This is a conversation with Adrian Oberg. Adrian is one of the first professionals to go through a Canadian Health Approved training to become a psychedelic clinical counsellor. Adrian works as a harm reduction professional and integration specialist who has been holding space for transcendent experiences for the past 6 yrs. He is the director of Victoria Association of Psychedelic Studies as well as the Celium, a volunteer based harm reduction organization.
OUTLINE:
Here are timestamps for the episode with references mentioned
(00:00) - Intro
(01:04) - Welcoming Exercise
(16:14) – The value of "check ins"
(20:16) – Training to be a legal psychedelic counsellor
https://www.therapsil.ca/
(30:00) – How to establish connection and support others
(34:10) – Client centered care
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person-centered_care
(42:40) – Adrian's history with psychedelics
(48:47) – The war on drugs and against people of color
https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000004642370/jay-z-the-war-on-drugs-is-an-epic-fail.html
(52:01) – Studying psychedelics at school
(54:00) – Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)
https://mapscanada.org/
(1:01:40) – The importance of honesty
(1:04:28) – Adrian's relationship with these medicines
(1:06:50) – Potential for healing and growth
(1:10:55) – Does buddhism suggest we shouldn't have desires?
(1:16:46) – Should we avoid suffering? There is no good or bad
(1:21:20) – Thoughts Without a Thinker, by Mark Epstein
Great book if you only read the introductions to buddhism intended for a western audience. Ignore the author's outdated claims about psychology, neuroscience or anything Freud related
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37082.Thoughts_Without_A_Thinker
(1:25:13) – Surrendering to the experience in a good way, and the buddha's notion of the third path or the middle way
(1:32:33) – Do our hangups all come from childhood trauma?
Already Free, by Bruce Tift. Excellent book on finding contentment and fulfilment in all moments
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/12400671
(1:49:00) – Adrian book recommendation
Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52036.Siddhartha
Thanks for tuning in!
You can connect with Blake Rupert on Facebook or Twitter at @blakerupert_
Find out more at https://rupert-radio.pinecast.co
Stephanie MacKay, founder of Fianna Wilderness School - https://fianna.ca/
This conversation is an exploration of nature based mentorship! We focus on the reasons someone might want to participate in a nature school and explore take aways that can help folks learn wherever they are in life.
OUTLINE:
Here are timestamps for the episode with references mentioned.
(00:00) Highlight
(00:40) Intro
(02:00) Welcoming Exercise
(09:03) – What is Nature Connection and Wilderness School?
Wilderness Awareness School: https://www.wildernessawareness.org/
Forest Schools: https://forestschoolassociation.org/what-is-forest-school/
(16:01) – A typical day at Wilderness School
(24:56) – Mentorship
(31:05) – Public school systems connection to factories
Sir Ken Robinson Ted Talk on Education: https://youtu.be/zDZFcDGpL4U?t=13
Factory model school wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_model_school
(34:15) – Field guides, resources for learning about nature
(36:28) – Coyote Mentoring super power for learning and teaching
(46:10) – Wilderness Awareness School, Duvall Washington: https://www.wildernessawareness.org/
(47:02) – 3 Tools for mentoring: Trickster, Questioning and Didactic
(48:00) – Art of Questioning
Jon Young: https://www.jonyoung.online/
(50:11) Lasting lessons and the Google Effect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_effect
(55:22) – Shine Edgar Quote: https://rupert-radio.pinecast.co/episode/2e64a1b6/sound-healing-music-medicine-and-more-w-shine-edgar
(56:44) – The value of risk
(1:05:30) – Rights of passage and Initiation
(1:15:20) – Sit Spot, aka the shortcut to nature connection
(1:29:55) – Liminal spaces
Thanks for tuning in!
