INbodied Life with Lauren Taus

Dr. Frank Anderson is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist. He completed his residency and was a clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He specializes in the treatment of trauma and dissociation and is passionate about teaching brain-based psychotherapy and integrating current neuroscience knowledge with the IFS model of therapy.   Dr. Anderson is the vice chair and research director of the Foundation for Self Leadership.   He is a lead trainer at the Center for Self Leadership and maintains a long affiliation with, and trains for Bessel van der Kolk's Trauma Center in Brookline MA.   Dr. Anderson has lectured extensively on the Neurobiology of PTSD and Dissociation and wrote the chapter "Who's Taking What" Connecting Neuroscience, Psychopharmacology and Internal Family Systems for Trauma in Internal Family Systems Therapy-New Dimensions. He co-authored a chapter on "What IFS Brings to Trauma Treatment in Innovations and Elaborations in Internal Family Systems Therapy" and recently co-authored the book "Internal Family Systems Skills Training Manual."   Dr. Anderson maintains a private practice in Concord, MA, and serves as an Advisor to the International Association of Trauma Professionals (IATP).    In this conversation, we talk about Internal Family Systems, how it works, and what's different about it, the importance of doing your own personal work as a clinician, the impact of trauma, and the ways in which IFS dovetails with psychedelic therapy.      What You Will Learn:    The foundational principles of Internal Family Systems Work and how they differ from traditional psychotherapeutic approaches The difference between empathy and compassion  Why anybody working with trauma must do their own healing work. It's the U-Turn Baby! How to navigate the challenging reality that trauma blocks love and love heals trauma with the understanding that permanent healing is available to all How Frank and the thought leaders at IFS are engaging with psychedelic medicine   Resources:   Frank's Website   Internal Family Systems Website

This series of conversations came out of the K-Dome, a virtual camp within this year's Multiverse, Burning Man's digital landscape. I collaborated with my mentor Dr. Phil Wolfson and the Ketamine Research Foundation with its Indra's Net Coalition to put together over 90 hours of content on psychedelic medicine. I will be sharing some of my favorite hours with you here, and I hope you enjoy them all.    In this conversation, I sit down with my friend, visual artist Louie Schwartzberg. Louie is an award-winning producer, director and cinematographer whose notable career spans more than four decades. His prolific and breathtaking imagery from over 54 countries is featured in films, television shows, documentaries and commercials. We talk about his latest film Fantastic Fungi, and its powerful impact on the world during Covid 19. The film is consistently listed as the number one documentary on Apple TV and among the top ten of all genres. Listen to our chat to explore what makes this film so compelling for all of us, especially now.    What You Will Learn:  How Louie and his film, Fantastic Fungi, capitalized and catalyzed the underground mushroom movement for good  Why gratitude as a practice is such an important antidote to depression  The importance of community and why practicing models of connection can help keep us alive. Hint: Nothing lives alone.   What it means to be an eco-warrior, and learn from the mushroom teacher     RESOURCES: www.movingart.com www.fantasticfungi.com

This series of conversations came out of the K-Dome, a virtual camp within this year's Multiverse, Burning Man's digital landscape. I collaborated with my mentor Dr. Phil Wolfson and the Ketamine Research Foundation with its Indra's Net Coalition to put together over 90 hours of content on psychedelic medicine. I will be sharing some of my favorite hours with you here, and I hope you enjoy them all.    In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Joseph McCowan, Charlotte James and Undrea Wright to discuss psychedelics, anti-racism and transformative justice. We talk about psychedelic harm reduction, anti-racism as a form of harm reduction. We explore the historical harms of the medicine community on the BIPOC community and how its still affecting communities of color while also leaning into personal responsibility. How can we be better with one another? How can we celebrate our shared humanity?   This conversation is moving into a 4 part series on social justice. The course will invite us all to confront personal bias through ceremony, and integration for collective liberation. Link in show notes to join.   What You Will Learn:  Why cultural competency is not enough and the absolute need for BIPOC representation in psychedelic medicine The significance of the BIPOC community's painful historical relationship with the medical community and the police in the United States  The breadth of microaggressions and how harm can be tied to inaction or silence; how to engage in models of harm reduction   The importance of joy and rest in sustaining anti-racism   Resources:   Psychedelic Anti-Racism Course with All of US! The Sabina Project  Mutual Ceremony Fund The Black Burner Project

