Can psychedelic drugs, and breathing techniques that achieve similar states, help heal our individual and collective emotional pain? Can they help us transform our society?

I talk with Joe Moore and Kyle Buller of Psychedelics Today, a podcast that features professionals involved with psychedelics and breathwork as tools for mental health and spiritual growth.

Joe and Kyle are also facilitators in Holotropic Breathwork, developed by the Czech-born psychiatrist and researcher Stanislav Grof.Here's what we talk about in this episode's delicious stuffing:

-The Multidisciplinary Assoc. for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and their peer-reviewed research-How the War on Drugs delayed this research by decades-Kyle's "near death" experience and his path; Joe's path through philosophy, ayahuasca, and breathwork-Holotropic Breathwork, a non-substance alternative-Integration—a key to these therapeutic uses of psychedelics-The likeness of these journeys to mythic ones-The role of elders-Are we on the verge of a psychedelic revolution?-Inventing new "rites of passage" (beyond getting a driver's license and being able to buy booze.)Hope you enjoy it! As always, you're welcome to leave a message on this episode's page at The Big Chew Podcast.

As someone who knows first-hand the sucking black vortex of PTSD, I encourage anyone who suffers from it to seek out professionals who can help. Some of the links below might be useful. But this isn't medical advice. Just sayin'.

By the way, you might hear high-pitched voices in this recording. Those are children. Because our bandwidth here in northeastern Vermont sucks, I record over Skype in the librarian's office of our tiny local bibliothek. Shut up and read, kids. It's a library. But I mean that in a good way.

Kyle Buller and Joe Moore's podcast, Psychedelics Today

The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies

Holotropic Breathwork (sometimes also known as Grof Transpersonal Training)

Holotropic Breathwork in Vermont

Music in this episode is "I Call it Love" by Carbon Manual, from the album Kali Yuga is here, via a Creative Commons license