You can connect with Blake Rupert on Facebook or Twitter at @blakerupert_
Find out more at https://rupert-radio.pinecast.co
The following is a conversation with Deus Fortier. Deus is a plant medicine facilitator who leads workshops in Mexico and does other forms of transformational coaching in Vancouver, Canada. To find out more about him go to https://www.deusfortier.com/ or https://www.thesomaheart.com/
Show Notes: (1:00) Starting a meeting with presence. Grounding, gratitude, and intention
(2:44) Example of establishing a container, a welcoming ritual
(9:51) Introducing Deus Fortier
(11:00) Long term growth. Value of preparation and integration
(13:05) Are Psychedelics for growth or healing? Potential limitations of western science in evaluating psychedelic healings
Rak Razam on 5-MeO-DMT: https://youtu.be/0PtZ-58xZjQ
(18:40) Bufo and 5-MeO-DMT Deus's partner Aga's episode https://pnc.st/s/rupert-radio/670e439e/lessons-from-a-world-class-psychedelic-facilitator-w-aga-postawska
(19:15) How to prepare for optimal psychedelic outcomes
Somatic Scan. https://www.mindfulnessmuse.com/mindfulness-exercises/increase-somatic-awareness-with-a-body-scan-mindfulness-exercise
Also an introduction to Somatic Work. Waking The Tiger: Healing Trauma, by Peter Levine and Ann Frederick - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/384924.Waking_the_Tiger
(27:00) Tips for solo psychedelic trips
(31:30) Devon Christie, of Numinus Wellness. Emphasis on somatic experiencing for psychedelic processes https://numinus.ca/team/dr-devon-christie-md-ccfp
(30:09) Spotlight of attention and addressing difficult sensations https://pnc.st/s/rupert-radio/d0244d42/psychedelic-buddhism-how-to-quit-suffering-w-andras-lenart
(32:15) Science vs Spirituality
Observational Studies: https://www.iwh.on.ca/what-researchers-mean-by/observational-vs-experimental-studies#:~:text=Observational%20studies%20are%20ones%20where,two%20types%20of%20observational%20studies.
Initiative to collect data on psychedelic therapies https://www.quantifiedcitizen.com/
(35:44) Entourage effects. How psychedelics are both therapeutically potent as well as holistically powerful across "many dimensions of our beings simultaneously"
https://psychedelicreview.com/the-entourage-effect-in-magic-mushrooms/
(40:33) Psychedelics eliciting "Mystical Experiences" that participants rate as 1 of their top 3 life experiences, research by R. Griffiths of John Hopkins University
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/press_releases/2006/griffithspsilocybin.pdf
(43:09) What should people avoid when going into a psychedelic experience? The importance of intentions
(48:20) The basic don'ts
(50:10) Examples of great psychedelic practitioners. The benefit of letting go, having support, and acknowledging whatever is true in the present moment
(56:05) The value of having a facilitator, and group vs solo settings
(1:01:19) The size of groups, 2:1 ratio of participants to facilitators
(1:03:13) Research showing group therapy and solo therapy may have equal healing outcomes
https://societyforpsychotherapy.org/individual-vs-group-psychotherapy/
(1:07:57) Role of Music in psychedelics
You can also check out https://pnc.st/s/rupert-radio/2e64a1b6/australian-digeridu-master-and-plant-medicine-guide-shine-edgar
The range of your sensory awareness, aka the Umwelt: https://eagleman.com/science/sensory-substitution/ And https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygRNoieAnzI
Medicine Songs, South American Icaros https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icaro
(1:16:21) Modern medicine songs for Westerners https://www.youtube.com/user/BeautifulChorus And https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singularity_(Jon_Hopkins_album)
(1:18:00) Deus's Mentors: Satyen Raja: https://acceleratedevolutionacademy.com/ Chris Austen Fletcher: www.9Rings.ca www.HalfmoonHaven.ca www.WholeFamilyHealing.ca Trevor Yelich: https://www.numasomatics.com/trevor-yelich Dana Lynne Andersen: danalynneandersen.com awakeningartsacademy.com Paramahansa Yogananda: https://www.yogananda-srf.org/ "Authobiography of a Yogi" Blackfoot First Nations, Blood tribe of Southern Alberta: https://blackfootconfederacy.ca/
(1:22:15) What personality traits or practices are encouraged across different self development frameworks? Somatic scans
David R. Hawkins: "Power Vs. Force" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19795.Power_vs_Force
"Letting Go: The Pathway To Surrender" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16098910-letting-go?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=g4b6jAJyIJ&rank=1
John Vervaeke's 52 part series free on YouTube called "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54l8_ewcOlY
(1:27:15) Board game recommendations Pandemic: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/30549/pandemic And Gloomhaven, fantasy RPG : https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/174430/gloomhaven
(1:31:28) Imagination is one of the most important qualities we can cultivate Laura Dawn of the Psychedelic Leadership Podcast, on creativity, curiosity and imagination: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/0748f66c-d090-43f8-a683-865b426d0f99
(1:38:10) Passive and active integration
(1:40:30) Radical accountability, honesty of practitioners
(1:45:20) Psychedelics as Jetpacks or Hiking https://pnc.st/s/rupert-radio/4075495e/quit-suffering-with-psychedelic-buddhism-hiking-vs-jetpacks
Find out more at https://rupert-radio.pinecast.co
The following is a conversation with Shine Edgar. Shine is a renowned didjeridu master, sound healer and plant medicine guide with 30+ years of experience. He is also worked as a nurse and trained as a permaculture designer.
