pro Cover to your current mattress and start sleeping as cool as 55°F or as hot as 110°F. It also splits your bed in half, so your partner can choose a totally different temperature.And now, my dear listeners—that's you—can get $250 off the Pod Pro Cover. Simply go to EightSleep.com/Tim or use code TIM at checkout. *This episode is also brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1 by Athletic Greens, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That's up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive all-in-one daily greens product.*IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The plants and compounds mentioned in this episode are illegal in many countries, and even possession can carry severe criminal penalties. This episode does not constitute medical advice and should not be construed as a recommendation to use psychedelics. There are serious legal, psychological, and physical risks. Psychedelics are not for everyone—they can exacerbate certain emotional problems, and there have been, in very rare cases, fatalities.For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim's email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim's books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dennis Jon McKenna is an American ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer and author. He received his doctorate in botanical sciences from the University of British Columbia and completed post-doctoral research fellowships in the National Institute of Mental Health and in the Department of Neurology at Stanford University School of Medicine. His research has included the pharmacology, botany, and chemistry of ayahuasca and oo-koo-hé, the subjects of his master's thesis. He has also conducted extensive fieldwork in the Peruvian, Colombian, and Brazilian Amazon. Having authored numerous scientific articles and books, McKenna's work led to the development of natural products for Aveda Corporation as well as greater awareness of natural products and medicines. Additionally, together with his brother Terence McKenna and Jeremy Bigwood, he developed a technique for cultivating psilocybin mushrooms, and published what they had learned in a book Psilocybin - Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide.With that immense experience and knowledge of psychedelics, Dennis McKenna is a founding board member and the director of ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute, A non-profit which investigates the potential medicinal uses of these substances.Tune in to this week's episode to find out about the true significance of ethnopharmacology and a conference organised by Dennis that you'll be able to stream online very soon!ETHNOPHARMACOLOGIC SEARCH FOR PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGSDennis McKennaESPD 50National Institute of Mental HealthAlexander ShulginAndrew WeilEthnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive DrugsEthnopharmacologyCocaCody SwiftCOMPASS psilocybin trialPsilocybinESPD 55“Sea DMT” Tryptamine in Sea SpongesNew York Times DMT toad article How to Change your Mind by Michael PollanNational Institutes of Health (NIH)Poison arrow frogsBufoteninSerotonin receptorsAyahuascaAutoradiographyLSDSalvinorinKappa opioid receptorICCERS - The International Centre for Ethnobotanical Education, Research, and ServiceIbogaAyahuasca tourismMckenna's missionDMT: The Spirit Molecule (documentary)ESPD55.comPsilocybin Pulse DosingMicrodosingOregon Drug DecriminalizationSet and settingSerotoninDopamineDefault mode networkRobin Carhart-Harris5-HT2a receptor ★ Support this podcast ★

We talk with Dennis McKenna — President and founder of The McKenna Academy — about psilocybin as a lens, magic mushrooms vs ayahuasca, and personally experiencing photosynthesis.Highlights:— NUGGET AND A NOODLE: magic mushrooms for diabetes and heart disease; proving the psychedelic impact on creativity (0:45)— What does a world with legalization look like? (3:05)— Psilocybin as the perfect molecule (7:59)— Magic mushrooms and the origin of human consciousness (10:42)— Dennis' 2 preferred psychedelics and frequency for large doses (19:19)— Magic mushrooms vs ayahuasca (24:22)— The Darwinian "fitness" of our reality (34:10)— There are no bad trips (40:01)  — Dennis experiencing photosynthesis at a molecular level  (46:06)  — SOUL SEARCH: Dennis' preferred mind-altering substance (58:07)Dennis McKenna, brother of Terence McKenna, is a true psychedelic elder. Among his many engagements and accomplishments, he has conducted research in ethnopharmacology for over 40 years, 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. Since 2019, he has been working with colleagues to manifest a long-term dream: the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy which is dedicated to the study of plant medicines, consciousness, preservation of indigenous knowledge, and a re-visioning of humanity's relationship with Nature. Dr. McKenna is author or co-author of 6 books and over 50 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. He emigrated to Canada in the spring of 2019 together with his wife Sheila, and now resides in Abbotsford, BC.Find Dennis here: www.mckenna.academy

We discuss previously underappreciated personal stories of how the Psychedelic Renaissance was sparked since 1971. Description: 1971 was the year when drug prohibition came into force. Did we tell you the story of how the tables were turned against the prohibition of drugs? Or did we tell you the hurdles that were needed to be overcome. Well, that's exactly the point of the episode. We are here to bring to you how the road to psychedelic renaissance was built. And if you think, it came from overwhelming people with data, just like how a typical scientist thinks, you would be amazed at the personalities who paved the way, as much as the ones that broke it for themselves and for the world. We discuss the unconventional paths taken by Amanda Feilding of Beckley Foundation, Rick Doblin of MAPS - Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies and more importantly, the trailblazers who initiated the clinical studies before anyone did - The Heffter Research Institute. We interview the original members - Dr. Mark Geyer of UCSD to tell us the never-reported personal stories of the creation of Heffter Research Institute and the Psilocybin studies. 

In this episode, I have a powerful and cosmic discussion with legendary psychedelic elder Dennis McKenna.. We discuss his school, The McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy, and also talk about his thoughts on the current state of the psychedelic community. Dennis also shares his perspective on a variety of subjects including DMT Vape Pens and the current trend of microdosing.. An incredible conversation for the ages.. Listen In!mckenna.academyDennis Mckenna Bio Dennis Jon McKenna is an American ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer and author, who has studied plant hallucinogens for over forty years. He earned his Master's degree in botany at the University of Hawaii, and his Doctorate in Botanical Sciences from the University of British Columbia. Since that time, he has conducted extensive ethnobotanical fieldwork in the Peruvian, Colombian, and Brazilian Amazon. Dennis is also a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute, a non-profit organization concerned with the investigation of the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic medicines and was a key investigator on the Hoasca Project, the first biomedical investigation of ayahuasca. 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. He emigrated to Canada in the spring of 2019 together with his wife Sheila, and now resides in Abbotsford.Since 2019, he has been working with colleagues to manifest a long-term dream: the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy, a non-profit organization founded in the spirit of the ancient Mystery Schools and dedicated to the study of plant medicines, consciousness, intelligence in nature, preservation of indigenous knowledge and a re-visioning of humanity's relationship with Nature. Dr. McKenna is author or co-author of 6 books and over 50 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy:Our vision is an awakened world where all species thrive in symbiotic harmony. Our mission is to be a catalyst for the transformation of global consciousness through educational experiences that interweave our collective intelligence, science, and ancestral wisdom.And the McKenna Academy, provides a fully-integrated curriculum including spiritual, shamanic, exploratory and medical use of Psychedelic Medicines.In this respect, the McKenna Academy is a modern instantiation of the experiential mystery schools of antiquity, combining plant experiences with rigorous academic inquiry. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dennis McKenna is an Ethnopharmacolgist, research pharmacist, lecturer, and author. Dennis is a founding member and director of ethnographic research at the Heffter Research Institute, a non-profit organization involved in investigating the potential of therapeutic use of drugs. He is the brother of the famous psychedelic advocate Terence McKenna.In this episode:Preserving indigenous practice, challenges we faceMckenna Academy of Natural PhilosophyThe brain as a reducing valve of realityThe mind-brain problemPsychedelics bring the background forwardSerotoninConsciousness and symbiosisWhat research questions should be asked in the next 5-10 yearsWho will be the gatekeepers of these medicinesThe need to arm psychiatrists and mental health practitioners with psychedelicsSupport the podcast:Support the podcast (Patreon)Support the mission:Mind Medicine AustraliaDonate to Mind Medicine AustraliaJoin a local chapterSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/mind-medicine-australia. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

 Dr. Dennis McKenna is an American ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer, author, and Founder of the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy (www.mckenna.academy). Dr. McKenna is a founding board member and the director of ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute, a non-profit organization concerned with the investigation of the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic medicines. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the American Botanical Council; as Founder and Executive Director for the Institute for Natural Products Research; as an Independent Research Consultant to the Phytomedicine and Nutraceutical Industry; was formerly on the Editorial Board of Phytomedicine, International Journal of Phytotherapy and Phytopharmacology; and is an adjunct professor in the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota. Dr. McKenna received his Master's Degree in Botany from the University of Hawaii in 1979, his Ph.D. in Botanical Sciences from the University of British Columbia in 1984, and continued into post-doctoral research fellowships in the Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and in the Department of Neurology, Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. McKenna's research led to the development of natural products for the Aveda Corporation, as well as greater awareness of natural products and medicines. He has authored or co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed scientific papers and written multiple books, including “The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss: My Life with Terence McKenna”, co-author of “The Invisible Landscape” with his brother Terence, and co-author of a widely recognized reference work on herbal medicines, titled “Botanical Medicines: the Desk Reference for Major Herbal Supplements”. Dr. McKenna's publications have appeared in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, European Journal of Pharmacology, Brain Research, Journal of Neuroscience, Journal of Neurochemistry, Economic Botany, Alternative and Complementary Therapies, and elsewhere. 

