Episode 10
Psilocybin for Women with Jennifer Chesak
Joining me today is Jennifer Chesak, the author of The Psilocybin Handbook for Women.
Jennifer is an award-winning freelance science and medical journalist, editor, and fact-checker, and her work has appeared in several national publications, including the Washington Post. Chesak earned her master of science in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She currently teaches in the journalism and publishing programs at Belmont University, leads various workshops at the literary nonprofit The Porch, and serves as the managing editor for the literary magazine SHIFT.
Today we’re talking about the use of psilocybin, a psychedelic plant medicine, and its potential benefits.
While psilocybin has potential benefits for everyone, today we’re diving into the specific ways in which it may be helpful for women including regulating our stress and trauma response, helping with depression and anxiety, facilitating healing and behavior change, and promoting hormone health in every stage of life.
Psychedelics and psychedelic assisted therapy are somewhat controversial, but they’re a subject that I’ve been curious about and wanting to cover for a long time, and I couldn’t ask for a better expert to talk with about it.
Jen dispels some of the common myths and fears around psilocybin and educates us on how it can be used safely and effectively.
Please be aware that psilocybin is a schedule one drug and is still federally illegal. However, it has been legalized on a state level in CO and OR, and is currently in the works in other states. It is illegal but decriminalized in Washington DC and Ann Arbor, MI.
If you decide to pursue psychedelic assisted therapy, it is imperative that you do thorough research on who you work with beforehand. I’ve included several resources below and Jennifer also includes detailed information on safety in the book.
The Psilocybin Handbook for Women
On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferchesak/
On Instagram, Threads, TikTok, X (Twitter) and Facebook: @jenchesak
https://www.instagram.com/jenchesak/
https://www.threads.com/jenchesak
https://www.tiktok.com/jenchesak
https://www.facebook.com/jenchesak
Resources:
APPA (American Psychedelic Practitioners Association) - The APPA provides accreditation after practitioners have gone through a comprehensive training.
Cover Story: Power Trip podcast
MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Therapies)
Johns Hopkins Medicine Psychedelics Research and Psilocybin Therapy
Interested in working with Jeannie? Schedule a 30-minute Coffee Talk here.
Connect with me on Instagram @joliverwellness and check out the options for my more affordable self-study programs here: https://www.joliverwellness.com/diy-programs
Music credit: Funk’d Up by Reaktor Productions
A Podcast Launch Bestie production
Transcript
Hey there.
2
:Welcome to the nutrition edit podcast.
3
:I'm your host, Jeannie Oliver.
4
:And joining me today is Jennifer
Chesick, the author of the
5
:psilocybin handbook for women.
6
:Jennifer is an award winning
freelance scientist and medical
7
:journalist, editor and fact checker.
8
:And her work has appeared in
several national publications,
9
:including the Washington post.
10
:Chesick earned her Master of Science in
Journalism from Northwest University's
11
:Medill School of Journalism.
12
:She currently teaches in the Journalism
and Publishing programs at Belmont
13
:University, leads various workshops
at the literary non profit The Porch,
14
:and serves as the managing editor
for the literary magazine Shift.
15
:I'll add links for all the places that you
can find her in the show notes, but you
16
:can check out her work at jenniferchesick.
17
:com or follow her on
socials at Jen Chesick.
18
:It's spelled J E N C H E S A K.
19
:Today, we're talking about the use of
psilocybin, which is a psychedelic plant
20
:medicine and its potential benefits.
21
:And while psilocybin has potential
benefits for everybody, both men and
22
:women alike, today we're going to dive
into the specific ways in which it
23
:can be helpful for us women, including
regulating our stress and trauma
24
:response, helping with depression
and anxiety, facilitating healing and
25
:behavior change, and promoting hormone
health in every stage of our lives.
26
:Psychedelics and psychedelic assisted
therapy are still somewhat controversial,
27
:but they're a subject that I have been
really curious about and wanting to cover
28
:for a long time, and I couldn't ask for
a better expert to talk about it with.
29
:Jen's going to dispel some of
the common myths and fears around
30
:psilocybin, also known as magic
mushrooms, and she educates us on how
31
:it can be used safely and effectively.
32
:I learned a ton in this
episode, and I hope that you'll
33
:enjoy it as much as I did.
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:So now let's jump into my
interview with Jen Chesick.
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:. jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
WElcome Jennifer Chesick.
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:I'm so excited to have you here.
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:Thanks for joining me today.
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:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
you for having me.
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:I'm pleased to be here.
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:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yeah.
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:So I'm really excited about your
book and just to dive into this.
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:This is such a hot topic right now and
it's something I've been wanting to
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:talk with an expert about for a long
time and really take a deep dive into.
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:So thank you for joining us.
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:I'm really, really looking
forward to this talk.
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:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Thank you.
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:You've come to the right person.
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:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Absolutely.
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:So tell us a little about
yourself and your background.
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:Tell us about the book and
why you decided to write it.
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:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Sure.
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:Yeah.
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:So I am a science and medical journalist.
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:I'm also a fact checker and I'm
an adjunct instructor in the
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:journalism and publishing program.
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:So I'm just constantly always writing
and dappling in the written word, but
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:I really focused on health and science
and wellness and things like that.
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:And I have a really strong passion for
women's health, especially because I've
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:had a lot of health problems in my life.
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:And I've found that oftentimes when you,
when women enter the mainstream medical
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:system, they get really frustrated.
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:And I'll talk a little bit about
that as we move through the podcast.
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:But in terms of The actual book.
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:So I've always really been
fascinated by psychedelics as well.
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:And then it seemed like a great
opportunity to merge the two
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:women's health and psychedelics.
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:And one of the reasons that this is so
important to have a book just dedicated
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:to the female body is that so, more
women in some cases are actually
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:using psychedelics more frequently
than men at some psychedelics.
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:And this is, you know, a blanket.
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:statement pulled from a a survey,
the global drug survey of:
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:I, that came as a surprise to me.
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:I was a little surprised that more
women are using some psychedelics
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:more frequently than men.
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:But when I dug a little deeper,
this didn't surprise me.
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:And this really like drove home
the need for this book, but.
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:What, what didn't surprise me is that
there's a difference between the way
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:men and women tend to use psychedelics.
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:So, men tend to use psychedelics a little
bit more recreationally, whereas women
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:are turning to psychedelics to self treat.
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:And again, this is an overgeneralization,
and not all men are using
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:psychedelics just recreationally,
and there's nothing wrong with
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:using psychedelics recreationally.
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:They're fun!
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:But women are turning to psychedelics
to self treat for conditions
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:like PTSD, trauma, anxiety.
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:Depression, chronic pain issues,
other chronic health conditions.
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:And these are the very same
conditions that disproportionately
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:affect the female body.
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:And also when women go to the
doctor's office, they're gas lit
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:for some of these very conditions.
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:So endometriosis is a classic example.
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:It's a condition that I have.
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:And I write about that in
the book, but so it's been a
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:problem, a longstanding problem.
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:And, but psychedelics, they're looking
for alternative treatments so that.
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:They can find relief for
some of these issues.
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:And that's why it's really important for
them to have accurate information, safety
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:information, any information that is very
specific to the female body, which I think
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:we're going to talk about hormones later
and the menstrual cycle and all of that.
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:And so wanting to dive into that.
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:But one of the things I like to
share with people when I first.
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:start talking about how women are
treated in the medical system.
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:I like to throw out this timeline.
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:So women were largely excluded
from early stage clinical trials
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:until about the 1990s, early 1990s.
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:And that has had some major ramifications.
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:A lot of people don't realize
this, but I give this timeline and
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:it kind of gets people fired up.
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:Um, so in 1998, men got a drug
for male sexual dysfunction and
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:everyone knows what that drug is.
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:It's Viagra, right?
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:You know, household name, right?
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:And at that point in time, the medical
community, let alone anybody that
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:a woman might have been sleeping
with, didn't have an accurate
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:picture of what the clitoris is.
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:So there's all this internal structure to
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:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Do they now?
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:Right.
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:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
people, the medical community
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:at least is starting to get the
picture, but maybe not everyone.
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:But that didn't happen until 2005 when
a female urologist dug into the research
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:on this and then determined all of
this internal structure to clitoris.
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:And that's crazy, that was 2005.
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:And
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:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
That is
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:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
I know!
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:Blows my mind too.
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:And then get this, it wasn't
until:
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:for female sexual dysfunction.
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:That's a 17 year gap from when
dudes got a drug to when women
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:got a drug for the same condition.
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:Even though, like, sexual dysfunction
affects The male and the female body
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:differently, clearly, but because
of different anatomy, but it's
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:still a condition and it's the same
condition in the broad scope of it.
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:And that's a 17 year gap.
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:So the medical community has largely
been treating the female body and the
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:male body as the same in research.
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:I mean, this is starting to change.
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:now, but it's still, it's still
an issue that women's health is
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:often put on the back burner.
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:And so that is why I feel like it's
so important that if women are turning
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:to psychedelics to self treat, which
there's nothing wrong with that
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:as long as they're doing it safely
then, they need accurate information.
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:So that's what this book is
really all about and all the
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:contexts that might apply.
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:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Awesome.
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:Yeah.
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:And it's called the
psilocybin handbook for women.
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:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Sorry.
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:I forgot to mention that.
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:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Well, I'll definitely put that in
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:the intro for sure, but I just think
it's, I think it's so brilliant.
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:I think it's so exciting.
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:Thank you for writing this because, I've
been really interested in brain health
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:and metabolism and the work that I do
and things like dementia and Alzheimer's.
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:I mean, Alzheimer's, it affects
twice as many Women, as men, we
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:now know that our brains function
very differently than men's brains.
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:That medications and all these
things affect us so differently
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:than they do men's brains.
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:And so, yet another reason why
we should take a very specific
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:gender focused look at this.
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:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Mm hmm.
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:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
In that context, because
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:it isn't the same.
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:We aren't just little men.
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:I heard a doctor, um, no,
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:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
not little men.
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:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Dr.
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:Lisa Moscone refers to
it as bikini medicine.
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:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yes,
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:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
You know, that anything that the bikini
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:could cover that that was considered
what differentiated men from women
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:and anything beyond that was like,
well, it must just be the same thing.
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:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
right and that term I use in the book to
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:point out that when the medical community
does focus on women's health, like when
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:they actually are researching it, they
are focusing just on like the bikini
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:aspect, and it's usually related to
reproduction, and like women were not just
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:put on this earth to reproduce, you know,
so that's a big frustration on my end.
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:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
wild.
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:So give us a little bit of
the history of psilocybin.
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:And I know that this, could be a podcast
in its own, but just a little brief
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:overview of kind of the history of it.
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:, we know that psychedelics have been used
by indigenous populations for centuries.
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:So give us a little nutshell version of
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:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
of course.
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:Yeah.
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:So I actually don't know how long it's
been used in indigenous communities.
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:I think we're still actually
learning that and digging into that.
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:But yeah, psilocybin has a
storied history of being used in
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:indigenous communities, indigenous
ceremonies for different purposes.
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:And this is so important in the context
of what we're doing with psilocybin
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:now, because you know, everyone's
focusing on the newer research on
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:psilocybin, but we need to, whenever
we are talking about psilocybin, we
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:need to be bringing in indigenous
wisdom because of that long history.
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:We think of science as this
process of doing things over and
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:over again to reproduce the same
results, but that's exactly what
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:indigenous communities have done.
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:I mean, yes, it's not in clinical trials
and indigenous communities, but it's.
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:still, it's still using a very
scientific process in some regard.
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:And so I did interview,
um, this wonderful woman.
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:Her name is Michaela de la Mico.
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:She goes by mama de la Mico on Instagram,
and she has studied psilocybin in
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:the context of, of, um, indigenous
practices, and she's indigenous herself.
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:And so she uses those practices
to help women with various things.
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:So I pulled her in as an interview
because I don't have that background.
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:And I just felt it was really important
to get the right expert for that.
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:But in terms of I think it's also
important to understand like how In
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:the US, like the mainstream medical
community even got to know psilocybin.
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:And so that started when, so originally
this guy named Robert Gordon Wasson,
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:he's a JPMorgan and Chase executive.
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:This was back in the 1950s.
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:He went down to Mexico at some point
and met a woman named Maria Sabina.
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:Maria Sabina is an indigenous healer,
or curandero is the appropriate term.
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:I don't know if.
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:Healer maps is quite up with
that, but I'll go with it for now.
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:Anyway so she was, she was,
using psilocybin in ceremonial
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:practices and he met up with her.
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:And back then, the white
man was not allowed to
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:participate in these ceremonies.
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:So he lied to her and he said,
I need to do this so I can go
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:and find my son who was missing.
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:And that was not true at all.
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:Her, his son was not missing.
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:And but he lied to her, and she finally
let him join a ceremony with the condition
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:that he not go and tell anyone where
she lived or who she was by not mention
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:her name when he went back to the U.
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:S.
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:Well, of course, he totally violated
that agreement and came back to the U.
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:S.
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:and wrote a big article in Life
magazine naming her village.
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:naming her.
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:So this was a total violation of
that trust that they had built.
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:And then all of these people
started flocking to her village.
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:So like Walt Disney went there, John
Lennon, a lot of other celebrities.
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:And then, of course, just general, the
general population sort of flocking there.
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:And, brought a lot of tourist
issues to that community.
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:And the community was not liking this
because they were overrun with tourists.
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:And, not a great way.
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:And so, she ended up being
ostracized from her village.
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:Uh, her house was burned down.
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:I believe her son was murdered.
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:I don't know the details of the
murder or anything like that.
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:But but really it's not a great story.
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:It's a really, really sad story.
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:Uh, and she eventually You know,
passed away, but she lived in
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:poverty for the rest of her life
because of this man, what he did.
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:And it's really harmful
when we think about that.
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:So at that time, then you know,
psychedelics were starting to
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:be studied back then for mental
health issues and other contexts.
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:But then we had the war on drugs,
and that halted a bunch of research,
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:and now we're getting back to it.
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:But it's so important to just remember
that origin story because again, it's
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:like a violation of women for sure,
and then also Indigenous communities,
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:and so it's so important that when we
talk about psilocybin, that we bring
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:that Indigenous, uh, culture into it.
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:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yeah, I agree.
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:And kudos to you for having,
for prioritizing that and
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:having the awareness to do that.
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:Because I think that hopefully by
using this now, the knowledge in a
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:way that does honor women and help
people, it honors the memory of.
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:Her and these pioneers and people who
were, using it first, who got there first.
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:I think we're so arrogant in the West.
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:We love to think that
we're the ones that are
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:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yeah,
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:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
all these things, right?
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:Discovering things.
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:It was like, no dude,
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:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
No, dude.
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:Yes.
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:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
no dude.
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:Yeah.
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:So, well, okay.
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:Yeah.
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:That's fascinating.
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:And I think too, that there was
that negative sort of stigma or just
277
:perception of psychedelics as like,
You know, hippies doing LSD and just
278
:tripping and for recreation only,
and again, not that there's anything
279
:necessarily wrong with that, but I
think that the war on drugs, that whole
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:idea around that really stigmatized it.
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:And I think it created a lot of fear.
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:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
It did create a lot of fear.
283
:And there was a lot of
misinformation put out there.
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:There was this concept.
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:It was really around, a lot of it was
around MDMA or, you know, what we have
286
:called ecstasy and Molly over the years.
287
:But there was this idea that
like, everyone was doing Molly.
288
:We were all gonna go crazy and insane.
289
:The world was gonna, Essentially blow up
because people are Molly all the time.
290
:And this just really wasn't happening.
291
:It was a moral panic, essentially akin
like the satanic panic of the:
292
:where everyone thought there were all
these dead devil worshipper worshippers
293
:everywhere and that just wasn't true.
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:But then there are all
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:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
tapes backwards and
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:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
exactly.
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:There are all of these other
298
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
remember it.
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:Well,
300
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
exactly.
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:Same.
302
:There's all this other misinformation
out there too, like you're going to
303
:lose your mind if you do psychedelics,
you're going to jump out a window
304
:and, uh, none of this is true.
305
:That's just not how it works, and a
lot of it is perpetuated by film and
306
:television that inappropriately portrays
what doing a psychedelic is like.
307
:People see people having bad trips in
film, and movies, and they're like,
308
:oh gosh, I don't want to be like
that, or that someone's just going
309
:to go crazy for doing this, and it's
just, that's just not the real case,
310
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
sure.
311
:So when it comes down to that, I
mean, I know that people do sometimes
312
:have bad trips, um, but what is
the difference between, like, the
313
:reality that you're talking about
and this sort of Hollywood version
314
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Right.
315
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
worst case scenario?
316
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yeah.
317
:So people do have bad trips and actually
I think the psychedelic community is
318
:trying to change the language around
that rather than saying a bad trip.
319
:We want to say a challenging trip
and that can happen where and it
320
:might not be the whole journey.
321
:Like you might have the, it starts
out great and then suddenly you
322
:get some anxiety or fear that
crops up and you're having too
323
:many visuals and it's overwhelming.
324
:But there are ways to be
protective against it.
325
:And and then the other thing I want
to, and I'll share some of those ways,
326
:but one thing I want to share too is
that it, you know, usually that if
327
:you do have a slightly bad experience,
it's just like a temporary thing.
328
:It's it's just a section of your
journey or your trip that might
329
:be a little bit like, oh, gosh,
I don't want to do this anymore.
330
:And I had an experience.
331
:But it was okay in the long run.
332
:And most people report, even if they
have a challenging experience, this comes
333
:from survey results and, medical studies
that are in peer reviewed journals, they
334
:report that it's still one of the most
profound experiences of their lives.
335
:And I can totally relate to that
because, my journey was in my trip
336
:experience was really good for the
most part, but I did have like a 10
337
:minute time span in there where I was
like, I want to unsubscribe from this
338
:experience and I don't want to be
339
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yeah.
340
:I want out.
341
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
you're like stuck on the carnival
342
:ride and but it was a good thing.
343
:My mind was just showing me what I needed
to know at that moment, cause that's
344
:how psychedelics work on the brain.
345
:I know we're going to get into that, but
it was showing me what I needed to know.
346
:And on the other side of that 10 minute
time span was immense peace and relief.
347
:And I mean, the most Peace and
euphoria I've ever felt in my life
348
:was at that other side of that.
349
:And so I do call it one of the most
profound experiences of my life.
350
:Now that's not to say that people
don't have really horrible trips
351
:and they can go really bad.
352
:Um, but generally you can do a
lot of things to set yourself
353
:up for a good experience.
354
:And the context of that in
the psychedelic community, we
355
:use the terms set and setting.
356
:So set is your mindset going
into a psychedelic journey.
357
:And what I mean by that is like, are
you super stressed out or are you
358
:feeling like, okay, I can do this.
359
:Do you have you set aside enough
time or do you have like some crazy
360
:deadline coming up that is the next day?
361
:And you're worried about that.
362
:And you've got so many things going
on in your life that you can't really
363
:take time to actually Do a journey
that's going to set you up, set yourself
364
:up for a very stressful experience.
365
:Yeah.
366
:And then the set, the setting is literally
like what's around your environment,
367
:what's around you, who's around you.
368
:And so some of that can be controlled
by you know, finding a safe space or a
369
:really calming space because some people
react too much to external stimuli.
370
:So like for me, I would not want
to be on shrooms at a festival.
371
:Other people are great doing that, but
I know that personally, that's not going
372
:to set myself up for a good experience.
