Alan Kooi Davis's guest appearances

Alan Kooi Davis

Psychedelics Today

Research Matters Podcast

Tom Shroder

Ryan Zurrer

Michael Pollan

Richard Grossman

David Krantz

Becca Segall Tarnas

Renn Butler

Joe Moore

Adam Strauss

Steven C. Hayes

Lynn Marie Morski

Rick Doblin

Harvey Schwartz

Daniel Pinchbeck

Dennis McKenna

OwlTail

Rafael Lancelotta

In today’s episode, Joe visits Naropa in Boulder, CO to sit down with Rafael Lancelotta and Alan Kooi Davis. Alan is a Clinical Psychology Professor at Ohio State and Rafael is a legal Psychedelic Therapist operating out of Innate Path in Colorado. 3 Key Points:  Facilitation is a huge problem in the 5-MEO-DMT space. Some people take it without the intention of working on it afterward, they are commonly given too much, and also in a poor context. This recipe of poor facilitation and guidance leads to a lot of challenging experiences and a lot of integration work. The feeling of oneness typically arises when taking 5-MEO-DMT. It can be great for some, but for others, it can be extremely overwhelming and harmful when not provided the correct intention, context and tools to work through it. Privilege is a huge issue in the psychedelic space. The goal in this space is to make everyone’s voice heard, not just those of privilege.   Support the show  Patreon Leave us a review on  iTunes Share us with your friends – favorite podcast, etc Join our Facebook group -  Psychedelics Today group – Find the others and create community.   Navigating Psychedelics   Show Notes Rafael  Rafael studied Mental Health Counseling at the University of Wyoming He is currently at Innate Path in Lakewood, CO doing Ketamine and Cannabis assisted Psychotherapy  Alan  Alan is on the Faculty at John’s Hopkins He is a Clinical Psychologist He is currently doing clinical research on psychoactive substances  5-MEO-DMT  It is a psychoactive substance that comes from the Sonoran Desert Toad It's a fast acting and powerful psychedelic substance that is challenging to predict  Some have amazing, beautiful and transcendent experiences, but it also has the ability to bring up challenging and dark things to deal with   It isn't as visual as other psychedelics, it has to deal a lot more with consciousness itself “It may feel like being shot right into the center of love, or the center of the universe” - Alan DMT can be more visual, while 5-MEO-DMT can be more spiritual, not that they can’t dip into each other  5-MEO-DMT Harms  Alan did a talk on 5-MEO-DMT at Horizons There are a lot of harms when using 5-MEO-DMT Both Alan and Rafael have been contacted numerous times about looking for facilitators or about trying to integrate massive and difficult experiences An ego death, in the right context, can be transformative, but in the wrong context, can be extremely harmful. The facilitators are the problem  If the facilitators are delivering the medicine in a shamanic practice, and the people using it are coming from a Western mindset, then with goals misaligned, there can be some major issues People have these grand, god-like experiences when using psychedelics, then feel like they need to become shamans and facilitate these experiences for others and have literally no clue or education on how to properly care for these people using the Toad   Joe says facilitators commonly overdose their users because the toad venom is hard to predict potency Alan says that the fear response needs to be initiated when extracting the venom from the toad  He thinks it can come up as a huge problem when using 5-MEO-DMT from a fear-stricken animal Alan says there is a lot of reports of feeling abducted by aliens, and it could be related to the fear response from the toad being hunted for its venom It's a similar concept to the traumatization of any other animal by the way it is killed and then eating the meat of that traumatized animal   On average, there is roughly 10-20% of 5-MEO-DMT in the venom  Oneness  When someone becomes ‘one’ with everything, it takes a lot of detailed integration  When someone becomes ‘one’ with everything, that would also mean that they experience the suffering of everything around them   When the rational mind comes back online, if the person does not decide to take action, it can be seriously overwhelming to feel that oneness  Integration has part to do with the experience but then the other part is everything before it, our family, relationships, job, our personality, etc. “Yeah its cool that we are one with the universe, but so is everything else” - Rafael    Power and Privilege  Privilege means having a voice, but it also means position in society, gender, race etc In psychedelics, for so long, it has been so hard to find a voice  But with this psychedelic renaissance, it has become so much easier to speak up about psychedelic use, research, etc   The people within the scientific community get put on a pedestal to speak about psychedelic research Alan says his goal as someone in the middle of the research role, is to create community, to bring every voice to be heard Being connected to psychedelics in anyway, used to mean prosecution  There are still imbalances that need to be looked at   The psychedelic renaissance is a chance to look at systemic issues We need to determine what our personal values are, and values of the whole community, and whether or not they are aligned  Final Thoughts  Alan says his goal is to continue having a voice and allowing others’ voices to be heard in this space Rafael says his goal is to make this therapy more available to those who can benefit from it and not just for the privileged  Links Source Research Foundation 5 MEO DMT Forum  About Rafael Lancelotta  Rafael is a graduate from the University of Wyoming in Mental Health Counseling. He has worked as a wilderness therapy guide with adolescents and young adults experiencing a wide range of emotional and psychological challenges. He has also worked as a counselor at the Behavioral Health Services unit of a psychiatric hospital treating severe and persistent mental illness and medically supervised drug and alcohol detox. He has worked on several research projects studying the epidemiology of 5-MeO-DMT use in the global population and is also the administrator of 5meodmt.org, an online forum dedicated to hosting community discussions on harm reduction, integration, and safe practices around 5-MeO-DMT use. He is interested in the use of psychedelics paired with therapy for increased resiliency, mental health, and openness. He believes that the counseling relationship is essential to deepen, enhance, and actualize the benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy. He is passionate about finding ways to make psychedelic-assisted therapies available to all those who may benefit from it as well as helping to raise awareness as to responsible clinical applications of psychedelics/entheogens. About Alan Kooi Davis Dr. Alan K Davis is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at The Ohio State University and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Psychedelic Research Unit at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Davis’s clinical experience includes working with people diagnosed with trauma-based psychological problems such as addiction, PTSD, depression, and anxiety. His clinical expertise includes providing evidenced-based treatments such as motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. Consistent with his clinical interests, his research interests and expertise focus on contributing to the knowledge of and ability to help those suffering with substance use and mental health problems, understanding how to improve clinical outcomes through examining new treatments, and developing ways to conceptualize substance use and mental health problems through a strengths-based approach.    Use code PSYTODAY at Onnit for a discount on all products except fitness equipment   Get a 30 day free audible trial at audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday

