Plus Three

In part one of our conversation with Villanova visiting professor of philosophy Emma Stamm, we discuss Mark Fisher’s Acid Communism, leftist thought in psychedelia, Jacques Derrida’s hauntology, and Byung-Chul Han’s Psychopolitics: Neoliberalism and New Technologies of Power.

Co-hosts: Neşe Devenot, Brian Normand, David Nickles, Brian Pace. Editor: Matt Payne

Watch: https://youtu.be/-68rSz1BePE

Support: If you like the show please support us on Patreon or make a tax-deductible donation.

**Thank you to our $10+ Patreon podcast and video supporters: Houston Puck, Dave Hodges, Jon Hanna, James Hubbard, Lindsay Munson, Abigail Bianchi, Meghan Kennedy, Dave Ayers, Tehseen Noorani, Daniel McQueen, Maryann Kehoe, Ben Yono, Annick McIntosh, Dustin T, Aaron Williams, Jenine Innes, Julia A, Christian Dawley, Leon Boroditsky, Samy Tammam, Amanda Alexander, Jason Gross, John Bannon, Miller, Hooks, Clifford Hudson, Sandra Dreisbach, Zeph Tam

Author Daniel Pinchbeck sexually harassed and coerced interns, community members, and those less-powerful than himself, harming untold numbers of women in the psychedelic community. He has described himself as being “sexually fixated, creepy, predatory," using psychedelics as “tools of seduction,” “making unwanted advances” towards much younger women, and “seeking sexual contact with volunteers in an organization” that he helped start.

Despite this, some individuals and organizations are fixated on defending and rehabilitating Pinchbeck’s image rather than meaningfully addressing systemic issues of sexual misconduct and misogyny in the community; promoting a perpetrator while ignoring the victims and survivors.

The Chacruna Institute has dismissed Pinchbeck’s critics - in interviews and in statements - as angry, mentally unstable, seeking to ostracize him from community events, and unwilling to give him a second chance. Over the explicit protests of his organizing team, Paul Austin of The Third Wave asserted the importance of Pinchbeck’s participation in community events. In response, the majority of Third Wave staff quit.

Pinchbeck has made it exhaustingly clear in his own words that as soon as he gained a modicum of power and status, he used it to exploit women. Why are some members of the psychedelic community so insistent that he get it back?

Read more: We Refuse to Endorse Daniel Pinchbeck as a Credible Voice in the Psychedelic Movement

Co-hosts: Brian Normand, Neşe Devenot, David Nickles, Brian Pace. Editor: Matt Payne.

Support us on Patreon or make a tax-deductible donation.

Patrons

Reliable Spores, Houston Puck, Dave Hodges, James Hubbard, Lindsay Munson, Evan Freimuth, Abigail Bianchi, Meghan Kennedy, Dave Ayers, Darrell Duane, Tehseen Noorani, Tariqul Islam, Clifford Hudson, Daniel McQueen, Maryann Kehoe, Yono ohno, Nathan Espinosa, Srikanth Cherla, Bill Harvest, Annick McIntosh, Starbuck, Anne Sagewood, Aaron Williams, Jenine Innes, Julia A, Jesse Liberty, Christian Dawley, Leon Boroditsky, Samy Tammam

The Psymposia crew deconstructs a conversation between two self-described entrepreneurs who recently discussed psychedelics and medicalization during an event called Psychedelic Capitalism with Alexander Beiner [Rebel Wisdom] and Lars Wilde [COMPASS Pathways, Atai Life Sciences]— while studiously avoiding a debate of capitalism altogether.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNHX3OIO3-4

Read: https://newrepublic.com/article/159019/break-big-pharma-monopoly-covid-19-vaccine

Co-hosts: Neşe Devenot, Brian Pace, Brian Normand, David Nickles. Editor: Matt Payne

If you like the show please support us on Patreon or make a tax-deductible donation.

**Thank you to our Patreon podcast and video supporters: Reliable Spores, Houston Puck, Dave Hodges, Jon Hanna, James Hubbard, Lindsay Munson, Evan Freimuth, Abigail Bianchi, Meghan Kennedy, Dave Ayers, Darrell Duane, Tehseen Noorani, Tariqul Islam, Clifford Hudson, Daniel McQueen, Maryann Kehoe, Ben Yono, Nathan Espinosa, Annick McIntosh, Starbuck, Aaron Williams, Jenine Innes, Julia A, Jesse Liberty, Christian Dawley, Leon Boroditsky, Samy Tammam, Amanda Alexander, Jason Gross, Paige Hausfeld, John Bannon, Clifford Hudson, Sandra Dreisbach.