373
:I need to be in a calm contained
space for the most part.
374
:So yeah, there are things like with set
and setting practices that can really set
375
:you up for the best experience possible.
376
:And then the other thing
in terms of mindset.
377
:Instead of setting like this intention
of like, I need to work on this very
378
:specific thing, uh, which you can do.
379
:But a lot of people recommend
setting an intention to just
380
:being open to the experience and
to try to avoid the resistance.
381
:Cause we do have a tendency to resist
things and that we can't control.
382
:And there will be elements of your
journey that you can't control.
383
:And so you have to be just
open to that experience.
384
:And the more open that you are and the
less resistance that you put up, the
385
:better your journey will likely be.
386
:It's just some mini tips, but
there's more on that in the book.
387
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yeah, that's, that I think is the
388
:part that's the most intimidating
for me is, , the, just the loss of
389
:control or the lack of control that
you would have going through it.
390
:Uh, which brings me to my next question.
391
:The difference between micro dosing
And macro dosing, because for that
392
:very reason, I'm someone that I'm
very open to the idea of micro
393
:dosing because it's not this, you
know, big thing that's happening.
394
:or This kind of concentrated
experience, if you will.
395
:So tell me the difference between
micro dosing and macro dosing and how
396
:people can kind of maybe determine
which route is best for them.
397
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yeah, I think a combination of the
398
:two are great, but macro dosing is
so micro and macro, if you just nail
399
:down those terms, micro means like
a very mini, tiny dose and macro
400
:means you're taking a larger dose.
401
:So I do list all the different doses in
my book, but I also want to mention that
402
:there's something called a heroic dose.
403
:So I'll start with that
because that's the biggest.
404
:So that's going to be
something like over five grams.
405
:You're going to be.
406
:extremely tripping.
407
:It's not recommended to do
that for your first experience.
408
:So let's just set that aside for now.
409
:We're not going to, we're not going
to do a heroic dose right this minute.
410
:Um, and I
411
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
you!
412
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
that as someone's first choice.
413
:Um, then like what we think of like
a classic macro dose is going to
414
:be, so heroic dose is five grams.
415
:And that classic macro dose will
be somewhere between like two, 3.
416
:5, even up to three grams.
417
:four grams, let's just say between
two and four grams is a macro dose.
418
:And that is when you are going to have
some of these classic experiences while
419
:tripping, like where you're going to
see some visuals, some different things
420
:are going to be happening in your brain.
421
:And we can talk about that, but you
need, you roughly need about let's just
422
:say six hours to like get your peak
dose and then come down from that dose.
423
:So you need.
424
:time to do that.
425
:You can't, you're not going
to be able to be working and
426
:you don't want to be working.
427
:Um, whereas a micro dose
is like a 10th of a gram.
428
:So compared to like, well, let's say
a macro dose at three grams, think
429
:of a micro dose as a tenth of a gram.
430
:And most people don't really, you don't
have any visuals when you take that.
431
:You're not going to be seeing like
shapes and, geometric patterns or the
432
:furniture's not going to be breathing.
433
:That happened to me in my microdose
where the couch was breathing.
434
:And I was like, no, you're
not supposed to breathe.
435
:But the microdose, you're
not going to have that.
436
:You can drive on a microdose.
437
:You can go to work.
438
:And so people use micro dosing,
almost like, taking a pill.
439
:You know, you take a pill every most
of your medications you take every day.
440
:Now, most people don't
micro dose every single day.
441
:There are protocols that you follow.
442
:And those, I list some of
those protocols in the book.
443
:There's like the Fadiman
protocol and the Stamets.
444
:stack.
445
:And that involves taking a micro
dose for like, certain days of the
446
:week and then taking off a few days.
447
:And then eventually you have
like a washout week where you
448
:don't take anything at all.
449
:And that's just to prevent, um,
building up a tolerance essentially.
450
:Plus taking a moment to say, do
I need to continue doing this?
451
:So micro dosing is something that people
do pretty regularly with in certain
452
:contexts, following certain patterns.
453
:And then macro dosing is something
that you're not doing regularly because
454
:who has six hours on a Saturday to,
to trip and prepare for that and like,
455
:then come down from that and maybe
have another day of rest after that.
456
:That's like an ordeal,
you know, in a good way.
457
:But who has time every weekend to do that?
458
:So you're typically doing
more of a macro dose.
459
:Um, Like maybe you do it yearly,
maybe you do it twice a year or maybe
460
:once a quarter, you know, it's going
to depend on the person and doesn't
461
:have to be at a specific pattern.
462
:It's just not something that
you're doing every day because we
463
:would not be functioning in life.
464
:We were doing that every day.
465
:So that's important to understand.
466
:So people use micro dosing more for
having better focus during the day,
467
:feeling less anxiety, maybe managing
symptoms of depression, things like that.
468
:And then people use macro dosing
for as a deeper journey to gain
469
:insights, learn about themselves.
470
:And again, we can talk about
all the brain science there.
471
:And I think that it's so macro
dosing can actually be very lasting,
472
:And that's why you don't also
need to do it very frequently.
473
:So if you're battling a mental health
condition, and you're, trying to
474
:combat depression a macrodose we're
learning through research may last I
475
:mean, you're not continually tripping,
but the benefits last for, um, like
476
:up to a year, maybe six months.
477
:It's going to depend on the person
and what they're dealing with.
478
:But you don't need to macrodose regularly,
but you may choose to microdose.
479
:And microdosing can really support your
macro, like in between your macrodose.
480
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Interesting.
481
:Yeah.
482
:That's okay.
483
:That's good to know.
484
:I am always curious too.
485
:Like if someone does the micro dosing
first, is it less likely that they'll
486
:have the more challenging experiences
with the macro or not necessarily?
487
:I mean, does it come
at it from a different,
488
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
There's not really any literature
489
:or research on that in terms of
like, if you micro dose, do you
490
:have a better macro dose experience?
491
:Um, I, I personally think people
should do, uh, this is just my opinion.
492
:I love the idea of somebody doing
a macro dose and then using micro
493
:dosing to support that experience.
494
:So there's another term, and we'll
get into this later, but there's
495
:another term in psychedelics.
496
:in the psychedelic community
called integration.
497
:And so integration is really
that process of learning from
498
:your experience with psilocybin.
499
:And so, um, when you are, you know,
after you've done your trip or
500
:your journey, you would you could
talk to a psychedelic assisted
501
:therapist who does integration work.
502
:There are integration circle,
like communities out there.
503
:It's like group therapy, essentially
just talking about your experience.
504
:experience or you can also
just do that yourself.
505
:You can journal, which is what I
did for my, most of my integration.
506
:And that was really
beneficial to me as a writer.
507
:Um, but yeah, so integration is that
process of learning from that experience.
508
:And so people then use a micro dosing to
tap back into some of their experiences.
509
:It's not that you're going to be
tripping, but you might, feel,
510
:you might think back to your.
511
:While you're microdosing, you might
think back to your macrodose and then
512
:gain newer insights as you go along.
513
:So that's just a way that I think
microdosing can support that macrodose.
514
:Yes.
515
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Fascinating.
516
:That's cool.
517
:So one question that
just came to mind too.
518
:Rewinding a little bit to the
discussion about indigenous use of this.
519
:I, I think it's really important
too, for people to understand the
520
:perspective of using this as medicine
versus just a recreational drug.
521
:Right.
522
:I think that that can perpetuate
that stigma we were talking about.
523
:And am I correct in saying that
typically this was used medicinally
524
:or is used medicinally when.
525
:You know, with, by indigenous
people versus what we think
526
:of with like a party drug.
527
:Like
528
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yeah, right.
529
:So, like, certainly Indigenous communities
do, um, ceremony, and I suppose you could
530
:think of a ceremony as somewhat of a
party or like a mini festival, but it's
531
:You know, it's not like we're thinking
about that classic, guy going to a
532
:festival and being like, I'm on mushrooms.
533
:You know, it's not like that.
534
:It's very medicinal.
535
:Yes.
536
:People do use in indigenous communities.
537
:They do use psychedelics medicinally, but
there is a, there can be a recreational
538
:component for, um, like facilitating
community and connection within you
539
:know, a tribe, things like that.
540
:So, so it's a mix of.
541
:Both.
542
:But yes, definitely a
major medicinal component.
543
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Cool.
544
:Thanks for clarifying that.
545
:Yeah.
546
:I think it's an important distinction.
547
:So tell us a little bit how psilocybin
actually works and why it can
548
:be an effective tool for healing
and specifically behavior change.
549
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yeah.
550
:So I'll walk through a
few different concepts.
551
:My favorite is, well, I have
several favorites, but one that
552
:really helps people understand is
the, it's called the rebus model.
553
:And this was created by Dr.
554
:Robin Carhart Harris and Dr.
555
:Carl J.
556
:Friston.
557
:They're prolific, uh, scientific
researchers in the psychedelic space.
558
:I just like to give credit
where credit is due.
559
:So people don't think I came
up with it, but so it's rebus.
560
:And so what these researchers are
essentially saying, they have a great
561
:analogy for it, but what they're
essentially saying is that so we think
562
:back to childhood, our minds were super
flexible in terms of we hadn't formed our
563
:identities yet or about we have, Formed
our beliefs about how the world around us
564
:operates that comes later in adulthood.
565
:I mean, of course we start to develop our
identities, especially in adolescence, and
566
:we learn about the world in adolescence.
567
:But by the time we're in
adulthood, our minds are have
568
:become very rigid, which sounds.
569
:weird, but childhood flexible
and then adulthood very rigid.
570
:And that's simply because those
belief patterns about ourselves
571
:become very solidified and locked in
place, and they're hard to change.
572
:And then same thing with how
the world around us operates.
573
:It just kind of gets locked in.
574
:And so this is where sometimes depression
can crop up, eating disorders can crop up.
575
:And of course, this can happen
in, the teenage years as well.
576
:But it's just as we grow
older, we get that rigidity.
577
:Okay.
578
:And so the analogy that I love is we can
think about our minds when we're in a
579
:normal state of consciousness as being
super rigid, almost like a frozen pond.
580
:So if you think of your mind,
it's just like ice, right?
581
:Now, if you were going to try to take
a new belief, let's say you're trying
582
:to change, um, a thought pattern
or just a belief about yourself.
583
:Maybe you have social anxiety and
you're trying to change this idea that
584
:you're not good in social settings.
585
:If you were to think of that.
586
:beliefs as a rock, and you
try to drop it on that frozen
587
:pond, it doesn't gain entry.
588
:It just goes thunk, and nothing happens.
589
:Maybe it cracks the ice a
little bit, but that's it.
590
:Now, when you're on a psychedelic,
this is where the relaxed beliefs
591
:under psychedelics comes in, then
we have almost like a thawed pond.
592
:So now you have water.
593
:Now you take that rock in the form of
a new belief, or the new belief in the
594
:form of a rock is what I'm trying to say.
595
:You drop it in, and it, create it gains
entry and it creates this ripple effect.
596
:And so now you've gotten a new belief
into your mind and it's going, it's likely
597
:to stick when you're on the psychedelic.
598
:And so why does this happen?
599
:Well, in a normal state of consciousness,
we have almost like this hierarchy of.
600
:beliefs.
601
:And so if you think about like a
corporate structure, we can think of
602
:our beliefs is like this corporation
and you've got your CEOs at the top
603
:and they're very bossy and domineering.
604
:And then they don't listen to
any like, employee that's like
605
:lower on the ladder, right?
606
:They're like, Oh, those
people don't matter.
607
:And so we can think of those as like
those beliefs that we really want to,
608
:we want to add them to our mind, but
our brains will not let us because
609
:we've got these domineering CEOs.
610
:Now, when we're on a psychedelic, that
hierarchy just sort of goes away, and so
611
:that the employees, the beliefs on the
lower end of the ladder, they they get
612
:a chance to sort of climb up that ladder
and make, make changes in your mind.
613
:About certain things.
614
:So again, going back to this idea
of like we had social anxiety or
615
:we're trying to change that, that
whatever beliefs are kind of rooting
616
:you in that it's really hard to do
in a normal state of consciousness.
617
:But with that relaxed beliefs under
psychedelics, it's much easier to
618
:change when you're on a psychedelic.
619
:So this is really why Psychedelics
work, especially for changing, making
620
:behavior change, but also we have this
increased level of neuroplasticity
621
:after using a psychedelic.
622
:And so, um, neuroplasticity, if
I were to try to explain that, I
623
:just say it's like your brain is
sort of blooming and flowering.
624
:We're growing new dendrites and synapses.
625
:And so, we can really lean into making
behavior change and implementing behavior
626
:change after using a psychedelic.
627
:So if you use psilocybin and you are,
you're, one of your goals is maybe I want
628
:to quit drinking or I want to drink less.
629
:This is a great time to start
implementing that behavior change.
630
:It's not going to happen just
automatically because you did psilocybin.
631
:You need to lean into you know, now make
some of those behavior changes of like,
632
:okay, I'm going to try to just have three
drinks a week instead of 10, or whatever
633
:it is, like just making up a number.
634
:But you may find that you don't even
want to reach for that the drink anymore.
635
:It just, but you have to do
some of that work as well.
636
:The other concept I want to bring up is
called it's called the helioscope effect.
637
:So what this means is that, so
this researcher, his name is Dr.
638
:Gregor Hassler and he's at Freiburg
University, I think that's in Germany,
639
:but he came up with this concept called
the helioscope effect to explain why
640
:when we go on a psychedelic are we
able to reprocess trauma and deal
641
:with trauma a little bit better.
642
:So the issue is that in In normal
states of consciousness, our
643
:trauma is really triggering.
644
:We avoid thinking about it.
645
:We don't want to think about traumatic
events because they trigger us and
646
:make us feel really uncomfortable.
647
:Our heart rate rises and we just get
like, Oh, I don't want to deal with this.
648
:Um, but when you're on a psychedelic, we
have what's called this helioscope effect.
649
:And a helioscope is an, in
science is an instrument with it.
650
:Scientists use to look at the sun because
You don't want to be looking at the sun,
651
:you know, directly and pro tip there.
652
:But, um, because you'll get burned, right?
653
:But the same concept
applies to our trauma.
654
:We don't want to look at our trauma
in a normal state of consciousness all
655
:the time, because it does freak us out.
656
:But when you are on a psychedelic, it's
like you have this helioscope instrument.
657
:It allows you to see your trauma from
a safe distance and through a new lens
658
:without getting burned, essentially,
and, uh, and then it gives you this.
659
:new filter to reprocess your trauma
that you wouldn't have access to
660
:in a normal state of consciousness.
661
:So that can be really highly beneficial
for people dealing with trauma is
662
:that beautiful helioscope effect.
663
:Now, of course, I do want to correlate
this back to our discussion about bad
664
:or challenging trips, because initially
when your mind is so that, you know,
665
:when you take a psychedelic, especially
like with psilocybin, it's going to do,
666
:it's going to work on your brain, on the
things that are in your brain already.
667
:So it's not giving you new ideas,
unless you're like, trying to, add
668
:a new idea to your mind, of course.
669
:But it's working on things that
you need to work on, because our
670
:subconscious knows What's up in there?
671
:You know, it's like, hey, you
need to work on this, right?
672
:So that's what's happening
when you take a psychedelic.
673
:The mushroom is going to take you
where you need to go the most.
674
:But that can feel uncomfortable at first
just because like our normal resistance
675
:in everyday life would be like, Oh,
if someone's going to talk about a
676
:sexual assault and that's triggering
for you, then you're like nope, nope.
677
:But on a psychedelic, you, um, you
again, may have that anxiety first
678
:come up, but if you sit with it and
avoid that resistance, you'll be
679
:able to hopefully view that trauma
from that safe new lens, you know?
680
:So I, I just love the helioscope effect
because it just makes so much sense.
681
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
It's fascinating.
682
:And it reminds me, you know,
I, I talked with Nicole field.
683
:She came on and talked about
somatic stress release work.
684
:And, we talked about how
the body stores everything.
685
:People may be familiar with that
book, The Body Keeps the Score.
686
:I mean, we know now that our experiences
are stored on a physiological level.
687
:So is that part of what's working
here is that these things that are
688
:sort of stored in our minds or bodies
somewhere are now coming to the surface?
689
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yeah, I think one of the things to
690
:remember is that if you've had, and I'll
talk about this later too, if you've had
691
:adverse childhood experiences or what
the scientific community, it calls ACEs.
692
:So these are anything that could have
happened to you in childhood, like,
693
:uh, abuse, neglect living through.
694
:Extreme poverty, systemic racism in your
community, having a violent household,
695
:parents who were very volatile, a parent
who was incarcerated, severe childhood
696
:illness, losing a parent, you know,
they, somebody died in your family,
697
:these are adverse childhood experiences
and it's they're very traumatic and they
698
:cause, they actually cause changes in
our body to our actual stress response.
699
:So we have the, uh, you know,
our fight or flight system.
700
:It messes with that fight or flight
system and changes how we use
701
:cortisol, how we're using glucose,
insulin, all of these things.
702
:It permanently changes that.
703
:And so, yes, that is, those traumas are
stored in your body to a certain degree.
704
:And when we use psilocybin, if we're,
doing this in a very therapeutic
705
:context, trying to work on, Stress
or trauma or depression or anxiety.
706
:It's almost like it can reset that or
it can help reset that stress response
707
:to a certain degree so that it can
maybe calm that fight or flight system
708
:down a bit because it's so hyperactive
and people who've experienced trauma
709
:and, to put this into context, one
in six adults has experienced stress.
710
:For or more adverse childhood experiences.
711
:So that's an alarming amount of trauma
that just the world is carrying around.
712
:And so a lot of us are walking
around with an active, highly
713
:more activated stress response.
714
:And It, it's harmful.
715
:It's all, it's harmful to
our, it's nobody's fault.
716
:It's just, it's harmful
to our metabolic health.
717
:Um, so it can change the way that
we, again, process insulin and
718
:glucose, which can lead to obesity,
it can lead to heart disease.
719
:High cholesterol, all of.
720
:factors that are related
to our metabolic health.
721
:And then, we're going to talk
about menopause later too.
722
:But the, another thing just to
think about in terms of with the
723
:female body, when we've had four or
more ACEs, that is likely to give
724
:us a worsened menopause symptoms.
725
:So things like hot flashes
and it's because it's all
726
:tied to that metabolic health.
727
:So trauma has a very
lasting effect on our lives.
728
:And it does seem like
psilocybin helps with that.
729
:We've gotten new research that
has just come out this fall that
730
:shows that psilocybin does reduce
that psychological response to
731
:our adverse childhood experiences.
732
:So I'm planning to write about that
for an article at some point, but
733
:just wanted to bring that up because
it's so important to think about
734
:what, how can we work with our trauma?
735
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yeah, that's amazing.
736
:And.
737
:Having done talk therapy for years,
like, it's great to get things off your
738
:chest and have someone to talk to, but
it really wasn't until I started seeing
739
:a therapist who uses somatic modalities
that I felt like, okay, through this
740
:work, I'm, it's not erasing memories of
bad things that happened, but they just
741
:don't carry that emotional charge anymore.
742
:They don't have that
power over me anymore.
743
:So I think that that's a really cool
thing to dive into, from any with any
744
:modality, it can be really important
because that's what kind of enables you to
745
:move forward and grow and change behavior
change, or just be free of the emotional
746
:burden that those things can put on us.
747
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yes,
748
:absolutely.
749
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yeah.
