Ep30: Matthew Skinta on a life of groundlessness, mindful presence, and finding home wherever you are

Dr. Matthew Skinta is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Affiliated Faculty of Women and Gender Studies at Roosevelt University in Chicago, USA. He has had a recurring role as Visiting Professor of Ethics of Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness in the Master's program in Psychedelics and Consciousness Studies at the University of Ottawa and has provided many invited lectures and workshops on culturally competent psychedelic-assisted therapy, from Harvard and Yale to the MAPS Psychedelic Science conference. He is also a peer-reviewed trainer of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, a certified Functional Analytic Psychotherapy trainer, and a certified teacher of Compassion Cultivation Training. As we will also hear in our conversation, Matthew also does global work on the adaptation and advancement of cognitive behavior therapies for work with sexual orientation and gender diverse people, a passion born out of his own experiences growing up queer and experiencing a childhood full of contrasts, challenges and changes that provided very little grounding as he literally made his way through the world, moving around as a military kid. As we explore this chaotic context of childhood, we learn about Matthew’s deep connection to mindfulness and meditation that he cultivated in early adulthood, and which continues to be an important spiritual anchor as he continues to access home and interconnection in himself and with the world around him. We also talk about how his spirituality has deepened since his first psychedelic experience at a supported retreat in the Netherlands a few years ago, and learn about the beautiful experience of connection and witnessing he had there. It was a lovely to have the chance to sit down and hear his story, and also to get to enjoy some time with Matthew’s wisdom, gentle spirit and compassionate heart.

Shownotes

• Links to Matthew's academic profiles: https://www.roosevelt.edu/profile/mskinta and https://psychedelia-stiftung.de/en/about-us/
• His current temple home, with links to recommended books, talks, and courses: https://www.ancientdragon.org/ - as well as one of his favorite retreats that he says are incredibly novice friendly (and the basis of his metaphor on the music and rolling hills of the Algarve that we end on): https://www.maitri-retreats.com/
• A primer on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): ACT in Steps (https://academic.oup.com/book/28735) and and his ACT/FAP book: Contextual Behavior Therapy for Sexual and Gender Minority Clients: A Practical Guide to Treatment (https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780429030307/contextual-behavior-therapy-sexual-gender-minority-clients-matthew-skinta)
• A primer on Functional analytic Psychotherapy (FAP): Functional Analytic Psychotherapy: Distinctive Features, 2^nd Edition. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781032687179
• Read more about his experience in the "Queering Psychedelics" book he mentioned: https://chacruna.net/queering-psychedelics-an-introduction/
• Link to the ACT/FAP-based provider training in the Netherlands that he will be co-leading with Sergio Perez as a part of Psychedelia Stiftung: https://psychedelia-retreats.com/
• Finally, making a plug for diving into emptiness, spirituality, and queerness, Matthew wanted to reference this brilliant volume: Queering Shantideva's the Way of the Bodhisattva: A Buddhist Classic in Contemporary Queer Vernacular (https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/queering-shantidevas-the-way-of-the-bodhisattva-a-buddhist-classic-in-contemporary-queer-vernacular/9798896861478.html)

Music credit: Music by Mass X Audio from Pixabay

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