Dear Plus Three listeners,

Thanks so much for your continued support throughout the year. We couldn't do it without y'all. Psymposia is a small 501(c)(3) non-profit entirely funded by people who believe in our work. We're a volunteer organization and 100% of the funds we raise go into operating costs, which add up quickly. Please consider supporting us monthly on Patreon or making a one-time donation. All donations made by December 31st at midnight are tax-deductible.

Thanks for your support! (Read Psymposia's full 2021 Year in Review with selected stories here)

2021 was a watershed year for psychedelics, marked by both mainstream excitement about their potential benefits alongside warning signs about the risks of harm—to both individuals and society—caused by the people who wield them.

What a wild ride it’s been. Local organizers have continued to decriminalize psychedelics throughout the United States, new research centers have been announced almost monthly, and long-overdue conversations about ethics are gaining prominence.

Despite these positive developments, there is cause for alarm. From a self-described “shaman” storming the Capitol to revelations about psychedelic therapist abuse, 2021 witnessed multiple bellwether events for psychedelic authoritarianism, which highlight the need for ongoing ideological harm reduction to protect against abuses of power.

At the same time, special interests and corporations backed by right-wing funders are trying to grab the reins and control the psychedelic narrative. We’re determined to even the playing field.

Through it all, Psymposia has provided unmatched reporting and analysis to challenge the polished pitches and press releases that have been disseminated by psychedelic pharma and the mainstream medicalization movements.

Our mission is not to simply deconstruct the logic of prohibition, but to democratize access to the information we need to build a post-prohibition world that works for all of us. While psychedelic decriminalization is a positive first step, Psymposia continues to advocate for complete drug decriminalization.

Psymposia exists as a result of the relentless work that our volunteer staff pours into our projects—projects that have garnered national and international attention for our groundbreaking research and journalism. Now, more than ever, we believe in the necessity of our work, which is unfettered by the corporate payoffs, conflicts of interest, and sponsored content that have become commonplace in the field.

Psymposia is a 100% independent non-profit media and research organization that is dedicated to challenging the narratives of the powerful and of the power-seeking on behalf of the public.

Through articles, podcasts, videos, and peer-reviewed research published in top academic journals, our team continues to impact the conversation about psychedelics and drug policy—despite repeated industry efforts to silence us and marginalize our work.

But in order to do our work as a watchdog, your financial support is vital.Unlike other media outlets covering psychedelics and drug policy, we refuse to compromise our mission or create conflicts of interest by accepting funding from the corporations we are tasked with covering.

While other psychedelics organizations have blacklisted us and threatened to doxx our sources, we are unapologetic about our work and stand by our mission.

We are sustained by people and communities who believe in the work we do. You can support us monthly on Patreon or make a one-time donation (and, until Friday at...

Brian Normand, David Nickles, and Russell Hausfeld continue their conversation about neoliberals in psychedelia, including companies using the coronavirus pandemic to promote psychedelics for mental health. They also deconstruct non-profit vs. for-profit rhetoric and propose more pragmatic frameworks for examining the implications (and material realities) of psychedelic corporations and their operating structures, such as cooperative vs. non-cooperative.

Support us on Patreon or make a tax-deductible donation.

*Patrons*

Reliable Spores, Houston Puck, Dave Hodges, James Hubbard, Lindsay Munson, Evan Freimuth, Abigail Bianchi, Meghan Kennedy, Dave Ayers, Darrell Duane, Tehseen Noorani, Tariqul Islam, Clifford Hudson, Daniel McQueen, Maryann Kehoe, Yono ohno, Nathan Espinosa, Srikanth Cherla, Bill Harvest, Annick McIntosh, Starbuck, Anne Sagewood, Aaron Williams, Jenine Innes, Julia A, Jesse Liberty, Christian Dawley, Leon Boroditsky, Samy Tammam, Amanda Alexander

**Corporadelic: a six part series by Russell Hausfeld on the intersection of psychedelics and capitalism, and the early investors making it happen.

Calm Down. What’s the Worst Thing that the Wellness Industry Could do to Psychedelics?

Talking Psychedelic Capitalism in a WeWork Ballroom

Christian Angermayer’s ATAI Life Sciences is Positioned to Take the Psychedelic Throne From MAPS

Making Psychedelics Boring Again: Unless You’re a Privileged Psychedelic Executive, Of Course

Psychedelic Trade Secrets and Get-Rich-Quick Schemes — A Benefit to Investors, a Harm to Progress

Never Forget: Before There Was A Mush Rush, There Was A Plea For Decency