In this episode, I had the honor of speaking with Dr. Dennis McKenna, an ethnopharmacologist, researcher, lecturer, and author. He and his brother Terence are the ones who coined the term, Stoned Ape, as part of their evolutionary theory. He's the founder of the McKenna Academy and a board member at the Heffter Research Institute.… The post Episode 51: Ayahuasca, BioGnosis, and more with Dr. Dennis McKenna appeared first on The Stoned Ape Reports.

Dennis McKenna - The Depths of Ayahuasca: 500+ Sessions, Fundamentals, Advanced Topics, Science, Churches, Learnings, Warnings, and Beyond | Brought to you by Wealthfront automated investing, Allform premium, modular furniture, and Tonal smart home gym. More on all three below.Dennis McKenna (@DennisMcKenna4) has spent more than 40 years researching the interdisciplinary study of Amazonian ethnopharmacology and plant hallucinogens. He has conducted extensive ethnobotanical fieldwork in the Peruvian, Colombian, and Brazilian Amazon.His doctoral research at the University of British Columbia focused on the ethnopharmacology of ayahuasca and oo-koo-he, two tryptamine-based hallucinogens used by indigenous peoples in the Northwest Amazon.He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute, and was a key organizer and participant in the Hoasca Project, the first biomedical investigation of ayahuasca used by the UDV, a Brazilian religious group. He is the younger brother of Terence McKenna.From 2000 to 2017, he taught courses on ethnopharmacology as well as plants in human affairs in the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota. In 2019, in collaboration with colleagues, he incorporated a new non-profit, the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy. He emigrated to Canada in the spring of 2019 together with his wife Sheila, and now resides in Abbotsford, B.C.Please enjoy!This episode is brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront pioneered the automated investing movement, sometimes referred to as ‘robo-advising,' and they currently oversee $20 billion of assets for their clients. It takes about three minutes to sign up, and then Wealthfront will build you a globally diversified portfolio of ETFs based on your risk appetite and manage it for you at an incredibly low cost. Smart investing should not feel like a rollercoaster ride. Let the professionals do the work for you. Go to Wealthfront.com/Tim and open a Wealthfront account today, and you'll get your first $5,000 managed for free, for life. Wealthfront will automate your investments for the long term. Get started today at Wealthfront.com/Tim.*This episode is also brought to you by Allform! If you've been listening to the podcast for a while, you've probably heard me talk about Helix Sleep mattresses, which I've been using since 2017. They just launched a new company called Allform, and they're making premium, customizable sofas and chairs shipped right to your door—at a fraction of the cost of traditional stores. You can pick your fabric (and they're all spill, stain, and scratch resistant), the sofa color, the color of the legs, and the sofa size and shape to make sure it's perfect for you and your home.Allform arrives in just 3–7 days, and you can assemble it yourself in a few minutes—no tools needed. To find your perfect sofa, check out Allform.com/Tim. Allform is offering 20% off all orders to you, my dear listeners, at Allform.com/Tim.*This episode is also brought to you by Tonal! Tonal is the world's most intelligent home gym and personal trainer. It is precision engineered and designed to be the world's most advanced strength studio. Tonal uses breakthrough technology—like adaptive digital weights and A.I. learning—together with the best experts in resistance training so you get stronger, faster. Every program is personalized to your body using A.I., and smart features check your form in real time, just like a personal trainer.Try Tonal, the world's smartest home gym, for 30 days in your home, and if you don't love it, you can return it for a full refund. Visit Tonal.com for $100 off their smart accessories when you use promo code TIM100 at checkout.*If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim's email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim's books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We discuss previously underappreciated personal stories of how the Psychedelic Renaissance was sparked since 1971. Description: 1971 was the year when drug prohibition came into force. Did we tell you the story of how the tables were turned against the prohibition of drugs? Or did we tell you the hurdles that were needed to be overcome. Well, that's exactly the point of the episode. We are here to bring to you how the road to psychedelic renaissance was built. And if you think, it came from overwhelming people with data, just like how a typical scientist thinks, you would be amazed at the personalities who paved the way, as much as the ones that broke it for themselves and for the world. We discuss the unconventional paths taken by Amanda Feilding of Beckley Foundation, Rick Doblin of MAPS - Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies and more importantly, the trailblazers who initiated the clinical studies before anyone did - The Heffter Research Institute. We interview the original members - Dr. Mark Geyer of UCSD to tell us the never-reported personal stories of the creation of Heffter Research Institute and the Psilocybin studies. 

Last week we got such a positive reception from our listeners that I am rebroadcasting my interview with psychedelic elder confessor Dennis McKenna – author of the classic book, The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss: My Life with Terence McKenna.Dennis, the younger brother of Terence, was featured in my previous book, Psychedelic Medicine, discussing the plant medicine known in South America as ayahuasca – a potent rain forest concoction containing the active ingredient DMT.McKenna has conducted research in ethnopharmacology for over 40 years, and our last interview focused on the science of this fascinating substance. However, this recent interview focuses more on Dennis's personal experiences in academia and industry as he gradually found his present niche as a writer, researcher, teacher, and advocate for the study of mind-altering plant medicines.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 is also 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, heincorporated a new non-profit, the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy. He emigrated to Canada in the spring of 2019 together with his wife Sheila, and now resides in Abbotsford B.C.Listen at 9 am PACIFIC, as we rebroadcast my pre-recorded interview with Dennis McKenna.Finally, if you know a good candidate for our *Confessions of the Psychedelic Elders* series – or are yourself interested in sharing your story – please contact us at producer@mindbodyhealthpolitics.org.

This week I continue my series of psychedelic elder confessors with the great Dennis McKenna – author of the classic book, The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss: My Life with Terence McKenna.Dennis, the younger brother of Terence, was featured in my previous book, Psychedelic Medicine, discussing the plant medicine known in South America as ayahuasca – a potent rain forest concoction containing the active ingredient DMT.McKenna has conducted research in ethnopharmacology for over 40 years, and our last interview focused on the science of this fascinating substance. However, this recent interview focuses more on Dennis's personal experiences in academia and industry as he gradually found his present niche as a writer, researcher, teacher, and advocate for the study of mind-altering plant medicines.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 is also 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, heincorporated a new non-profit, the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy. He emigrated to Canada in the spring of 2019 together with his wife Sheila, and now resides in Abbotsford B.C.Listen at 9 am PACIFIC, as we drop my pre-recorded interview with Dennis McKenna.Finally, if you know a good candidate for our *Confessions of the Psychedelic Elders* series – or are yourself interested in sharing your story – please contact us at producer@mindbodyhealthpolitics.org.

This week I continue my series of psychedelic elder confessors with the great Dennis McKenna – author of the classic book, The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss: My Life with Terence McKenna.Dennis, the younger brother of Terence, was featured in my previous book, Psychedelic Medicine, discussing the plant medicine known in South America as ayahuasca – a potent rain forest concoction containing the active ingredient DMT.McKenna has conducted research in ethnopharmacology for over 40 years, and our last interview focused on the science of this fascinating substance. However, this recent interview focuses more on Dennis's personal experiences in academia and industry as he gradually found his present niche as a writer, researcher, teacher, and advocate for the study of mind-altering plant medicines.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 is also 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, heincorporated a new non-profit, the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy. He emigrated to Canada in the spring of 2019 together with his wife Sheila, and now resides in Abbotsford B.C.Listen at 9 am PACIFIC, as we drop my pre-recorded interview with Dennis McKenna.Finally, if you know a good candidate for our *Confessions of the Psychedelic Elders* series – or are yourself interested in sharing your story – please contact us at producer@mindbodyhealthpolitics.org.

We are humbled to be speaking with psychedelic pioneer, Dennis McKenna. Dennis and his late brother Terrence are some of the most influential figures in western psychedelic culture. The brothers contributed to the introduction to psilocybin mushrooms in the United States, including but not limited to, cultivation techniques, ethnomycology, user guidance, and providing spores. Dennis was active in the psychedelic movement in the 60s and continues to shape the 21st century renaissance through education and organizations such as the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy. Prepare for some serious wisdom and untold stories from the McKenna family. Topics Covered:The McKenna's trip to La Chorrera in search of psychedelic Virola sap called oo-koo-hey, and the inadvertent encounter of Psilocybe cubensis in cow piesPsilocybin as an ideal oral form of DMTChemical composition of psychedelic mushrooms i.e beta-carboline content The McKenna family, from a small town in Colorado and the becoming of the most influential figures in western psychedelic use Psilocybin's potential influence on hominid evolution including fossil records, ecological history, circumstantial evidence, epigenetics and moreProhibition and regulation of psilocybin and other entheogensOrganismic birthrights to form a relationship with the natural worldShow notes:McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy: https://mckenna.academy/Heffter Research Institute: https://www.heffter.org/Erowin reports on Virola sap: https://erowid.org/library/books_online/golden_guide/g71-80.shtmlPsilocybin: A Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/415951.PsilocybinLife with Terrance McKenna: https://www.amazon.com/Brotherhood-Screaming-Abyss-Dennis-McKenna-ebook/dp/B00A8KWLYKNotable Quotes:“Part of the message from nature is, [psilocybin] is the perfect psychedelic, you don't really need to improve on it.”“We were approaching this like engineers, we wanted to build a machine out of our own bodies that would enable us to visit other dimensions.”“People should have a fundamental right to form symbiosis. And because we're talking about alliances with non-human organisms, it's not even a human right, it's an organismic right.”“When you choose to use a drug, you're choosing a relationship.... call it a symbiotic relationship.”