750
:And I really want to dive into the
metabolic health piece of this,
751
:because that's something that
I'm always yammering on about.
752
:My listeners and my clients get sick of
it, but I'm always saying, look, if you're
753
:in a constant state of that, you know,
activated sympathetic nervous system.
754
:Fight or fight response, like your
body doesn't want to burn fat.
755
:Your body is going to
conserve real efficiently.
756
:Like your stress hormones are
going to be elevated all the time.
757
:Like your cells don't understand the
difference between constant chronic stress
758
:and continually running from a predator
or continually being in a famine state.
759
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Right.
760
:Yeah.
761
:When we have a stress response,
like let's say that you're driving
762
:in your car and you almost get into
a, like a fender bender, right?
763
:You're, you have that, everyone
knows that surge of adrenaline
764
:that you get from that moment.
765
:And there are many other
things to think about.
766
:And of course, that surge of adrenaline
is there historically to protect us.
767
:So, back in the day of, caveman
days, there were men running
768
:from tigers or whatever.
769
:I don't know what predators were all
out there then, but they were there.
770
:And so you needed that surge of
adrenaline to power your body.
771
:And people don't understand
what that is actually doing.
772
:When you get that cortisol release and
the norepinephrine, it drives glucose
773
:into your bloodstream so that you have
the energy to run from the threat.
774
:Right.
775
:But.
776
:In our normal states, we, in
everyday life, we aren't under threat
777
:running from predators generally.
778
:I mean, maybe sometimes, but
it's there for you to have a good
779
:reaction in that near fender bender.
780
:But if we're constantly in that heightened
state of stress and and Feeling like we're
781
:under threat, which many people who've
experienced trauma constantly feel that
782
:it's hyper vigilance were hyper aware that
we're like, Oh, we were under threat at
783
:any moment that's constantly happening.
784
:You're just getting this constant glucose
dump into your bloodstream and it, you
785
:know, then that affects insulin release
and and then that can lead to obesity and
786
:other things with metabolic health too.
787
:Sorry to take it on a metabolic
health tangent, but I'm also very
788
:passionate about metabolic health.
789
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yes.
790
:Absolutely.
791
:I am too.
792
:And I think that it's so crucial because
again, twice as many women will be
793
:diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease as men.
794
:We now know, I mean, they're calling
Alzheimer's disease type three diabetes.
795
:We know that there is a direct link
now between glucose dysregulation
796
:and insulin resistance.
797
:and brain health.
798
:And it starts in middle age, not old age.
799
:You know, so most of my
listeners out there are going
800
:to be in their thirties and up.
801
:I mean, this is the time to start
paying attention to these things
802
:and doing this work and it, yes,
nutrition and exercise matter.
803
:But I think that the emotional
work is even more of a
804
:foundational piece than that.
805
:I think that it's, and not
everyone's going to be.
806
:So I'm not sure if it's something that
you're comfortable doing, you know,
807
:using psychedelics, but whether that's
one route for you or not, there are
808
:plenty of other options out there.
809
:And I think that it's just such a
crucial piece because that stress
810
:response, especially if it's
an ongoing thing in your body,
811
:it's going to affect your health
812
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yes.
813
:Yeah.
814
:In
815
:the long
816
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
in every possible way.
817
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
absolutely.
818
:And, to your point, you were talking
about dementia being, more prevalent
819
:in women and it really starts to
happen as we get into perimenopause and
820
:menopause with that estrogen drop that
puts us at risk for dementia processes.
821
:It changes are the way our body
handles glucose and insulin.
822
:So it's just this compounding factor
is going through that menopause time.
823
:It's not that the menopause is bad.
824
:It's just a natural part of life.
825
:But we do need to be much more vigilant
about our metabolic health as we get
826
:into That era of our lives because of
all the risk factors that crop up because
827
:of the decline in estrogen including
heart disease and one thing I'll take
828
:it on just this mini tangent But I think
you know heart disease is a problem for
829
:women But the medic like people don't
really know about that I would say that
830
:in general people think of like heart
attacks and stroke is happening to men
831
:more often But it is happening to women.
832
:It's happening to women in middle age and
so if you've got a heart condition or if
833
:you've Got anything that's cropping up as
a heart symptom, definitely talk to your
834
:doctor about it and be persistent about it
because women are dying of heart attacks.
835
:They are having strokes and we are,
more at risk and the common thing that
836
:happens is if you go in and you say,
Oh, I'm having heart palpitations.
837
:What is your doctor going to say?
838
:Oh, you have anxiety and that
839
:may not be the case.
840
:It may just be that you are having
an arrhythmia or something and
841
:it needs to be taken care of.
842
:Just wanted to bring that up.
843
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
I'm glad that you brought it up.
844
:That actually happened
to me a couple years ago.
845
:I was having full blown like, and.
846
:We've only known recently how
differently symptoms present in women
847
:for heart attacks they do in men.
848
:You know, We're used to hearing
about the chest pain, the left arm
849
:tingling, numbness, That is very
typical for men, whereas women,
850
:they might feel flu symptoms.
851
:might feel, you know, like nausea or
sudden fatigue, all of these things.
852
:And yeah, I had that happen
to me a couple of years ago.
853
:It was not a heart attack, but thankfully
I had a functional medicine female
854
:doctor who knew What to look for.
855
:And I had to go through a
ridiculous battery of tests.
856
:But yeah, there were some irregularities
going on there and it was really
857
:lucky that we figured it If we
alone, there could have been a real
858
:a real problem
859
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yeah.
860
:I'm so sorry.
861
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Oh, thanks.
862
:You know, It's I'm grateful it now because
it it was a wake up call for me And I
863
:was under way too much Not necessarily
because oh my god, my life right now is
864
:so stressful But like you say my nervous
system was just sort of stuck in this
865
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
hmm.
866
:It can happen.
867
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
And I couldn't really shift into that
868
:parasympathetic place of, you know,
what we call rest and digest where I
869
:could truly relax and turn off truly
like my body and brain did not feel
870
:fully safe to do that.
871
:And so it was a real, it really
rattled me and kind of said, look, you
872
:might practice what you preach when
it comes to fitness and nutrition,
873
:but when it comes to your mental
wellbeing and your emotional health.
874
:Something's
875
:got to
876
:give, it's got to shift and I
really, we have to prioritize that.
877
:And that is something that in all the
work that I do with my clients, I'm
878
:constantly reiterating, like, look, I
can give you the best tools in the world.
879
:I can give you the best
diet, the best workout plan.
880
:You might do it to a T, but if
your emotional you know, emotional,
881
:spiritual, mental health is suffering,
or you're in this chronic stress Guess
882
:what?
883
:You're still gonna
884
:struggle a
885
:lot.
886
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
It's still going to affect you.
887
:Of course.
888
:It's so important.
889
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yeah, absolutely.
890
:Um, you had mentioned to me too we
were talking about, because obviously,
891
:you know, behavior change is a big
Piece of look if you know, we're
892
:coming into perimenopause or middle
age and we're needing to make changes
893
:to our lifestyle behaviors Maybe
we are having to address address.
894
:Excuse me addictive behaviors be
it alcohol sugar, you know Whatever
895
:that might be for some people.
896
:It's exercise
897
:over exercising Yeah, but you had
mentioned to me that there are
898
:actual clinical trials that talk
about how psilocybin can help
899
:with addictive
900
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yeah.
901
:So there are a few clinical
trials out there going right now.
902
:Um, And one is for alcohol use disorder.
903
:And there were actually probably
several clinical trials related
904
:to alcohol use disorder.
905
:Others are for opioid use disorder.
906
:And there's even, there were even studying
psilocybin for, um, smoking cessation.
907
:So obviously smoking is highly and,
uh, has damaging health effects.
908
:But what people don't realize is that
the, um, the female body is different
909
:than the, I mean, the male body.
910
:In general, the female body is
different than the male body.
911
:But when it comes to smoking
cessation, for example, we have women
912
:have different nicotine receptors.
913
:Like our nicotine receptors are
different than in the male body.
914
:And if you think about all those smoking
cessation products that um, you know,
915
:uh, nicotine gum or patches, they
all work on the nicotine receptors.
916
:And typically, I mean, yes, they can work
for women, but it's, it makes, it's still
917
:harder for women to quit because of the
difference in the nicotine receptors.
918
:And a lot of those products.
919
:don't work adequately for women.
920
:So I'm really excited that
psilocybin is being studied for that.
921
:But a that, um, the addiction, I would say
the the literature surrounding addictive
922
:behaviors and psilocybin, like how can
that help kind of goes back to that rebus.
923
:model why am I, why am I
addicted to the substance?
924
:Why am using this?
925
:Is it is it a behavior
thing that I can change?
926
:And, you know, by incorporating
new belief systems into your
927
:mind, can you make those changes?
928
:So certainly related to that, but
there's also a lot that happens in our
929
:during, um, you know, using psilocybin,
especially in a therapeutic setting.
930
:That works on different brain networks.
931
:we have in our, in our mind or
in our brains, there's something
932
:called a default mode network.
933
:And that is a network of brain
regions that work together to
934
:form like our sense of self.
935
:It's concerned with our like
memories, anything, if you're
936
:thinking about the past or the future.
937
:future your mind's kind of wandering.
938
:It's very active.
939
:It also involves our empathy,
including empathy for ourselves,
940
:but also empathy for others.
941
:So it's just really
important brain network.
942
:And so there's a lot happening with
that network when you're on psilocybin
943
:that can be beneficial for um, it's
it's interesting and I like to explore.
944
:Explain So, um, again, this is a
brain network of brain regions that
945
:work together, but when you're on
psilocybin, um, it changes what's
946
:connected and what's not connected.
947
:So it's like things that are normally
connected in the default moat network
948
:will disconnect, and then things
that are normally not will connect.
949
:So I, I liken it to like thinking about
you've got an outlet in your house and
950
:we've all Take all the cords out and then
plug them back into different outlets.
951
:I like to think of it that
way That's what's happening.
952
:And so there's a lot of stuff that could
be going on with addictive behaviors That
953
:could be changed on the other side of
it Now, of course your brain goes back
954
:to normal connectivity once you're off
of psilocybin I don't want people to be
955
:freaked out that your brain's going to be
all scrambled or something but it it does
956
:have these beneficial effects in terms
of Again, I'm dealing with some of that
957
:rigidity that we have in a normal state
of consciousness, getting new beliefs
958
:in there and then working on patterns
that are really no longer serving you.
959
:So, you know, if I'm sitting here
drinking three glasses of wine a
960
:night, that's not healthy for me
and it's not really serving me well.
961
:I know I want to change it,
but it's hard to change.
962
:And so I think that some of
that, that relaxed beliefs
963
:under psychedelics takes effect.
964
:for these addictive behaviors.
965
:But people are finding in clinical
trials that it reduces their heavy
966
:drinking, the number of heavy
drinking days that they have.
967
:Um, I, I'm a, I'm I'm a classic example.
968
:I did, um, uh, macro dose over a year
ago and I've dramatically cut back
969
:on drinking, like, you know, I would
probably be having one or two glasses
970
:a night of wine and now like, I'll go
like a week without touching it or, you
971
:know, many days without touching it.
972
:It's just not something I'm reaching to.
973
:Constantly, but I've done work on that.
974
:You know, I focused on like, I drinking?
975
:What, What am I doing that for?
976
:know, this isn't great for my liver.
977
:So I've really
978
:been
979
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Or your hormones or your
980
:brain.
981
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
Yeah, well, it's not great for anything.
982
:But, um, you know, yeah, I'm
not against wine and It's great.
983
:But, um, it, it is something that I
think women tend to turn to quite a
984
:bit, especially middle age when we're
struggling with so many different things.
985
:We've got our careers.
986
:We've got, you know, there are
people that have, I don't have
987
:kids myself, but other people do.
988
:And, so there's kids, there's
careers And And then something I'm
989
:dealing with too in my life right
now is caring for aging parents.
990
:And that's really stressful.
991
:And if you've got all things going on at
992
:once,
993
:jeannieoliver-0jysyqubx_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
So many of us are at that
994
:stage.
995
:It's a
996
:lot.
997
:jenniferchesak-8q8wampvm_raw-audio_jeannie-oliver-jennifer-chesak_2023-dec-05-0720pm_psilocybin_for wome:
And so we're we're classically going to
998
:be reaching for things that numb us out.
999
:And that might be ultra processed foods.
:
00:49:57,556 --> 00:50:00,096
It um, you know, cigarettes.
:
00:50:00,106 --> 00:50:02,046
It might online shopping.
:
00:50:02,076 --> 00:50:05,366
know, it could be anything that you're
using to sort of numb yourself, but
:
00:50:05,366 --> 00:50:09,756
there's so much science coming out now
and research that psilocybin can help
:
00:50:09,756 --> 00:50:11,326
with some, making some of these behavior
:
00:50:13,456 --> 00:50:15,086
-:You know, we didn't talk about this
:
00:50:15,096 --> 00:50:17,136
previously, but I'm really curious.
:
00:50:17,186 --> 00:50:22,976
So as someone who was recently, like
less than a year ago, diagnosed with
:
00:50:23,006 --> 00:50:28,076
ADHD, and I know it's often, it's more
often diagnosed in women once they
:
00:50:28,196 --> 00:50:31,356
reach perimenopause because the hormonal
changes and the drops in estrogen,
:
00:50:31,366 --> 00:50:33,396
things can exacerbate the symptoms.
:
00:50:33,796 --> 00:50:36,226
Um, for me, I had many of
the symptoms my whole life.
:
00:50:36,226 --> 00:50:39,066
I just didn't realize that
that was going on, but curious.
:
00:50:40,626 --> 00:50:43,856
Psilocybin help at all
with that aspect of it?
:
00:50:43,856 --> 00:50:45,996
And maybe you want to table
that till we get into the
:
00:50:46,356 --> 00:50:48,506
menopause section of the talk
:
00:50:48,516 --> 00:50:49,316
today, but I'm
:
00:50:49,316 --> 00:50:49,956
so curious.
:
00:50:49,986 --> 00:50:50,436
-:No, I'm.
:
00:50:50,816 --> 00:50:55,086
Happy to talk about ADHD and then
we can get to menopause later.
:
00:50:55,096 --> 00:51:00,016
Um, But yeah, so with ADHD, a lot of
people are using microdosing to help with
:
00:51:00,016 --> 00:51:05,426
that because microdosing is, a lot of
ADHD out there are a stimulant, right?
:
00:51:05,466 --> 00:51:11,586
And so, microdosing, um, psilocybin is, it
does have a stimulant and so it can help
:
00:51:11,671 --> 00:51:13,736
focus, like cutting out all the noise.
:
00:51:14,341 --> 00:51:17,921
Um, and the other thing that, um,
so I have a whole chapter on this.
:
00:51:17,931 --> 00:51:22,701
There's a woman that I interviewed
who had, she has severe ADHD.
:
00:51:22,731 --> 00:51:26,081
And so she said she's not
necessarily using microdosing as
:
00:51:26,081 --> 00:51:30,821
like a tool for that, but she's
done macro doses to help with ADHD.
:
00:51:30,821 --> 00:51:32,397
And one of the things that
she mentioned that was just.
:
00:51:32,712 --> 00:51:36,212
I felt like this was really profound
was if you've, if you've struggled
:
00:51:36,212 --> 00:51:41,556
with ADHD all your life, or I mean,
just really point in time, um, it
:
00:51:41,556 --> 00:51:45,546
can be a little traumatic because,
um, the world expects you to operate
:
00:51:45,556 --> 00:51:47,256
in like a quote unquote normal way.
:
00:51:47,266 --> 00:51:48,226
You're supposed to be organized.
:
00:51:48,226 --> 00:51:51,981
You're supposed to, you know, Have
a schedule or do this and do that.
:
00:51:52,011 --> 00:51:54,321
It's a lot of things to keep of and do.
:
00:51:54,361 --> 00:51:56,891
And the ADHD brain just
does not work that way.
:
00:51:57,221 --> 00:51:59,841
But the the world expects
you to work that way.
:
00:52:00,041 --> 00:52:04,431
And so that can create a lot of
trauma for the individual, especially
:
00:52:04,441 --> 00:52:07,741
children when they have ADHD and all
the adults in their lives are like,
:
00:52:08,011 --> 00:52:11,471
you know, telling them that they're bad
because they're not behaving properly
:
00:52:11,471 --> 00:52:12,991
or whatever is expected of them.
:
00:52:13,261 --> 00:52:13,371
them.
:
00:52:13,701 --> 00:52:17,561
And it's just not feasible for many
people with ADHD to behave certain
:
00:52:17,561 --> 00:52:18,711
world expects them to behave.
:
00:52:18,711 --> 00:52:25,441
So she was using psilocybin to, um, that
or work on that trauma that resulted
:
00:52:25,441 --> 00:52:29,241
from childhood of, you know, where adults
are just expecting her teachers, parents
:
00:52:29,241 --> 00:52:31,021
expecting her to be a certain way.
:
00:52:31,041 --> 00:52:34,981
So I think that's a fascinating
component and I'm hoping researchers
:
00:52:35,011 --> 00:52:37,401
do do some more studying with ADHD.
:
00:52:37,421 --> 00:52:41,025
for psilocybin to see what are
some results that might crop up.
:
00:52:41,677 --> 00:52:44,294
-:love that because you, and am I correct?
:
00:52:44,304 --> 00:52:49,659
Is, Is it less, I mean, when we're
talking about any pharmaceutical,
:
00:52:49,659 --> 00:52:50,709
there are always downsides.
:
00:52:52,074 --> 00:53:00,354
So for rather be able to use
a plant and, you know, avoid
:
00:53:00,454 --> 00:53:04,614
potential side effects that a drug
or pharmaceutical may have for me.
:
00:53:04,614 --> 00:53:09,414
I mean, for example, like I use a
stimulant ADHD medication as needed.
:
00:53:09,684 --> 00:53:11,964
So I only take it maybe twice a week.
:
00:53:12,004 --> 00:53:15,484
I have a really, really low dose
that happens to work for me.
:
00:53:15,484 --> 00:53:18,186
And, I had to go through a bunch more.
:
00:53:19,322 --> 00:53:22,302
Cardiac tests and things, um,
cardiovascular testing just to
:
00:53:22,302 --> 00:53:24,872
make sure that that was safe for
me to take, even I'd rather I'd
:
00:53:24,872 --> 00:53:26,302
rather not have to take that.
:
00:53:26,742 --> 00:53:31,992
Um, and you know, if I can use something
that doesn't have the potential side
:
00:53:31,992 --> 00:53:36,167
effects or isn't depleting my magnesium or
all these things that this drug could do,
:
00:53:36,394 --> 00:53:37,454
I would much rather take
:
00:53:37,454 --> 00:53:38,014
that route.
:
00:53:38,919 --> 00:53:39,669
-:Sure.
:
00:53:39,679 --> 00:53:41,299
Yeah, absolutely.
:
00:53:42,064 --> 00:53:43,614
-:Do we know about potential
:
00:53:43,614 --> 00:53:44,644
side effects or things that,
:
00:53:44,823 --> 00:53:46,113
that psilocybin have?
:
00:53:46,556 --> 00:53:49,406
-:yeah, so, um, if you're macro dosing,
:
00:53:49,456 --> 00:53:52,816
I mean either macro dosing or micro
dosing, it's important to know
:
00:53:52,816 --> 00:53:56,926
that psilocybin does elevate your
heart rate and your blood pressure.
