b'
In today\\u2019s Solidarity Fridays episode, Joe and Kyle review all of the big wins from the U.S. election, from Oregon decriminalizing drug possession and legalizing psilocybin therapy, to 4 states legalizing cannabis use for adults, to the most surprising (in terms of how far this movement has come), Washington D.C. decriminalizing plant medicines with an overwhelming 76% of voters in favor.
And they talk about the other side of this good- how Oregon memes show just how little the majority of people understand, how there are still huge issues with stigma, drug exceptionalism, and labeling, how liability and the rules of healthcare get in the way of compassion and humane treatment, and how those same issues will unfortunately extend into psychedelics.
They also do a brief deep dive into breathwork- its history, its various versions, its building blocks (accelerated breathing, evocative music, focused bodywork, group process, and safety), and the risks and likely loss in benefit in attempting to do this kind of work online.
And, lastly, exciting news: the next round of the live, 8-week (CE-approved) version of\\xa0 Navigating Psychedelics for Clinicians and Therapists will be starting up on January 7th, so sign up now!
\\u201cI remember just watching all of this stuff come in on election night and just thinking, \\u2018Wow, it feels like plants have really won the election here.\\u2019 ...All of the initiatives that were up there passed during this election cycle, which is pretty phenomenal and a huge kind of shift.\\u201d -Kyle
\\u201cThese different institutions have different rules, different liabilities. Like, a VA doc is probably going to be a lot more protected than a private practice doc, but the VA doc is going to be on a lot tighter regulations on what they can do, just based on the healthcare system they\\u2019re in. It\\u2019s a complicated deal. I don\\u2019t envy doctors for having to be in that situation. It\\u2019s really not an easy job. And I know they\\u2019re doing the best they can; it\\u2019s just, you know, their rules get in the way of their compassion and interest in healing people sometimes.\\u201d -Joe
\\u201cI had and still have a ferocious case of ADD that\\u2019s never been diagnosed. I\\u2019ve been extraordinarily productive if I ever needed to use something like Adderall. It works great. But there\\u2019s so much stigma around saying something like that in the psychedelic world. We\\u2019re often a little too judgy, is kind of my position. ...There\\u2019s cases when it\\u2019s appropriate, there\\u2019s cases when it\\u2019s not appropriate, and as long as there\\u2019s informed consent and decent education, it should be up to the individuals, and we should stay the fuck out of people\\u2019s business.\\u201d -Joe
On breathwork: \\u201cIt\\u2019s my favorite. It\\u2019s something I\\u2019ve been doing for so long that it\\u2019s my most comfortable, somehow least scary method of going inside and doing inner work, because I know I have this safe cultural container- a safe container with people I trust and love, and it\\u2019s always helpful and amazing. Even if I don\\u2019t get the experience I want, just being there in community is still medicine enough.\\u201d -Joe
Psychedelics Today: Recapping the Biggest Wins in Drug Laws and Policies in the 2020 U.S. Elections
Psychedelics Today: Tom and Sheri Eckert - Oregon Psilocybin Therapy Initiative
Psychedelics Today: What is Transpersonal Breathwork?
Firesideproject.org: Psychedelic Peer Support Line