A Brave New Mind - Psychedelic Medicine in Aotearoa

Dr Steven Mandel and his son, Sam, run Ketamine Clinics of Los Angeles - one of the first infusion clinics in the United States.
At KCLA they do ketamine infusions all day, every day, and they have developed their own regimen of personalised dosing that takes patients to optimal 'altitude' to change their minds, as well as their brains.
The Mandels are firm believers in the value of stand alone ketamine infusions, even without psychotherapy, and say they've seen near-miraculous and lasting transformations over the course of more than 10,000 infusions.
We talked with them about their model and protocols, what they've learned over the past six years, why ketamine isn't the 'get rich quick' business some think it is, and how they believe the drug catalyses change that can be lasting - despite its short-acting nature.

Professor David Nutt is the Chair of Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London and a world-leading psychedelic researcher. He's a strong advocate for a rational, evidence based approach to psychedelics, and continues to, in his own words, 'call out the lies' about them, wherever he can.
David is currently Chair of DrugScience and President of the European Brain Council, has edited the Journal of Psychopharmacology for over two decades and acts as the psychiatry drugs advisor to the British National Formulary. He is also the host of the very popular
The Drug Science Podcast.
We covered a lot of ground with David, including:

• his latest study, looking into MDMA and alcoholism
• his theory about why psychedelics appear to be especially effective in treating 'internalising disorders' like depression, anxiety and OCD
• the nature of consciousness and where psychedelics fit
• the risk that the high price tag for psychedelic assisted psychotherapy could leave it out of reach for most people and the role community healing could play

Saj Razvi has been involved in psychedelic therapy from almost every angle - as a researcher in the MAPS MDMA trials, as a psychotherapist, and now as a trainer of others looking to incorporate psychedelics into their practice.
Saj believes that psychedelics don't necessarily fit with traditional therapy, and so has created a modality designed specifically for work with them.
He's a passionate advocate for these medicines, but also knows from first hand experience that things can go horribly wrong. Saj continues to tell the story of what happens as a cautionary tale for others.
We talked with Saj about why he believes therapy should start with the body, the extraordinary results he's seen from people working with these substances, the enormous time commitment MDMA therapy demands, both in and out of session and his advice for therapists just getting started in the field.

Dr Geoff Noller is a medical anthropologist specialising in psychotropic drug research, with an emphasis on drug use as a cultural practice.
We talked with Geoff about his work looking at kiwi attitudes to cannabis use, the nature of consciousness and reality, fears and prejudices around mind altering states and substances, and his experiences as principal investigator on an ibogaine study for opioid dependence. Our interview took place on the morning of the cannabis referendum decision – and as a side note, he was keen for us to share this link to help explain some of the attitudes that endure when it comes to cannabis and all mind-changing substances.

Rick Doblin decided he wanted to be a psychedelic therapist when he was in his late teens, and has since dedicated his life to building the foundations needed to enable him - and others - to do the work legally, safely and effectively.
He founded the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) in 1986, a research and advocacy organisation that has spent decades researching the use of psychedelics and cannabis as medicines. MAPS is now closer than anyone has ever been to bringing MDMA therapy into the mainstream, with phase three trials underway into using MDMA for PTSD, and the achievement of 'breakthrough status' for this therapy with the US Federal Drug Administration.
We talked with Rick about how long he thinks it will be before psychedelic therapy is approved for widespread use, the importance of specific training for Kiwi clinicians just starting out in the field, how just taking another substance isn't always the answer, and why the medicine alone, isn't enough.