:
00:53:56,936 --> 00:54:00,076
So it's important that if you have
any heart condition that you do talk
:
00:54:00,076 --> 00:54:02,446
to a medical professional to make
sure that that would be something
:
00:54:02,446 --> 00:54:03,926
that would be for you to do.
:
00:54:04,286 --> 00:54:06,706
Um, And so that's something to consider.
:
00:54:06,706 --> 00:54:09,196
And it, you know, it does have
a bit of that stimulant effect.
:
00:54:09,196 --> 00:54:12,516
And so that's why it might be effective
for some people It's going to be
:
00:54:12,516 --> 00:54:15,578
different person person and the,
level of, their, their experience with
:
00:54:15,578 --> 00:54:17,928
ADHD, it's, it's very individualized.
:
00:54:17,987 --> 00:54:21,237
But, um, but those are the two
side effects to, to consider in
:
00:54:21,237 --> 00:54:24,047
the, you know, short term when
you're actually on the, the drug.
:
00:54:24,108 --> 00:54:29,216
and then in the long term, it's important
to know that, um, uh, some research
:
00:54:29,216 --> 00:54:34,176
is coming out to say that, psilocybin,
if microdosing super regularly, like,
:
00:54:34,446 --> 00:54:37,903
you know, pretty constantly, That,
uh, it's possible that that could
:
00:54:37,903 --> 00:54:39,723
create an arrhythmia with your heart.
:
00:54:39,733 --> 00:54:42,973
And that has to do with the serotonin,
the serotonin pathways that are, that's
:
00:54:42,973 --> 00:54:44,513
happening when you're on psilocybin.
:
00:54:44,893 --> 00:54:48,473
So the, the current like safety
protocol is certainly like
:
00:54:48,583 --> 00:54:50,053
take breaks from microdosing.
:
00:54:50,073 --> 00:54:51,543
Don't do it continuously.
:
00:54:51,563 --> 00:54:52,363
Plus that would.
:
00:54:52,588 --> 00:54:55,398
Create a tolerance for you anyway,
if you're doing that continuously,
:
00:54:55,668 --> 00:54:58,571
make sure you're taking breaks
and just be aware of the issue.
:
00:54:58,581 --> 00:55:01,301
Because of course, we just talked
about heart issues in women.
:
00:55:01,311 --> 00:55:05,121
And, um, you know, you don't want to
exacerbate that, uh, at a time in your
:
00:55:05,121 --> 00:55:06,791
life when you're risk for such a thing.
:
00:55:07,081 --> 00:55:11,561
So, so again, you could potentially
use, um, psilocybin as a micro dosing
:
00:55:11,601 --> 00:55:14,831
tool with ADHD, but you wouldn't,
it wouldn't be something you could
:
00:55:14,831 --> 00:55:17,721
do permanently, like every day,
you know, you'd have to be taking
:
00:55:17,771 --> 00:55:18,131
careful
:
00:55:18,141 --> 00:55:18,721
breaks.
:
00:55:18,722 --> 00:55:18,912
Thanks.
:
00:55:19,411 --> 00:55:20,231
-:That makes sense.
:
00:55:20,251 --> 00:55:23,361
And you talked a little bit, too, in
our initial conversation about the
:
00:55:23,361 --> 00:55:26,381
timing of it, and because it does
have that stimulant effect that it's
:
00:55:26,611 --> 00:55:28,251
probably better used earlier in the
:
00:55:28,251 --> 00:55:29,221
day so that it doesn't disrupt
:
00:55:29,221 --> 00:55:29,681
sleep.
:
00:55:30,851 --> 00:55:32,721
-:So just to mention that again, like if you
:
00:55:32,721 --> 00:55:37,848
are planning to macro dose, you know, you
do want to allow like six to eight hours
:
00:55:37,848 --> 00:55:42,348
of time there to, you know, get, you know,
it takes a little for it to activate in
:
00:55:42,348 --> 00:55:46,138
your body, just like as if you were taking
any medication and then, you know, you're
:
00:55:46,138 --> 00:55:48,928
going to hit the peak and then you're
going to time to come down from that.
:
00:55:49,198 --> 00:55:51,158
And it may affect your sleep that night.
:
00:55:51,158 --> 00:55:53,658
So, like if you're going to macro
dose, I would recommend like
:
00:55:53,668 --> 00:55:57,598
setting aside a weekend and, You
know, starting early on a Saturday.
:
00:55:57,598 --> 00:55:59,988
It sounds like, hey, I'm
gonna take some mushrooms
:
00:55:59,988 --> 00:56:00,828
at nine o'clock
:
00:56:00,828 --> 00:56:01,008
in the
:
00:56:01,008 --> 00:56:01,428
morning.
:
00:56:01,428 --> 00:56:01,928
But um,
:
00:56:02,398 --> 00:56:03,418
But if you have sleep
:
00:56:03,458 --> 00:56:04,048
-:Skip the coffee.
:
00:56:04,078 --> 00:56:05,978
-:I would yeah, I would recommend that
:
00:56:05,978 --> 00:56:09,028
rather than doing it like at night I
mean, it's not to say that you can't do
:
00:56:09,028 --> 00:56:12,438
it at night, but you may have trouble
sleeping I know I did the first I
:
00:56:12,448 --> 00:56:16,008
did in the evening one time and it
was I did have trouble sleeping that
:
00:56:16,018 --> 00:56:20,668
night Um, but the next time I did it
then I did it from in the morning.
:
00:56:20,678 --> 00:56:23,428
And, you know, by the time I went
to bed, I had come down quite a bit
:
00:56:23,428 --> 00:56:25,078
and had a normal night of sleep.
:
00:56:25,078 --> 00:56:28,048
then same thing with micro
dosing, um, researchers are
:
00:56:28,048 --> 00:56:29,248
starting to study this now.
:
00:56:29,248 --> 00:56:33,418
And we, we don't have all the results
on that yet, but it likely is that like,
:
00:56:33,418 --> 00:56:35,998
if you were to micro dose at night,
you might have some trouble sleeping.
:
00:56:35,998 --> 00:56:39,048
So I would recommend that if you're
micro dosing to in the day, rather
:
00:56:39,048 --> 00:56:42,548
than later, you know, it's similar
to like the concept of if you were,
:
00:56:42,568 --> 00:56:47,213
if you were to, Do like a crazy high
intensity interval workout at 10 p.
:
00:56:47,213 --> 00:56:47,473
m.
:
00:56:47,473 --> 00:56:48,373
And you want him to go to bed at
:
00:56:48,373 --> 00:56:49,173
11, you're going to be
:
00:56:49,173 --> 00:56:49,503
-:ideal.
:
00:56:49,543 --> 00:56:49,783
Yeah.
:
00:56:50,128 --> 00:56:52,078
-:I can relate it to that a little bit.
:
00:56:52,960 --> 00:56:54,700
-:Yeah, well, I think it would help too.
:
00:56:54,710 --> 00:56:57,760
I mean if it's helping with focus
and things like this like it's most
:
00:56:57,760 --> 00:57:00,130
useful during the day like I don't need
:
00:57:00,130 --> 00:57:00,450
help with that
:
00:57:00,600 --> 00:57:01,270
when I'm asleep.
:
00:57:01,925 --> 00:57:02,275
-:Right.
:
00:57:02,285 --> 00:57:05,255
It's not going to be like cannabis
where we, a lot of us use can, uh,
:
00:57:05,265 --> 00:57:09,025
myself included use cannabis for
like mellowing So it's not like that.
:
00:57:09,820 --> 00:57:10,750
-:Yeah, yeah.
:
00:57:11,263 --> 00:57:16,303
Since you mentioned cannabis, I'd love to
know just really briefly how psilocybin
:
00:57:16,323 --> 00:57:20,433
is different from Other drugs out there.
:
00:57:20,463 --> 00:57:23,017
And for me, it's more appealing.
:
00:57:23,027 --> 00:57:23,687
I don't know why.
:
00:57:23,737 --> 00:57:27,727
Maybe that's that like, it just
resonates with me a little bit more.
:
00:57:27,727 --> 00:57:30,397
But, um, I am not drawn to CBD oil.
:
00:57:30,397 --> 00:57:34,857
I've had some really weird, um,
you know, reactions to that.
:
00:57:34,907 --> 00:57:37,707
And so it just doesn't draw me.
:
00:57:37,727 --> 00:57:38,547
I don't know.
:
00:57:38,987 --> 00:57:42,717
Um, But I'd love to know how this
kind of acts a little bit differently
:
00:57:42,793 --> 00:57:45,913
on the brain in comparison to
something like, you know, Okay.
:
00:57:46,213 --> 00:57:50,568
MDMA or, um, well,
ayahuasca, like the other
:
00:57:50,858 --> 00:57:51,468
-:Yeah.
:
00:57:51,978 --> 00:57:52,598
-:psychedelics that are
:
00:57:52,598 --> 00:57:53,298
kind of becoming
:
00:57:54,433 --> 00:57:56,513
-:there's certainly LSD.
:
00:57:56,523 --> 00:57:57,353
So that's acid.
:
00:57:57,363 --> 00:58:00,573
Then there's, and there's,
um, MDMA, which is, you know,
:
00:58:00,573 --> 00:58:02,213
like I said, ecstasy or molly.
:
00:58:02,523 --> 00:58:05,753
And, um, you know, think about Like,
so obviously I think a lot of people
:
00:58:05,753 --> 00:58:10,083
are drawn to psilocybin because it
is natural substance, um, as opposed
:
00:58:10,103 --> 00:58:15,971
to something like acid or, MDMA and
ayahuasca is natural as well too.
:
00:58:15,971 --> 00:58:18,636
So people drawn to Natural things.
:
00:58:18,916 --> 00:58:23,833
Um, yeah, so there's some components
of, um, what happens in the brain are,
:
00:58:23,933 --> 00:58:29,513
like, also happening on MDMA or LSD
or, um, ayahuasca, and you know, I
:
00:58:29,513 --> 00:58:33,133
can't, I'm not an expert on those can't
really into all of the differences
:
00:58:33,133 --> 00:58:37,678
and the, and similarities, um, but
I, I do You know, just want to point
:
00:58:37,748 --> 00:58:42,608
out that like, uh, that acid, like
LSD and MDMA are natural substances.
:
00:58:42,608 --> 00:58:43,568
That doesn't don't approve of them.
:
00:58:43,568 --> 00:58:45,358
I, I approve of all psychedelics.
:
00:58:45,358 --> 00:58:47,838
I'm just saying that they're
they're very different.
:
00:58:47,868 --> 00:58:51,878
Um, terms of cannabis, um, you
know, there's some similarities,
:
00:58:51,878 --> 00:58:55,948
but I would say that, uh, the
experience is, is very different.
:
00:58:55,948 --> 00:58:58,238
I would say what's similar
in terms of like using.
:
00:58:58,833 --> 00:59:03,733
psilocybin and cannabis, you know,
individually would be, um, a lot
:
00:59:03,733 --> 00:59:06,263
of times with cannabis, you have
a little bit of euphoria and a
:
00:59:06,263 --> 00:59:10,093
lot of people on, psilocybin will
experience that euphoria as well.
:
00:59:10,093 --> 00:59:11,823
And that's a really pleasant thing.
:
00:59:12,163 --> 00:59:16,233
Um, you know, Some people on
cannabis have, uh, issues with
:
00:59:16,233 --> 00:59:17,883
anxiety, like it can drive.
:
00:59:18,188 --> 00:59:20,818
paranoia or increased anxiety.
:
00:59:21,058 --> 00:59:24,098
Um, and that can happen on psilocybin too.
:
00:59:24,158 --> 00:59:29,838
um, usually the, the experience that
anxiety can, can mellow out, you know.
:
00:59:29,998 --> 00:59:32,538
but yeah, it's just a very
different, um, I mean, obviously
:
00:59:32,538 --> 00:59:36,528
they're all different substances,
but, um, yeah, I like them both.
:
00:59:36,608 --> 00:59:40,563
I like cannabis and I like,
Cannabis has been very beneficial
:
00:59:40,563 --> 00:59:44,156
to me in a microdose, um, format.
:
00:59:44,156 --> 00:59:48,626
I mean, yes, I, I take enough
where I do feel it, but, um, I'm
:
00:59:48,626 --> 00:59:51,616
not taking it so that I'm like
high out of my mind or something.
:
00:59:51,646 --> 00:59:55,466
Not that high out of their mind, but
I'm not using cannabis recreationally.
:
00:59:55,466 --> 01:00:00,246
I mostly use it, um, you know,
around 8 PM to just sort of
:
01:00:00,246 --> 01:00:01,726
like ease myself into sleep.
:
01:00:01,726 --> 01:00:05,726
And it really helps me sleep, but
psilocybin would not help me sleep.
:
01:00:05,916 --> 01:00:07,106
That would not do good.
:
01:00:07,781 --> 01:00:08,221
-:Yeah.
:
01:00:08,791 --> 01:00:13,031
Well, it seems to just from, you know,
my understanding and from hearing you
:
01:00:13,031 --> 01:00:15,911
talk and please correct me, I could
be completely wrong about this, but I
:
01:00:15,921 --> 01:00:22,201
feel like cannabis is almost more in
that class of like, let's numb out a
:
01:00:22,201 --> 01:00:24,851
little bit or chill out and numb out.
:
01:00:24,861 --> 01:00:25,341
Whereas.
:
01:00:25,486 --> 01:00:29,746
Um, so Simon is more like, lock into
what needs to be addressed here.
:
01:00:29,756 --> 01:00:32,686
Like, it's a little more of,
um, of enlightenment maybe it.
:
01:00:33,111 --> 01:00:35,541
-:Yeah, that's a great way to put it.
:
01:00:35,541 --> 01:00:39,941
I, I would think of it like, if I'm if
I'm taking cannabis, I'm like, Hey, I'm
:
01:00:39,941 --> 01:00:44,881
ready to like, kind of tune out just
relax, you know, feel the numbness of my
:
01:00:44,881 --> 01:00:46,651
fingers and toes and things like that.
:
01:00:46,691 --> 01:00:51,091
Um, And then if I were to use psilocybin,
it's like, Hey, we're going to buckle down
:
01:00:51,091 --> 01:00:52,761
and get to work here, lady and work on
:
01:00:52,846 --> 01:00:53,316
-:Yeah.
:
01:00:53,466 --> 01:00:53,966
Yeah.
:
01:00:54,326 --> 01:00:56,926
Maybe that's why I'm more drawn to it
because that's more of my natural state of
:
01:00:57,256 --> 01:00:57,496
Buckle
:
01:00:57,511 --> 01:00:58,001
-:I get it.
:
01:00:58,001 --> 01:00:58,351
I mean, I'm
:
01:00:58,361 --> 01:00:58,891
like that too.
:
01:00:58,901 --> 01:00:59,271
I'm like, what are
:
01:00:59,336 --> 01:00:59,666
-:All right.
:
01:00:59,666 --> 01:00:59,906
Yeah.
:
01:01:01,556 --> 01:01:02,046
To do list.
:
01:01:02,601 --> 01:01:03,341
Oh man.
:
01:01:03,342 --> 01:01:03,361
Okay.
:
01:01:03,361 --> 01:01:03,781
Okay.
:
01:01:03,781 --> 01:01:10,096
So let's dive into, um, The very
female specific aspects of this, you
:
01:01:10,096 --> 01:01:14,270
know, I, I think a good example of
how things can affect the female brain
:
01:01:14,330 --> 01:01:18,050
so drastically differently or like
ambient, like we know now that like
:
01:01:18,050 --> 01:01:19,530
that affects women really differently.
:
01:01:19,530 --> 01:01:22,120
And initially there were like car
accidents women were having and all
:
01:01:22,120 --> 01:01:24,710
these things and people were like, Oh,
women are just bad drivers, whatever.
:
01:01:24,710 --> 01:01:27,060
And then they realized
like, no, no, no, doses.
:
01:01:27,520 --> 01:01:30,043
need to be like half of what
we're recommending for men.
:
01:01:30,132 --> 01:01:32,992
Um, and then that switched
things, you know, a lot.
:
01:01:33,322 --> 01:01:37,367
Um, we can all avoid taking something like
Ambien, but it's a good are different.
:
01:01:37,367 --> 01:01:38,457
They function differently.
:
01:01:38,777 --> 01:01:45,012
Um, And whether we are in size
smaller than men or not, like
:
01:01:45,422 --> 01:01:46,772
we're just a different machine.
:
01:01:47,132 --> 01:01:50,982
Um, have you found that there are
specific differences as far as,
:
01:01:51,032 --> 01:01:56,168
um, you know, how this works on
the female brain versus the male?
:
01:01:57,493 --> 01:01:58,653
Or at least how it
:
01:01:58,933 --> 01:02:00,323
influences the downstream
:
01:02:00,323 --> 01:02:01,053
effects.
:
01:02:01,053 --> 01:02:01,463
Mm
:
01:02:02,723 --> 01:02:03,243
-:Sure.
:
01:02:03,243 --> 01:02:03,573
Yeah.
:
01:02:03,573 --> 01:02:07,273
So there's some research now that has
come out that I'm really excited about
:
01:02:07,273 --> 01:02:11,893
to suggest that psilocybin does, um,
interact with the menstrual cycle.
:
01:02:11,943 --> 01:02:13,163
And so I'll dive into that.
:
01:02:13,173 --> 01:02:16,893
But, so the thing to note, to back up,
because we didn't talk about this, is that
:
01:02:16,893 --> 01:02:22,603
psilocybin is a tryptamine alkaloid and
it, binds to your serotonin receptors,
:
01:02:22,613 --> 01:02:25,633
and it mimics that it mimics serotonin.
:
01:02:25,633 --> 01:02:28,473
So it mimics that very
important neurotransmitter.
:
01:02:28,473 --> 01:02:32,043
Serotonin is super important for
our not only our mood, but it's
:
01:02:32,043 --> 01:02:35,943
also important for our digestion,
our libido, different things.
:
01:02:36,753 --> 01:02:39,803
So psilocybin is activating
those serotonin receptors.
:
01:02:39,833 --> 01:02:45,773
Um, So diving into that a little further,
what we do know is that estrogen like
:
01:02:45,863 --> 01:02:49,703
likely somehow affects the binding
at the serotonin receptor site.
:
01:02:49,703 --> 01:02:53,013
And so we don't really know all
the details on that yet, but
:
01:02:53,013 --> 01:02:56,403
what we do know is that it likely
affects the menstrual cycle.
:
01:02:56,563 --> 01:02:58,603
And so dig into that a
little bit more deeply.
:
01:02:58,603 --> 01:03:01,473
It may matter where we are in
our menstrual cycles when we are.
:
01:03:01,588 --> 01:03:03,538
when we are, um, macro dosing.
:
01:03:03,538 --> 01:03:08,193
And then in terms of micro dosing, I'll
talk about that as well Um, what we,
:
01:03:08,243 --> 01:03:12,513
what we know is that so our menstrual
cycles, well, I'll dig, I'll dig into
:
01:03:12,513 --> 01:03:16,203
this, um, study that came out first,
then I'll dive into the menstrual cycle.
:
01:03:16,223 --> 01:03:20,133
But some case studies that Johns
Hopkins university has been doing
:
01:03:20,134 --> 01:03:21,943
at their psychedelic center.
:
01:03:21,943 --> 01:03:22,523
Um, Dr.
:
01:03:22,523 --> 01:03:24,153
Natalie Kassian and Dr.
