On June 6, Psymposia reported on the presenter contract for MAPS' Psychedelic Science 2023. The contract includes clauses that limit when and where presenters can speak, and a "MAPS Reputation" clause that warns speakers to not "tarnish" the organization's "reputation and goodwill." After our reporting, MAPS announced that all presenters would be released from the radius clause of the contract. Concerns with the “MAPS reputation” clause were not acknowledged. We also discuss Russell Hausfeld's reporting on Kentucky's recent decision to use opioid settlement money on ibogaine research.   ..read more

In this episode, the Psymposia team speaks with writer Travis Kitchens about his recent piece "A Channel for Magic: Ralph Hood’s Mysticism Scale and the Occult Roots of the Johns Hopkins Psychedelic Research Program"   Watch:  https://youtu.be/Ued8NNIraFs       Support the show:   ☼Patreon: http://patreon.com/psymposia ☼Donate: https://www.psymposia.com/donate/         Follow:   ☼Twitter: https://twitter.com/psymposia ☼Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/psymposia/ ☼Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/psymposia ☼Tw ..read more

In this episode, Psymposia senior writer Russell Hausfeld interviews independent reporter Sasha Sisko about being kicked out of Wonderland Miami 2022. Sisko discusses their history with conference organizer Microdose Psychedelic Insights, appearing on stage at Wonderland Miami 2021, and being removed from Wonderland Miami 2022.     Footnotes:  Rick Perry Texts: https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/25/politics/rick-perry-mark-meadows-text https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/04/mark-meadows-trump-chief-of-staff-strangest-texts.html   Sasha Sisko’s thread about being removed from ..read more

On November 3rd, the "Wonderland Miami" psychedelic conference banned the entire Psymposia team from the event. Compass Pathways consultant Hamilton Morris then took to the stage to distort and misrepresent our research. This podcast was edited for clarity from a YouTube livestream recorded on November 15, 2022.   Watch it here: https://youtu.be/ckxKJQedx1c   If you're not terminally online, here's a bit more context: Psymposia's Twitter rundown Dr. Brian Pace's Twitter rundown Wonderland Miami Exposes Growing Rift in Psychedelic Community, by James Kent     Support the s ..read more

We’re back…mostly. In this episode we ramble about the Psychedemia conference, the serpent handler researcher who helped legitimize Johns Hopkins’ psychedelic research, Steve Jobs’ guru “Toxic Bob”, hot psilocybin patent garbage, Mind Medicine Australia’s utterly cringe appearance on ABC’s Four Corners documentary “Psyched Up”, popping psychedelic hype bubbles, and Dave’s new studio that’s covered in fractal horses.    References   A Channel for Magic: Ralph Hood’s Mysticism Scale and the Occult Roots of the Johns Hopkins Psychedelic Research Program Psychologist Ralph Hood’s st ..read more

What's going on with the MAPS narratives? How is it possible that Mel, Leah, and Meaghan's experiences have been so at odds with the "standard story" we've heard about psychedelic clinical trials? Why can't we seem to get straight answers to simple questions? The Psymposia team drills down into the questions raised by the revelations in "Political Science" in an attempt to highlight some of the dynamics at the heart of psychedelic science.   This episode is Psymposia's reaction to Cover Story: Power Trip, Episode 7: Political Science   Watch: https://youtu.be/3HDoveb1jls   Cover ..read more

We talk drugs and anti-capitalism with anthropology PhD candidate, Hilary Agro. Ranging from prohibition to psychedelic clinical trials and beyond, we explore the overlaps and differences in our analyses of the current psychedelic (and broader drug policy) landscape.   Watch: https://youtu.be/s6Puq_8lBnM   Support: ☼Patreon: http://patreon.com/psymposia ☼Donate: https://www.psymposia.com/donate/   Thank you to our Patreon podcast supporters:   Dave Hodges, James Hubbard, John Hanna, Dave Ayers, Tehseen Noorani, Samy Tammam, Amanda Alexander, Maryann Kehoe, Da ..read more

This talk was presented live by Dr. Brian Pace and Dr. Neşe Devenot at the UW–Madison Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Psychoactive Substances. This talk was presented on April 28 as part of the "Psychedelic Humanities" speaker series, organized by Dr. Lucas Richert. Public discourse concerning psychedelics and the emerging industry in psychedelic-assisted therapy has extended beyond the potential benefits of novel treatments for specific mental health disorders to claims that widespread psychedelic use may tilt social relations towards more egalitarian norms. Researchers and media out ..read more

We continue our discussion about Brian Pace and Neşe Devenot's recently published paper: "Right-Wing Psychedelia: Case Studies in Cultural Plasticity and Political Pluripotency"    Abstract: Recent media advocacy for the nascent psychedelic medicine industry has emphasized the potential for psychedelics to improve society, pointing to research studies that have linked psychedelics to increased environmental concern and liberal politics. However, research supporting the hypothesis that psychedelics induce a shift in political beliefs must address the many historical and contemporary c ..read more

In part two of this deep dive, Psymposia and Thought Slime analyze Jordan Peterson's fascination with psychedelics as an example of the reactionary, right-wing ideologies that have been developing within psychedelia in recent decades. Reacting to a 2021 podcast of Peterson's, we discuss the significance of Peterson's popularity among some prominent psychedelic researchers. As figures like Jordan Peterson and Ben Shapiro continue to advocate for harmful "conversion therapies" for minority sexual orientations and gender identities, we discuss the dangers of reactionary interest in psychedelic-as ..read more