The Psychedelic Podcast

In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin speaks with Dr. Brian Tierney, a licensed somatic psychologist and professor of neuroscience.  Find full show notes and links here: https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-319/?ref=278 [https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-319/?ref=278] Dr. Tierney unpacks the emerging paradigm of network neuroscience and how our brain’s default mode, salience, and task networks interact with trauma, attention, and healing. Dr. Tierney is a somatic psychologist, neuroscience and psychopharmacology professor, and psychotherapist with a passion for integrative healing. Specializing in trauma resolution, couples therapy, and somatic experiencing, he blends cutting-edge science with ancient practices to create transformative healing experiences. He is the host of the Boundless Body podcast and the author of the upcoming book Visionary Somatics. Highlights: * What is network neuroscience? * How trauma disrupts brain network coordination * Understanding the salience, default mode, and task networks * Why somatic healing involves connective tissue, not just cognition * The dangers of spiritual bypassing through “idealized embodiment” * “Character armoring” and body-held trauma patterns * How imagination serves as a ground for healing * The death–rebirth archetype in psychedelic experiences * Transcendence vs. transformation in modern healing culture * Why safety and grounding are non-negotiable for deep work Episode Sponsors: * Psychedelic Coacing Institute's Intensive for Psychedelic Professionals [https://edu.psychedeliccoaching.institute/psychedelic-intensive/?ref=12&utm_source=player&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=tw-podcast-ad] in Costa Rica - a transformative retreat for personal and professional growth. * Golden Rule Mushrooms [https://goldenrulemushrooms.com/thirdwave/?utm_source=podcast-episode&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=2025-ad1] - Get a lifetime discount of 10% with code THIRDWAVE at checkout

In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin is joined by James Fadiman, PhD, and Jordan Gruber, JD, co-authors of the new book Microdosing for Health, Healing, and Enhanced Performance. [https://amzn.to/4oNLbAd] Find full show notes and links here: https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-318/?ref=278 [https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-318/?ref=278] Widely recognized as the father of modern microdosing, Jim returns alongside Jordan to challenge outdated pharmaceutical paradigms and share what a decade of real-world microdosing reports reveals about physical health, emotional wellbeing, and performance enhancement. James Fadiman, PhD, is a leading voice in psychedelic research, widely known as the “father of microdosing.” With a career spanning over 60 years, Jim has explored psychedelics’ effects on creativity, mental health, and human potential. His landmark book, The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide, remains a foundational text in the field. In recent years, he’s spearheaded citizen science efforts on microdosing, gathering thousands of real-world reports to better understand its therapeutic and performance-enhancing effects. Jordan Gruber, JD, MA, is a writer, editor, and former attorney whose work bridges psychology, spirituality, and personal development. Founder of Enlightenment.Com, Jordan has collaborated on books covering everything from finance to forensic audio to transformational healing. He co-authored Your Symphony of Selves with Fadiman in 2020 and now returns as co-author of their latest work. Together, their partnership blends rigorous inquiry with lived insight—shaping a new paradigm for how psychedelics can enhance everyday life. Highlights: * Why microdosing works for both healing and performance * The real-world shift from symptom-treatment to systemic wellbeing * How citizen science is driving the microdosing movement * Microdosing vs. psycholytic dosing: Key distinctions * Why mainstream research may be missing the sweet spot * Comparing protocols: Fadiman vs. Stamets vs. intuitive dosing * The myth of the serotonin hypothesis and what comes next * Heart risk debates and what the data actually says * Microdosing for autism, ADHD, and chronic pain * What an ideal regulatory future could look like Episode Links: * Jim and Jordan's new book, Microdosing for Health, Healing, and Enhanced Performance [https://amzn.to/4oNLbAd] Episode Sponsors * Psychedelic Coacing Institute's Intensive for Psychedelic Professionals [https://edu.psychedeliccoaching.institute/psychedelic-intensive/?ref=12&utm_source=player&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=tw-podcast-ad] in Costa Rica - a transformative retreat for personal and professional growth. * Golden Rule Mushrooms [https://goldenrulemushrooms.com/thirdwave/?utm_source=podcast-episode&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=2025-ad1] - Get a lifetime discount of 10% with code THIRDWAVE at checkout These show links contain affiliate links. Third Wave receives a small percentage of the product price if you purchase through the above affiliate links.