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. From 2000 to 2017, he taught courses on Ethnopharmocology and Plants in Human Affairs as an adjunct Assistant Professor in the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota. Dennis is the founder of the McKenna Academy, an incubator that nourishes the emergence of this still embryonic global consciousness. He is the younger brother of Terence McKenna. Dennis authored or co-authored several books among which are: ‘The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss', The Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens, and the I Ching, and, published in 1975 (under pseudonyms), Psilocybin: Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide. He is also the founder of McKenna Academy.https://mckenna.academy/

The Life and Times of Richard Evans Schultes – Schultes was a scholarship student at Harvard College when entered as a Freshman in 1933. An undergraduate term paper on peyote resulted in an opportunity to partake in a traditional ceremony with the Kiowa in Oklahoma, which then led to research in southern Mexico where he produced the first detailed, scientific account of the so-called “magic mushrooms.” Post-graduate research led him to the Colombian Amazon where he produced the first detailed scientific account of ayahuasca and other Plants of the Gods. In 1967, he organized a conference in San Francisco with Albert Hoffman where the conclusion was that the Plants of the Gods would reshape the treatment of certain emotional and psychiatric disorders at some point in the future, a prediction, which has recently come to full fruition. Sources: Kreig, Margaret. Green Medicine: the Search for Plants That Heal. Bantam Books, 1966. Mann, John. Murder, Magic, and Medicine. Oxford University Press, 2000. Plotkin, Mark J. Ph. D. Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice: an Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest. Viking, 1993. Prance, Ghillean T., et al. Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs. Synergetic Press, in Association with Heffter Research Institute, 2018.   Stewart, Amy, et al. Wicked Plants: the Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2009.

Hey everybody! Episode 32 of the show is out. In this show, I spoke with Dennis McKenna. Dennis is one of the pioneers of plant medicine work and has been a bridge for shedding light and bringing plant-medicine wisdom to the public. He and his brother Terence McKenna, I think, are great ambassadors for this work at large. Dennis has been involved in research, writing, and teaching for decades and brings a wisdom and experience to all of his talks. It was a pleasure and honor to speak with him and I think you all will get a lot out of this episode. To view bonus material and extended conversations, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!“Dennis McKenna's professional and personal interests are focused on the interdisciplinary study of ethnopharmacology and natural hallucinogens. He received his doctorate in 1984 from the University of British Columbia, where his research focused on ethnopharmacological investigations of ayahuasca and oo-koo-he, two indigenous Amazonian psychedelic medicines. He completed post-doctoral studies at the Helicon Foundation in San Diego (1984-86), the Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology at NIMH (1986-88) and the Department of Neurology at Stanford University (1988-1990). He worked at Shaman Pharmaceuticals as Director of Ethnopharmacology from 1990-93, and relocated to Minnesota in 1993 to join the Aveda Corporation as Senior Research Pharmacognosist.Dr. McKenna taught courses in Ethnopharmacology, Botanical Medicines and Plants in Human Affairs in the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota from 2001 to 2017. He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute and serves on the advisory board of non-profit organizations in the fields of ethnobotany and botanical medicines. He was a key organizer and participant in the Hoasca Project, an international biomedical study of ayahuasca used as a sacrament by the UDV, a syncretic religious group in Brazil. He is the younger brother of Terence McKenna…”For Dennis' full bio, visit: https://www.universewithinpodcast.com/podcast/dennis-mckennaTo learn more about Dennis and his work, vist: https://mckenna.academy/This episode of the show is sponsored by the Temple of the Way of Light. To learn more or sign up for a retreat, visit: https://templeofthewayoflight.org/Share the show, Subscribe or Follow, leave comments, and if you can go on Apple Podcasts and leave a starred-rating and a short review. That would be super helpful with the algorithms and getting this show out to more people. Thank you in advance!For more information about me and my upcoming plant medicine retreats with my colleague Merav Artzi, visit my site at: https://www.NicotianaRustica.orgTo support this podcast on Patreon, visit: https://www.patreon.com/UniverseWithinTo donate directly with PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/jasongrechanikMusic courtesy of Nuno Moreno. See his work at: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound and https://nahira-ziwa.bandcamp.com/https://www.facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/UniverseWithinPodcast

Curare – Once known as the “flying death of the Amazon,” curare is a mixture of rainforest plants that indigenous peoples smear on the tips of their arrows or blowdarts to give them a deadly effectiveness. In the hands of western physicians, however, curare has been converted into a life-sustaining medication, a muscle relaxant in abdominal surgery.  Sources: Balick, Michael J., and Paul Alan Cox. Plants, People, and Culture the Science of Ethnobotany. CRC Press, 2020.   Marks, Geoffrey, and William K. Beatty. The Medical Garden: Illustrated. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1971.  Plotkin, Mark J. Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know®. Oxford University Press, 2020.  Plotkin, Mark J. Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice: an Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest. Viking, 1993.  Prance, Ghillean T., et al. Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs. Synergetic Press, in Association with Heffter Research Institute, 2018.  Schultes, Richard Evans., and Albert Hofmann. Plants of the Gods. Vandermarck, 1979. 

Coca – not to be confused with coconuts or with cacao, the source of chocolate - is a large bush or small tree native to northwestern South America. Cocaine extracted from the leaves found favor among personages as diverse as Sigmund Freud and Ulysses S. Grant as it was once used as a component of various tonics, patent medicines and even a popular wine. Coca leaves are still widely used in this corner of South America for a variety of purposes by the indigenous tribes of the region.  Sources: Plotkin, Mark J. Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know®. Oxford University Press, 2020.  Plowman, Timothy. “The Ethnobotany of Coca.” Advances in Economic Botany, Volume 1, Sept. 1984, pp. 62–111.  Prance, Ghillean T., et al. Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs. Synergetic Press, in Association with Heffter Research Institute, 2018.  Schultes, Richard Evans., and Albert Hofmann. Plants of the Gods. Vandermarck, 1979. 

In this episode, Geoffrey Woo sits down with Dr. Dennis McKenna, a research pharmacognosist, lecturer, author and a founding board member and director of ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute concerned with the investigation of the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic medicines. Dr. McKenna discusses his own history in becoming interested in psychedelics, including his experiences in the Amazon with ayahuasca and plant medicine. We also discuss psychedelics as therapeutics, their traditions, and the historical and mechanistic overlap between psychedelics and fasting. Watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/Ur64IJ5MKAg Learn More About H.V.M.N. here: https://hvmn.com/pod Join the Official H.V.M.N. Podcast Discord Community by filling out this quick survey: https://go.hvmn.com/discordsurvey Send a message to podcast@hvmn.com with feedback, questions, and guest suggestions!

Hallucinogenic snuffs – though most hallucinogens like magic mushrooms or ayahuasca are taken orally, the indigenous peoples of Amazonia have created two different and highly potent snuffs from Amazonian trees which they consume for a variety of healing and divinatory purposes. As with ayahuasca, the author draws on his personal insights and experiences with these plants and these peoples to describe the biocultural importance of these snuffs.  Sources: Chagnon, Napoleon A. The Fierce People. Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1968.  Plotkin, Mark J. Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know®. Oxford University Press, 2020.  Plotkin, Mark J. Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice: an Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest. Viking, 1993. Prance, Ghillean T., et al. Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs. Synergetic Press, in Association with Heffter Research Institute, 2018.  Schultes, Richard Evans, and Robert F. Raffauf. Vine of the Soul: Medicine Men, Their Plants and Rituals in the Colombian Amazonia. Synergetic Press, 2004.  Schultes, Richard Evans., and Albert Hofmann. Plants of the Gods. Vandermarck, 1979.   

Podcast: The Consciousness Podcast (LS 42 · TOP 1.5% what is this?)Episode: Episode 41: Consciousness and Psychedelics with Dr. Dennis McKennaPub date: 2020-11-03In this episode, I had the honor of speaking with Dr. Dennis McKenna, an ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer and author. He's also the founder of the McKenna Academy and a board member at the Heffter Research Institute. We talked about psychedelics and consciousness. So, let's hear what Dennis McKenna has to say about human consciousness, including psychedelics' role in our evolution. We discussed: ethnopharmacologist, pharmacologist Start with a discussion of consciousness. Mind/Brain duality. Universal consciousness. The hard question. What is consciousness, in your opinion?The reality hallucination; brain creates realityDefault mode network as a filterA fundamental property of nature?In that context, what is a non-ordinary state of consciousness, like that which results from a psychedelic experience?Disrupt neural gating (DMN); opens up what we have suppressedReset DMN, brainWhen you say that plants and fungi can expand our consciousness, what do you mean by that?Set and Setting; medicine; doseWhat role did the plants play in the evolution of human consciousness?Can we deliberately change and evolve our consciousness (individual, collective)? With plants/fungi, something else?Stoned Ape TheoryNeural plasticityEpigeneticsSynesthesia as a basis of language; triggered by psilocybe cubensisLanguage basis of consciousness, cognitionShare/transmit information/knowledge through time2001 Space Odyssey, MonolithWe're at the doorstep of a global transformation in human consciousness, yes? (Please explain)When somebody says ‘higher consciousness', what does that mean?Any thoughts on neural correlates of consciousness? Under non-ordinary states of consciousness?Teonanacatl – flesh of the godsBook: American Holocaust What are your thoughts on reality…what is real versus perceived? What didn't I ask? Immersed in symbiotic relationship with the plants/fungiTools to help us discover what we already knowCognitive partnersWhat's next from you? What are you excited about?McKenna Academy – psychedelic universityA place for learning, integrating, exploring these ideasHelp people learn how to think, not WHAT to thinkAchieve their own consciousnessRemind people to remember to be astonished, experience wonder (nature) The post Episode 41: Consciousness and Psychedelics with Dr. Dennis McKenna appeared first on The Consciousness Podcast.The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Consciousness Podcast, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.

