Evolving Earth Podcast

This week I had the opportunity to talk with integrative Family Physician, curandero, author, and speaker Dr. Joe Tafur.

Joe is a gifted medicine man, healer, thinker, and doer. He is one of the few western-trained doctors who has also completed full training in traditional amazonian healing. As such he brings a powerful and unique perspective to the work we have to do to heal our culture.

In March of 2017, Joe published his book The Fellowship of the River: A Medical Doctor’s Exploration into Traditional Amazonian Plant Medicine about his unique journey into spiritual healing work. It’s a beautiful book and fully recommended for anyone interested in bridging eastern and western healing.

With his colleagues, Joe also started the nonprofit Modern Spirit, dedicated to demonstrating the value of spiritual healing in modern healthcare. In addition to education and community-building projects, Modern Spirit is currently focused on supporting the Modern Spirit Epigenetics Project, a groundbreaking substudy of the MAPS MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy research trial. Learn more and donate at www.modernspirit.org

In 2019, Dr. Tafur and his colleagues Dr. Amalia Baca ND and Ray Baca opened the Ocotillo Center for Integrative Medicine, an integrative clinic in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. The Ocotillo Center offers naturopathic medical Services, integrative medical consulting, counseling, health education, and hands-on-healing. Joe offers integrative medical services at the Center for Integrative Medicine in Phoenix, Arizona; and is also offering telehealth services to individuals in both Arizona and California.

In this episode, Joe and I discuss the Coronavirus outbreak, and Joe shares his opinions on the current situation from a doctor’s point of view. We discussed how we can help each other and ourselves during this crisis and how our world might look once the pandemic is over.

Besides that, Joe talked about his Modern Spirit Project and the epigenetics research they are conducting alongside MAPS. The hypothesis is that the people that heal from PTSD through MDMA assisted psychotherapy will see shifts in their epigenetics and the way their genes are expressed. The findings would be revolutionary, and the project is raising funds so they can complete their research. You can help them by going to https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/modern-spirit-epigenetics-project.

Please listen and help spread the word by sharing this episode.

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Hannah C. McLane, founder of the SoundMind Center - a brand new Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy Center in Philadelphia opening in June. Eight of their therapists are part of a select group of professionals training with MAPS to offer MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy as part of their Expanded Access Program. The mission of the center is to create a space, a community and a movement around using psychedelics to heal our bodies, our minds, and our souls.

Hannah is a neuroscientist, physician, and psychotherapist. In 2010 she founded the nonprofit SoundMind Project, and currently conducts research at the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia which focuses on cognitive diversity, PTSD, and emerging alternative therapies for mental health issues.

We talk about our medical system and how it ignores trauma. We also dive deep into understanding what trauma is and what causes it. We discuss how trauma isn’t caused only by catastrophic events like war, natural disasters, death of the loved ones, etc. but also by everyday interactions we have with the world around us. We discuss how trauma lives in the body and defines much of our behavior. We also talk about Hannah’s vision of the future of the healthcare system and the future of the health in general. Hannah explains in detail the work of SoundMind Center and how it will serve marginalized people who suffer from PTSD and also people with cognitive diversity (such as autism and dyslexia).

SoundMind is looking for volunteers to get involved. Whether you have experience in human services, community organizing, blog writing, fundraising, event planning, healthcare, administration, research, or something else, there’s a pretty good chance SoundMind Center could use your help. You can apply here.
Read full show description here.

Episode Links

• SoundMind Center: https://soundmind.center/
• Donate: https://soundmind.center/donate
• Volunteer: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf9wswFSsTCf6LAkwc_htZ99H5fATszdesZzzGVE3xauKj-CQ/viewform
• SoundMind Project: https://soundmindproject.org/
• Hannah McLane's website: https://www.hannahmclanemd.com/

Wills Updates:

SoulBloom

A new project that I’m working on is called SoulBloom and it’s inspired by this series on psychedelic healing that I’ve been doing with Evolving Earth. I am a musician and I decided to start making music specifically for psychedelic healing. My first track is called Space Strum and it’s on Spotify and SoundCloud. The intention of this music is to provide a safe and intentional container for anybody doing intentional journey work. To really help us go inside, discover unknown realms, discover unknown things about ourselves, and bring home healing and integration.

This week's guest is Zach Haigney, the founder and author of The Trip Report. The Trip Report is a fascinating online newsletter that delves into all the little nooks and crannies of the psychedelic world and the psychedelic renaissance.

We discuss medicalization and the different models of psychedelic decriminalization and legalization that are happening around the country and the world. We talk about access and how to make psychedelic medicines accessible to everyone, and some of the different paths forward that states and countries are taking around the world. And we discuss Zach’s own journey from the world of acupuncture to founding The Trip Report.

This episode gives a great overview of the current state of the psychedelic renaissance in America and around the world. Hope you enjoy it.

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This episode is brought to you by The Trip Report - a wonderful online newsletter and blog by Zach Haigney about the latest and most exciting psychedelic news and happenings. If you want to be in the know about the psychedelic renaissance, check it out.