In today’s episode, Joe visits Naropa in Boulder, CO to sit down with Rafael Lancelotta and Alan Kooi Davis. Alan is a Clinical Psychology Professor at Ohio State and Rafael is a legal Psychedelic Therapist operating out of Innate Path in Colorado. 3 Key Points: <ol> <li>Facilitation is a huge problem in the 5-MEO-DMT space. Some people take it without the intention of working on it afterward, they are commonly given too much, and also in a poor context. This recipe of poor facilitation and guidance leads to a lot of challenging experiences and a lot of integration work.</li> <li>The feeling of oneness typically arises when taking 5-MEO-DMT. It can be great for some, but for others, it can be extremely overwhelming and harmful when not provided the correct intention, context and tools to work through it.</li> <li>Privilege is a huge issue in the psychedelic space. The goal in this space is to make everyone’s voice heard, not just those of privilege.</li> </ol> <a href="http://patreon.com/psychedelicstoday" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Support the show <ul> <li><a href="http://patreon.com/psychedelicstoday" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a></li> <li>Leave us a review on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/psychedelics-today/id1114398275" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> iTunes</a></li> <li>Share us with your friends – favorite podcast, etc</li> <li>Join our Facebook group - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/PsychedelicsToday/?source_id=178167012580097" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Psychedelics Today group</a> – Find the others and create community.</li> </ul> <a href="http://psychedelicstoday.teachable.com/p/navigatingpsychedelics" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Navigating Psychedelics</a> <a href="psychedelicstoday.teachable.com/p/navigatingpsychedelics" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Navigating-Psychedelics-Trip-Journal-Today/dp/1983747262/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=psychedelics+today&amp;qid=1551818487&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Integration-Workbook-Planting-Growth-Change/dp/1986544613/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=psychedelics+today&amp;qid=1551818487&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-2" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Show Notes Rafael <ul> <li>Rafael studied Mental Health Counseling at the University of Wyoming</li> <li>He is currently at Innate Path in Lakewood, CO doing Ketamine and Cannabis assisted Psychotherapy</li> </ul> Alan <ul> <li>Alan is on the Faculty at John’s Hopkins</li> <li>He is a Clinical Psychologist</li> <li>He is currently doing clinical research on psychoactive substances</li> </ul> 5-MEO-DMT <ul> <li>It is a psychoactive substance that comes from the Sonoran Desert Toad</li> <li>It's a fast acting and powerful psychedelic substance that is challenging to predict <ul> <li>Some have amazing, beautiful and transcendent experiences, but it also has the ability to bring up challenging and dark things to deal with</li> </ul> </li> <li>It isn't as visual as other psychedelics, it has to deal a lot more with consciousness itself</li> <li>“It may feel like being shot right into the center of love, or the center of the universe” - Alan</li> <li>DMT can be more visual, while 5-MEO-DMT can be more spiritual, not that they can’t dip into each other</li> </ul> 5-MEO-DMT Harms <ul> <li>Alan did a talk on 5-MEO-DMT at Horizons</li> <li>There are a lot of harms when using 5-MEO-DMT</li> <li>Both Alan and Rafael have been contacted numerous times about looking for facilitators or about trying to integrate massive and difficult experiences</li> <li>An ego death, in the right context, can be transformative, but in the wrong context, can be extremely harmful.</li> <li>The facilitators are the problem <ul> <li>If the facilitators are delivering the medicine in a shamanic practice, and the people using it are coming from a Western mindset, then with goals misaligned, there can be some major issues</li> <li>People have these grand, god-like experiences when using psychedelics, then feel like they need to become shamans and facilitate these experiences for others and have literally no clue or education on how to properly care for these people using the Toad</li> </ul> </li> <li>Joe says facilitators commonly overdose their users because the toad venom is hard to predict potency</li> <li>Alan says that the fear response needs to be initiated when extracting the venom from the toad <ul> <li>He thinks it can come up as a huge problem when using 5-MEO-DMT from a fear-stricken animal</li> <li>Alan says there is a lot of reports of feeling abducted by aliens, and it could be related to the fear response from the toad being hunted for its venom</li> <li>It's a similar