Dennis McKenna is an ethnopharmacologist with a special interest in naturally occurring psychedelic substances.  He was a cofounder of the psychedelic research non-profit the Heffter Research Institute where he is director of ethnopharmacology.  With his brother Terrence he authored the classic books The Invisible Landscape and the Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide and more recently he has written books including a memoir titled The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss.  Our conversation focuses on the place of psychoactive substances such as psilocybin and dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in nature and the effects they have on humans. You can find out about his current work at the McKenna Academy for Natural Philosophy at www.mckenna.academy

A special treat this week as the two titans of psychopharmacology discuss the medicinal chemistry of psychedelics. Dr Nichols is the Founding President of the Heffter Research Institute, an organisation designed to promote research of the highest scientific quality with psychedelics in order to contribute to a greater understanding of the mind leading to the improvement of the human condition, and to alleviate suffering.Professor Nutt and Dr Nichols answer some burning questions of psychedelic science such as: What will come to market first, LSD, Psilocybin or MDMA? Could microdosing be dangerous? Is there such a thing as DMT tolerance? David E. Nichols, is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC. He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Purdue University College of Pharmacy, and was the Robert C. and Charlotte P. Anderson Chair in Pharmacology, where he carried out teaching and research for 38 years prior to his retirement in 2012. A major focus of his research was on substances known as hallucinogens, known more popularly as psychedelics. Widely published in the scientific literature and internationally recognized for his research on centrally active drugs, he has studied all of the major classes of psychedelic agents, including LSD and other lysergic acid derivatives, psilocybin and the tryptamines, and phenethylamines related to mescaline. Among scientists, he is recognized as one of the foremost international experts on the medicinal chemistry of psychedelics.Shulgin Mescaline MDMA LSD Psilocybin Entactogen vs Empathogen Drugs Enforcement Agency Salvia Heffter Research Institute Arthur Heffter Psilocybin for depression trial Psilocybin for OCD Yale study Psilocybin-assisted Group Therapy for Demoralization in Long-term AIDS SurvivorsN,N-dimethyltryptamine and the pineal gland: Separating fact from mythA Model for the Application of Target-Controlled Intravenous Infusion for a Prolonged Immersive DMT Psychedelic ExperienceFen-phen Weightloss drug Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Tryptamines Found in Hallucinogenic Mushrooms: Norbaeocystin, Baeocystin, Norpsilocin, and AeruginascinBecome a Drug Science Community Member: https://www.donate.drugscience.org.uk/Twitter: @ProfDavidNutt @Drug_ScienceA Fascinate Productions podcast for Drug Science ★ Support this podcast ★

Dr. Dennis McKenna is a visionary ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, university lecturer, repeat author, non-profit founder, and advisor. He has received post-doctoral research fellowships in the Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology, the National Institute of Mental Health, and in the Department of Neurology at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is also a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute, and was a key investigator on the Hoasca Project, the first biomedical investigation of ayahuasca. In this episode we talk about everything from the mytho-poetic psychedelic adventures of his youth through to his current work at the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy where he “explores modern and traditional practices, ideas, and technologies that foster the understanding of nature, consciousness, the cosmos and their interweavings with humanity.” Links to additional topics we discussed: Dennis MeKenna's original thesis on Amazonian hallucinogenic plants: https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/831/items/1.0096656 The Shaman and the Scientist Documentary that features his fieldwork exploring the potential of indigenous plant-based medicine in the Amazon: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/tsats Videos and blog posts detailing the McKenna Academy's first Mystery School retreat at Willka T'ika: https://willkatika.com/sound-meditation-not-sound-healing/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9VJ0yIila8&feature=youtu.be

Dennis McKenna, an ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer & author of The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss about his and his brother Terence's life and journeys together. His brother Terence McKenna is well-known psychedelics proponent. Dennis is also the founding board member and the director of ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute, a non-profit organization concerned with the investigation of the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic medicines. Also Check out his new project called The McKenna Academy (www.McKenna.Academy). Dennis has also been in two great documentaries worth checking out, Neurons to Nirvana: Understanding Psychedelic Medicines, and DMT: The Spirit Molecule.

70 - 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 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.Dennis joins the show to discuss the groundbreaking research on psychedelic plant medicines, the shifting cultural paradigm, and how psychedelics can represent a new way forward for humanity.McKenna AcademyIf you like the show, leave us a Review :)Interact with The Fifth Dimension!InstagramYoutubeTikTokEvan McDermodLearn about The 30 Day Transformation & Consultations!Become a Patreon Subscriber!On Patreon, you will have access to exclusive guided meditations with Evan, Q&A's, an opportunity to interact with other subscribers, and early access to the featured guests coming on the podcast. Donate what you can, any amount is appreciated.Or a one time donation to help keep the show running! :)PayPal | VenmoSupport the show (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/evanmcdermod)

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

#113 My awesome guest this week is Dennis Mckenna an expert in pharmacology, psychedelics and their therapeutic use. He is also the brother of the late Terrence Mckenna. There's a lot of misconceptions around psychedelics, and I wanted to bring Dennis onto the show to help us get a better understanding of them and their uses. Having experienced an ayahuasca ceremony myself, this really had a profound impact on my life, so my interest grew from there. So having someone like Dennis on the show to share his fast knowledge and wisdom was an honor. Enjoy! About Dennis Mckenna: 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 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. Learn more about Dennis:  mckenna.academy Useful Links: https://vimeo.com/showcase/4766647
 https://erowid.org/psychoactives/psychoactives.shtml   
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/advanced
 
https://www.synergeticpress.com/shop/ethnopharmacologic-search-psychoactive-drugs-50-years-research/ Learn more about Guy: www.guylawrence.com.au Let It In Academy: www.letitin.com.au

