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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14 August 2025

Finding community in the rave scene, a career in neuroscience, and meeting the essential Self

Doris is a neuroscientist who has over 25 years of experience working in the field of substance use and addiction. She has worn many hats over the years - from rave kid and community harm reduction advocate in the 90s, to becoming an academic research scientist using brain imaging to understand addiction, to serving as knowledge mobilizer supporting evidence-informed policies, programs, and decisions. However in our conversation together, we dive deeply into her personal journey with psychedelic substances, and how her evolving relationship to them has impacted not just her career choices, but perhaps more importantly, her relationship to herself, her psyche and her spirit.

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Music credit: Music by Mass X Audio from Pixabay

#psychedelics #podcast #tripreport

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28 July 2025

Existential questions in childhood, a near death experience, and learning to be in relationship with Self and the world

Yamina Abassi is a lover of life, a psychedelic-assisted psychotherapist, and she makes sense of the how's and why's of life through relationship and connection. Her journey with psychedelics began as a young adult in recreational settings, and she quickly became fascinated with its potential to offer new ways of understanding herself, others, and the world around her. This curiosity and love for people, along with a near-death experience at the age of 25, led her to pursue academic avenues of connection and support to be able to continue to engage in this space in professional settings. In this episode, Yamina shares her early childhood experiences trying to make sense of herself in relation to the rest of the world, her first psychedelic experience, as well as her near-death experience at age 25 and the mystical spiritual opening she went through after the accident, which factored prominently in her psychedelic unfolding.

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Music credit: Music by Mass X Audio from Pixabay

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14 July 2025

A liberal catholic upbringing, hoping for the magic wand, finding patience

Judith is a New York-born-and-bred naturalized Canadian mother of two young adults. She is a technical writer and trainer, and like many folks curious about psychedelics, also a life-long learner. She came to the psychedelic community in 2018 as she was seeking relief from overwhelming grief, depression, and anxiety. As we hear in this episode, Judith took a measured approach to her entry into the psychedelic space, coming to psychedelics seeking healing, and ultimately finding that and much more. Our chat wends its way through her childhood in Brooklyn and how her family played a role in her eventual first psychedelic encounters, and takes us into her first solo and supported experiences, all of which played an important role in shaping some of the guiding values that she continues to embody in her life.

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Music credit: Music by Mass X Audio from Pixabay

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13 June 2025

A lonely childhood, learning empathy, connecting with 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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02 June 2025

Seeking knowledge, experiencing suffering, and encountering 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.

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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

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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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