My Psychedelic Roots

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Podcast by Amy Bartlett

My Psychedelic Roots

Updated biweekly, My Psychedelic Roots shares stories from people from a broad swath of lived experience to explore their psychedelic beginnings, or roots: what motivated them to start using psychedelics, what those early experiences were like, and how those roots have impacted their understanding of themselves and the world around them. My goal in these conversations is to give voice to the unique, transpersonal and human side of psychedelics and non-ordinary states of consciousness--- allowing guests to talk about their personal stories, not just their professional ones. I hope that listeners of the podcast will have an opportunity to gain insight into the lived reality of psychedelic experiencing (both the shadow and the light), hear about how people found their way into the psychedelic space, and to have an opportunity to get curious about the resonance, contrasts and connections between the podcast guests experience and their own psychedelic roots.

Latest episodes

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13 June 2025

A lonely childhood, learning empathy, finding trust in others and self

Raymond Feng is a breakdancer, writer, appreciator of life, and a self-described life-long learner. He discovered his passion for psychonautics through psychedelic medicine and spirituality, and has brought that passion into his life in a variety of ways. Academically, he has finished two Bachelor degrees at University of Ottawa, one in Biomedical Sciences and the other in Psychology, and recently completed a Master’s in Mental Health Counselling & Behavioral Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. Raymond ‘s balanced nature is on full display as he shares about his first psychedelic experience, which challenged him to trust his connection to self and others in some life-changing ways.

Music credit: Music by Mass X Audio from Pixabay

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34:30

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02 June 2025

Seeking knowledge, experiencing suffering, and finding understanding in surrender

Manzar Zare is a Muslim woman, mother, legal professional and PhD student who is conducting research on psychedelics and the mental health of people of color, with a particular focus on support to Muslim women. This research naturally played a big role in her decision to have her own experience with psychedelics, which she recently experienced in a well supported retreat in Jamaica. This decision also came out of her experience of becoming a mother and navigating her own mental health struggles with postpartum depression. Manzar embodies thoughtfulness in both senses of the word: both in her caring for the lived experience of others, and in her desire to explore and understand the human experience with her whole mind, body and spirit.

Shownotes

Manzar's most recent publication:

  • Zare, M., & Williams, M. T. (2024). Muslim Women and Psychedelics: a Look at the Past, Present, and Future. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 22(2), 897–912. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-023-01108-9

Music credit: Music by Mass X Audio from Pixabay

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36:52

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16 May 2025

Questioning his life path, learning the value of set and setting, and finding trust

Joe La Torre is a psychedelic enthusiast and researcher, currently serving as Lead Research Psychologist at the Center for Novel Therapeutics in Addiction Psychiatry (NTAP) at the University of Washington, where he co-leads a variety of research including a three-year Phase 2 psilocybin safety clinical trial funded by the state of Washington. In our conversation, Joe shares his path towards psychedelics, which includes questioning his academic pursuits in Buddhist studies, and eventually learning about shifting his friendships and relationships, and being asked to reimagine what he thought his life’s path would be.

Music credit: Music by Mass X Audio from Pixabay

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29:25

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05 May 2025

A mysterious illness, experimenting with plants, and experiencing the 'gorgeous'

Laura Ritzie is a counsellor with over 20 years of experience supporting clients in both the public and private sectors. She is also a PhD student with a passion for researching psilocybin in ceremony and contributing to conversations about loss, grief and our relationship with death. She is curious about people's experiences of connection in relation to resilience, meaning making and flourishing. And she is a warm and thoughtful person who brings this

In our chat together, Laura shares about her own brushes with illness and her own mortality, her discovery of cannabis to help heal, and how this curiosity about alternate healing modalities led to her first psychedelic experience in her 40s.

Music credit: Music by Mass X Audio from Pixabay

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31:28

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24 April 2025

Reconciling conservatism and queerness, losing self, finding home

Trigger Warning: discussions of suicide and suicidality

Kellen Saxberg is a self-proclaimed queer history nerd, psychedelic enthusiast, and student researcher on the intersection of queerness, psychedelics and healing. In our conversation together, Kellen and I talk about navigating conservativism and queerness in their youth, their experiences of losing a sense of self, experiencing awe and cultivating trust, and eventually moving towards finding their way back home, both literally and figuratively, in their first psychedelic experience.

A reminder that this episode contains explicit discussion of suicide. This warning is meant to empower you with the knowledge you need to make healthy decisions about how and if you should consume this podcast content. We invite you to practice self-care and do what feels right for you. And if you need support, please connect with someone who can help: family and friends, professionals, or a crisis line. There are both Canadian and international recommendations in the show notes below. You are not alone-- not in your pain, nor in your healing.

Shownotes

Links to

Below are some Canadian and international mental health resources to access if you are in distress or need support:

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13 April 2025

A chaotic upbringing, seeking authenticity, learning to receive care

Tahlia Harrison is a therapist, researcher and bioethicist who comes from an ethnically, culturally, spiritually, and racially mixed background. Not surprisingly, she is someone who embraces complexity, and as our conversation reveals, much of her career and research interests in psychology and ethics stem from her own personal experiences navigating complex relationships and traumatic experiences. In our chat, we also get to know her as someone full of joy, self-awareness, humour and gratitude.

Our talk together touches on the complexity of being exposed to parental substance use in childhood, slowly learning to trust and receive care, and eventually opening up to the healing potential of a well-supported and loving psychedelic experience.

Music credit: Music by Mass X Audio from Pixabay

#psychedelics #podcast #tripreport

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