Comedian, musician, and improvisational genius Reggie Watts joins Divergent States for an unfiltered deep dive into psychedelics, creativity, and consciousness. From jamming on LSD and mushrooms to experimenting with dissociatives and even the Apple Vision Pro, Reggie opens up about how altered states shape his art, comedy, music, and worldview.

We cover:

• Psychedelics in creative flow and improvisation
• Dissociatives as “drug-induced float tanks”
• Saffron, ketamine, and unique mixes in performance
• Mainstreaming psychedelics in culture
• Flow states, music as healing, and shadow work
• Reggie’s bucket-list substances and wild stories from stage to studio

🔑 Whether you’re a psychonaut, a fan of Reggie’s comedy and music, or just curious about the psychedelic creative process, this is one of his rare long-form podcast conversations.

👉 Full extended conversation (45+ minutes extra) only on Patreon: patreon.com/divergentstates

🎵 Thanks to Sndbagz for the music!

00:00 – Intro: Divergent States with Valerie Beltran
02:35 – Reggie Watts joins the show
03:27 – Saffron mixes & ketamine creativity
04:40 – Psychedelics and the creative process
05:40 – Solo vs. group creation on psychedelics
06:36 – Improv, ego, and the psychedelic equalizer
07:25 – Mainstreaming psychedelics & cultural shifts
08:15 – Tripping in ancient and future times
09:48 – Flow states, art, and natural psychedelics
12:26 – Dissociatives vs. psychedelics
15:00 – Apple Vision Pro + dissociatives
17:16 – Anamnesis: remembering the forgotten
19:31 – Jamming with Nazzle & improvisation
21:47 – Psychedelics: loosening control vs. sharpening focus
25:08 – Shadow work & healing through music
27:37 – Permission, freedom, and flow
29:47 – Psychedelics as tools or collaborators
32:00 – Closing thoughts & Patreon invite
35:04 – Outro reflections & gratitude

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Special Thanks to our Macrodosers, Super D and Mycocosm, and our Heroic Doser Lucy on Patreon!

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History shows politics can make or break psychedelic medicine, will we repeat the 1960s backlash, or finally move forward?

In this episode of Divergent States, we explore the uneasy intersection of psychedelics and politics. MDMA remains a Schedule I drug—classified as dangerous with no medical use—while at the same time advancing through FDA Phase III trials. This contradiction highlights the limbo psychedelics face today: criminalized on one side, medicalized on the other.

We revisit the lessons of the 1960s, when political backlash ended promising psychedelic research for decades, and compare them to today’s fast-changing landscape. With figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. championing psychedelic medicine, the risk of partisan branding looms large. Can the psychedelic renaissance avoid being reduced to culture war ammunition?

From Oregon and Colorado’s legalization models to global perspectives like Australia’s, we unpack the fragile future of access, safety, and legitimacy. And we emphasize why independent media, grassroots communities, and diverse voices are essential to keeping psychedelics rooted in healing rather than political agendas.

🔑 Key Points

• Psychedelics remain Schedule I but are simultaneously advancing toward FDA approval.
• The 1960s crackdown shows the danger of entanglement with politics and culture wars.
• Public opinion has shifted rapidly, with mainstream endorsements from figures like Oprah and Michael Pollan.
• Risks of polarizing association (e.g., RFK Jr.) could trigger backlash despite strong science.
• Oregon’s tightly regulated model vs. Colorado’s more open system—pros, cons, and accessibility challenges.
• Potential for a two-tiered system: expensive legal clinics vs. criminalized underground use.
• Independent media and grassroots communities play a key role in shaping the narrative.
• Psychedelics could follow three futures: medicalized/corporate, grassroots/underground, or partisan football.
• Safety concerns are emerging with unregulated “gas station mushrooms” and microdose products.
• Global models like Australia’s nationwide legalization offer lessons for the U.S. path ahead.