In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin speaks with Mariah Gannessa, founder of Four Visions, a plant medicine platform rooted in sacred reciprocity and indigenous partnership.  Find full show notes and links here: https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-317/?ref=278 [https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-317/?ref=278] Mariah shares her decade-long apprenticeship with the Inga people of Colombia and her journey creating Four Visions as a reverent bridge between Amazonian healing traditions and modern seekers. The conversation explores the Four Visions of the Yahé tradition, the nuances of cultural appropriation vs. cultural exchange, and the responsibilities of Western entrepreneurs engaging with indigenous medicines. Mariah also discusses how Four Visions reinvests in indigenous communities and why the concept of sacred reciprocity is central to her mission. Join Paul F. Austin and Mariah Gannessa on August 21st at 10am PT / 1pm ET for Hapé 101 for Practitioners, Coaches & Guides [https://edu.psychedeliccoaching.institute/hape-101/?ref=12], a free live webinar hosted through the Psychedelic Coaching Institute. Whether you're new to hapé or looking to deepen your practice, you'll gain practical, respectful guidance on working with this sacred Amazonian snuff—personally and professionally. Mariah Gannessa has spent the last decade immersed in the healing cultures of the Amazon and has dedicated her life’s work to the plants and indigenous peoples of the rainforest. Her healing journey during her decade-long apprenticeship in study and service with the Inga tribe of Putumayo was a catalyst for her evolution as an entrepreneur, philanthropist and musician. Mariah acts as a bridge in the sharing of plant medicines with the world in order to support humanity’s healing. She is the founder of Four Visions [https://fourvisions.com], a global leader in supporting indigenous communities through direct commerce partnerships, donations, and sponsoring charitable initiatives. In partnership with her teacher, world-renowned healer and Ingano Botanist, Taita Juanito, she founded MAGIC Fund [https://magicfundamazon.com], spearheading projects to preserve the Amazonian peoples, their cultures, and lands. Her work in service is fully inspired by a vision to leave a legacy of a better Earth for future generations. Highlights: * How the Four Visions of Yagé shape healing * Redefining sacred reciprocity in a globalized world * A Western entrepreneur’s path through plant medicine apprenticeship * Why cultural exchange is not always appropriation * The role of reverence in spiritual entrepreneurship * Bridging Amazonian wisdom with Western healing needs * Building a mission-driven e-commerce platform * Plant allies for the heart, grief, and dreaming * Remembering ancestral wisdom in a disoriented world * The medicine path as both business and spiritual devotion Episode Links: * Four Visions [https://fourvisions.com] * MAGIC Fund [https://magicfundamazon.com] * Hapé 101 for Practitioners, Coaches & Guides [https://edu.psychedeliccoaching.institute/hape-101/?ref=12] Episode Sponsors: * Psychedelic Coacing Institute's Intensive for Psychedelic Professionals [https://edu.psychedeliccoaching.institute/psychedelic-intensive/?ref=12&utm_source=player&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=tw-podcast-ad] in Costa Rica - a transformative retreat for personal and professional growth. * Golden Rule Mushrooms [https://goldenrulemushrooms.com/thirdwave/?utm_source=podcast-episode&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=2025-ad1] - Get a lifetime discount of 10% with code THIRDWAVE at checkout

