10 things this month

Monthly resource roundup #6 - September 2023

Hi there,

Thank you for your patience, after a much-needed (and longer-than-expected) summer break, I’m excited to return to your inbox with stories of and resources for psychedelic healing.

Here are ten things that have stimulated my mind and heart in recent weeks:

1. Kentucky’s Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, which earlier this year announced its intention to put over $40 million towards Ibogaine research, held its second public hearing on September 15. Among the testimonies was my dear friend Talia, founder of the Ibogaine clinic I visited earlier this year. In this 15-minute clip, Talia shares her story of overcoming addiction and discovering a newfound purpose and joy in life. Tears and chills guaranteed.

2. MAPS published its confirmatory Phase 3 results for MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD. The study further substantiates previous findings, nearly 90% of patients respond to MDMA treatment, and a whopping 70% of participants no longer qualified for PTSD by the end of the treatment. FDA approval is anticipated in the first half of 2024, soon making MDMA therapy the first nationally legal psychedelic therapy in the US.

3. I recently started an engaging (and completely free) online course through MIT’s Presencing Institute. The U-lab is an 8-week online learning experience that teaches the tools and skills necessary to expand (personal) mindfulness through (collective) systems change in service of a planetary shift in consciousness. Over 200,000 students globally have taken part over the past decade. “The main blindspot of AI is that its predictions are exclusively based on the past”, acore faculty member explains. This is in contrast with the human ability to sense the future, which is the center of this course. In other words, it’s about using our emotions as an organ for perception. The fall cohort just started, learn more and enroll here.

4. It’s been a while since I raced through a book as fast as I did through Stephanie Foo’s acclaimed memoir, What My Bones Know. It details Stephanie’s journey of healing from complex PTSD and came highly recommended by my therapist (I understand why). Must read if you (or someone you care about) suffer from complex (aka developmental) trauma, and are on the journey of learning emotional regulation and self-soothing.

5. It only took one podcast episode for me to fall in love with psychologist and author Dr. Thema Bryant, who speaks about how to come home to yourself and find more purpose in your life. “I don’t want to be driven, I want to be called”. Ouuf.

6. If you’re curious about MDMA-therapy for veteran PTSD, one of the non-profits I closely work with just launched a Substack to share updates on their extensive efforts to bring MDMA treatment to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. Please share with anyone who might be interested.

7. On the topic of MDMA, it’s been a long time coming, but I recently had my first proper experience and look forward to sharing my thoughts on the therapeutic potential of this medicine soon. Please share any questions you have about using MDMA for healing so I can address those in the forthcoming writings.

8. In June I flew to Denver to attend MAPS’ Psychedelic Science conference, as did 12,000 other people (fun fact, the psychedelic gatherings have reached the size of the biggest national mental health conferences, such as the annual gathering for the American Psychiatric Association). One highlight was the conversation between Michael Pollan and Bob Jesse, two undeniable forces in the psychedelic renaissance (a word which neither of them likes). Both cautioned for more grounded dialogue and education surrounding the risks associated with psychedelic use. According to them, if a political campaign needs to tamper risks down and overemphasize the miracle cure narrative, then perhaps, it is not time for them to win yet, and they should try a few years later instead.

9. Another interesting dialogue occurred on the parallels between AI and psychedelics. I may write about this soon, but here’s a quick teaser: AI gives us a distorted view of reality, as do psychedelics (or, a total view of reality, as some may argue). When we’re tripping, we know our perception is altered, which is not the case when we’re exposed to AI technologies that cater to our unconscious biases, attacking the most vulnerable parts of the human psyche. Some argue, however, that there is a real opportunity in programming empathy into AI — “artificial MDMA”, as one of the panelists calls it.

10. Lastly, I’d like to thank you for your support and continued attention. Going forward, to balance writing with work responsibilities and some other passion projects, I will shift to a more ad hoc posting schedule. You can still expect to hear from me at least once a month. To ensure that this resource remains valuable for you, I’d love to know: What are you most curious to learn about in this newsletter? What types of topics, articles, and resources would be most helpful for your own journey What big questions have remained unanswered with regard to psychedelic healing?

Feel free to e-mail me directly in response to this, or comment your questions and suggestions below.

Much love,

Julia

PS. I’m still on the journey of merging my online with my real-life identity. To get one step closer, I’ve eliminated my pen name here and will be using my first two names, Julia Christina, going forward (just in case you were wondering).