(3:22) Western Australia Indigenous Group, Noongar https://tinyurl.com/yhk3bmhz
(3:30) The Dreaming, how the world is sung into being. How to find your personal purpose https://tinyurl.com/2cz9fwfs
(4:45) Noongar elder and Shine's mentor, Maxine Fumagalli. Maxine was an accomplished artist, poet, healer and teacher
(7:23) Didjeridu for sound healing
(20:06) "Consciousness Medicine: Indigenous Wisdom, Entheogens, and Expanded States of Consciousness for Healing and Growth", by Francoise Bourzat and Kristina Hunter https://tinyurl.com/743n3f29
(22:40) What to look for in a psychedelic guide
(25:48) How music and sound forms our reality
(26:00) Plants responding to music https://tinyurl.com/jfsh3znz
(30:10) Music and Psychedelics, for recreation or growth?
(33:55) Safety in ceremony, the advantages of staying on a mat or bed, at night
(37:24) The importance of listening! Tips to improve your listening https://tinyurl.com/t5h547us
(41:31) Songlines or Dreaming Tracks, maps that are sung https://tinyurl.com/y48w3j67
(49:27) Self Mastery
(51:56) Tips for Self Mastery, becoming masterminds
(59:00) Instruments overview
(59:25) World Music Masters: Mamady Keïta, Master Drummer from Guinea. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pakastani Sufi devotional music composer
(1:03:20) Exercises for growing musicians
(1:09:33) Being Nothing. Self acceptance and right effort. Particles vs. Waves, how things are solid or potentiality
(1:17:28) The power of making the other band members sound great, not just yourself
You can find more about Shine at: www.shinelikethesun.ca or reach him on facebook under Shine Edgar
Find out more at https://rupert-radio.pinecast.co
Vancouver Psychedelic Meetup is pleased to bring you a talk by Blake Rupert.
Blake shares his insights at the intersection of psychedelics and Buddhism. He will explore how we might integrate practices, enhance our epistemic and ontological foundations, and deeply ground ourselves in the unyielding present. Blake will consider how this knowledge can allow us to alleviate suffering, discover our true freedom, and surf the uncertainty in our lives.
Blake is an accomplished mentor who combines a Buddhist practice with psychedelic insights and nature-based wisdom. He has a BA from Dalhousie where he doubled majored in psychology and philosophy, studying topics like consciousness and the feasibility of producing thinking machines.