Dr. Dennis McKenna, PhD is an ethnopharmacologist, renowned researcher, highly sought-after lecturer, and brother of well-known psychedelics proponent Terence McKenna.  He has been featured widely on many podcasts, and in books, documentaries and films including the Joe Rogan Experience, on Brian Rose’s London Real, DMT: The Spirit Molecule, Fantastic Fungi: The Mushroom Movie, and countless others. McKenna's memoir, The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss retells his experiences and adventures with his brother Terence's McKenna. Dennis has authored & co-authored 50+ scientific publications on the interdisciplinary study of ethnopharmacology and plant hallucinogens.  He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute where he continues exploring the therapeutic uses of psychoactive medicines derived from nature and used in indigenous ethnomedical practices. Most recently, Dennis is working on launching his mystery school, The McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy, in Peru. This episode was recorded in Costa Rica at Soltara Healing Center. The #SoltaraSeries is a collection of awe-inspiring tales of personal growth and healing from an array of guests and thought leaders. To learn more about Soltara Healing Center visit https://soltara.co/thoughtroom Special Offers in This Episode: → $200 off Ayahuasca retreats at Soltara Healing Center with code THOUGHTROOM. Use link: https://soltara.co/thoughtroom Topics Explored:  > Dennis shares fascinating stories about his first experiences with ayahuasca, over 30 years ago in the early 1980’s > The importance of set, setting and structure for the psychedelic experience, allowing for an individual interaction with the medicine > The “set is the most complicated part of it...because the set is YOU.”  > The novelty of the psychedelic experience and how that can help provide meaning in our lives > Default Mode Network & the Reality Hallucination > Dennis’s psychedelic journey of photosynthesis, experiencing it through the lens of a water molecule being translocated through the roots & osmotic pressures into the chloroplast of the plants  > The Gaia Hypothesis, plant intelligence, the potential fate of human life on earth and the importance of cultivating symbiosis with the whole biosphere   >  Dennis’ legacy and mission to educate people about psychedelics in order to shift collective consciousness > The Experiment at La Chorrera and psychedelic research > Dennis’ legacy and the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy   Show Resources: (Book) The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss - Dennis McKenna (Website) McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy (Book)The Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens, and the I Ching - Dennis McKenna, Terence McKenna  (Book) Psilocybin: Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide: A Handbook for Psilocybin Enthusiasts, Terence McKenna, Dennis McKenna (Book) Botanical Medicines: the Desk Reference for Major Herbal Supplements - Dennis McKenna, Kenneth Jones, Kerry Hughes (Book) Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs: 50 Years of Research - Dennis McKenna, Ghillean Prance, Wade Davis, Benjamin Leonen (Book) The Psilocybin Solution: The Role of Sacred Mushrooms in the Quest for Meaning - Simon Powell  (Book)  Darwin's Unfinished Business: The Self-Organizing Intelligence of Nature- Simon Powell  (Book) Magic Mushroom Explorer: Psilocybin and the Awakening Earth - Simon Powell   (Book) The Secret Teachings of Plants: The Intelligence of the Heart in the Direct Perception of Nature- Stephen Harrod Buhner  (Book) Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm: Beyond the Doors of Perception into the Dreaming of Earth  - Stephen Harrod Buhner  (Book) How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence - Michael Pollan  (Book) Eckhart Tolle: The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment  (Documentary Series) One Strange Rock (On Amazon Prime Video-- No longer available on Netflix as of Jan. 2020) → Ayahuasca Plant Medicine at Soltara Healing Center: http://bit.ly/soltara Subscribe to The Thought Room:  Apple | https://tinyurl.com/qp3mqnp Spotify | https://tinyurl.com/wxyzmdw Stitcher | https://tinyurl.com/wrxv39g Connect with Dennis McKenna|  Twitter | https://twitter.com/dennismckenna4 Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/dennisjonmckenna/ Website| https://mckenna.academy/  Connect with Hallie Rose: Thought Room IG | https://www.instagram.com/thoughtroompodcast/  Hallie Rose IG | https://www.instagram.com/hallie_rosebud/ Twitter | https://twitter.com/ThoughtRoomPod YouTube |http://bit.ly/ThoughtRoomYouTube  Website | www.thoughtroompodcast.com  Email | thoughtroompodcast@gmail.com  Sign up for the TRP Newsletter | www.thoughtroompodcast.com  HELP SUPPORT THIS SHOW!  The Thought Room is offered freely and funded entirely by listener support. All interviews are done in-person for better chemistry, more intimacy, and more powerful storytelling. Donations to this podcast support travel expenses and pay for the fees of our podcast hosting platform.  DONATE:  Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/thoughtroom or send a send a one-time gift via Venmo| https://venmo.com/HallieRose  Other ways to support:  SHOP → Want to purchase a book or product mentioned on the show? If you buy anything through the links in the show notes a small portion of your purchase gets donated to the Thought Room. SUBSCRIBE →   Apple Podcasts +  Spotify+ Stitcher +  Google Podcasts  LEAVE A TYPED APPLE PODCASTS REVIEW →   Would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to land prominent guests! (https://tinyurl.com/qp3mqnp) SHARE →  Spread the word! Tell your family, friends and tag @thoughtroompodcast on social media ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Special thanks to Emmy-Award winning composer Kodomo (Chris Child) for allowing us to use his brilliant track Concept 1 as our theme song.   

In this encore presentation of episode 14 of the Chicago Psychology Podcast, Dr. Hoye  speaks with Dr. George Greer, the president of the Heffter Research Institute.  The Heffter Institute has been at the forefront of research into psychedelic medicines for treating addiction and depression for.  Dr. Greer is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and Past President of the Psychiatric Medical Association of New Mexico. He was also the Clinical Director of Mental Health Services for the New Mexico Corrections Department during the 1990s. He was the Medical Director of the Heffter Research Institute from 1998 to 2017, when he became President. Links discussed in episode 14: The Heffter Research Institute  The Usona Institute  The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) The Center for Psychedelic Therapies & Research (CIIS) Michael Pollan's Book "How to Change Your Mind Dr. Greer's Outreach Emails  Regarding Involvement in Psychedelic Research  

Dennis McKenna PhD is an Ethnobotanist and an Ethnopharmacologist who hosts conferences and lectures educating people about shamanic cultures who use sacred psychoactive plants to access altered states of consciousness. He is the younger brother of the late brilliant psychedelic bard, Terence McKenna.  Dennis McKenna is one of the founding board members and the Director of Ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute, a non-profit organization concerned with the investigation of the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic medicines. Dennis McKenna recently founded the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy in the Sacred Valley of Peru, South America. In this episode we discuss how our brains construct an elaborate hallucination which we call consensus reality, whether the entities encountered during a DMT trip are real or not, what the difference is between shamanism and religion, whether we have a birthright to explore our consciousness or not, drug laws and the absurdity of making plants illegal, and much more!!! LINKS: Book by Dennis McKenna- "The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss: My Life with Terence McKenna" - www.brotherhoodofthescreamingabyss.com Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs (ESPD) 50th year Anniversary Symposium- http://espd50.com/ McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy-https://mckenna.academy/ Patreon support for The DMT Xperience Podcast- www.patreon.com/dmtxp  Book by Blake C. Erickson- "The Forbidden Fruit & The Tree of Knowledge: Opening the Third Eye"- www.amazon.com/Forbidden-Fruit-Tree-Knowledge/dp/0557019524/ Music by ZencesTry- www.soundcloud.com/zencestry

Dr. Dennis McKenna is an ethnopharmacologist who has studied plant hallucinogens for over forty years. He is the author of many scientific papers, and co-author, with his brother Terence McKenna, He holds a doctorate from the University of British Columbia, He received post-doctoral research fellowships in the Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health, and in the Department of Neurology, Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute, a non-profit organization focused on the investigation of the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic medicines.

This is the third part of a four part mini-series recorded at the World Ayahuasca Conference in Girona, Spain. In this part we are going to spend time with Dennis McKenna.Dennis McKenna is an ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer and author. He is the brother of well-known psychedelics proponent Terence McKenna and is a founding board member and the director of ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute, a non-profit organization concerned with the investigation of the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic medicines.In this episode, apart from the interview, you’ll also get to hear Dennis talk about the book he was involved with called Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs: 50 Years of Research (1967-2017). Check out the book here: www.espd50.comSupport the podcast.Music featured in this episode:C418www.c418.orgc418.bandcamp.com

In this episode, Joe interviews Dr. David Nichols, American Pharmacologist and Chemist. Dr. Nichols has made many contributions to the psychedelic space and is recognized as one of the foremost experts for his outstanding efforts in medicinal chemistry of hallucinogens. 3 Key Points: Dr. David Nichols is the founder of The Heffter Research Institute, which promotes research of the highest scientific quality with the classic hallucinogens and psychedelics in order to contribute to a greater understanding of the mind leading to the improvement of the human condition, and to alleviate suffering. Dr. Nichols has a strong opposition toward the DMT/pineal gland theory. The assumption is that DMT is released during birth and death, but Dr. Nichols presents opposing arguments as to why it isn't true. David doesn't believe in the research of microdosing psychedelics. He believes there are many other diseases and disorders that research money could be put toward discovering drugs for than the potential for heightened creativity with microdosing. Support the show Patreon Leave us a review on iTunes Share us with your friends – favorite podcast, etc Join our Facebook group - Psychedelics Today group – Find the others and create community. Navigating Psychedelics Trip Journal                                              Integration Workbook Show Notes About David When he was a kid he was into pyrotechnics He synthesized a lot of MDMA for MAPS He is the founding President of Heffter Research Institute He was introduced to psychedelics before he went to graduate school David's work was never interrupted during the drug war because he wasn't doing any clinical work He proposed the study for MDMA testing on rats for a micro-dialysis of chemicals being released from the brain David’s History of Substances David attended a meeting at the Esalon Institute He met Rick Doblin, a young kid at the time, who was enthusiastic about MDMA and Marijuana Rick decided he wanted to develop MDMA as a drug, and asked David to make it with him Then David met Rick Strassman, who asked him to make DMT So he made the DMT and then DMT Spirit Molecule came out as a result David made the first batch of psilocybin for John Hopkins “The only way to use these substances, is to use the medical model.” - David Microdosing David doesn't agree with microdosing, he thinks its all just a big hype He says that there is a huge placebo effect with microdosing He says there isn't a lot of proven results and literature to make him believe in it He thinks that there are far too many other things to research and create drugs to cure (like eating disorders for example) vs. just heightening creativity with microdosing David edited Torsten Passie’s book, The Science of Microdosing Psychedelics DMT Rick Strassman’s DMT hypothesis is that upon birth and death, the Pineal gland produces DMT, which produces an outer-body experience David says that the pineal gland is too small, it's only 180mg It produces 25 micrograms of melatonin in 24 hours, so there is no way for it to produce 25 milligrams of DMT, the amount needed for a DMT trip Heffter Origins Heffter Research Institute was David’s idea Arthur Heffter was a scientist with a PhD in Pharmacology and Chemistry He was one of the most well respected Scientists in Germany He got samples of Peyote, and knew there were alkaloids in it, and he separated all the alkaloids, and took each alkaloid himself to find out that mescaline was the active component in Peyote He was the expert who invented hair tests to find out if people were suffering from lead poisoning Heffter Research Institute The effects that they discovered from Psilocybin blew them away They knew LSD had powerful effects, but they weren't expecting to find the therapeutic benefits that they did with Psilocybin Psilocybin has a great timeline too, LSD is really long lasting, and 5-MEO-DMT is super short and really powerful Psilocybin is great for use in therapy because of the time it allows for integration GMP Psilocybin Patent Joe mentions the patent of GMP Psilocybin and asks if there are other ways to make psilocybin David says that he believes there are other ways to make Psilocybin The cost of psilocybin is trivial in comparison to the cost of therapy, David doesn't think that the drug itself will have a monopoly Links Heffter.org Donate About Dr. David Nichols Dr. Nichols originally conceived of a privately funded Institute as the most effective mechanism for bringing research on psychedelic agents into the modern era of neuroscience. This vision led to the founding of the Heffter Research Institute in 1993. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC, where he continues his research. The focus of his graduate training, beginning in 1969, and of much of his research subsequent to receiving his doctorate in 1973 has been the investigation of the relationship between molecular structure and the action of psychedelic agents and other substances that modify behavioral states. His research has been continuously funded by government agencies for more three decades. He consults for the pharmaceutical industry and has served on numerous committees and government research review groups. Widely published in the scientific literature and internationally recognized for his research on centrally active drugs, he has studied all of the major classes of psychedelic agents, including LSD and other lysergic acid derivatives, psilocybin and the tryptamines, and phenethylamines related to mescaline. Among scientists, he is recognized as one of the foremost experts on the medicinal chemistry of hallucinogens. His high standards and more than four decades of research experience set the tone to ensure that rigorous methods and quality science are pursued by the Institute.