concept to the traumatization of any other animal by the way it is killed and then eating the meat of that traumatized animal</li> </ul> </li> <li>On average, there is roughly 10-20% of 5-MEO-DMT in the venom</li> </ul> Oneness <ul> <li>When someone becomes ‘one’ with everything, it takes a lot of detailed integration <ul> <li>When someone becomes ‘one’ with everything, that would also mean that they experience the suffering of everything around them</li> </ul> </li> <li>When the rational mind comes back online, if the person does not decide to take action, it can be seriously overwhelming to feel that oneness <ul> <li>Integration has part to do with the experience but then the other part is everything before it, our family, relationships, job, our personality, etc.</li> <li>“Yeah its cool that we are one with the universe, but so is everything else” - Rafael</li> </ul> </li> </ul> Power and Privilege <ul> <li>Privilege means having a voice, but it also means position in society, gender, race etc</li> <li>In psychedelics, for so long, it has been so hard to find a voice <ul> <li>But with this psychedelic renaissance, it has become so much easier to speak up about psychedelic use, research, etc</li> </ul> </li> <li>The people within the scientific community get put on a pedestal to speak about psychedelic research</li> <li>Alan says his goal as someone in the middle of the research role, is to create community, to bring every voice to be heard</li> <li>Being connected to psychedelics in anyway, used to mean prosecution <ul> <li>There are still imbalances that need to be looked at</li> </ul> </li> <li>The psychedelic renaissance is a chance to look at systemic issues</li> <li>We need to determine what our personal values are, and values of the whole community, and whether or not they are aligned</li> </ul> Final Thoughts <ul> <li>Alan says his goal is to continue having a voice and allowing others’ voices to be heard in this space</li> <li>Rafael says his goal is to make this therapy more available to those who can benefit from it and not just for the privileged</li> </ul> Links <a href="https://sourceresearchfoundation.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Source Research Foundation</a> <a href="https://forums.5meodmt.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">5 MEO DMT Forum</a> About Rafael Lancelotta Rafael is a graduate from the University of Wyoming in Mental Health Counseling. He has worked as a wilderness therapy guide with adolescents and young adults experiencing a wide range of emotional and psychological challenges. He has also worked as a counselor at the Behavioral Health Services unit of a psychiatric hospital treating severe and persistent mental illness and medically supervised drug and alcohol detox. He has worked on several research projects studying the epidemiology of 5-MeO-DMT use in the global population and is also the administrator of <a href="http://5meodmt.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">5meodmt.org</a>, an online forum dedicated to hosting community discussions on harm reduction, integration, and safe practices around 5-MeO-DMT use. He is interested in the use of psychedelics paired with therapy for increased resiliency, mental health, and openness. He believes that the counseling relationship is essential to deepen, enhance, and actualize the benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy. He is passionate about finding ways to make psychedelic-assisted therapies available to all those who may benefit from it as well as helping to raise awareness as to responsible clinical applications of psychedelics/entheogens. About Alan Kooi Davis Dr. Alan K Davis is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at The Ohio State University and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Psychedelic Research Unit at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Davis’s clinical experience includes working with people diagnosed with trauma-based psychological problems such as addiction, PTSD, depression, and anxiety. His clinical expertise includes providing evidenced-based treatments such as motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. Consistent with his clinical interests, his research interests and expertise focus on contributing to the knowledge of and ability to help those suffering with substance use and mental health problems, understanding how to improve clinical outcomes through examining new treatments, and developing ways to conceptualize substance use and mental health problems through a strengths-based approach. Use code PSYTODAY at <a href="https://www.onnit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Onnit</a> for a discount on all products except fitness equipment Get a 30 day free audible trial at <a href="http://audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">audibletrial.com/psychedelicstoday</a>