This series of conversations came out of the K-Dome, a virtual camp within this year's Multiverse, Burning Man's digital landscape. I collaborated with my mentor Dr. Phil Wolfson and the Ketamine Research Foundation with its Indra's Net Coalition to put together over 90 hours of content on psychedelic medicine. I will be sharing some of my favorite hours with you here, and I hope you enjoy them all.    In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Adele Lafrance, Deanna Rogers, Dr. Ido Cohen and Kyle Buller to discuss psychedelics as a disruptive technology and how we can best integrate these experiences to optimize the benefit for both individuals and for the systems that hold us all.    As a psychedelic assisted therapist, this topic is of the greatest importance. Transforming a powerful psychedelic experience into a powerful life change takes real effort, and learning how to do that well is what will allow the psychedelic community to be a bridge between the world that is and the world that can be. My deepest wish is for experiences to be more than amusement park rides for the mind, but rather moments to trigger permanent, positive changes over time.   What You Will Learn:    What gets dis-integrated with psychedelic experiences, how dis-identifying with who we think we are allows us to access more of our true nature, and what can happen when we widen our scope Why informed consent is imperative and why you shouldn't just blindly trust a facilitator The importance of support after a psychedelic experience, and why choosing authenticity over attachment can be a real challenge  The ways in which psychedelics hold the promise to create systems change beyond the individual heart    Resources:   Dr. Adele Lafrance's Website: Emotion Focused Family Therapy   Deanna Rogers Website: Integrating Ayahuasca   Kyle Buller's Website: Psychedelics Today   Ido Cohen's Course: Psychedelics and the Shadow  

This series of conversations came out of the K-Dome, a virtual camp within this year's Multiverse, Burning Man's digital landscape. I collaborated with my mentor Dr. Phil Wolfson and the Ketamine Research Foundation with its Indra's Net Coalition to put together over 90 hours of content on psychedelic medicine. I will be sharing some of my favorite hours with you here, and I hope you enjoy them all.    In this conversation, you will hear from some of the leading female clinicians working with ketamine assisted psychotherapy. Facilitated by Sunny Strasburg LMFT, this panel includes Gita Vaid MD, Jennifer Dore MD, Julane Andries LMFT, Marcela Ot'alora LPC, Melissa Whippo LCSW, Monica Winsor, Veronika Gold LMFT and yours truly.     What You Will Learn:   The challenges and benefits of being a woman in psychedelic medicine The unique and powerful properties of ketamine; why it's great for beginners and can also be as profound as entheogens like ayahuasca and DMT How ketamine has a uniquely clean morphogenic field  The importance of operationalizing feminine values of inclusivity, caring, humility in the larger space of psychedelic medicine  Why offering more feminine protocols (ie: somatic and slow) in psychedelic therapy may offer unique benefits in the healing space   References:    Sunny Strasburg's Website   Helios    The Ketamine Training Center   MAPS   Melissa Whippo's Website   Veronika Gold's Website   Inbodied Life  

Kevin Franciotti is a Masters addictions counselor, writer, and recovery advocate based in Denver. He is an advisory board member for the Project New Day foundation's inaugural community-engaged public health project, Psychedelics in Recovery: Outreach and Service, focusing on support for mutual aid groups that advocate the integrative use of psychedelics for ongoing addiction recovery. In 2011, Kevin underwent treatment for opioid use disorder with ibogaine, a drug derived from the iboga shrub indigenous to west-central Africa. He has previously written about his experience in various publications, including New Scientist magazine and TheFix.com.   In this conversation, we dive into Kevin's addiction and recovery journey. We speak about the role of psychedelics in recovery from substance abuse, and open the question, Is abstinence the only model?    What You Will Learn:    How ibogaine supported Kevin in healing his opiate addiction; and the possibility of making this medicine available in a medical context to help others   Why the gateway theory on drugs is bogus, the way taboos on drugs can make them more alluring, and the many problems with the war on drugs (transformative justice please!). Hint: structural and societal flaws proliferate addiction   The power of connection and authentic support on the road to recovery; and the importance of the right people working with psychedelic medicine, whether above board or underground How and why total abstinence isn't the only way to stay sober in recovery from addiction. Did you know that Bill Wilson, one of the co-founders of AA, advocated for the use of LSD in recovery? True story. Maybe there is a cure?   Resources:    Kevin's Website Psychedelics In Recovery