On this episode of the Chicago Psychology Podcast, Dr. Hoye speaks with Dr. George Greer, the president of the Heffter Research Institute.  The Heffter Institute has been at the forefront of research into psychedelic medicines for treating addiction and depression.  Dr. Greer is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and Past President of the Psychiatric Medical Association of New Mexico. He was also the Clinical Director of Mental Health Services for the New Mexico Corrections Department during the 1990s. He was the Medical Director of the Heffter Research Institute from 1998 to 2017 when he became President. Dr. Greer and Dr. Hoye speak about the vast research into psychedelic medicines, the positive results of that research, and the promise they hold for treating treatment-resistant PTSD, addiction, and depression. We also discuss the increased sense of spirituality and well being that often attends psychedelically assisted therapy session and the potential for reconnection of psychiatry within the realm of psychotherapy through these powerful medicines. Links are available at the episode's webpage @ http://www.chicagopsychologypodcast.com   

George Greer speaks with Joanna about: the work of teaching how to do MDMA-assisted therapy; the unique characteristics of MDMA; the openness of love is always present, fear is a distraction from it; the healing effect of psilocybin in high doses; two stories of healing existential transformation with psilocybin mushrooms; the life-changing summer of 1968; the helpful complementarity of meditation and psychedelic work; MAPS, Heffter Research Institute and the spirit of Esalen; passing on the lineage of Stan Grof and Leo Zeff to the next generation; generosity as the core value of Burning Man; the process of training psychedelic therapists; safety first. The post The Medicine of Connection appeared first on Future Primitive Podcasts.

“Psychedelics are not suppressed because they are dangerous to users; they're suppressed because they provoke unconventional thought, which threatens any number of elites and institutions that would rather do our thinking for us.” ~ Dennis McKenna, The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss.Dennis McKenna, 67, is a noted ethnopharmacologist, focusing on pharmacognosy, especially with psilocybin and ayahuasca. After travels to the Amazon, in search of the Sixties experience with his older brother, Terence, Dennis' curiosity was piqued in a scientific way. He wanted to know how these plants worked.In 1979, McKenna earned his Masters in Botanical Sciences at the University of Hawaii. With his continued studies in the Botanical Sciences, he earned his Ph.D. in 1984 at the University of British Columbia. He studied the botany, chemistry, and pharmacology of ayahuasca and oo-koo-he, two orally-active tryptamine-based hallucinogens used by the indigenous peoples in Northwest Amazon.McKenna received post-doctorate fellowships in the Lab of Clinical Pharmacology at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and in the Department of Neurology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He recently completed a project, funded by the Stanley Medical Research Institute, to study the Amazonian ethnomedicine for the treatment of schizophrenia and cognitive deficits.In 1990, McKenna became director of ethnopharmacology at Shaman Pharmaceuticals. In 1993, he became senior research pharmacognisist for the Aveda Corporation. In 1993, he also founded and continues to serve as VP and board member of Heffter Research Institute, where they are researching use of psilocybin with cancer patients.In 2001, he joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality and Healing and has since become a popular professor. He serves on the advisory board of The American Botanical Council and on the editorial board of Phytopharmacology.McKenna's authored four books and countless research papers. In 1976, he wrote the still popular, cult classic Psilocybin: Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide.He can be seen in documentaries on the esoteric. He continues to lead expeditions to the Amazon to study the culture, shamanism and ayahuasca.Far Out, ManFor anyone who's been to Paonia, CO, it's no surprise that the small mountain hippie town produced two of the most learned ethnopharmacology luminaries — the dynamic duo, brothers Dennis and his senior, Terence, now deceased. What began as a popular recreational experimentation in the Sixties counterculture opened the door to new realms of legitimate soul-searching, growth and healing. Dennis wrote about his accounts with his brother in his 2012 book, The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss. They discovered there was some power in the medicine! Thus began the McKenna's pursuit in the mysteries of ethnopharmacology — Terence,

The McKenna brothers — Terence and Dennis — are widely regarded as having paved the gringo road to the Amazonian plant medicine experience. Dennis' exploration of this territory dates back a half century, and he is among its most knowledgeable cartographers. In this episode, he and Ken discuss questions that arise when entheogens are an important part of your life: What's the difference between a plant psychedelic and a chemical? How should you choose a shaman? What role does integration play following a plant medicine journey? Are the entities you encounter under the influence of DMT real? What is actually going on when you trip? Dennis McKenna is an American ethnopharmacologist, lecturer and author. He is a founding board member and the director of ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute, a non-profit organization concerned with the investigation of the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic medicines. He is an adjunct professor in the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota. McKenna's research led to the development of natural products for the Aveda Corporation, as well as greater awareness of natural products and medicines more broadly. He has authored or co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed scientific papers and written books, including “The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss: My Life with Terence McKenna”, and co-author of “The Invisible Landscape” with his brother Terence. He is also on the advisory board of the Soltara Healing Center in Costa Rica, where he leads retreats. To learn more about Dennis McKenna and his many projects and events, visit his events page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dennis.mckenna.94Follow us on Instagram @TheEvolverPodcast: https://www.instagram.com/theevolverpodcastThe Evolver is sponsored by The Alchemist's Kitchen, a botanical dispensary dedicated to the power of plants, where you can ask an herbalist to recommend the herbal remedy that's most right for you. At The Alchemist's Kitchen, we are now entering the Season of the Witch — a celebration of the Feminist, Counter-mainstream Witch Movement. Visit https://www.thealchemistskitchen.com. For a 20% discount off any online purchase, use the code: podcast20. Theme music is “Measure by Measure,” courtesy of DJ Spooky, aka Paul D. Miller (@djspooky), from his album The Secret Song, and interstitial music are tracks by The Human Experience: "Sunu" from the album Soul Visions with Rising Appalachia, and Here for a Moment on the album Gone Gone Beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My conversation this week is with the president of the Heffter Research Institute, which designs studies with MDMA and Psilocybin, George Greer - www.heffter.org

Dennis Jon McKenna is an American ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer and author. He is the brother of well-known psychedelics proponent Terence McKenna and is founding board member and the director of ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute, a non-profit organization concerned with the investigation of the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic medicines. He is also one of the founding contributors to the modern wave of ayahuasca research in particular and psychedelic research in general. In fact, the book Magic Mushrooms grower’s guide, which he co-authored with his brother Terence in the 70s, presented the first reliable method for cultivating psilocybin mushrooms at home. Chances are if it wasn’t for Dennis and his brother, none of us would have ever tasted the magic at all. See below for full episode breakdown. *** Support Us On Patreon! Http://www.patreon.com/jameswjesso Leave A One-Time PayPal Donation: https://www.paypal.me/JWJesso   *** Head to http://www.bit.ly/ATTMind67 for all other related links and my blog entry on the theme of this episode.   *** Episode Breakdown The early years: developing the magic mushroom growers guide. The limitations of the biomedical model for psychedelic research The encounter and emergence of psychedelics in the culture of the 60 impact - dangerous How and why Dennis and Terence got into psychedelics. The McKenna early journey, from the jungle to the university. What it was like to travel into the jungle for ayahuasca during the early years, before the tourist boom, compared to today. The danger of the cults and power hunger within ayahuasca culture. The role of psychedelics in the modern plight of humanity. The moral dimension of psychedelic technology. Plant intelligence and mycelial brain of the forest (no?) Plant/mammal symbiotic co-evolution. Psychedelic spiritually is cheating? On Terence Beyond the legend. The man, the brother. How Terence privately feel about the time wave? Did he stop taking mushrooms? The challenges of being a psychedelic celebrity How does it feel to watch Terence being torn down by his critics? Did Terence work for the CIA? Dennis favourite story of his brother The difference between Microdosing LSD and psilocybin The possible dangers of microdosing LSD? Cultural implications of microdosing vs macrodosing. Suggestion and cautions in choosing to guide others in psychedelic experience. What psychedelic is Dennis still taking? You don't know shit. If he were to die tomorrow, what piece of advice would he offer us?