Chapters

00:00 – The Psychedelic Contradiction
MDMA is Schedule I and in FDA Phase III trials — the legal/medical limbo.

02:00 – Why Politics Are Dangerous
Why Divergent States avoids partisan debates, and how culture wars derail progress.

06:30 – Lessons from the 1960s
How Timothy Leary, Nixon, and the War on Drugs shut down decades of psychedelic science.

09:45 – The Risk of Polarization
RFK Jr., vaccines, and how associating psychedelics with a single figure fuels backlash.

15:00 – Fragile Legitimacy
Medical, cultural, and political legitimacy — and how easily it can collapse.

20:20 – Can Psychedelics Unite Us?
Hope for bipartisan support, parallels with cannabis legalization.

24:00 – Global Models & Access
Oregon vs. Colorado, Australia’s legalization, and fears of a two-tiered system.

27:30 – Grassroots vs. Corporate Paths
Safety concerns with “gas station mushrooms,” microdosing hype, and corporate oversight.

31:00 – Pop Culture & Microdosing
South Park satire, normalization, and the line between humor and har

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Special Thanks to our Macrodosers and Heroic Dosers on Patreon, Super D and Lucy!

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In this episode of Divergent States, we sit down with Kabir Nath, CEO of Compass Pathways, and Dr. Steve Levine, Chief Patient Officer, to talk about the future of psychedelic medicine. From FDA approval and insurance coverage to patient access, cultural safety, and patents, we dig into whether Compass is truly disrupting the pharma model or just reinventing it.

We also share a major community update: the official Divergent States Discord is now open to all of r/Psychonaut. Built by Brady and the mod team, the server is a space for harm reduction, trip reports, deep dives, and authentic connection across the psychedelic movement.

As always, this conversation is about asking the real questions without corporate PR filters. What Compass shared — and what they left unsaid — reveals as much about the future of psilocybin therapy as the answers themselves.

👉 Join the movement: connect on Discord, support independent media on Patreon, and be part of the conversation.

https://discord.gg/swPwT6ZYun

Key Points

• FDA approval: path to affordability or illusion of access?
• COM360 psilocybin therapy: synthetic model, patient journey, and therapy debate
• Access & equity: insurance hurdles, pricing models, and patient foundations
• Cultural safety: trauma-informed design, marginalized populations, indigenous roots
• Patents & Pharma tension: innovation vs. corporate control in psychedelic medicine
• Community news: Divergent States Discord officially launches for r/Psychonaut

Chapters

00:00 – Intro: Setting the frame for Compass Pathways
01:30 – Community Update: Divergent States Discord opens for r/Psychonaut
09:30 – Guest Intros: Kabir Nath & Dr. Steve Levine of Compass Pathways
11:20 – Kabir on moving from pharma to psychedelics
12:30 – Steve on ketamine clinics & new models of care
14:15 – What “success” looks like for patients
16:00 – COM360 psilocybin therapy: synthetic vs. natural & the role of therapy
17:30 – How Compass plans to deliver psilocybin in different care settings
18:40 – Patient hopes, fears, and the path to access
20:00 – FDA approval, insurance, and affordability
21:00 – Cultural safety, trauma-informed design, and community input
21:45 – Indigenous engagement & staying “in their lane”
24:15 – The next 5–10 years of psychedelic treatment
26:10 – What could derail psychedelic medicine’s promise
28:10 – Compass’ place in the broader psychedelic ecosystem
29:50 – Outro: Independent media reflections & listener call to action

New Music from Sndbagz - check out his new EP "Chosen Path" on Soundcloud and Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0T1LU2nJ9ibGIU3Bxin2X6
https://soundcloud.com/user-918755844

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FiresideProject.org

Download the app or text/call 62-FIRESIDE

Support the show

Special Thanks to our Macrodosers and Heroic Dosers on Patreon, Super D and Lucy!

https://linktr.ee/3L1T3Mod