Rafael Lancelotta and Alan Kooi Davis - 5-MEO-DMT: Facilitation Harms, Oneness and Privilege

Dr. Alan Kooi Davis is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at The Ohio State University and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Psychedelic Research Unit at Johns Hopkins University. He’s a researcher in the area of psychedelics, especially psilocybin, and how psychedelics can be used in treatment. He has also done research on harm reduction and drug use more generally, but in this episode we decided to focus on how he got into research on psychedelics for people who are interested in doing work in that area. Dr. Davis was ahead of the curve in his interest in exploring the use of psychedelics as a component of treatment. As a graduate student, he felt alone in his research interests, and so he sought opportunities to connect with others who were passionate about this potentially viable treatment option. He harnessed opportunities at conferences and online connections to build collaborations in the field of psychedelics. Seeing the need for an organized space in which to bring together researchers and resources, and wanting to build the structure that he wished had been available to him, he also formed the Source Research Foundation, which provides grants to and facilitates collaboration among students and researchers interested in psychedelics. Dr. Davis writes...a lot. Check out his published works and you’ll see what I mean. Tune in to hear his tips and tricks for staying motivated and disciplined in your writing. In this episode, you’ll learn…  How to get involved in psychedelic science About the scenarios in which you’re most likely to get support for research in the psychedelics realm How to foster collaboration About Source Research Foundation Why he decided to pursue a second postdoctoral position His advice to graduate students who are studying or have an interest in psychedelics His tips for structuring the writing process and staying motivated   Tips from the episode On how to find support for research in psychedelics (or other areas of interest)…  Try to find a supportive graduate advisor/mentor Publish and present as much as possible. If you are a clinical psychologist, get trained in the latest evidence-based methods for the disorders that you might want to work with using psychedelics Develop the skills you need to be a good scientist in general. You’ll never know what will make you competitive for a job in the future. Publish studies on psychedelics to build your vitae Connect with people at psychedelic science conferences (e.g., psychedelic science, Breaking Convention) Look for opportunities online to help out researchers, particularly the MAPS graduate student listerv/Facebook  On building collaborations and connections...  Proactively look for others with similar interests Look for remote opportunities within your area of interest Connect with other students in master and PhD programs with similar interests Attend conferences and make connections, and don’t overlook connecting with other grad students  Research Matters Podcast is hosted by Jason Luoma, who can be found on Twitter @jasonluoma or Facebook at: facebook.com/jasonluomaphd. You download the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify. 