President of Heffter Research Institute, Dr. Dave Nichols, dissects the war on drugs, offers a behind the scenes look at clinical study design, and gives scope to the vast healing potential of psychedelic therapy in numerous medical indications that have had little success with Western medicine.

Dennis Mckenna is an American ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer and author. He is the brother of well-known psychedelics proponent Terence McKenna and is a founding board member and the director of ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute, a non-profit organization concerned with the investigation of the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic medicines.

Guest speaker: Dave Nichols PROGRAM NOTES: Year this lecture was recorded: 2017 As the founding president of the Heffter Research Institute, a chemist who crafted some of the most important research molecules of this generation and a leader in the psychedelic community, we’re pleased to present an interview with Dr. David Nichols. He talks about […]

Taken from the Psychedelic Science '13 conference this epic talk from Heffter Research Institute Founder, David E. Nichols, explores the depths of the brains relationship with LSD.  This talk will provide a foundation for understanding the importance of 5-HT2A receptors in the brain, now widely believed to be the key brain target for psychedelics. The study of this G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) has required research efforts across several disciplines. Although it was initially thought to couple only to Gq, leading to activation of phospholipase C, it is now known to couple to multiple intracellular signaling pathways. The unique psychopharmacological properties of psychedelics clearly demonstrate that this receptor has special importance as a critical component of sensory perception in humans, and by extension, may be a key player in mediating consciousness.  David E. Nichols is the founding president of the Heffter Research Institute, named after German chemist and pharmacologist Arthur Heffter, who first discovered that mescaline was the active component in the peyote cactus. In 2004 he was named the Irwin H. Page Lecturer by the International Serotonin Club, and delivered an address in Portugal titled, "35 years studying psychedelics: what a long strange trip it's been." Among pharmacologists, he is considered to be one of the world's top experts on psychedelics. Nichols's other professional activities include teaching medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN, and teaching medical students at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Since 2008, the NYU Psychedelic Research Group (established in 2006) has administered a moderate dose of psilocybin to 16 participants in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial of the efficacy of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in individuals with advanced cancer and psychosocial distress. Dr. Ross will present preliminary clinical observations and data from our study, in which a majority of patients have experienced acute and sustained reductions in death anxiety, existential distress, and depression; as well as increases in spiritual states and practices, and improved family system functioning. Stephen Ross, M.D., is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine and Associate Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Radiology, and Medicine at the NYU College of Dentistry. He directs the Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and the Opioid Overdose Prevention Program at Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City. He is Director of Addiction Psychiatry at NYU Tisch Hospital and Director of the NYU Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship. He is certified in General and Addiction Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) and in Addiction Medicine by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). Dr. Ross has received a dozen local and national teaching awards related to education of medical students, psychiatry residents, and post-graduate fellows. Dr. Ross is an expert on the therapeutic application of serotonergic hallucinogens to treat psychiatric and addictive spectrum illnesses. He directs the NYU Psychedelic Research Group and is Principal Investigator of the NYU Psilocybin Cancer Project. Dr. Ross receives his research funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Heffter Research Institute.

Robert J. Barnhart is the producer and creator of an amazing documentary called A New Understanding: The Science of Psilocybin,  which explores helping terminally ill cancer patients who are suffering from end-of-life anxiety with psilocybin. Robert has a BA in comparative religion from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. He has been a strong advocate for the study of psychoactive materials in spiritual and non-traditional healing practices for many years. He sits on the board of both The Heffter Research Institute and The Multi-Disciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. He further sits on the board of COSM, supporting the visionary art work of Alex Grey. Mr. Barnhart is active caring for the well being of our planet's environmental ecosystem. www.anewunderstanding.org https://www.facebook.com/A.New.Understanding www.maps.org http://heffter.org Mentions: Dr. Huston Smith Timothy Leary Business Insider Article        

When it comes to plant based medicine, my guest on today's podcast is widely considered to be a groudbreaking pioneer. His name is Dennis McKenna. Dennis's research - spanning back to the 1970's - has focused on the interdisciplinary study of Amazonian ethnopharmacology and plant hallucinogens. During the early 1970's, he developed a technique for cultivating psilocybin mushrooms with his brother Terence McKenna and they later published what they had learned in a book entitled . Dennis has conducted extensive ethnobotanical fieldwork in the Peruvian, Colombian, and Brasilian Amazon. His doctoral research (University of British Columbia, 1984) focused on the ethnopharmacology of ayahuasca and oo-koo-he, two tryptamine-based hallucinogens used by indigenous peoples in the Northwest Amazon. He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute, and was a key organizer and participant in the Hoasca Project, the first biomedical investigation of ayahuasca used by the UDV, a Brazilian religious group. He is currently Assistant Professor in the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota. During our discussion, you'll discover: -The strange magazine, still published, that Dennis's father used to read - a magazine that first got Dennis interested in the "paranormal" and psychedelics... -How DMT works, and ways that you can induce the same psychedelic sensation that DMT induces without actually using something like ayahuasca... -Ways that you can induce deep sleep without relying upon compounds such as valium or ambien... -Why one common spice that you can find on the counter at Starbucks can send you on a hallucinogenic trip... -The difference between an ayahuasca experience in rural South America vs. an urban New York loft... -Why Silicone Valley is obsessed with LSD microdosing as a creativity-enhancing "smart drug"... -How psilocybin works to enhance your connection with nature and how you may be able to activate this via other mechanisms... -How one can safely "source" these kind of plant-based medicines in their local community... -And much more... Resources from this episode: - - - - - - - - - and - - - - - - - - Do you have questions, comments or feedback for Dennis McKenna or me? Leave your thoughts at and one of us will reply!

Dennis McKenna's professional and personal interests are focused on the interdisciplinary study of ethnopharmacology and plant hallucinogens. He received his doctorate in 1984 from the University of British Columbia, where his doctoral research focused on ethnopharmacological investigations of the botany, chemistry, and pharmacology of ayahuasca and oo-koo-he, two orally-active tryptamine-based hallucinogens used by indigenous peoples in the Northwest Amazon. He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute and serves on the advisory board of non-profit organizations in the fields of ethnobotany and botanical medicines. On today's episode of Bulletproof Radio, Dennis and Dave talk about psychopharmacology, DMT and the drug culture in the '60s, psychedelic conspiracy theories, microdosing, rescheduling psychedelic drugs, his pursuit of Ayahuasca with the Witoto people and more. Enjoy the show!

Dennis McKenna's professional and personal interests are focused on the interdisciplinary study of ethnopharmacology and plant hallucinogens. He received his doctorate in 1984 from the University of British Columbia, where his doctoral research focused on ethnopharmacological investigations of the botany, chemistry, and pharmacology of ayahuasca and oo-koo-he, two orally-active tryptamine-based hallucinogens used by indigenous peoples in the Northwest Amazon. He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute and serves on the advisory board of non-profit organizations in the fields of ethnobotany and botanical medicines. On today's episode of Bulletproof Radio, Dennis and Dave talk about psychopharmacology, DMT and the drug culture in the '60s, psychedelic conspiracy theories, microdosing, rescheduling psychedelic drugs, his pursuit of Ayahuasca with the Witoto people and more. Enjoy the show!

Episode 92 with Dennis McKenna, an ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer & author of The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss about his and his brother Terence's life and journeys together. His brother Terence McKenna is well-known psychedelics proponent. Dennis is also the founding board member and the director of ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute, a non-profit organization concerned with the investigation of the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic medicines. He was also in two great documentaries, Neurons to Nirvana: Understanding Psychedelic Medicines and DMT: The Spirit Molecule.

In this episode of the Podcast, Jonathan talks with Brett Greene. Brett is a  co-founder of Psymposia, an organization dedicated to building community and honest dialogue around drugs and society through live events. They are the creators of the Psymposia Conference, now in it's third year, and of the "Psychedelic Storytelling" events, which could be described as "The Moth Radio Hour... On Acid."   Brett is also madly in love with the mother of 2 teenagers, and has been a part oftheir lives for twelve years. At the end of our conversation, Brett and I are joined by one of them. In this conversation, we talk about the work of founding and maintaining a psychedelic non-profit, about how psychedelics helped Brett heal his mental illness, and how he is sharing his knowledge and excitement about these substances with his family. When we are joined by Brett's stepson, we discuss peer pressure, what he sees as the ideal form of drug education, and why he is choosing to NOT do drugs. If you are so moved, please consider a donation to this work, either directly through GoFundMe or via a tax-deductible gift through MAPS. Either route qualifies your donation for our generous matching gift from Robert Barnhart, a MAPS and Heffter Research Institute board member, and creator of the film A New Understanding: The Science of Psilocybin.  TOPICS AND WEBSITES DISCUSSED IN THIS PODCAST Psychedelic Parenting GoFundMe Page Psychedelic Parenting MAPS Donation Page Driftless Psychedelic Symposium Women's Visionary Congress NYC March 11-13, 2016 KMO's C-Realm Podcast KMO's Psychonautica Podcast Psymposia Psychedemia Gabriel Garcia Marquez Paramhansa Yogananda "Autobiography of a Yogi" Wikipedia Entry "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman You Say You Want a Revoluion, The Beatles