Find out more at https://rupert-radio.pinecast.co
Today's guest Andras Lenart works in health policy in the BC government. He also helps support compassionate access to psychedelic medicine through his work with TheraPsil. https://www.linkedin.com/in/andras-lenart/?originalSubdomain=ca
The Psychedelic Society Online Meetup, on Feb 27th, 2021. Registration is free https://www.meetup.com/the-psychedelic-society-meetup/events/275977939/?action=rsvp&response=yes
Resources Mentioned:
Find out more at https://rupert-radio.pinecast.co
Work with Aga - https://www.kamboflow.com/ https://www.thesomaheart.com/
History of the Bufo alvarius Toad and Cultural use of 5-MeO-DMT - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8895112/
What is 5-MeO-DMT? - https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidcarpenter/2020/02/02/5-meo-dmt-the-20-minute-psychoactive-toad-experience-thats-transforming-lives/?sh=2c80fd0538a1
Who is doing the healing work? How to Guide for Psychedelic Therapists: Chapter on the Internal Healing Wisdom, by Mark Haden Executive Director of the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) Canada - https://www.amazon.ca/Manual-Psychedelic-Guides-Mark-Haden-ebook/dp/B08MB98F26
Already Free, by Bruce Tift Registered Buddhist Counsellor - https://www.amazon.ca/Already-Free-Buddhism-Psychotherapy-Liberation/dp/1622034112/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
How we inherit our ancestor's experiences. Epigenetics - https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/grandmas-experiences-leave-a-mark-on-your-genes
The Science of How Our Minds and Our Bodies Converge in the Healing of Trauma. PTSD and how traumatic experiences can linger in the body - https://www.brainpickings.org/2016/06/20/the-body-keeps-the-score-van-der-kolk/
The Importance of Supervision in Psychedelic Therapies - https://maps.org/news/bulletin/articles/429-maps-bulletin-spring-2018-vol-28-no-1/7260-clinical-supervision-in-mdma-therapy-training-spring-2018
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles"
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself, by Michael Alan Singer - https://untetheredsoul.com/
Thoughts Without A Thinker, by Mark Epstein. A great introduction for westerners to buddhism, by a Harvard educated psychiatrist and one of the first westerners to learn practice modern buddhism. Note, in Blake's opinion the first half of this book is the most important as a historical account of buddhism. Epstein's notions of neuroscience is dated and he tends to overestimate the importance of Freudian theory. I appreciated his history lessons, not his analysis of the why things are - https://www.amazon.ca/Thoughts-Without-Thinker-Psychotherapy-Perspective/dp/0465050948
Somatic Scan. https://www.mindfulnessmuse.com/mindfulness-exercises/increase-somatic-awareness-with-a-body-scan-mindfulness-exercise
Also an introduction to Somatic Work. Waking The Tiger: Healing Trauma, by Peter Levine and Ann Frederick - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/384924.Waking_the_Tiger
Integrating Transformational Experiences, Rick Doblin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwEmZW7H05g
Neuroplasticity and changing your patterns, https://medium.com/swlh/to-break-bad-habits-you-really-have-to-change-your-brain-the-neuroscience-of-change-da735de9afdf
Aga recommends "Consciousness Medicine", by Francois Bouzat https://www.abebooks.com/9781623173494/Consciousness-Medicine-Indigenous-Wisdom-Entheogens-1623173493/plp
Find out more at https://rupert-radio.pinecast.co
This episode I speak with Manesh Girn, a PhD student in Neuroscience at McGill University and has been lead or co-author on over a dozen scientific publications and book chapters on topics including psychedelics, meditation, daydreaming, and the default-mode network.
We discuss what it's like to be a PhD student in Psychedelics, the role of buddhism in introducing him to "esoteric" or mystical experiences, the value of mentorship, and how to start a blog and learn in public about the topics you're passionate about!
Manesh is currently conducting research on the brain mechanisms underlying LSD, psilocybin, and DMT, in collaboration with Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris and others from the Imperial College London Center for Psychedelic Research. In his free time, he also runs the YouTube channel The Psychedelic Scientist, where he discusses the latest findings in psychedelic science in an easy to understand, but non-superficial, form. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCccafaIN6dwBwyl1cwNH90w
Find out more at https://rupert-radio.pinecast.co
Welcome to the inaugural episode of Rupert Radio: Psychedelic Buddhism, a podcast by Canadian therapist Blake Rupert.
This episode features an interview with Michael Oliver who is the Volunteer Coordinator for the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) Canada. If you've seen the movie Spirited Away Michael's like the boilerman who keeps the whole operation running with his 8 efficient arms. Michael is also the founder of a the psychedelic streetwear brand The Flying Sage. He has a degree in Cognitive Systems from the University of British Columbia. He was also a Research Assistant with the Cognitive Neuroscience of Thought Laboratory and ran the UBC Psychedelic Society for three years. And as you'll see in our interview, he's found a way of combining his passions, creativity and research into a fulfilling career so far.
Show Notes
Enjoy! If you have any feedback feel free to send your comments to [email protected]
Find out more at https://rupert-radio.pinecast.co