In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, host Paul F. Austin welcomes cultural historian and acclaimed author Mike Jay. Find full show notes and links here: https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-316/?ref=278 [https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-316/?ref=278] Together they explore the untold history of nitrous oxide, psychedelic experimentation in the Romantic era, and the deeper cultural and philosophical roots of psychedelic science. Mike shares insights from his latest book, Free Radicals, highlighting how figures like Humphry Davy and William James helped shape psychedelic thought long before the 1960s. The conversation weaves through ancient San Pedro rituals, colonial attempts to suppress peyote use, and the divergent paths of modern psychedelic medicine. From poetic self-experimentation to medicalized models, Mike unpacks the historical tensions between grassroots healing and institutional control—and what this means for the future of psychedelic culture. Mike Jay is a British author and cultural historian who has written widely on the history of drugs, consciousness, and medical science. His books include Mescaline: A Global History of the First Psychedelic, Psychonauts: Drugs and the Making of the Modern Mind, and Free Radicals: How a Group of Romantic Experimenters Gave Birth to Psychedelic Science. Mike contributes regularly to The London Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, and The Wall Street Journal. Highlights: * How early scientists used nitrous oxide for inner exploration * Romantic poets as the original psychedelic self-experimenters * Parallels between Humphry Davy and Alexander Shulgin * What William James learned from nitrous, not mescaline * Colonial suppression of peyote and indigenous resilience * The enduring symbolism of San Pedro in Andean ritual * How the counterculture reinterpreted Native practices * Why modern psychedelic medicine may be repeating history * The role of finance in shaping current therapy models * Looking ahead: divergent futures of psychedelic healing Episode links:  * Mike’s website [https://mikejay.net] * Mike’s new book, Free Radicals [https://amzn.to/3UNhjGd] * Mescaline: A Global History of the First Psychedelic [https://amzn.to/4m0FWvk] * Psychonauts: Drugs and the Making of the Modern Mind [https://amzn.to/3HcFiM1] * Manvir Singh’s article in The Guardian [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/01/first-thing-us-ukraine-sign-minerals-deal-trump] * “The Peyote Dance” by Antonin Artaud [https://amzn.to/4mnlJ2m] Episode sponsors:  * Psychedelic Coacing Institute's Intensive for Psychedelic Professionals [https://edu.psychedeliccoaching.institute/psychedelic-intensive/?ref=12&utm_source=player&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=tw-podcast-ad] in Costa Rica - a transformative retreat for personal and professional growth. * Golden Rule Mushrooms [https://goldenrulemushrooms.com/thirdwave/?utm_source=podcast-episode&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=2025-ad1] - Get a lifetime discount of 10% with code THIRDWAVE at checkout

In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, host Paul F. Austin welcomes Brian Robertson—creator of Holacracy and founder of Ledgeway Sangha—for a thought-provoking conversation at the intersection of organizational design, spiritual community, and psychedelic practice. Find full show notes and links here: https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-315/?ref=278 [https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-315/?ref=278] Best known for reimagining how companies structure authority through Holacracy, Brian now brings his systems-level insight into the realm of psychedelic spirituality. He shares the origin and mission of Ledgeway Sangha, a legal psychedelic church rooted in peer-to-peer healing, communal practice, and non-dogmatic love. Together, Paul and Brian explore how this innovative model bypasses conventional hierarchy, integrates softer entheogens like 2C-B and 6-APB, and builds a path toward legal protection for churches operating outside mainstream psychedelic frameworks. Brian Robertson is best known for creating Holacracy, the most comprehensive framework in the world today for running self-managed companies using a decentralized power structure in lieu of a traditional management hierarchy. He’s founded and built many organizations over the past 30 years as an entrepreneur, including HolacracyOne, which helps companies use self-management to unleash creativity and empowered leadership, and the software company GlassFrog, which helps both traditional and self-managed companies drive organizational transparency, agility, and alignment to purpose. To date, tens of thousands of companies in over 50 countries have embraced his pioneering methods and ideas, and his frequent public speaking seamlessly weaves between business, management, consciousness, and love. Brian is currently focused on building Ledgeway Sangha, an entheogenic church and community-building organization that’s harnessing psychedelics to help people release judgments and resistances into loving acceptance of all that is. Highlights: * From Holacracy to entheogenic spirituality * Why Ledgeway Sangha has no doctrine or belief system * Love as the norming force in community * 2C-B and 6-APB as self-integrating medicines * The case for subtle, sovereign psychedelic journeys * A new model of psychedelic integration through consistency * Why hierarchy undermines safe psychedelic containers * Legal strategies under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act * Creating a church for mystics, not priests * Poetry, presence, and redefining spiritual transmission Episode links:  * Ledgeway Sangha [https://www.ledgeway.org] * Holacracy [https://www.holacracy.org] * Brian’s social media [https://linktr.ee/brianrobertson] Episode Sponsor: * Golden Rule Mushrooms [https://goldenrulemushrooms.com/thirdwave/?utm_source=podcast-episode&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=2025-ad1] - Get a lifetime discount of 10% with code THIRDWAVE at checkout * The Practitioner Certification Program [https://edu.psychedeliccoaching.institute/practitioner-certification-program/?ref=12&utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=tw-podcast-ad] by Third Wave’s Psychedelic Coaching Institute.