Dr. Alan Kooi Davis is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at The Ohio State University and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Psychedelic Research Unit at Johns Hopkins University. He’s a researcher in the area of psychedelics, especially psilocybin, and how psychedelics can be used in treatment. He has also done research on harm reduction and drug use more generally, but in this episode we decided to focus on how he got into research on psychedelics for people who are interested in doing work in that area. Dr. Davis was ahead of the curve in his interest in exploring the use of psychedelics as a component of treatment. As a graduate student, he felt alone in his research interests, and so he sought opportunities to connect with others who were passionate about this potentially viable treatment option. He harnessed opportunities at conferences and online connections to build collaborations in the field of psychedelics. Seeing the need for an organized space in which to bring together researchers and resources, and wanting to build the structure that he wished had been available to him, he also formed the <a href="https://sourceresearchfoundation.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Source Research Foundation</a>, which provides grants to and facilitates collaboration among students and researchers interested in psychedelics. Dr. Davis writes...a lot. Check out his published works and you’ll see what I mean. Tune in to hear his tips and tricks for staying motivated and disciplined in your writing. In this episode, you’ll learn… <ul> <li>How to get involved in psychedelic science</li> <li>About the scenarios in which you’re most likely to get support for research in the psychedelics realm</li> <li>How to foster collaboration</li> <li>About Source Research Foundation</li> <li>Why he decided to pursue a second postdoctoral position</li> <li>His advice to graduate students who are studying or have an interest in psychedelics</li> <li>His tips for structuring the writing process and staying motivated </li> </ul> Tips from the episode On how to find support for research in psychedelics (or other areas of interest)… <ul> <li>Try to find a supportive graduate advisor/mentor</li> <li>Publish and present as much as possible.</li> <li>If you are a clinical psychologist, get trained in the latest evidence-based methods for the disorders that you might want to work with using psychedelics</li> <li>Develop the skills you need to be a good scientist in general. You’ll never know what will make you competitive for a job in the future.</li> <li>Publish studies on psychedelics to build your vitae</li> <li>Connect with people at psychedelic science conferences (e.g., psychedelic science, Breaking Convention)</li> <li>Look for opportunities online to help out researchers, particularly the MAPS graduate student listerv/Facebook</li> </ul> On building collaborations and connections... <ul> <li>Proactively look for others with similar interests</li> <li>Look for remote opportunities within your area of interest</li> <li>Connect with other students in master and PhD programs with similar interests</li> <li>Attend conferences and make connections, and don’t overlook connecting with other grad students</li> </ul> <a href="https://jasonluoma.com/researchmatters/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Research Matters Podcast</a> is hosted by Jason Luoma, who can be found on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonluoma" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@jasonluoma </a>or Facebook at: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jasonluomaphd/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">facebook.com/jasonluomaphd</a>. You download the podcast through <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/research-matters-podcast/id1453463548" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/sober-families-podcast/research-matters-podcast?refid=stpr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6UehvEhczCT9RgVliF0bq6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>.

Alan Kooi Davis on Getting Started in Psychedelic Science, Collaboration, and the Source Research Foundation