This episode is also brought to you by Fulcrum Venture Accelerator, the fundraising accelerator for mission-driven entrepreneurs. Every 3 months Fulcrum scours the globe for the most impressive entrepreneurs building impactful companies, and we take them through a 3-month accelerator program focused 100% around helping them close seed financing. Our process has already been used to close more than USD $20 million in seed capital and we're just getting started. If you or someone you know is creating something impactful and is raising seed capital please visit Fulcrum to download free resources and get free pitch feedback.

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Note: In the late part of this interview I mention Tav Sparks who, unfortunately, passed away shortly after we recorded this episode. If you're interested to learn more about Tav and his beautiful life and legacy, click here.
Read the full show notes here.

How do we connect more deeply with ourselves, our community and the earth?
In this episode I speak with Benjamin De Loenen, founder and executive director of The International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research & Service (ICEERS), an organization dedicated to making ayahuasca, iboga and other psychedelic plant practices valued and integrated parts of society.
In our western culture I believe people have become disconnected from each other and nature, and as a result we've lost touch with our essence as natural beings. Mental and physical illnesses are on the rise and our medical system is at a loss for answers.
So what do we do about it?
For thousands of years indigenous peoples have used sacred plants within the context of community ceremonies to heal personal and collective dysfunctions. What can western medicine learn from these traditions?
Ben believes the answer is "Everything". In this wide ranging and important conversation we discuss how community is an essential component of healing, the dangers and opportunities of the current globalization of ayahuasca and iboga, and lessons learned from organizing the World Ayahuasca Conference.
We also discuss tips and best practices for anyone interested in experiencing these medicines within their cultural and ancestral wisdom contexts.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

• About ICEERS and their mission
• How we can reconnect and remember ourselves in our disconnected Western culture
• The benefits of sacred plant medicine
• Why a sense of community is essential to healing ourselves, our loved ones and the planet
• How the globalization of ayahuasca is creating challenges in the Amazon and what to do about it.
• The future of sacred plants and how we can responsibly integrate them into our culture.
• Some tips when planning your first ayahuasca ceremony
• Benefits of Ibogaine for treating addiction
• The high level opportunity that plant medicines and ancestral wisdom present to remake our culture and the world.

BEN's BIO:
Benjamin De Loenen, is the founder of The International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research & Service (ICEERS), a charitable non-profit organization with United Nations consultative status, where he serves as Executive Director. Benjamin is the author of several publications and films, has presented at conferences around the world, and has participated in various leadership roles, including as a member of the Board of Directors of the Global Ibogaine Therapist Alliance (2012 – 2014). Benjamin studied audiovisual media and communications in The Netherlands, where he graduated with honors from his Masters with his documentary “Ibogaine-Rite of Passage” (2004), a film that remains an important reference on this subject matter. Since this achievement, Benjamin has been dedicated to making ayahuasca, iboga and other psychedelic plant practices valued and integrated parts of society.
EPISODE LINKS:
ICEERS - https://www.iceers.org/
Ayahuasca Defense Fund - https://www.iceers.org/adf/
World Ayahuasca Conference - https://www.ayaconference.com/
Global Ibogaine Therapist Alliance - https://www.ibogainealliance.org/

This week I speak with luminary and early psychedelic pioneer, Marcela Ot’alora.

As a psychotherapist and an installation artist, Marcela has dedicated her life to exploring and understanding trauma through art and through MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. She was the co-therapist in the first government-approved MDMA-assisted psychotherapy study that ever happened in Spain. Marcela is also the principal investigator of phase 2 & 3 MAPS’ MDMA-assisted psychotherapy trials in Boulder, CO, USA.

In episode 8 with Rick Doblin of MAPS, we talked a lot about the past, the present, and the future of the Psychedelic Renaissance, but we didn’t really go “into the room”. We never talked about what it actually is like being with people and witnessing the healing happening during an MDMA-assisted psychotherapy session.
In this episode, we get to do just that, Marcela and I discuss what it’s like witnessing the emotions that come up during the MDMA-assisted psychotherapy session. What is it like to be in a room filled with sadness, anger, joy, frustration, all at the same time? Marcela describes the preparation and setting of the sessions and gives context for anyone considering MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy.

Lastly, we go down memory lane a bit and Marcella talks about how she met Rick Doblin, and about her view on the last 35 years of progress from when MDMA was first made illegal to now when we’re witnessing it becoming legal again. We also speak about what’s the role of art in healing and in life.

Marcela is a cultural treasure, I hope you enjoy this conversation with her and share it with a friend.

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This episode is brought to you by The Trip Report - a wonderful online newsletter and blog by Zach Haigney about the latest and most exciting psychedelic news and happenings. If you want to be in the know about the psychedelic renaissance, check it out.

This episode is also brought to you by Fulcrum Venture Accelerator, the fundraising accelerator for mission-driven entrepreneurs. Every 3 months Fulcrum scours the globe for the most impressive entrepreneurs building impactful companies, and we take them through a 3-month accelerator program focused 100% around helping them close seed financing. Our process has already been used to close more than USD $20 million in seed capital and we're just getting started. If you or someone you know is creating something impactful and is raising seed capital please visit Fulcrum to download free resources and get free pitch feedback.