:
01:03:24,163 --> 01:03:27,438
Sasha Kane and Ryan, been prolific
in this, and I'm so excited about
:
01:03:27,438 --> 01:03:28,458
the research that they're doing.
:
01:03:28,458 --> 01:03:31,038
And I know they're going to continue
to study this, but they did some
:
01:03:31,038 --> 01:03:35,648
case studies looking at how are
psychedelics affecting cycle potentially.
:
01:03:35,648 --> 01:03:37,998
And there are three things
that kind of have cropped up.
:
01:03:38,208 --> 01:03:42,628
One is that, um, and they focused
on psilocybin to a certain extent.
:
01:03:42,638 --> 01:03:46,098
So one is that it's possible
that psilocybin may make your
:
01:03:46,098 --> 01:03:47,368
period come a little early.
:
01:03:47,898 --> 01:03:48,908
earlier than expected.
:
01:03:49,228 --> 01:03:51,858
It may also re regulate your
menstrual cycle if you've
:
01:03:51,858 --> 01:03:53,728
had a time of irregularity.
:
01:03:53,728 --> 01:03:57,109
So, um, you know, a lot of conditions
like premenstrual dysphoric
:
01:03:57,139 --> 01:04:01,449
disorder, polycystic ovary ovary
syndrome, and then can disrupt
:
01:04:01,449 --> 01:04:02,819
the menstrual cycle quite a bit.
:
01:04:03,109 --> 01:04:05,089
And so you may, and so can stress.
:
01:04:05,119 --> 01:04:07,389
And so, you know, there, there
might be a time where you've had an
:
01:04:07,409 --> 01:04:11,159
absence of a period or you've, your
period's just been really erratic.
:
01:04:11,159 --> 01:04:15,379
Well, it seems like psilocybin may be
able to reregulate The menstrual cycle.
:
01:04:15,389 --> 01:04:19,288
The other thing is that it may bring
back a menstrual cycle after a time
:
01:04:19,339 --> 01:04:23,809
of irregular, of, of an So I'm not
talking about in menopause, but in
:
01:04:23,809 --> 01:04:27,269
your reproductive years, there've
been, you know, many conditions can
:
01:04:27,269 --> 01:04:30,788
cause an absence of a period or a
lot of weight loss, all of that.
:
01:04:30,788 --> 01:04:31,399
can cause that.
:
01:04:31,399 --> 01:04:35,779
And so that might bring your menstrual had
a time of, of of where it's been absent.
:
01:04:36,399 --> 01:04:37,909
So why would this occur?
:
01:04:37,909 --> 01:04:41,657
Um, again, we need more research on those
specific things, but the research is
:
01:04:41,677 --> 01:04:45,290
starting and I'm excited about that, uh,
because it may have a lot of ramifications
:
01:04:45,290 --> 01:04:50,190
for, I mean, and benefits, I should
say, for, um, these conditions that do
:
01:04:50,210 --> 01:04:53,830
interact with the menstrual cycle, plus
maybe fertility even, we don't know.
:
01:04:53,980 --> 01:04:55,620
We just need to need to study that more.
:
01:04:56,005 --> 01:05:01,035
But the menstrual cycle occurs called
the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis.
:
01:05:01,045 --> 01:05:05,045
So when we are, um, dealing with
our menstrual cycle, you know, we
:
01:05:05,045 --> 01:05:09,525
have the the follicular phase, then
ovulation, then the luteal phase,
:
01:05:09,525 --> 01:05:10,675
and then you would get your period.
:
01:05:10,975 --> 01:05:14,625
And the reason that happens is
because the brain and the ovaries
:
01:05:14,625 --> 01:05:16,215
are communicating with each other.
:
01:05:16,215 --> 01:05:20,105
And when one hormone kicks off, it tells
another hormone what to do and so forth.
:
01:05:20,105 --> 01:05:22,835
And this all occurs
along this feedback loop.
:
01:05:22,920 --> 01:05:26,710
of the menstrual cycle, and then
we also have another axis in our
:
01:05:26,710 --> 01:05:28,230
bodies, and everyone has this.
:
01:05:28,240 --> 01:05:31,130
It's called the hypothalamic
pituitary axis, and that is very
:
01:05:31,130 --> 01:05:32,930
concerned with our stress response.
:
01:05:33,020 --> 01:05:36,516
And, and so, you know, when we
take psilocybin, we are activating
:
01:05:37,626 --> 01:05:42,496
that, uh, the HPA axis, the
hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis.
:
01:05:42,696 --> 01:05:45,350
But you can tell by their
names that these axes overlap.
:
01:05:45,350 --> 01:05:47,760
So we've got the hypothalamus
and the pituitary gland, they're
:
01:05:47,760 --> 01:05:50,355
overlapping with the Um, the H.
:
01:05:50,355 --> 01:05:50,535
P.
:
01:05:50,535 --> 01:05:50,825
G.
:
01:05:50,825 --> 01:05:51,815
Axis and the H.
:
01:05:51,815 --> 01:05:52,055
P.
:
01:05:52,055 --> 01:05:52,275
A.
:
01:05:52,275 --> 01:05:52,745
Axis.
:
01:05:52,745 --> 01:05:55,165
They overlap and we know
that one affects the other.
:
01:05:55,165 --> 01:05:58,495
We already know this from just
living as women in our lives.
:
01:05:58,495 --> 01:06:01,715
We know if we're stressed out, that
could impact periods and when we
:
01:06:01,715 --> 01:06:04,765
get our periods that can certainly
make us more stressed, right?
:
01:06:05,095 --> 01:06:08,335
So that we know from from our
experiences, plus from scientific
:
01:06:08,375 --> 01:06:09,545
literature that they overlap.
:
01:06:09,555 --> 01:06:13,185
So it's not a stretch to assume
that one axes would affect
:
01:06:13,215 --> 01:06:15,055
the other and likely they do.
:
01:06:15,810 --> 01:06:20,990
So how do you manage that with figuring
out should you, in your cycle, uh, do
:
01:06:20,990 --> 01:06:23,000
a deeper journey, like a macrodose?
:
01:06:23,260 --> 01:06:28,120
So, um, Indigenous wisdom practices,
you would not be allowed to engage in
:
01:06:28,120 --> 01:06:31,830
ceremony if you were on your period,
and that's just part of their rules,
:
01:06:31,990 --> 01:06:35,790
and that's likely for and when I
Indigenous wisdom expert, she also
:
01:06:35,800 --> 01:06:40,960
said that it's best, um, to if you're
if you're planning to do a macro dose,
:
01:06:40,960 --> 01:06:43,900
do that closer ovulation rather than
when you get closer to your period.
:
01:06:44,170 --> 01:06:47,870
And that simply has to do
with, um, the energy that's
:
01:06:47,870 --> 01:06:49,640
available to us in our bodies.
:
01:06:49,650 --> 01:06:53,440
And I'm talking about like, like the
way that we metabolize and insulin that
:
01:06:53,440 --> 01:06:55,620
changes as we get closer to our periods.
:
01:06:55,640 --> 01:07:01,695
And so if you are, um, close to your
period and trying to do a journey, Um, a
:
01:07:01,695 --> 01:07:06,615
macro dose can feel very energy depleting
for the body and just temporarily,
:
01:07:06,815 --> 01:07:10,675
but you know, you're already energy
depleted as you're in that late luteal
:
01:07:10,685 --> 01:07:12,465
phase getting closer to your period.
:
01:07:12,835 --> 01:07:16,605
And so another thing to consider is
a lot of people fast before a dose.
:
01:07:16,645 --> 01:07:19,725
Um, and that might just be like the
hours leading up to the macro dose,
:
01:07:19,825 --> 01:07:23,995
or it could be like, maybe you're
you're doing a dietary change for
:
01:07:24,035 --> 01:07:27,555
several days and you're fasting may
be a part of that leading up to it.
:
01:07:27,965 --> 01:07:30,065
You know, There are just different
practices surrounding it.
:
01:07:30,889 --> 01:07:35,099
It's very hard to fast in
that late luteal phase.
:
01:07:35,379 --> 01:07:38,999
Um, But during, as we're closer to
ovulation, we have much more energy
:
01:07:38,999 --> 01:07:40,559
available to our, in our bodies.
:
01:07:40,559 --> 01:07:43,814
And this all makes sense from a
scientific metabolic health get
:
01:07:43,844 --> 01:07:47,954
insulin resistant in the luteal phase
because our bodies are sending all the
:
01:07:48,354 --> 01:07:51,514
The um glucose to the womb, right?
:
01:07:51,574 --> 01:07:55,944
And so, um, It we just have more
and we're less insulin resistant.
:
01:07:55,944 --> 01:07:59,274
We have more energy in our bodies
during that ovulation time.
:
01:07:59,284 --> 01:08:02,604
So that's the recommendation on
macro dosing is to try not to
:
01:08:02,604 --> 01:08:04,064
do it too close to your period.
:
01:08:04,604 --> 01:08:09,784
And then in terms of micro dosing, my
indigenous wisdom expert recommended to,
:
01:08:10,094 --> 01:08:13,394
if you're thinking about micro dosing
to see how that affects your menstrual
:
01:08:13,394 --> 01:08:18,194
cycle, and many people are trying this
for various conditions, um, that to do
:
01:08:18,194 --> 01:08:23,974
that for three months, like follow a
specific protocol, like the Fadiman stack.
:
01:08:24,174 --> 01:08:27,413
Follow that for three months
and track your symptoms.
:
01:08:27,424 --> 01:08:30,513
So like, you know, take a journal
and mark down if you're having
:
01:08:30,523 --> 01:08:32,122
changes in your menstrual cycle.
:
01:08:32,443 --> 01:08:36,202
And that will kind of inform you, um,
three months later, if you want to switch
:
01:08:36,202 --> 01:08:40,323
them out, switch up the protocol, if
you want to stop completely, or if it,
:
01:08:40,353 --> 01:08:43,643
if you realize that it is working with
you and you want to continue with it, it
:
01:08:43,663 --> 01:08:48,372
takes about three months to really see
effects menstrual cycle with micro dosing.
:
01:08:48,383 --> 01:08:49,683
So just to keep that in mind.
:
01:08:49,993 --> 01:08:50,363
-:Yeah.
:
01:08:50,363 --> 01:08:52,023
That's that's great information.
:
01:08:52,053 --> 01:08:52,363
I.
:
01:08:52,363 --> 01:08:52,483
Yeah.
:
01:08:53,252 --> 01:08:56,582
Curious to see more of the research on
that as well, too, because I know, you
:
01:08:56,582 --> 01:08:58,292
know, a lot of women are realizing.
:
01:08:58,848 --> 01:09:02,238
At a certain point in their lives, like,
hey, I don't want to be on birth control
:
01:09:02,238 --> 01:09:08,077
anymore, you know, whether or not they
want to get pregnant and they really to
:
01:09:08,118 --> 01:09:13,818
re regulate their natural cycle because
they've been, you know, not having a real
:
01:09:13,818 --> 01:09:17,108
cycle for decades, potentially, right?
:
01:09:17,108 --> 01:09:19,548
And they want to kind of re
regulate that and sort of.
:
01:09:19,898 --> 01:09:22,558
Get to the point where they can get a
baseline on what's happening with their
:
01:09:22,558 --> 01:09:28,684
hormones Which you can't do when you're
on any kind of you know birth control or
:
01:09:29,084 --> 01:09:29,884
hormonal treatment
:
01:09:30,913 --> 01:09:32,874
So that could be a really interesting
:
01:09:32,874 --> 01:09:33,493
tool for that
:
01:09:34,014 --> 01:09:34,974
-:I think so too.
:
01:09:34,984 --> 01:09:36,834
And yeah, I'm with you on that.
:
01:09:36,844 --> 01:09:40,995
Like I um, I was, I had a blood clot and
it was actually caught in my arm and it
:
01:09:40,995 --> 01:09:43,115
was actually caused by birth control.
:
01:09:43,115 --> 01:09:48,395
It's a, It's a rare risk
factor for having a blood clot.
:
01:09:48,425 --> 01:09:53,015
And so after that, I was no longer
allowed to be on birth control at all.
:
01:09:53,295 --> 01:09:57,195
But birth control was helping me
for a while with wasn't a perfect
:
01:09:57,485 --> 01:10:00,150
but it was helping to a then I
was like, what am I gonna do?
:
01:10:00,190 --> 01:10:00,520
know?
:
01:10:00,940 --> 01:10:05,423
And so, you know, I wondered
if, um, that if I, had I had a
:
01:10:05,423 --> 01:10:08,684
hysterectomy eventually, but, um,
which is not a cure for endometriosis.
:
01:10:08,684 --> 01:10:09,645
I'm not trying to say that.
:
01:10:09,705 --> 01:10:13,485
But, um, but I, you know, leading
up to that, I was really, really
:
01:10:13,485 --> 01:10:17,415
struggling with so much pain after
not being able to take birth control.
:
01:10:17,415 --> 01:10:22,635
And I'm wondering if I had had access to
psilocybin then if I uh, or if I had known
:
01:10:22,635 --> 01:10:24,675
about it or known about the benefits of
:
01:10:24,675 --> 01:10:25,005
what that
:
01:10:25,100 --> 01:10:26,210
-:Right, man.
:
01:10:26,230 --> 01:10:29,470
Wouldn't it be wonderful if people could
get more access to this and not have to
:
01:10:29,470 --> 01:10:31,059
go through that unnecessary suffering?
:
01:10:31,430 --> 01:10:34,800
And I think the clotting is a
more common thing than we realize.
:
01:10:34,830 --> 01:10:39,470
I mean, you're one of probably,
well, at least two women who I know,
:
01:10:39,480 --> 01:10:43,200
one of my close girlfriends had
thrombosis that traveled to her.
:
01:10:43,640 --> 01:10:45,460
Long, you know, it, it was almost fatal.
:
01:10:45,680 --> 01:10:47,120
It was really really scary.
:
01:10:47,130 --> 01:10:49,375
And, um, this is just a personal trainer.
:
01:10:49,375 --> 01:10:50,735
I mean, extremely fit person.
:
01:10:51,125 --> 01:10:53,040
Um, And it was the
:
01:10:53,040 --> 01:10:53,490
birth control.
:
01:10:55,305 --> 01:10:56,415
-:I mean, that was the thing for me.
:
01:10:56,415 --> 01:10:58,315
Like I, I'm exerciser.
:
01:10:58,315 --> 01:11:02,285
I love fitness and, um, I'm
super healthy for the most part.
:
01:11:02,315 --> 01:11:05,305
And, uh, so when I, and I've
never smoked in my life.
:
01:11:05,305 --> 01:11:07,355
And so presented with that, it was.
:
01:11:07,600 --> 01:11:09,270
It was very, I was surprised.
:
01:11:09,270 --> 01:11:11,870
I was like, how could I possibly
have a blood blood clot?
:
01:11:11,870 --> 01:11:13,910
And actually doctors weren't
sure at first either.
:
01:11:13,910 --> 01:11:15,410
They were like, what is going here?
:
01:11:15,410 --> 01:11:16,720
And so, yeah.
:
01:11:16,720 --> 01:11:20,260
And, and to your point, I do think
it's more common than we think.
:
01:11:20,280 --> 01:11:23,850
Um, I ended up writing an article
about this for health line, about
:
01:11:23,850 --> 01:11:27,160
my personal experience and like the
risk factors for that and everything.
:
01:11:27,550 --> 01:11:30,963
And I can't tell you
how many messages I get.
:
01:11:31,083 --> 01:11:34,923
Per year from women who've
had the same issue crop up.
:
01:11:35,283 --> 01:11:38,043
And they're they're call, they're
reaching out to me on like Facebook
:
01:11:38,043 --> 01:11:42,093
Messenger or dms and Instagram, which
I'm totally open to, but they're asking
:
01:11:42,093 --> 01:11:43,983
me for medical advice and a doctor.
:
01:11:44,283 --> 01:11:47,583
And it's because they're not adequate
information from their doctors.
:
01:11:47,588 --> 01:11:51,634
And the the crazy thing too is
that, um, a lot, sometimes people.
:
01:11:52,003 --> 01:11:55,083
Reach me initially just to sort of
commiserate over this experience.
:
01:11:55,103 --> 01:11:58,753
But the other thing that I get from
people is, um, they message me and
:
01:11:58,753 --> 01:12:01,113
they're like, Oh, you know, cause
immediately if you have a blood
:
01:12:01,113 --> 01:12:02,163
clot, they're on a blood thinner.
:
01:12:02,163 --> 01:12:02,493
Right?
:
01:12:02,923 --> 01:12:05,093
Well, as women, we get periods, right?
:
01:12:05,143 --> 01:12:07,433
I'm depending on where you are
in your age, you know, but.
:
01:12:08,098 --> 01:12:11,228
If you get a period on a
blood thinner, it is like,
:
01:12:11,278 --> 01:12:12,978
Oh my God, am I hemorrhaging?
:
01:12:13,028 --> 01:12:13,368
Am I dying?
:
01:12:14,318 --> 01:12:16,648
And so it, and they don't
warn you about this.
:
01:12:16,648 --> 01:12:20,308
And there's research about it that,
um, that it's like 75 percent of
:
01:12:20,308 --> 01:12:22,998
women who take a blood thinner
will have a horrendous period.
:
01:12:22,998 --> 01:12:26,318
And it is like, it looks like you've
been slaughtered in your bathroom.
:
01:12:26,708 --> 01:12:29,077
And so they reach out to me and
they're like, am I hemorrhaging?
:
01:12:29,077 --> 01:12:30,378
Do I need to go to the hospital?
:
01:12:30,378 --> 01:12:33,418
And I nearly needed an iron
infusion because of it.
:
01:12:33,418 --> 01:12:33,588
It was.
:
01:12:33,603 --> 01:12:36,573
So bad, you know, and I need, I
know I needed to be on that blood
:
01:12:36,613 --> 01:12:39,403
thinner, but no one about that.
:
01:12:39,653 --> 01:12:40,553
-:so common.
:
01:12:41,783 --> 01:12:42,803
It's so common.
:
01:12:43,263 --> 01:12:50,923
it's just unbelievable to me little the
mainstream medical world understands about
:
01:12:50,923 --> 01:12:51,523
women's bodies.
:
01:12:52,443 --> 01:12:53,073
And how all these
:
01:12:53,573 --> 01:12:55,293
-:And I'm not, I'm not against
:
01:12:55,293 --> 01:12:56,243
the mainstream medical
:
01:12:56,473 --> 01:12:56,952
-:no.
:
01:12:57,003 --> 01:12:57,873
-:love science and
:
01:12:57,913 --> 01:12:58,603
-:but we have a long way
:
01:12:58,613 --> 01:12:59,603
-:you know, and I Yeah.
:
01:12:59,653 --> 01:13:00,483
We have a long way to go.
:
01:13:00,503 --> 01:13:00,713
Yes.
:
01:13:01,243 --> 01:13:05,915
-:Um, yeah, so menopause, or perimenopause
:
01:13:05,985 --> 01:13:10,515
because that's another, I think,
poorly understood stage of life.
:
01:13:10,965 --> 01:13:16,595
And I think that we, as women, Mostly
your horror stories about this, right?
:
01:13:16,595 --> 01:13:18,845
We hear like, Oh God,
wait till in menopause.
:
01:13:18,845 --> 01:13:19,445
It's horrible.
:
01:13:19,445 --> 01:13:24,265
And they're going to be having hot sweats
and, um, hot flashes and night sweats,
:
01:13:24,275 --> 01:13:25,675
and you're not gonna be able to sleep.
