What are the healing potentials of expanded states?
It is this question that guides the conversation featured on this episode of Adventures Through The Mind, another Psychedelic Café episode.
Our guests and I together explore What is the healing potential of expanded states? and, in doing so, explore the power of psychedelics to connect us with ourselves, each other, nature, and a higher order of reality.
We explore the narrow confines of a purely medical model for psychedelics; the shallowness and danger of the growing mainstream narratives; and the importance of arriving to psychedelics with “beginner’s mind.”
We explore the purge as a healing mechanism; whether or not we can trust what “the medicine” tells us; how psychedelics impact how we approach death; and what they can teach us about working with psychosis.
In all of that we also explore loneliness and our longing for belonging; why we end up sabotaging ourselves from meaningful connections; and the value of sharing our gratitude for each other, with each other.
And, well, more.
All of these topics in one contained and coherent conversational space is part of the process with the Psychedelic Café (which is an altered form of the “conversation café” surrounding psychedelic questions).
Maria Papaspyrou is an integrative psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, and systemic family constellations facilitator based in Brighton, UK. She co-edited the book Psychedelic Mysteries of the Feminine and is a cofounder and codirector of the Institute of psychedelic therapy.
Nir Tradmor is a transpersonal psychotherapist, phenomenological researcher and a co-founder of Safe Shore – a psychedelic education, harm reduction and peer support project. He holds a Master’s in Transpersonal Psychology from Middlesex University (through the Alef Trust), trained in Hakomi body-centered psychotherapy and currently leads a phenomenological study about Ayahuasca and death perception at the Neurophenomenological lab in Haifa University.
Natasja Pelgrom is a sacred medicine woman, Mystic, devotional creative, and visionary who leads spiritual alchemy journeys, providing a compassionate space for healing and then remembering. She is the creatrix of the Phoenix Rising Course, the six month in-person Awaken Self-Love course, and the tailor-made Psychedelic Integration Journey, as well as the founder of Awaken The Medicine Within retreats.
Pelgrom is also a founding member of the Synthesis Institute; she leads the psilocybin-assisted wellness retreats, is a key influencer in the development of the online wellness program, the psychedelic practitioner training, and is the cocreatrix of the women’s leadership retreat.
Renee Harvey is a Clinical Psychologist who has recently relocated to Australia after a long career in the UK as a Consultant in the NHS and more recently as an Honorary Research Fellow at Imperial College London in the study of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. She was responsible for leading in service development for people with complex emotional needs in the UK and specialized in training clinicians for this work.
Renee was a key member of developing psychedelic interest groups and in establishing and running a Psychedelic Integration Circle in Brighton prior to leaving the UK. She is currently based in Melbourne, working in private practice and part of the developing Australian community in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy training, research, and clinical service. “
“Exploring the latest developments in the flourishing field of modern psychedelic psycho-therapy, this book shares practical experiences and insights from both elders and newer research voices in the psychedelic research and clinical communities. “
Episode Breakdown
Introducing participants
One clear thought on the question (round 1): What is the healing potential of expanded states?
Open discussion (round 2)
Entering into the “we” space, relational work, the healing of connection
Getting permission from the plant | giving permission to meet ourselves
The shadow of the mainstream medical psychedelic narrative
The judgments against “recreational” psychedelic use
The importance of arriving to psychedelics with beginner’s mind
The psychedelic other | can we trust what “the medicine” tells us?
The spirits have ego, too | negotiating with
The purge as a healing mechanism
Psychedelic marketing and the cringey direction of mainstream psychedelic culture
“Who owns psychedelics?”
The impact of psychedelics on how we approach death
Reciprocity with psychedelics medicine
Why do we sabotage ourselves?
The healing potential of expanded states to help us connect with ourselves
The value of sharing our gratitude for each other
Belonging, feeling alone, and grieving the loss of belonging
Psychedelics and working with psychosis
Closing thoughts on the question (round 3)
Social Media details for each participant
What Is The Psychedelic Café?
The Psychedelic Café is a structured conversational space exploring various, deep questions about the nature of mind, life, and reality.
Each cafe features a curated selection of 4-5 people to explore a question according to a specific structure. That structure is called Dharma Talking and is a conversational technology from Jean Robertson, forged in The Liminal Space Agency Meta-Monastery, and based on Conversation Cafés
Why this style?
The cafe structure creates a quality and dynamic of conversation, idea sharing, and mutual learning that is incredibly ripe and valuable for not only the people involved but the listening audience who will be able to listen to it afterward. In the current times of uncertainty, complexity, and change, I believe the psychedelic cafe will offer content not otherwise available in a time where it is deeply needed. If you want to try doing your own cafe, instructions on how to do so can be found here.
*** Extra BIG thanks to my patrons on Patreon for helping keep this podcast alive! Especially, Andreas D, Clea S, Joe A, Ian C, David WB, Yvette FC, Ann-Madeleine, Dima B, Eliz C, Chuck W, Nathan B, & Nick M
Maria Papaspyrou is an integrative psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, and systemic family constellations facilitator based in Brighton, UK. She co-edited the book Psychedelic Mysteries of the Feminine and is a cofounder and codirector of the Institute of psychedelic therapy.
Natasja Pelgrom is a sacred medicine woman, Mystic, devotional creative, and visionary who leads spiritual alchemy journeys, providing a compassionate space for healing and then remembering. She is the creatrix of the Phoenix Rising Course, the six month in-person Awaken Self-Love course, and the tailor-made Psychedelic Integration Journey, as well as the founder of Awaken The Medicine Within retreats.
