Psychedelics Today

• PT 632 - Megan Portnoy MS - Ontological Design, Psychedelic Spaces, and Integrating Rigor

  In this episode, Joe Moore talks with Megan Portnoy, a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at Antioch University New England, about how ontological design can reshape the environments used in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Megan explains how physical space is not just a backdrop but an active participant in the therapeutic process, influencing emotion, cognition, and healing. She recently won an award for her presentation on this topic at PsychedelX. They explore how design principles that foster awe, play, and flexibility can deepen integration and expand what’s possible in clinical settings. The conversation also examines how psychedelic communities can balance openness with discernment, apply more psychological rigor, and avoid falling into ungrounded or high-demand group dynamics. This rich discussion bridges psychology, philosophy, design, and culture—inviting us to think critically about not only how we use psychedelics, but the spaces, systems, and stories that shape our collective evolution.  

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• PT 631 - Kyle Buller and Joe Moore - Breathwork, Community, Bodywork and more!

  Joe and Kyle open with reflections from their first r/psychonaut AMA, then pivot to why they’re building Navigators—our off-social community with book/film clubs, early ad-free episodes, mentorship, and an expanding education library. The core discussion explores touch and bodywork in breathwork and psychedelic contexts: why defaulting to “no touch” and moving slowly matters; informed consent; reading nonverbals; and keeping client agency central. They unpack trauma-informed concepts like the window of tolerance, polyvagal‐adjacent ideas (and critiques), and the ethics of avoiding re-traumatization or facilitator-driven interventions (“WAIT: Why am I Talking/Treating/Touching?”). The duo emphasize that bodywork requires specialized training and careful framing—supportive, not performative. Plus: updates on upcoming offerings—Advanced Shadow Work with Dr. Ido Cohen (starts Oct 20), music for sessions, digital security for practitioners, spiritual emergence, somatics/trauma, and inner-work integration. Join Navigators to learn in community and help shape future conversations.

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• PT 630 - TK Wonder and Cipriana Quann

  Interviewers: Joe Moore & Anne Philippi Guests: TK Wonder & Cipriana Quann (The Quann Sisters) Recorded: June 18 during MAPS PS 2025 Content note: This episode discusses childhood sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, suicidal ideation, disordered eating, and recovery. Identical twins, writers, and culture-shapers TK Wonder and Cipriana Quann join Joe and Anne for a frank, generous conversation about identity, resilience, and the long arc of healing. Cipriana recounts launching Urban Bush Babes in 2011 to center women of color in beauty and fashion—work that led to a Vogue “day-in-the-life” feature and collaborations with couture houses. TK shares the parallel path of her music career (opening for artists from Sting and Nas to Erykah Badu and Queens of the Stone Age) and the sisters’ ongoing writing, public speaking, and mental-health advocacy. They reflect on the fashion industry’s policing of natural hair, how those daily microaggressions erode self-worth, and why legal protections like the CROWN Act matter. The heart of the episode is their survival story: a decade of abuse by their father, endured separately yet witnessed together. Seeing one another live through it—“a physical manifestation of survival,” as they put it—kept them alive. As adults, daily check-ins remain their core practice. Psychedelics entered their lives years later. With careful set and setting, education, and professional support, psychedelic sessions—especially ibogaine—helped surface grief, release shame, and reframe entrenched coping strategies. Cipriana’s first extended session unlocked tears she’d been forced to suppress as a child; TK describes a transformative ibogaine experience that catalyzed a decisive shift away from refined sugar and ultra-processed foods toward sustained movement, earlier mornings, and mindful nourishment. Both emphasize that psychedelics are not “magic pills” in isolation: integration, therapy, community, and lifestyle design make insights durable. The conversation also tackles safety and access. The sisters stress working with experienced facilitators and medical oversight, naming that these modalities aren’t for everyone. They call for more affordability and BIPOC representation in a field that can still feel exclusionary, while holding a wide tent vision—everyone deserves the chance to heal. They note how narratives are changing (from early-2000s panic to mainstream book-club conversations), and how stories alongside science move culture and policy. Highlights Fashion, hair politics, and the CROWN Act’s importance. Sisterhood as lifeline; daily check-ins as grown-up therapy. First sessions: somatic release, grief, and reframing shame. Ibogaine’s role in behavior change; why integration is the bridge. Safety, access, and representation: making healing containers truly welcoming. If you’re exploring this work: educate deeply, choose qualified support, prioritize integration, and remember—your past is a chapter, not your whole story.

