In this episode, syde & WarcoBrienza welcome Rick Doblin, founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). A ‘godfather’ of psychedelics since 1985, as syde loves to name him! Together with Federico Seragnoli, cofounder of the ALPS conference, we discussed with Rick the results of 2 MAPS-sponsored, philanthropy-funded Phase 3 clinical trials of MDMA-assisted therapy for Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

As MAPS approaches a decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD as soon as mid-2024, we explore the context of the MDMA prohibition that occurred in the 80’, as well as the possibility of a world of net-zero trauma by 2070.

• You are one the Godfather of the Psychedelic Renaissance, how does it feel to see your life’s work being recognised? 
• Live from Geneva at the ALPS Conference 2023, what was the importance of Switzerland in 1986 when you founded the MAPS Association ?
• What are the most promising regions of the world in terms of psychedelics for therapeutic use ?
• How can drugs reinforce the spiritual experience?

Rick Doblin, Ph.D., is the founder and president of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). He received his doctorate in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where he wrote his dissertation on the regulation of the medical uses of psychedelics and marijuana and his Master’s thesis on a survey of oncologists about smoked marijuana vs. the oral THC pill in nausea control for cancer patients. His undergraduate thesis at New College of Florida was a 25-year follow-up to the classic Good Friday Experiment, which evaluated the potential of psychedelic drugs to catalyze religious experiences. 

He also conducted a thirty-four year follow-up study to Timothy Leary’s Concord Prison Experiment. Rick studied with Dr. Stanislav Grof and was among the first to be certified as a Holotropic Breathwork practitioner. His professional goal is to help develop legal contexts for the beneficial uses of psychedelics and marijuana, primarily as prescription medicines but also for personal growth for otherwise healthy people, and eventually to become a legally licensed psychedelic therapist. He founded MAPS in 1986, and currently resides in Boston with his wife and puppy, with three empty rooms from his children who have all graduated college and begun their life journeys. 

This interview was recorded during the Alps Conference 2023 on psychedelic research in Geneva, Switzerland on 27.10.2022. More info on the Alps Conference here

In this episode, syde & WarcoBrienza welcome Vanja Palmers, Zen monk and research facilitator in meditation studies.

Meditation and (Mind) Medicine are two ways or technologies of investigating the mystery of life and consciousness. Both have their relative strengths and their weaknesses, and the combination of them seems to be a promising approach to the big question of "Who am I ?‘.

• Where did your interest in psychedelics start? 
• The NZZ called your the most dangerous man in Switzerland. Why is that ? Here the article Der gefährlichste Mann der Schweiz 
• How is the use of psychedelics in harmony with being a Zen monk? 
• Spirituality and psychedelics are trying to answer the same question: Who am I ? Do they eventually share the same quest?
• What is Mind Medicine ?
• What are your hopes for the future ? 

Vanja Palmers was born in Austria and grew up in Switzerland. His career as a student at the University of Zürich and as the founder of a successful business start up came to a sudden halt when he ingested a few micrograms of a certain fungi derivative aka LSD. After a few years of being  a Hippie and a Yogi, he ended up becoming a Zen person, specializing in being nobody special, making effort towards effortless, traceless praxis….  with mediocre success - Felsentor and Puregg (two meditation centers) as well as some animal rights campaigns and institutions have materialized. 

Being grateful for being able to be part of the movement to bring psychedelics out of the demonized closet back into research, medical, recreational and spiritual contexts, he lives now on a little organic farm on Mt. Rigi in Central Switzerland.

This interview was recorded during the Alps Conference 2023 on psychedelic research in Geneva, Switzerland on 27.10.2022. More info on the Alps Conference here

In this episode, syde & WarcoBrienza welcome Abigail Calder, PhD candidate at University of Fribourg. For decades, most rhetoric about psychedelics focused on their negative effects. This might make it seem like we know all there is to know about bad reactions to psychedelics - but how much do we really know? In her recent talk at ALPS conference 2023, Abigail aimed to separate fact from fiction and give an update on the unwanted, negative effects that can occur with psychedelics, in all settings.  

• What are the main adverse effects expected from psychedelics ? 
• What is the chance of getting a bad trip with MDMA or LSD ? Can you provide some kind of probability based on your research ?  
• And what would be the least risky psychedelic after your research ?
• During a psychedelic experience, How could we distinguish an hallucination from an insight ?
• How can psychedelics influence people’s values ? Changing people’s values … this is where marketing or even education failed!

Abigail Calder is a PhD candidate at the University in Fribourg, Switzerland, where she heads a research project on the effects of LSD on neuroplasticity in healthy people. She also conducts research into the adverse effects of psychedelics and their underlying causes, as well as psychedelics’ effects on people’s values and well-being, and she recently joined the ALPS Foundation as its research coordinator. She completed her Master’s degree in neuroscience at the University of Bonn and holds a Bachelor’s in psychology from TU Dresden.

This interview was recorded during the Alps Conference 2023 on psychedelic research in Geneva, Switzerland on 27.10.2022. More info on the Alps Conference here