:
01:13:25,684 --> 01:13:26,425
Like, just wait.
:
01:13:26,465 --> 01:13:28,945
I had a woman say this to me
like a matter of months ago.
:
01:13:28,985 --> 01:13:29,975
She's like, Oh, just
:
01:13:29,975 --> 01:13:30,315
wait.
:
01:13:31,015 --> 01:13:32,280
And it's Okay.
:
01:13:32,290 --> 01:13:34,790
Well, first of all, not every
woman has that experience,
:
01:13:36,160 --> 01:13:40,330
but second of all, I don't think that
we have to come into this in this state
:
01:13:40,330 --> 01:13:43,300
of mind of there's nothing I can do.
:
01:13:43,340 --> 01:13:49,090
Um, I'm just a slave to my
genetic predisposition, et cetera.
:
01:13:49,410 --> 01:13:55,040
Um, So I want to know how this can be
used as a tool or how it potentially.
:
01:13:55,275 --> 01:14:00,705
You know, can affect things in that
perimenopausal and menopausal stage,
:
01:14:00,715 --> 01:14:04,565
because obviously our hormones are in
a very different state post menopause.
:
01:14:04,615 --> 01:14:08,469
This is after, technically after
your period has stopped completely
:
01:14:08,469 --> 01:14:10,089
for a full calendar year.
:
01:14:10,489 --> 01:14:13,809
Um, on that, but that's the
generally recognized diagnosis.
:
01:14:14,159 --> 01:14:19,059
Um, And, you know, what
looks different there?
:
01:14:19,059 --> 01:14:23,309
Because I know, like, for example,
from a nutrition perspective, women
:
01:14:23,309 --> 01:14:29,039
can Often do things like fasting more
in a way that men can when they're
:
01:14:29,039 --> 01:14:34,109
post menopausal while it, whereas when
they're still having cycles, it can look
:
01:14:34,119 --> 01:14:38,219
very different and they need to go
about it very differently because it
:
01:14:39,039 --> 01:14:41,189
You know, it's a different situation.
:
01:14:41,209 --> 01:14:46,789
So talk to us about in this kind of
context, because many of my listeners
:
01:14:46,829 --> 01:14:49,849
that perimenopausal state of life.
:
01:14:50,239 --> 01:14:52,139
Um, And many of them
:
01:14:52,139 --> 01:14:52,779
are also
:
01:14:53,099 --> 01:14:53,259
postmenopausal.
:
01:14:54,144 --> 01:14:54,954
-:Absolutely.
:
01:14:54,954 --> 01:14:55,193
Yeah.
:
01:14:55,193 --> 01:14:58,324
So this is, um, something I love
talking about menopause because I'm
:
01:14:58,324 --> 01:15:00,254
actually in perimenopause right now.
:
01:15:00,254 --> 01:15:03,294
I actually don't know where I am in my
menopause trajectory because I don't,
:
01:15:03,374 --> 01:15:07,029
I had a hysterectomy, so I don't have a
period and it's like, Am I in menopause?
:
01:15:07,029 --> 01:15:07,549
Am I not?
:
01:15:07,568 --> 01:15:08,229
What's going on?
:
01:15:08,229 --> 01:15:12,629
You know, but yeah, that time to that,
to the actual menopause, when you've
:
01:15:12,629 --> 01:15:16,759
had an absence of a period for a year,
um, that time leading up to that,
:
01:15:16,759 --> 01:15:19,039
which can last decade is perimenopause.
:
01:15:19,079 --> 01:15:22,959
And that's when we tend to get some of
these symptoms like hot flashes, um,
:
01:15:22,969 --> 01:15:26,739
potentially weight gain, depression can
crop up even for people who've never had
:
01:15:26,739 --> 01:15:32,129
depression before, um, a change in libido,
all of things can happen in perimenopause.
:
01:15:32,524 --> 01:15:35,504
And you know, you made a really great
point that we need to reframe the way that
:
01:15:35,504 --> 01:15:39,864
we, we talk about menopause and we think
about it because yes, it's this, it can
:
01:15:39,864 --> 01:15:43,994
be, we can have a lot of symptoms crop
up and people look at it a lot of dread.
:
01:15:44,284 --> 01:15:48,264
But what if we reframed that as
this concept of like, we're trying,
:
01:15:48,304 --> 01:15:51,514
we're, we're making a transition in
life, we're entering a new chapter.
:
01:15:51,514 --> 01:15:52,364
And what if it weren't?
:
01:15:52,589 --> 01:15:53,459
this bad thing?
:
01:15:53,489 --> 01:15:55,309
we thought about it as
something beautiful?
:
01:15:55,639 --> 01:15:58,519
And so my indigenous wisdom expert,
she kind of brought that up and she,
:
01:15:58,568 --> 01:16:02,909
she said, psilocybin or mushrooms
themselves, mushrooms are, um, and you
:
01:16:02,909 --> 01:16:07,549
know, fun, fungi out there are great
like decomposers and they literally
:
01:16:07,549 --> 01:16:09,549
transition matter into something else.
:
01:16:09,818 --> 01:16:12,899
And that is also something that we
can think about with our bodies is
:
01:16:12,909 --> 01:16:14,289
with menopause is that we are just.
:
01:16:14,769 --> 01:16:19,488
We're going through this beautiful
metamorphosis, perhaps, so that's one
:
01:16:19,488 --> 01:16:23,168
thing I wanted to share, but, um, I
do have some some actual that I think
:
01:16:23,168 --> 01:16:27,798
that psilocybin can help with, so one
thing to consider is that when people
:
01:16:27,798 --> 01:16:31,198
enter enter perimenopause, and if that
depression again, it doesn't happen for
:
01:16:31,198 --> 01:16:34,608
everyone, but it can happen, especially,
even for people who've never had it
:
01:16:34,608 --> 01:16:38,263
before, um, um, so, You'll go to your
doctor, and the first thing the doctor's
:
01:16:38,263 --> 01:16:42,313
going to do is prescribe you a selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitor, which
:
01:16:42,313 --> 01:16:47,623
is an antidepressant, commonly called
an SS rri, or an SSNRI with selective
:
01:16:47,623 --> 01:16:49,513
norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor.
:
01:16:49,903 --> 01:16:52,633
And so you might be put on
one of those and there's
:
01:16:52,638 --> 01:16:53,923
nothing wrong with those drugs.
:
01:16:53,923 --> 01:16:55,303
I appreciate that they're out there.
:
01:16:55,303 --> 01:16:58,093
They've helped many, many people,
including myself and the previous.
:
01:16:58,353 --> 01:16:59,113
previous years.
:
01:16:59,113 --> 01:17:02,273
I'm no longer on them now, but, and
I don't want anyone, I don't want to
:
01:17:02,273 --> 01:17:05,543
encourage anyone to go off of their
medication if it's working for them
:
01:17:05,543 --> 01:17:07,153
and if this is the right thing for you.
:
01:17:07,173 --> 01:17:11,133
But I do have, I do take issue with
the medical community just to that
:
01:17:11,163 --> 01:17:15,043
automatically and slapping it on
a woman in there in perimenopause
:
01:17:15,063 --> 01:17:19,083
because, um, SSRIs have side effects.
:
01:17:19,113 --> 01:17:23,243
And one of those side effects,
is low libido, or it can be.
:
01:17:23,243 --> 01:17:26,683
It doesn't happen to everyone, but it
can happen, and also cause weight gain.
:
01:17:26,683 --> 01:17:29,983
So now you're going into menopause,
you've got depression, they give
:
01:17:29,983 --> 01:17:33,873
you the pill, um, the SSRI, you're
going to take every day, and it's
:
01:17:33,873 --> 01:17:36,157
going to exacerbate symptoms, right?
:
01:17:36,168 --> 01:17:38,698
So I have, I do have a
real problem with that.
:
01:17:39,077 --> 01:17:44,447
And, um, what what we know about SSRIs
too, is not only do they blunt your, well,
:
01:17:44,447 --> 01:17:45,657
they, they, well, they blunt your mood.
:
01:17:45,847 --> 01:17:46,747
That's how they work.
:
01:17:46,767 --> 01:17:48,416
And that's what the aim is.
:
01:17:48,697 --> 01:17:51,467
But not only do they blunt your
lows, they also blunt your highs.
:
01:17:51,760 --> 01:17:57,030
So now you're going into perimenopause,
you've got depression and you're,
:
01:17:57,040 --> 01:17:58,120
you're struggling with like just.
:
01:17:58,385 --> 01:18:01,255
other things in midlife like
taking care of your parents, taking
:
01:18:01,255 --> 01:18:03,005
care of your doing your career.
:
01:18:03,127 --> 01:18:06,597
And now you can't even lean
into all those joys as much.
:
01:18:06,607 --> 01:18:10,217
You know, I, I struggle with people
just giving women these SSRIs.
:
01:18:10,797 --> 01:18:11,077
Yeah.
:
01:18:11,517 --> 01:18:15,597
And so, um, what we do know
about, uh, about psilocybin is
:
01:18:15,597 --> 01:18:17,097
that it does not blunt mood.
:
01:18:17,107 --> 01:18:20,987
So it activates your serotonin
receptors, but it doesn't blunt the mood.
:
01:18:20,987 --> 01:18:24,607
Instead, what what people are
reporting through, and this Is coming
:
01:18:24,607 --> 01:18:27,697
through in scientific research is
that it actually makes feel more
:
01:18:27,697 --> 01:18:29,177
okay with your highs and lows.
:
01:18:29,187 --> 01:18:31,797
So you just exist with
them in a normal way.
:
01:18:32,097 --> 01:18:34,297
And you know, you're
not blunting that mood.
:
01:18:34,317 --> 01:18:36,847
So I love that as a potential.
:
01:18:37,087 --> 01:18:39,787
The other thing to consider is that
with an SSRI, you have to take it.
:
01:18:39,955 --> 01:18:42,985
Every day for it to work and I've
experience where I've skipped
:
01:18:42,985 --> 01:18:44,665
a pill, you know, in the past.
:
01:18:44,665 --> 01:18:48,025
And then I was like, Oh gosh, I
feel like crap, you know, having
:
01:18:48,025 --> 01:18:49,455
mood swings or something like that.
:
01:18:49,455 --> 01:18:52,315
And so again, no longer have
I've had that experience.
:
01:18:52,400 --> 01:18:55,135
And they're also very
difficult to get off of.
:
01:18:55,425 --> 01:18:58,184
Um, you know, you might take it
for a while while you need it.
:
01:18:58,650 --> 01:19:01,190
And then it's it's really
hard to taper off of them.
:
01:19:01,190 --> 01:19:04,040
I had a horrendous time
getting off of I was on.
:
01:19:04,470 --> 01:19:07,550
And so, you know, again, like
it's, it's one of those things.
:
01:19:07,550 --> 01:19:10,850
It's like, um, again, I'm not
against these medications people,
:
01:19:11,100 --> 01:19:14,790
but and there's another option,
I would try that first, you know?
:
01:19:15,080 --> 01:19:20,380
And so, um, You know, going into the
discussion about libido, so commonly,
:
01:19:20,790 --> 01:19:25,750
um, libido can, can go down, or sexual, I
should say female sexual dysfunction can
:
01:19:25,780 --> 01:19:30,870
increase in that perimenopause time, and
female sexual dysfunction can encompass
:
01:19:30,870 --> 01:19:35,230
so many things, it could be pain with
intercourse, it could be low libido, could
:
01:19:35,230 --> 01:19:40,400
be, um, you know, inability to orgasm,
there are so many facets, you know.
:
01:19:40,460 --> 01:19:41,320
of that.
:
01:19:41,422 --> 01:19:44,272
But again, this can really
crop up in perimenopause.
:
01:19:44,312 --> 01:19:48,272
And so, um, I don't want to be
people blunting their libido by
:
01:19:48,272 --> 01:19:51,662
taking an SSRI if they don't need
to, if there's an alternative option.
:
01:19:51,672 --> 01:19:53,432
So will boost your sex life?
:
01:19:53,482 --> 01:19:55,282
This is something that
I like to talk about.
:
01:19:55,732 --> 01:20:00,532
Um, so, uh, it's not necessarily
going to be this classic aphrodisiac,
:
01:20:00,541 --> 01:20:04,032
like we're thinking of like something
like or oysters or whatever, like.
:
01:20:04,317 --> 01:20:06,907
that people say, it's
not really like that.
:
01:20:06,937 --> 01:20:10,977
Um, But what it may do is it
may boost your confidence.
:
01:20:10,987 --> 01:20:14,247
So if you go off and do a macrodose
on your own, um, maybe you're not
:
01:20:14,247 --> 01:20:16,577
doing it with your partner, you
go off and do that on your own.
:
01:20:16,887 --> 01:20:20,277
It may boost your like confidence
in the bedroom and really like
:
01:20:20,277 --> 01:20:23,827
voicing what you need from your
partner, which is a possibility.
:
01:20:24,227 --> 01:20:27,197
Um, the other, The other thing to
consider is that there are some
:
01:20:27,197 --> 01:20:30,497
things that are protective against
female sexual dysfunction and those.
:
01:20:30,522 --> 01:20:35,212
things are having a positive body image
and having intimate partner communication.
:
01:20:35,452 --> 01:20:38,272
And there's no guarantee that's
going to fix everything, but it
:
01:20:38,272 --> 01:20:41,692
can really help be protective
against female sexual dysfunction.
:
01:20:42,022 --> 01:20:45,502
And we do know through clinical
trials that psilocybin is being
:
01:20:45,502 --> 01:20:46,922
studied for eating disorders.
:
01:20:46,932 --> 01:20:49,692
There are like 11 types of
eating disorders out there.
:
01:20:49,692 --> 01:20:53,162
But we think of one of the most
classic is anorexia nervosa.
:
01:20:53,162 --> 01:20:54,522
And that's the one that it's.
:
01:20:54,652 --> 01:20:56,242
being studied for the most right now.
:
01:20:56,242 --> 01:20:57,932
I think also binge eating disorder.
:
01:20:58,342 --> 01:21:01,872
Um, But we are learning that it
has is having beneficial effects
:
01:21:01,882 --> 01:21:03,422
on these eating disorders.
:
01:21:03,422 --> 01:21:07,122
And that has to do with something
that happens with angular gyrus in the
:
01:21:07,132 --> 01:21:10,152
brain and reducing some rigidity there.
:
01:21:10,242 --> 01:21:14,041
And so, um, I do think psilocybin
can help boost your body image.
:
01:21:14,082 --> 01:21:17,622
And then also, um, I mentioned
intimate partner communication.
:
01:21:17,632 --> 01:21:22,052
There's component of psilocybin
that in the brain that we didn't
:
01:21:22,052 --> 01:21:25,082
quite Get to, but, um, I'll
just briefly explain it here.
:
01:21:25,082 --> 01:21:28,272
There's this concept oceanic
boundlessness and another con, which
:
01:21:28,712 --> 01:21:33,032
this like really beautiful, um,
connectivity that you can experience.
:
01:21:33,352 --> 01:21:36,642
And to, to explain that I have to
go back to the default mode another
:
01:21:36,642 --> 01:21:39,892
concept in psilocy, in, in psychedelics.
:
01:21:39,892 --> 01:21:41,132
It's called ego death.
:
01:21:41,182 --> 01:21:42,492
Um, And that scary.
:
01:21:42,502 --> 01:21:45,092
Like, am I going to completely
lose my sense of self?
:
01:21:45,122 --> 01:21:48,472
And that can happen on a, um, heroic dose.
:
01:21:48,482 --> 01:21:50,242
So like you're going over five grams.
:
01:21:50,602 --> 01:21:54,022
But in most macro doses, you're just
going to have really beneficial effects
:
01:21:54,032 --> 01:21:57,992
of this what's called ego death and
what I mean by that So if you remember
:
01:21:58,012 --> 01:22:03,892
default mode network is is involves your
of self and your ego Um, it's almost like
:
01:22:03,892 --> 01:22:09,353
some of that dissolves and um instead
of being so focused on yourself You feel
:
01:22:09,353 --> 01:22:11,858
this connection to the world around you.
:
01:22:11,868 --> 01:22:16,378
It might be that you just feel, um,
some, some connections to the people
:
01:22:16,378 --> 01:22:19,978
that you know and love, or you might
feel really connected to nature.
:
01:22:19,978 --> 01:22:24,008
You might feel connected to the whole
dang universe, whatever it is, but that's
:
01:22:24,008 --> 01:22:26,888
this concept called oceanic boundlessness.
:
01:22:26,898 --> 01:22:30,868
And I experienced something so
profound during my psilocybin journey.
:
01:22:31,178 --> 01:22:33,208
I'm just going to briefly explain
it, but it was definitely an
:
01:22:33,208 --> 01:22:35,288
element of oceanic boundlessness.
:
01:22:35,288 --> 01:22:39,813
I felt like I was connected to Threads of
light to everyone that I know and love.
:
01:22:39,853 --> 01:22:44,668
And I could actually like feel the love
coming towards me and the love that I was
:
01:22:44,678 --> 01:22:49,038
sending back almost like an electrical
current, you know, and you know, I was
:
01:22:49,038 --> 01:22:52,398
only, I was doing just a two gram dose
profound because a lot of times we feel
:
01:22:52,398 --> 01:22:57,008
like we, we know we have a support can,
uh, uh, you know, um, support system
:
01:22:57,018 --> 01:23:00,258
out there, our friends and family, and
we know they love us and will support
:
01:23:00,258 --> 01:23:00,508
us.
:
01:23:01,373 --> 01:23:06,993
physically feel it is so amazing and
profound and so I was experiencing that
:
01:23:06,993 --> 01:23:11,773
it was an element of oceanic boundlessness
and so I firmly believe that psilocybin
:
01:23:11,773 --> 01:23:15,763
can help facilitate that intimate partner
communication and again that doesn't
:
01:23:15,763 --> 01:23:19,318
mean that you have to like you and your
partner are going to like Hang out in
:
01:23:19,327 --> 01:23:21,118
the bedroom and do shrooms and then get
:
01:23:21,118 --> 01:23:21,808
all funky.
:
01:23:21,818 --> 01:23:21,958
Like,
:
01:23:21,968 --> 01:23:22,208
that's
:
01:23:22,208 --> 01:23:23,028
not what I'm saying.
:
01:23:23,648 --> 01:23:27,538
You can go off and do that on your own
and feel that increased connectivity
:
01:23:28,088 --> 01:23:29,638
without your partner doing anything.
:
01:23:29,638 --> 01:23:30,743
I mean, that's exactly to me.
:
01:23:30,843 --> 01:23:35,763
I don't necessarily have like female
sexual dysfunction, but I, um,
:
01:23:35,763 --> 01:23:39,713
I went off and did, you know, my
macro doses on my own with a guide.
:
01:23:39,733 --> 01:23:42,164
And then I came back and my
husband hadn't done anything.
:
01:23:42,164 --> 01:23:43,884
He was like sitting on
the porch the whole time.
:
01:23:43,884 --> 01:23:48,174
I'm sure, you know, I
felt like I loved him.
:
01:23:48,754 --> 01:23:52,943
Like to infinity, you know, it was
just like this exponential increase
:
01:23:52,964 --> 01:23:54,454
in the love that I have for him.
:
01:23:54,764 --> 01:23:57,474
And it wasn't that, like, we were
having marital problems to begin
:
01:23:57,474 --> 01:23:59,614
with, or that I didn't love him, I do.