Synchronicity numero cinco features the extraordinary Dennis McKenna. Dennis McKenna is an American ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer and author. He is the brother of well-known psychedelics proponent Terence McKenna and is a founding board member and the director of ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute, a non-profit organization concerned with the investigation of the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic medicines. Dennis is also one of the smartest people I've had the privilege of speaking with (this is Noah writing in case that isn't abundantly clear by now). We talk about a variety of topics including the benefits of psychedelics (DMT, Ayahuasca, Psilocybin, Cannabis), plant intelligence, the unconscious, and ethnopharmacology at large.   As we discussed Dennis has written an incredible autobiography called "The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss." Get it here: http://www.amazon.com/Brotherhood-Screaming-Abyss-Dennis-McKenna-ebook/dp/B00A8KWLYK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448424968&sr=8-1&keywords=brotherhood+of+the+screaming+abyss And one last thing, be sure to subscribe to Synchronicity today: http://www.mindpodnetwork.com/subscribe-to-synchronicity-with-noah-lampert/

We are honored to be joined by Robert J. Barnhart, producer of A New Understanding: The Science of Psilocybin. For historical context, we review the groundwork laid in the 1980's by organizations such as the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and Heffter Research Institute. Robert serves on the Boards of Directors of both organizations. Basic research began as early as the 1940's and continued through the '50's and '60's, until Nixon's Drug Control Act of 1970 when the highly promising research was extinguished. In the words of Roland Griffiths, "Can you think of another area of science regarded as so dangerous and taboo that all research gets shut down for decades? It’s unprecedented in modern science." Only as recently as in the last decade, thanks entirely to private fundraising by organizations like MAPS and Heffter, researchers have completed Phase I and Phase II studies. Plans for Phase III trials are on the horizon, and by some predictions, entheogens like psilocybin could be rescheduled to Schedule II (from Schedule I) perhaps as soon as 2020. At $10/pill an effective one-time-dose treatment like an entheogen might not be economically feasible or lucrative enough for today's pharmaceutical companies to pursue taking to market. But what about regular, ongoing "microdosing" of something like LSD? And moreover, the potentially vast application of entheogens toward the "betterment of well people" (in the words of Bob Jesse) would seem to be highly interesting to a pharmaceutical company. Robert recounts the story of how his would-be high school film project about the psychedelic experience may have serendipitously inspired his new film. In addition to supporting MAPS and Heffter, Robert recommends the Beckley Foundation in England. Also, write to Congress and talk to people about your own entheogenic experiences. For more about the studies, check out Anthroposophia: A different kind of love story: One woman's psilocybin experience by Sandy Lundahl. Thanks again to Robert Barnhart for joining us. Stay tuned for the release of A New Understanding: The Science of Psilocybin.

Dennis Mckenna is an ethnobotanist and founding member of the Heffter Research Institute. His most recent book, The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss, is a personal account of life with his brother Terrence and their famed experiment at La Chorrera.

- Roland Griffiths, trained as a behaviorist and holding senior appointments in psychiatry and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University, is one of the nation’s leading drug-addiction researchers. Pollan quoting Griffiths: “There is such a sense of authority that comes out of the primary mystical experience that it can be threatening to existing hierarchical structures. We ended up demonizing these compounds. Can you think of another area of science regarded as so dangerous and taboo that all research gets shut down for decades? It’s unprecedented in modern science.” - Robert Jesse, founder of Council on Spiritual Practices (CSP) in 1993, former VP of Oracle. - Rick Doblin, founder of Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) in 1986. - Charles Grob, at U.C.L.A., who won F.D.A. approval in 2006 for a Phase I pilot study to assess the safety, dosing, and efficacy of psilocybin in the treatment of anxiety in cancer patients. - David Nichols, emeritus professor of pharmacology at Purdue University and a founder of the Heffter Research Institute in 1993, key funder of psychedelic research. - Robin Carhart-Harris and David Nutt of Imperial College, London. See prior coverage on the show: Entheogen 002: Psychedelic Research Renaissance, Part 2

"Robert J. Barnhart has a BA in comparative religion from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. He has been a strong advocate for the study of psychoactive materials in spiritual and nontraditional healing practices for many years. He sits on the board of both The Heffter Research Institute and The Multi-disciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. He has now completed producing this documentary film about the use of psilocybin medicine in modern healing practices. He currently lives in Austin, Texas where he enjoys being a father to his ten year old daughter."  Executive Producer of A New Understanding, The Science of Psilocybin. Click HERE for trailor.  End of Life Care Certificate Program Learn.Create.Serve. Training and mentoring doulas, companions, guides and midwives since 2005  

The only person to sit as an active board member of both MAPS.org and the Heffter Research Institute, Robert Barnhart sits down for a chat about the latest in the scientific research field involving both MDMA and Psilocybin. 

Dr. Phil Wolfson earned his BA at Brandeis University. He went on to graduate school at New York University School of Medicine and began practicing psychotherapy and psychiatry in California between 1966 and 1972. He's licensed to practice medicine in California and Washington. Dr. Wolfson’s been an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco and has taught at several graduate schools. He was one of the founding members of the Heffter Research Institute, which is another psychedelic research organization, with MAPS, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. Dr. Wolfson is Principal Investigator of a double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study, located in Marin, California, which will gather preliminary data about the safety and efficacy of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety in 18 subjects diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. The study has received coverage in the San Francisco Chronicle, and KQED Radio on Forum with Michael Krasny, and is poised to be a game-changer in terms of bringing mainstream attention to the topic of psychedelic medicines.

Aired 07/22/12 Did you know that LSD is being tested as a treatment for alcoholism? Or that psilocybin is being taken to ease the anxiety of late stage cancer patients? In government-sanctioned studies. Psychedelic substances have been used for ceremony and as medicine for millennia. Such properties were being cultivated and studied in the US in the 60s and early 70s until widespread and careless use of psychedelics and sensational media reports produced a backlash. I will talk with CHARLES GROB MD about the latest scientific research, including his own ground-breaking studies. And with JAMES FADIMAN about the vision, ideas and advice in his book, PSYCHEDELIC EXPLORERS: Safe, Therapeutic and Sacred Journeys. CHARLES S. GROB, M.D, Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the UCLA School of Medicine, conducted the first government approved psychobiological research study of MDMA, was the principal investigator on a research project in the Amazon studying the visionary plant brew, ayahuasca, and investigated the efficacy of psilocybin to treat anxiety in terminally ill patients. A founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute, devoted to fostering research on psychedelics, he is the editor of Hallucinogens: A Reader and co-editor with Roger Walsh of Higher Wisdom: Eminent Elders Explore the Continuing Impact of Psychedelics. JAMES FADIMAN did his undergraduate work at Harvard and his graduate work at Stanford, doing pioneering research with the Harvard Group, the West Coast Research Group in Menlo Park, and Ken Kesey. A former president of the Institute of Noetic Sciences and a professor of psychology, he currently teaches at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, CA, which he helped found in 1975. He is the author of PSYCHEDELIC EXPLORERS: Safe, Therapeutic and Sacred Journeys.

Dr. Richard Miller hosts a nationally prominent panel of psychotherapists including clinical psychologists, Dr. Lonnie Barbach and Dr. David Geisinger and psychiatrist, Dr. Phil Wolfson. This is a panel discussion and has responses to listeners questions on matters relating to couples and families. Dr. Lonnie Barbach - Specialist in Human Sexuality Dr. Lonnie Barbach work as a couple’s therapist for more than three decades and the publication of "Going the Distance: Finding and Keeping Lifelong Love" crafted with David Geisinger, Ph.D., her partner of 25 years, has defined her as an acknowledged expert on intimate relationships. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452269482/ She is skilled in a variety of treatment modalities in treating individuals and couples with problems ranging from anxiety and depression to parenting and communication issues. As one of the first co-directors of clinical training at the University of California San Francisco, Human Sexuality Program, Dr. Barbach created the women's pre-orgasmic group treatment program. Considered a pioneer in her field, her dozen books, translated into an equal number of languages, have sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. alone. Here's some of Dr. Barbach's books: For Yourself : The Fulfillment of Female Sexuality http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451202007 Shared Intimacies : Women's Sexual Experience http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385171773/ For Each Other http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385172974/ Visit: Lonniebarbach.com David Geisinger, Ph. D. David Geisinger, Ph.D., former Assistant Clinical Professor of medical psychiatry at the University of California Medical Center, Co-Director of the pioneering Behavior Therapy Institute in Sausalito, Research Coordinator and Staff Psychologist and San Francisco’s Center for Special Problems. He is the author of the book, "Kicking It", and co-author, with his partner, Lonnie Barbach, of the book, "Going the Distance: Finding and Keeping Lifelong Love. Currently he continues in private practice of psychotherapy with individuals and couples in San Francisco. Dr. Phil Wolfson M.D. Dr. Phil Wolfson M.D. has taught in three Bay Area graduate schools in psychology and is currently Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCSF as well as in private practice. He is a Founding Member of Heffter Research Institute and practiced MDMA (Ecstasy) psychotherapy in legal period and published on its use in psychotherapy. His book, *Noe: A Father-Son Song of Love, Life, Illness, and Death* was published in 2011. He is a Vajrayana Buddhist Practitioner. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1556439717/ Visit: Philwolfsonmd.com