Dr. Adele Lafrance is a clinical psychologist, research scientist, and certified eating disorder specialist and supervisor. She is a leader in the research and practice of psychedelic medicine in the context of eating disorders, with a focus on ayahuasca, MDMA, and psilocybin. Currently, Dr. Lafrance is the clinical investigator and strategy lead for the MAPS-sponsored MDMA-assisted psychotherapy study for eating disorders, and a collaborator on the Imperial College study for psilocybin and anorexia nervosa. She is also co-developer of Emotion-Focused Ketamine-assisted Psychotherapy and Emotion-Focused Family Therapy. Dr. Lafrance has a particular interest in mechanisms and models of healing, including love, spirituality, emotion processing, and the application of psychedelic medicine in the context of couples and family therapy.    Adele is pioneering powerful healing possibilities for people in great need. In this conversation, we talk about how eating disorders develop, why we need to involve caregivers in the healing journey, and why love is necessary.    What You Will Learn:    How eating disorders develop as a response to an overwhelmed nervous system when external stressors overcome a person's internal resources and why they deserve to be celebrated for their protective skill on the way to recovery The importance of moving beyond blame in eating disorder treatment and including caregivers in patient treatment because eating disorders (and any other chronic mental illness) impact the entire family system Why we need to rehab the concept of love in therapy, and how the experience of love is as important as mystical experiences for positive outcomes with psychedelic experiences   Resources:    Emotion Focused Family Therapy Adele's Book MAPS Gabor Mate

Psychotherapist and Yoga Teacher Melissa Whippo is a pioneer in the maternal wellness space with 20 years of experience. Her work is deeply influenced by attachment theory, object relations, mindfulness meditation and herbalism. Currently, she offers Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy at the Center for Transformational Psychotherapy in San Anselmo. She also has a private practice.    Melissa is the ultimate champion for women. In this conversation, we talk about tripping mama's, the challenges and blessings of motherhood and the importance of self care.    What You Will Learn:    How ketamine assisted psychotherapy can be a safe and powerful treatment for postpartum depression, and for mama's in general The importance of a Time-Out for mothers as they recalibrate and reclaim themselves after giving birth; the normality of intrusive thoughts The beauty of a blended family and using language in a more loving way Why telling yourself the truth, sustaining practices of self care and leaning into sisterhood is powerful medicine, and the responsibility of women to uplift the voices of other women who are most often unheard Learning from plant teachers how to celebrate the uniqueness of every body   Resources:   Melissa's Website Article: Ghosts in The Nursery 

In this episode of Inbodied Life, Lauren sits down with her father who is the primary prescribing medical doctor  in her Los Angeles based private practice. Dr. Dad supports Lauren's work with ketamine assisted pscyhotherapy. In this conversation, we talk about Stephen's journey into psychedelic experience, shifting from an attitude of "all drugs are bad" to understanding the healing powers that psychedelics carry.    Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, Stephen Taus MD graduated from Chicago Medical School in 1970. He's been in private practice in San Pedro, California for nearly 50 years where he integrates alternative approaches such as acupuncture into his work. Stephen loves his family, healing work, and being a doctor.    What You Will Learn:   How one doctor became open to psychedelic experience later in life, and why education is so important for those considering transformational experiences with consciousness medicine The beautiful privilege of working with psychedelic medicine, and what its like to offer medicine as a father - daughter team The importance of acceptance and authenticity  The emerging problems in the medical field    Resources:    www.inbodiedlife.com

Annie Mithoefer, B.S.N., is a Registered Nurse living in Asheville, NC. She was co-investigator on two of the MAPS-sponsored Phase 2 clinical trials for individuals with PTSD and a pilot study treating couples combining MDMA-assisted psychotherapy with Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD.   She is currently co-investigator in MT1, a protocol allowing MAPS-trained therapists to receive their own MDMA-assisted session, she conducts MAPS Therapist Trainings with her husband, Michael, and is a supervisor for Phase 3 therapists. Annie is a Grof-certified Holotropic Breathwork Practitioner and she is trained in Hakomi Therapy.   I met Annie several years ago as a student of hers in the MAPS MDMA training, and I so enjoyed reconnecting in this conversation.    What You Will Learn:    How MDMA therapy works to heal trauma, and the rich possibilities that exist for MDMA as effective treatment for couples, eating disorders, depression, end of life care, addiction treatment and more The importance of the body and the breath in healing; how Annie has activated both with tools like the Hakomi method, creating deeper presence and safety for patients  What makes a good psychedelic therapist or sitter, and why advanced training or education of some type is needed Best practices for Annie's self care The challenges of the moment with covid-19 and creating clear systems to support new therapists working in this space   Resources: MAPS