:
01:23:59,943 --> 01:24:02,964
But it was just this increase, and
I was like, how did this happen?
:
01:24:02,974 --> 01:24:04,844
He didn't do anything different, you know?
:
01:24:05,214 --> 01:24:09,634
So I think that it can be really
profound in that way as well.
:
01:24:10,374 --> 01:24:14,134
And then I wanted to get back to,
we'd already covered talking about
:
01:24:14,164 --> 01:24:16,224
adverse childhood experiences.
:
01:24:16,534 --> 01:24:21,044
So again, one in six adults has had four
or more adverse childhood experiences,
:
01:24:21,054 --> 01:24:25,273
and those adverse childhood experiences
can exacerbate menopause symptoms.
:
01:24:25,273 --> 01:24:26,124
We know this.
:
01:24:26,584 --> 01:24:29,184
And so, especially if
you've had four or more.
:
01:24:29,464 --> 01:24:33,724
And so, now that we're learning that
psilocybin can help with adverse
:
01:24:33,724 --> 01:24:38,809
childhood experiences, help reduce that
psychological response, I think that it
:
01:24:38,839 --> 01:24:44,439
can help with menopause symptoms as well
by reducing that psychological response to
:
01:24:44,439 --> 01:24:46,818
our traumas that we've had in our lives.
:
01:24:46,869 --> 01:24:46,999
So
:
01:24:47,154 --> 01:24:47,794
-:so powerful.
:
01:24:48,424 --> 01:24:48,964
Yeah.
:
01:24:48,984 --> 01:24:49,724
I love it.
:
01:24:49,784 --> 01:24:50,264
I love it.
:
01:24:50,264 --> 01:24:55,044
And I think, thinking back to to the
rebus that you mentioned, that relaxed
:
01:24:55,044 --> 01:24:59,334
beliefs under psychedelics, I think
that's huge too, when we're talking about.
:
01:24:59,773 --> 01:25:03,054
Our libido and sex life because
I don't know a single woman
:
01:25:03,054 --> 01:25:05,314
who's like super stressed out
and it's like, yeah Let's like
:
01:25:05,574 --> 01:25:09,324
get it on I mean There's probably
a few of us that like maybe that's
:
01:25:09,474 --> 01:25:11,943
our you know release and so we're
maybe more motivated in that
:
01:25:11,943 --> 01:25:13,324
direction when we're super stressed
:
01:25:14,704 --> 01:25:19,014
But I would say that's probably the
minority of women like typically You
:
01:25:19,014 --> 01:25:23,324
know, if we're all up in our head
and stressed out, like that doesn't
:
01:25:23,324 --> 01:25:24,034
feel sexy.
:
01:25:25,514 --> 01:25:25,634
So,
:
01:25:25,669 --> 01:25:27,169
-:No, it Like, yeah, if you're
:
01:25:27,169 --> 01:25:27,879
super stressed, you're
:
01:25:27,879 --> 01:25:28,079
like,
:
01:25:28,214 --> 01:25:28,854
-:yeah.
:
01:25:28,854 --> 01:25:32,184
So if I'm in a more of a, you know,
parasympathetic nervous system
:
01:25:32,193 --> 01:25:36,314
state, like it's a lot more likely
that we'll be motivated that way.
:
01:25:36,659 --> 01:25:37,049
-:yes.
:
01:25:37,894 --> 01:25:40,934
-:Yeah, Yeah, Well, that's really, really
:
01:25:40,934 --> 01:25:43,075
cool and really encouraging, I think, too.
:
01:25:43,145 --> 01:25:45,718
And, you know, I'm a
big root cause person.
:
01:25:45,718 --> 01:25:48,048
It's not like, we can always
identify, like, one root cause
:
01:25:48,048 --> 01:25:50,418
and that's, you know, if you can
address that, it's the magic bullet.
:
01:25:50,458 --> 01:25:51,588
Everything's fixed.
:
01:25:51,848 --> 01:25:54,157
It's usually so multifactorial, right?
:
01:25:54,258 --> 01:25:55,088
Multifaceted.
:
01:25:55,291 --> 01:25:59,627
Um, but really am excited about
this because I, I believe that And
:
01:25:59,627 --> 01:26:02,517
I think that, you know, in the way
that I said before, it can be a
:
01:26:02,517 --> 01:26:06,317
little more of an enlightening option
versus like a numbing out option.
:
01:26:06,916 --> 01:26:12,651
I think it gives us this opportunity to
start to go in and, you know, address
:
01:26:12,661 --> 01:26:17,621
those adverse childhood experiences
that we've had address whatever.
:
01:26:17,921 --> 01:26:18,491
Maybe there.
:
01:26:19,026 --> 01:26:22,629
limiting beliefs, different things that
are going on that are holding us back.
:
01:26:23,327 --> 01:26:26,797
to me, that's the most exciting aspect
of this is that you could really kind of
:
01:26:26,797 --> 01:26:29,247
dive deeper to subconscious level, right?
:
01:26:29,257 --> 01:26:30,797
Because it's usually
our subconscious mind.
:
01:26:30,797 --> 01:26:36,184
That's the biggest roadblock I find when
it comes to really making the changes
:
01:26:36,184 --> 01:26:40,074
in our lives that we need to make or
taking the steps forward that we need to
:
01:26:40,074 --> 01:26:43,754
make to really bring all of our dreams
and goals into fruition and become like
:
01:26:44,279 --> 01:26:46,599
Absolute best version of ourselves, right?
:
01:26:47,039 --> 01:26:50,179
Fulfill our potential,
which we all want to do.
:
01:26:50,259 --> 01:26:51,349
We all want to do that.
:
01:26:51,359 --> 01:26:54,779
And I think that if we can kind of
remove all the roadblocks that stand in
:
01:26:54,779 --> 01:27:00,489
the way of that, and this is one tool
for doing that, and it just opens up so
:
01:27:00,489 --> 01:27:05,327
many possibilities by helping us kind
of root out like, Oh, what are these
:
01:27:05,358 --> 01:27:07,570
hidden things that are stopping me?
:
01:27:07,799 --> 01:27:11,199
I love the idea too, that you
have to kind of, if you're going
:
01:27:11,199 --> 01:27:12,609
to do this in a macro dose.
:
01:27:13,589 --> 01:27:18,919
Manner, you have to create space for
that space for yourself because it is
:
01:27:19,479 --> 01:27:22,019
like going and getting a treatment and
:
01:27:22,409 --> 01:27:24,629
you're going to feel, you know,
maybe wiped out the next day.
:
01:27:24,629 --> 01:27:30,802
Like, you have to allow your body
and your mind to process this
:
01:27:30,822 --> 01:27:33,087
and then do the integration work.
:
01:27:33,097 --> 01:27:37,297
And that's what I want to talk about next
too, is, um, you mentioned integration.
:
01:27:37,307 --> 01:27:40,767
So, you know, this isn't something
that you're going to take and like
:
01:27:40,907 --> 01:27:42,957
magically everything's going to be.
:
01:27:43,282 --> 01:27:45,022
Fixed for you the next day,
:
01:27:45,032 --> 01:27:45,522
right?
:
01:27:45,522 --> 01:27:49,162
Yeah.
:
01:27:49,842 --> 01:27:52,452
-:So yes, like all of these things do
:
01:27:52,462 --> 01:27:56,122
happen in your And then, you know,
that can have very beneficial effects.
:
01:27:56,142 --> 01:28:00,332
And there are certainly instances where,
yes, people have used psilocybin and
:
01:28:00,332 --> 01:28:03,912
then they automatically change something
about themselves or learn a new insight.
:
01:28:03,942 --> 01:28:06,392
That's, That's great, but
that's it typically works.
:
01:28:06,392 --> 01:28:06,977
You, okay.
:
01:28:06,977 --> 01:28:09,187
Typically have to put in work yourself.
:
01:28:09,217 --> 01:28:14,827
And so, um, you know, after my macro
dose, I was, you know, sitting there and
:
01:28:14,827 --> 01:28:18,027
journaling and writing just kind of like
rapid fire, writing down any thought I
:
01:28:18,137 --> 01:28:20,407
had about my journey and what did I learn?
:
01:28:20,859 --> 01:28:24,789
Um, and then over time, of course, I was
writing the book and my first chapter.
:
01:28:24,939 --> 01:28:31,568
Um, And so I wrote that
over and over again.
:
01:28:31,568 --> 01:28:33,199
I was really thinking
about these insights.
:
01:28:33,209 --> 01:28:37,045
So I was naturally doing integration
just by writing about my experience.
:
01:28:37,055 --> 01:28:38,135
So that's one way.
:
01:28:38,745 --> 01:28:42,125
But again, there's all these beautiful
communities out there that do, um,
:
01:28:42,135 --> 01:28:45,519
like integration circles and you can
find them on zoom or you can do them in
:
01:28:45,519 --> 01:28:48,849
person in your communities, depending
on where you live and things like that.
:
01:28:48,859 --> 01:28:54,209
But, um, You know, those are really
beneficial to because you are usually
:
01:28:54,209 --> 01:28:57,459
communicating with other people
in the circle who've had similar
:
01:28:57,459 --> 01:29:00,809
experiences, meaning that they've
done some type of psychedelic and
:
01:29:00,809 --> 01:29:05,179
they know some of these concepts like
that feeling of oceanic boundlessness.
:
01:29:05,179 --> 01:29:07,939
Because if you start to explain, try
to explain that to someone who's never.
:
01:29:08,209 --> 01:29:10,898
Felt it or known what
you're talking about.
:
01:29:10,898 --> 01:29:13,749
I'm like, I was connected by threads
of light to everyone I know and love.
:
01:29:13,749 --> 01:29:15,789
They're going to think
I'm crazy and woo, right?
:
01:29:15,844 --> 01:29:16,193
-:Yes.
:
01:29:17,145 --> 01:29:19,845
-:And, um, and so, you know, it's really
:
01:29:19,845 --> 01:29:22,825
beneficial to be things with other
people who've done that, or just
:
01:29:22,825 --> 01:29:26,835
are like minded about these things
so that they can, um, help you.
:
01:29:26,835 --> 01:29:30,514
And they can help you learn insights that
maybe didn't, that you didn't recognize.
:
01:29:30,514 --> 01:29:32,188
You just talk about your experience.
:
01:29:32,789 --> 01:29:34,839
Um, and then they help help you with that.
:
01:29:34,839 --> 01:29:35,869
And there's some great communities.
:
01:29:35,869 --> 01:29:38,429
I want to mention there's
moms on mushrooms.
:
01:29:38,449 --> 01:29:39,068
It's M O.
:
01:29:39,068 --> 01:29:39,089
M.
:
01:29:39,239 --> 01:29:41,079
that was created by Tracy T.
:
01:29:41,079 --> 01:29:45,199
And it's really just a community of
moms who are, uh, you know, open about
:
01:29:45,199 --> 01:29:48,599
their mushroom use and they're sharing
resources and talking to each other.
:
01:29:48,599 --> 01:29:50,799
There are educational components to it.
:
01:29:50,799 --> 01:29:52,304
There's integration circles.
:
01:29:52,349 --> 01:29:55,004
She's just doing a really great
job of reducing stigma for
:
01:29:55,284 --> 01:29:57,164
parents who might be community.
:
01:29:57,179 --> 01:29:58,529
You know, using magic mushrooms.
:
01:29:58,919 --> 01:30:02,567
And then also, um, there's the Flourish
Academy, which I think is great
:
01:30:02,637 --> 01:30:07,497
and they are doing, um, different
educational components as well.
:
01:30:07,497 --> 01:30:10,184
Um, also recommend
looking up, April Pride.
:
01:30:10,184 --> 01:30:13,675
she has a couple of different
programs that, um, so she can do
:
01:30:14,035 --> 01:30:17,962
some, some work with people who
are, uh, starting to microdose and
:
01:30:17,962 --> 01:30:19,222
just need to gain their footing.
:
01:30:19,222 --> 01:30:21,622
She has a great microdosing
journal out there.
:
01:30:21,982 --> 01:30:25,791
Um, So there are a lot of people out there
that are in this space that are trying to.
:
01:30:26,317 --> 01:30:27,697
foster this community.
:
01:30:27,916 --> 01:30:29,567
So integration can be done that way.
:
01:30:29,577 --> 01:30:32,759
It can also be done with like
an integration therapist.
:
01:30:32,759 --> 01:30:36,549
So there are there are certainly
psychedelic assistant therapists out there
:
01:30:36,759 --> 01:30:41,239
who help, who, who work with people while
they're actually on the psilocybin, like
:
01:30:41,239 --> 01:30:45,039
they're while you're macro dosing, you're
with a psychiatrist or a psychologist,
:
01:30:45,369 --> 01:30:46,829
they're not interfering with your journey.
:
01:30:46,829 --> 01:30:50,159
They're just there to support you
with you afterwards doing integration.
:
01:30:50,439 --> 01:30:53,996
But there are also therapists out
there that just, And so you don't
:
01:30:54,006 --> 01:30:58,780
necessarily have to do the, the, um,
psilocybin with a, with a psychologist.
:
01:30:58,780 --> 01:31:01,450
You might just work with
the therapist afterwards.
:
01:31:01,890 --> 01:31:05,570
Um, and then, you know, again, you
can do a lot of that integration
:
01:31:05,570 --> 01:31:07,610
yourself again by writing or just.
:
01:31:07,785 --> 01:31:12,365
thinking or meditating and really
like remembering what came up for you.
:
01:31:12,615 --> 01:31:14,975
And the beauty of integration
is that it's ongoing.
:
01:31:14,975 --> 01:31:17,145
It's not like you just
do it for the next day.
:
01:31:17,395 --> 01:31:19,295
It's something that you just keep doing.
:
01:31:19,295 --> 01:31:21,715
Like I think about my
macro doses all the time.
:
01:31:21,715 --> 01:31:22,985
And what did I learn during them?
:
01:31:22,985 --> 01:31:25,075
And I continue to gain new insights.
:
01:31:25,075 --> 01:31:29,705
I continue to make behavior changes
for myself based on those insights.
:
01:31:30,025 --> 01:31:34,066
And you know, I spent a, it's been
a year since my big macro dose.
:
01:31:34,066 --> 01:31:36,991
And so I'm continuing
to learn from that very.
:
01:31:38,071 --> 01:31:41,201
One single experience
and it's, it's beautiful.
:
01:31:41,581 --> 01:31:43,651
But again, um, it's not a magic bullet.
:
01:31:43,651 --> 01:31:45,591
You do have to do that integration work.
:
01:31:45,821 --> 01:31:48,621
And that helps you make some
of those behavior changes.
:
01:31:48,631 --> 01:31:51,541
And of course, you have to take
initiative to make those behavior changes.
:
01:31:51,550 --> 01:31:55,971
So if you're trying to stop the online
shopping, you have to consciously
:
01:31:55,981 --> 01:31:59,221
think about that and consciously
behavior changes, but you're,
:
01:31:59,300 --> 01:32:02,141
you might be in a better place to
make after using full assignment.
:
01:32:02,201 --> 01:32:02,441
-:Yeah.
:
01:32:02,441 --> 01:32:05,751
And that brings me to one concept
that, you know, we've sort of
:
01:32:05,751 --> 01:32:08,141
touched on indirectly, but that's
:
01:32:08,141 --> 01:32:08,751
motivation.
:
01:32:09,005 --> 01:32:13,005
And how this can shift your motivation,
because like you said, you know, where I
:
01:32:13,005 --> 01:32:15,625
would have been maybe having a glass of
wine or two every night, like now it's
:
01:32:15,625 --> 01:32:17,045
like, maybe I have them once a week.
:
01:32:17,075 --> 01:32:22,045
If that, like, I mean, that's a big
shift in one's or your, just your level
:
01:32:22,045 --> 01:32:24,325
of motivation to make the changes.
:
01:32:24,825 --> 01:32:26,715
and that's something that so
many people struggle with.
:
01:32:26,765 --> 01:32:27,895
I think that there's a lot of.
:
01:32:28,500 --> 01:32:32,090
Uh, Misconceptions what motivation is
that we should always feel motivated
:
01:32:32,090 --> 01:32:35,410
and always feel like, you know, Oh,
you know, once I make these changes,
:
01:32:35,450 --> 01:32:38,212
like I'm always going to feel motivated
to eat healthy and hit the the gym.
:
01:32:38,212 --> 01:32:40,552
And it's like, that's just not reality.
:
01:32:40,662 --> 01:32:45,302
Um, but yeah, dive into that just briefly,
because I know we're, we're getting
:
01:32:45,302 --> 01:32:46,772
short on time, but I think that this is a
:
01:32:46,772 --> 01:32:47,522
really important
:
01:32:47,812 --> 01:32:48,632
piece to touch on.
:
01:32:50,187 --> 01:32:52,057
-:Yeah, think part of it is that, yeah,
:
01:32:52,057 --> 01:32:56,557
you may not feel motivated to make these
changes all the time, but what what may
:
01:32:56,557 --> 01:33:00,187
be a benefit is I was, so I was mentioning
that psilocybin makes you feel more
:
01:33:00,187 --> 01:33:04,057
okay with your highs and lows rather
than sort of like blunting your mood.
:
01:33:04,457 --> 01:33:08,297
And, um, so I think you end up
feeling more okay with just your.
:
01:33:08,467 --> 01:33:11,137
present life, your present state of mind.
:
01:33:11,547 --> 01:33:14,416
And, of times we're, we're, you
know, constantly ruminating about
:
01:33:14,416 --> 01:33:16,177
the past or the future or whatever.
:
01:33:16,177 --> 01:33:20,587
And, you know, that leads us to want
to numb out in way, whether that's
:
01:33:20,597 --> 01:33:25,032
grabbing wine, um, Adding something
to your online cart or, you know,
:
01:33:25,032 --> 01:33:28,832
whatever it is that is that is
getting, that is a roadblock for you.
:
01:33:29,142 --> 01:33:33,662
Um, but if you okay with just
your everyday existence, that
:
01:33:33,702 --> 01:33:36,382
makes you less to, to numb out.
:
01:33:36,422 --> 01:33:41,077
and and when you're not doing the
numbing out, you, you open up other.
:
01:33:41,277 --> 01:33:41,687
-:Yeah.
:
01:33:44,322 --> 01:33:45,902
-:And part of that is like, it gives
:
01:33:45,902 --> 01:33:47,791
you a boost in motivation, you know?
:
01:33:47,791 --> 01:33:51,462
So I'll just, I've, I've gotten into
strength training lately and I love it.
:
01:33:51,462 --> 01:33:54,791
And it's such a beneficial thing in
perimenopause, like build that muscle
:
01:33:54,791 --> 01:33:55,482
because it's really
:
01:33:55,622 --> 01:33:59,562
healthy, but it's, it's not like I'm
can't wait to hit the weights today.
:
01:33:59,602 --> 01:34:00,062
You know?
:
01:34:00,132 --> 01:34:01,692
I don't necessarily have that.
:
01:34:02,112 --> 01:34:05,922
I mean, I I do love exercise to a
certain point, but um, but yeah,
:
01:34:05,922 --> 01:34:06,922
there are days where I'm like, eh,
:
01:34:07,552 --> 01:34:09,032
but, you know, I'm tracking.
:
01:34:09,697 --> 01:34:13,987
tracking my progress, like, Oh, I'm
adding more by I'm adding more weights
:
01:34:13,987 --> 01:34:18,137
to my bicep curls, and I get really
excited to see progress in the mirror.