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• PT 629 - Ivar Goksøyr - MDMA Therapy for Therapists

  In this candid, practice-focused conversation, Joe is joined by Norwegian psychologist and researcher Ivar Goksøyr to explore how therapists’ own healing journeys can measurably improve client outcomes—and why MDMA-assisted experiences, used thoughtfully, may be a uniquely powerful catalyst for professional development. Ivar shares lessons from Norway’s psychedelic research team (PTSD and the world’s first MDMA-for-depression trial), his clinic Psykologvirke in Oslo, and his online course, “The Wounded Healer,” which uses authentic footage from his FDA-approved MAPS volunteer MDMA sessions to illuminate real clinical processes, countertransference, and the “inner healing intelligence” as a working metaphor rather than dogma. The discussion ranges from implementation realities (laws, ethics, and conservative regulatory cultures) to the pragmatic: how an MDMA experience helped Ivar resolve chronic anxiety reactions in the therapy chair, reduced burn-out, increased receptivity, and improved attunement—changes he believes many clinicians can cultivate when personal growth is prioritized alongside methods training. He outlines a developing collaboration with the University of Oslo on Empathogen-Assisted Therapies Development—not to “dose for certification,” but to support therapists’ self-awareness and resilience in legally sanctioned research contexts. They also compare compounds: why MDMA may be easier to integrate into mainstream psychiatry than classic tryptamines (fewer projective processes, more biographical focus, smoother affect regulation), while acknowledging the immense promise—and higher demands—of psilocybin and other psychedelics. Throughout, they emphasize humility, guardrails, and the need to keep learning as the field scales (with frank reflections on ketamine’s mixed rollout and avoiding idealization/devaluation cycles). Highlights Why therapist factors often outweigh modality—and how personal work translates into better outcomes. Using real session video (with Ivar as participant) to normalize vulnerability, illuminate process, and train pattern recognition. Regulatory and ethical nuances of self-experience in training; building consensus before policy change. Inner healing intelligence as a clinical metaphor aligned with Rogers, Rank, and psychodynamic concepts (unconscious therapeutic alliance). MDMA vs. classic psychedelics for implementation; sequencing with ketamine in public systems. Global classroom: 270+ clinicians from every continent; course structure centered on reflection, discussion, and live analysis.

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• PT 628 - Kyle Buller and Joe Moore - Breathwork, Community, Creativity, and Fresh Psychedelic Research

  Joe and Kyle debrief a hometown Dreamshadow Transpersonal Breathwork weekend in Breckenridge, then sketch the next chapter for Psychedelics Today: a community-centric model (Navigators) that bundles education, live streams, book and film clubs, and small-group access. They kick around the big “creativity + psychedelics” question, contrast subjective “I feel creative” with objective task performance, and highlight new research—from DMT’s potential in stroke recovery to breathwork’s measurable effects. They wrap with quick hits on MAPS leadership, state policy moves, and what’s coming up at PT this fall. Highlights & takeaways Breathwork > substance? A reminder that profound states are accessible without drugs; benefits of facilitating at home (rested facilitators = safer, better containers). What is “shamanism,” really? A functional frame: non-ordinary states, interaction with the unseen, and service (healing/divination). Community > one-off courses: PT is shifting toward a monthly membership model to keep prices accessible, deepen relationships, and sustain more free content. Creativity debate: Double-blind study (DMT + harmine vs harmine vs placebo) suggests impaired convergent thinking despite increased felt creativity; how to define and measure “creativity” fairly, and other research outcomes might tell a different story. Whitehead & novelty: A quick tour through Alfred North Whitehead’s notion of “creativity” as the principle of novelty—useful language for mapping psychedelic insight to real-world change. Neuro + clinical frontiers: DMT for stroke (animal models): BBB stabilization and reduced neuroinflammation signal a promising adjunct to current care. Cluster headaches: Emerging reports on short-acting DMT for rapidly aborting cluster cycles; more data coming soon. Breathwork science: New imaging work associates music-supported hyperventilatory breathwork with blissful affect and shifts in blood flow. News & culture mentioned MAPS leadership: Betty Aldworth & Ismail (Izzy) Ali named permanent Co-Executive Directors. Policy snapshots: Colorado Natural Medicine Board recommending ibogaine (with Nagoya-compliance requirement); Alaska signature gathering; Massachusetts activity. Media & scene: Hamilton’s recent appearances; contamination concerns in some “psilocybin” products; “psychedelics tick far more neurons than expected” paper; mixed findings for postpartum depression.

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