:
01:34:18,537 --> 01:34:22,577
And loving that it's not necessarily
like I'm trying to like reshape my body,
:
01:34:22,577 --> 01:34:24,737
but I love like seeing the muscle form.
:
01:34:24,777 --> 01:34:29,267
And that can help motivate you to
the more progress that you make with
:
01:34:29,277 --> 01:34:31,597
something that increases your motivation.
:
01:34:31,607 --> 01:34:34,687
And when we're doing less
numbing out, that makes us
:
01:34:34,687 --> 01:34:36,307
more available to access that
:
01:34:36,307 --> 01:34:37,077
motivation.
:
01:34:37,121 --> 01:34:37,422
-:that.
:
01:34:37,462 --> 01:34:37,702
Yeah.
:
01:34:37,702 --> 01:34:39,022
That's really powerful.
:
01:34:39,092 --> 01:34:40,132
It's so powerful.
:
01:34:40,433 --> 01:34:44,633
Um, because I think, yeah, it,
it kind of is enabling more
:
01:34:44,633 --> 01:34:45,452
consistency
:
01:34:47,188 --> 01:34:47,528
-:Mm hmm.
:
01:34:48,452 --> 01:34:48,493
-:gets
:
01:34:48,493 --> 01:34:48,763
results.
:
01:34:49,073 --> 01:34:49,383
I mean,
:
01:34:50,643 --> 01:34:51,543
yeah, it.
:
01:34:51,543 --> 01:34:51,853
Love it.
:
01:34:51,883 --> 01:34:52,463
That's awesome.
:
01:34:52,463 --> 01:34:52,753
That's awesome.
:
01:34:52,753 --> 01:34:54,202
Um, so let's.
:
01:34:54,656 --> 01:34:56,706
You mentioned psychedelic
assisted therapy.
:
01:34:56,736 --> 01:34:58,666
I know that this is not legal everywhere.
:
01:34:58,666 --> 01:35:03,012
So, um, and you know, know you're
not a legal expert, but just give
:
01:35:03,032 --> 01:35:06,812
me, give us a little overview, um,
if people are interested in getting
:
01:35:06,812 --> 01:35:09,972
started in this, like, what do they do?
:
01:35:09,972 --> 01:35:10,212
Where do
:
01:35:10,212 --> 01:35:10,732
they go?
:
01:35:10,742 --> 01:35:11,291
How does it
:
01:35:11,392 --> 01:35:11,832
work?
:
01:35:13,572 --> 01:35:14,402
-:Yeah, of course.
:
01:35:14,422 --> 01:35:19,022
So federally psilocybin is still illegal
and it's a schedule one substance,
:
01:35:19,041 --> 01:35:23,460
meaning it's like considered up there
with like heroin or whatever it's
:
01:35:23,460 --> 01:35:27,180
considered not to have any medical
benefit, you know, which is so outdated.
:
01:35:27,190 --> 01:35:30,230
And I know that the DEA knows
this and they I'm hoping that
:
01:35:30,240 --> 01:35:31,840
it will eventually get changed.
:
01:35:32,353 --> 01:35:35,501
Likely what we'll see is
that MDMA will get changed.
:
01:35:35,501 --> 01:35:35,508
Right.
:
01:35:35,718 --> 01:35:40,218
Uh, Approved by the FDA for psychedelic
assisted therapy, and I would say sometime
:
01:35:40,218 --> 01:35:44,088
in the near future, like sometime this
year, I would think, and then after
:
01:35:44,088 --> 01:35:47,487
that, like, psilocybin will follow
closely behind, and that's simply because
:
01:35:47,528 --> 01:35:51,628
MDMA, we're further along with clinical
trials related to MDMA than we are with
:
01:35:51,628 --> 01:35:56,293
psilocybin, we're in, there's tons of
clinical trials, and, and Um, phase three
:
01:35:56,293 --> 01:36:00,193
clinical trials in the works with two, but
we're just not as far as we are with MDMA,
:
01:36:00,933 --> 01:36:03,753
but going into where, where is it legal?
:
01:36:03,753 --> 01:36:09,103
So, um, it's legal in certain contexts
in, um, let's see, it would be Colorado.
:
01:36:09,593 --> 01:36:12,343
and in, um, Oregon state.
:
01:36:12,373 --> 01:36:13,803
So those are the two states.
:
01:36:13,909 --> 01:36:16,639
And then we've got a couple of,
we've got a few cities out there.
:
01:36:16,639 --> 01:36:17,199
So D.
:
01:36:17,199 --> 01:36:17,669
C.
:
01:36:17,669 --> 01:36:20,612
there's, um, so there's
decriminalization in D.
:
01:36:20,612 --> 01:36:25,333
C., um, Which like police generally
aren't prosecuting anyone with
:
01:36:25,333 --> 01:36:28,553
like a personal amount on them
or, you know, personal usage.
:
01:36:28,615 --> 01:36:30,014
If you were like growing, mass
:
01:36:30,014 --> 01:36:31,295
producing, but it
:
01:36:31,295 --> 01:36:31,895
might be a Different
:
01:36:31,895 --> 01:36:32,264
story.
:
01:36:32,264 --> 01:36:32,335
but,
:
01:36:32,945 --> 01:36:33,785
um, yeah.
:
01:36:34,580 --> 01:36:37,400
copious amounts of shrooms
in your dank closet.
:
01:36:37,440 --> 01:36:37,590
-:that.
:
01:36:38,880 --> 01:36:39,120
Yeah.
:
01:36:39,210 --> 01:36:41,760
-:But um, and then there's legalization,
:
01:36:41,800 --> 01:36:45,460
or there's certain elements of
legalization and in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
:
01:36:45,770 --> 01:36:48,790
And then lots of states actually
have legislation in the works.
:
01:36:48,800 --> 01:36:52,520
There, you know, we're going to see
it follow a similar pattern like
:
01:36:52,520 --> 01:36:55,719
we did with cannabis, where we've
had a few states that legalized
:
01:36:55,719 --> 01:36:57,590
it in certain contexts and now.
:
01:36:57,934 --> 01:37:01,469
Almost, uh, like most of, over
half of states have some type
:
01:37:01,469 --> 01:37:02,889
of legalization for cannabis.
:
01:37:02,889 --> 01:37:06,930
It's even more than that, but, um, Uh,
but so we're going to see a pattern
:
01:37:06,940 --> 01:37:11,210
like that happen and then eventually
hopefully psilocybin will be descheduled
:
01:37:11,230 --> 01:37:13,660
is what, what I'm, what I'm hoping to see.
:
01:37:13,753 --> 01:37:17,428
But in terms of like, okay, what if you
don't live in one of these states, does
:
01:37:17,428 --> 01:37:19,398
that mean it's totally off limits to you?
:
01:37:19,788 --> 01:37:23,553
Um, Well, want to encourage you to
break any laws, so but you do you,
:
01:37:24,563 --> 01:37:26,733
and so I, you know, I will tell you.
:
01:37:27,428 --> 01:37:28,978
Well, no, yeah, I want you to be safe.
:
01:37:28,978 --> 01:37:30,407
I don't want you to go
to jail for anything.
:
01:37:30,448 --> 01:37:34,508
Um, But you know, there are under, I
will tell you are underground guides
:
01:37:34,508 --> 01:37:38,848
out there that will help you, they will
meet you where you need to go to do, um,
:
01:37:38,878 --> 01:37:41,458
a civil assignment journey, if that's
something that you're looking to do.
:
01:37:41,498 --> 01:37:46,183
I myself hired an underground
guide and, um, and he was fabulous.
:
01:37:46,202 --> 01:37:48,003
And I, I give his name in the book.
:
01:37:48,013 --> 01:37:48,853
He was amazing.
:
01:37:48,853 --> 01:37:52,573
I trusted him fully and,
And felt very safe with him.
:
01:37:52,583 --> 01:37:55,683
Um, he also brought his mom
with him, which was really cool.
:
01:37:56,173 --> 01:37:59,393
She, she was my trip setter and he
was the guide and it was really great.
:
01:37:59,675 --> 01:38:01,425
Um, but I write about
that fully in the books.
:
01:38:01,425 --> 01:38:05,025
I won't dive into it too much, but,
um, but yeah, there are options.
:
01:38:05,045 --> 01:38:10,425
Plus there are other countries that
um, decriminalization or some form
:
01:38:10,425 --> 01:38:12,855
of legalization that do retreats.
:
01:38:12,895 --> 01:38:15,945
Um, I will caution people that if
you are going on any retreat or
:
01:38:15,945 --> 01:38:19,295
working with an underground guide
or even an above ground therapist.
:
01:38:19,457 --> 01:38:22,097
To do your research on person is there.
:
01:38:22,137 --> 01:38:25,627
Um, and, and then, you know,
like reviews, um, stuff.
:
01:38:25,897 --> 01:38:29,647
You're like, do you want to raise the
issue that there are there are problems
:
01:38:29,647 --> 01:38:34,246
with, um, with sexual assault in the
psychedelic industry, just as they are.
:
01:38:34,257 --> 01:38:37,416
There are problems with sexual
assault in every industry.
:
01:38:37,416 --> 01:38:37,857
Right.
:
01:38:38,257 --> 01:38:41,537
So it's not a surprise that it happens
in the psychedelic industry too.
:
01:38:41,567 --> 01:38:44,907
And if anyone wants to know more
about that, I do write about that
:
01:38:44,937 --> 01:38:48,347
extensively in the book, but there's
also a great podcast out there.
:
01:38:48,627 --> 01:38:51,007
It's called cover story power trip.
:
01:38:51,047 --> 01:38:55,666
And this was put out by New York magazine
and one of the producers and hosts.
:
01:38:55,687 --> 01:38:56,657
of the podcast.
:
01:38:56,657 --> 01:38:57,337
Her name is Dr.
:
01:38:57,337 --> 01:38:57,837
Lily K.
:
01:38:57,837 --> 01:39:00,677
Ross, and she talks about her own
sexual assault in the psychedelic
:
01:39:00,887 --> 01:39:04,217
industry, and she interviews other
people that this has happened to.
:
01:39:04,217 --> 01:39:08,916
And I don't say this to scare people, but
it is like any other industry, and then
:
01:39:08,967 --> 01:39:13,207
where sexual assault happens, plus when
you are on a psychedelic, because of
:
01:39:13,227 --> 01:39:18,382
that Rebus situation, You're extremely
vulnerable and open to suggestibility.
:
01:39:18,402 --> 01:39:21,121
So you with people who honor consent.
:
01:39:21,392 --> 01:39:25,712
And again, I dive extensively into
how do you, how do you honor that?
:
01:39:25,892 --> 01:39:29,102
How is that consent navigated or
how should it be navigated and
:
01:39:29,102 --> 01:39:30,532
what red flags to watch out for?
:
01:39:30,532 --> 01:39:30,742
There's a
:
01:39:30,742 --> 01:39:30,912
whole
:
01:39:31,172 --> 01:39:32,012
-:Okay, great.
:
01:39:32,222 --> 01:39:34,352
And that leads me to my, my last question.
:
01:39:34,882 --> 01:39:37,182
and the safety of the
actual substance itself.
:
01:39:37,212 --> 01:39:39,434
And, you know, growing
conditions, et cetera.
:
01:39:39,434 --> 01:39:43,753
I mean, I know any kind of mushroom
can uptake all kinds of things like
:
01:39:43,753 --> 01:39:45,663
metals and, and such from the soil.
:
01:39:45,683 --> 01:39:51,616
So, um, as far as people acquiring the
actual, you know, psilocybin itself, what
:
01:39:51,646 --> 01:39:51,996
uh,
:
01:39:52,709 --> 01:39:53,648
-:yeah, definitely some,
:
01:39:53,679 --> 01:39:55,209
some good considerations.
:
01:39:55,219 --> 01:39:59,811
So there, um, there are, uh, testing
kits that you can buy through, um,
:
01:39:59,851 --> 01:40:01,861
an organization called dance safe.
:
01:40:01,975 --> 01:40:05,025
So I would recommend testing because
you want to make sure that, like,
:
01:40:05,025 --> 01:40:08,705
if you're ordering, um, you know,
psilocybin mushroom capsules,
:
01:40:08,725 --> 01:40:11,289
because a lot of people grind up the
mushroom, and put it in a capsule.
:
01:40:11,289 --> 01:40:13,179
You want to make sure you're not
getting something that you don't want,
:
01:40:13,189 --> 01:40:14,689
like fentanyl or something like that.
:
01:40:15,139 --> 01:40:18,609
Um, you know, I I, I don't know
if that's really occurred, but
:
01:40:18,609 --> 01:40:19,919
you just want to test everything.
:
01:40:19,929 --> 01:40:21,989
Like DanceSafe is this great organization.
:
01:40:21,989 --> 01:40:26,452
They recommend testing all, any substance
that you take like Um, in terms of
:
01:40:26,452 --> 01:40:28,343
like metals and things like that.
:
01:40:28,343 --> 01:40:32,263
So, you know, certainly, um,
That is a concern just as it
:
01:40:32,263 --> 01:40:33,813
is in the cannabis industry.
:
01:40:33,823 --> 01:40:38,013
What I love about the cannabis industry
is that, um, you know, if I'm looking
:
01:40:38,013 --> 01:40:41,043
at a product online at a dispense,
you know, that I'm going to go and
:
01:40:41,043 --> 01:40:44,633
get at a dispensary or something,
the certificate of analysis and see
:
01:40:44,633 --> 01:40:48,193
what the heavy metals are, what, you
know, the levels are of each, um,
:
01:40:48,253 --> 01:40:50,263
cannabinoid that's in the cannabis.
:
01:40:50,273 --> 01:40:51,143
I can learn that.
:
01:40:51,173 --> 01:40:53,862
I hope that we get to a point
where we have some of those
:
01:40:53,862 --> 01:40:55,303
certificate of analysis.
:
01:40:55,653 --> 01:41:02,566
For, um, for mushrooms as well, because
that will help increase safety, but that
:
01:41:02,576 --> 01:41:07,866
all comes with legalization because, you
know, who's, who's encouraging the random
:
01:41:07,866 --> 01:41:12,791
guy growing mushrooms in his closet to put
out a third party lab test, you know, on a
:
01:41:12,791 --> 01:41:14,462
certificate of analysis, right?
:
01:41:15,392 --> 01:41:20,452
So So yes, you do have to be careful about
what you're getting and where you will
:
01:41:20,452 --> 01:41:25,405
find that like if in places where we've
got legalization and they are being the
:
01:41:25,415 --> 01:41:28,684
that's being sold at dispensaries, you
can you can sometimes get that certificate
:
01:41:28,684 --> 01:41:33,105
of analysis already, but it's just
more so in places where we don't have
:
01:41:33,135 --> 01:41:36,860
legalization or decriminalization where
you're not going necessarily find that.
:
01:41:37,380 --> 01:41:41,434
But yeah, is what I recommend for now
in terms of like just Just buying a test
:
01:41:41,434 --> 01:41:46,965
kit, testing everything that you, taking,
whether that is MDMA, um, LSD, cannabis,
:
01:41:46,975 --> 01:41:47,275
whatever
:
01:41:47,355 --> 01:41:47,865
-:Awesome.
:
01:41:47,934 --> 01:41:51,135
And we'll put those resources in
the show notes for you guys too.
:
01:41:51,145 --> 01:41:52,843
So, Will link to all of that.
:
01:41:53,053 --> 01:41:56,053
So tell us where can people find you?
:
01:41:56,053 --> 01:41:57,643
Where can they get your book?
:
01:41:57,803 --> 01:41:58,633
-:The book is available
:
01:41:58,633 --> 01:41:59,713
anywhere books are sold.
:
01:41:59,823 --> 01:42:02,793
I always encourage people to support
their local independent bookstore.
:
01:42:02,793 --> 01:42:06,593
That's my favorite, but you can, you
know, buy wherever you get your books.
:
01:42:06,933 --> 01:42:10,293
And then, um, you can find me
on, uh, I'm on, you know, all
:
01:42:10,293 --> 01:42:11,483
the social media channels.
:
01:42:11,523 --> 01:42:12,983
I'm at Jen Chesick.
:
01:42:12,983 --> 01:42:15,448
So that's the at symbol and then J E N.
:
01:42:15,643 --> 01:42:17,893
C H E S A K.
:
01:42:18,143 --> 01:42:22,343
happy to have you follow me and uh, say
hi and feel free to DM me if you have
:
01:42:22,343 --> 01:42:25,253
questions after, you know, if you've
read the book and you've got questions
:
01:42:25,273 --> 01:42:28,112
or you've heard the podcast and you've
got questions, I'm always happy to
:
01:42:28,112 --> 01:42:30,663
answer DMs as best as I, that I can.
:
01:42:30,673 --> 01:42:33,153
I can't necessarily give medical
advice, but I can, you know,
:
01:42:34,452 --> 01:42:34,763
point you
:
01:42:34,763 --> 01:42:35,032
towards
:
01:42:35,032 --> 01:42:35,653
resources.
:
01:42:36,118 --> 01:42:37,327
-:I love it and i'll put all of that
:
01:42:37,327 --> 01:42:40,718
in the show notes for you as well so
you can find jen Thank you so much.
:
01:42:40,718 --> 01:42:44,487
This has been really fascinating and
super fun And I so appreciate you taking
:
01:42:44,487 --> 01:42:50,318
the time to come and talk to us about
this um, and yeah, I excited to continue
:
01:42:50,318 --> 01:42:55,088
reading your book because it's just like
more interesting to me than any novel.
:
01:42:57,308 --> 01:42:57,968
I love it.
:
01:42:58,258 --> 01:42:59,428
I love And I really appreciate your
:
01:42:59,428 --> 01:42:59,758
work.
:
01:42:59,758 --> 01:43:00,188
So
:
01:43:00,418 --> 01:43:01,487
-:Thank you so much.
:
01:43:01,487 --> 01:43:01,868
That is So
:
01:43:01,868 --> 01:43:02,308
sweet.
:
01:43:02,378 --> 01:43:03,308
-:have to have you back one of these
:
01:43:03,308 --> 01:43:04,728
days and we'll we'll do like a
:
01:43:04,728 --> 01:43:05,248
deeper dive
:
01:43:05,248 --> 01:43:06,218
on one of these smaller
:
01:43:06,268 --> 01:43:06,657
-:Thank you.
:
01:43:06,657 --> 01:43:07,018
I thank you.
:
01:43:07,018 --> 01:43:07,588
for having me
:
01:43:07,657 --> 01:43:08,157
-:topics.
:
01:43:08,448 --> 01:43:08,808
-:Yeah,
:
01:43:08,808 --> 01:43:09,668
I would love to.
:
01:43:09,855 --> 01:43:10,195
We could do
:
01:43:10,195 --> 01:43:11,585
like a whole thing on Menopause
:
01:43:12,875 --> 01:43:15,905
Menopause nutrition and
muscle building and all that.
:
01:43:16,264 --> 01:43:16,844
-:Yes.
:
01:43:16,885 --> 01:43:17,285
Yes.
:
01:43:17,525 --> 01:43:17,875
I love
:
01:43:17,945 --> 01:43:18,415
-:all right.
:
01:43:18,945 --> 01:43:19,475
-:All right.
:
01:43:21,148 --> 01:43:21,735
Thanks Jen.
:
01:43:21,745 --> 01:43:23,025
Thanks for joining us, everybody.
:
01:43:23,045 --> 01:43:23,865
And we'll see you next time.