Alexander Beiner: Psychedelic Healing Cannot Be Individual

Welcome back to the Psychedelic Therapy Podcast. After a hiatus of a year and a half, we're excited to announce our return, thanks to our new sponsors, Hurricane Lotus (formerly Maya, the original sponsor of this show) and Holos Global, we are now back and releasing regular episodes. On today's show, I’m speaking with Alexander Beiner, author of "The Bigger Picture: How Psychedelics Can Help Us Make Sense of the World." We discuss the roots of the mental health crisis, the role of psychedelics in healing, and what healing actually means according to Beiner. We also explore understanding existential risks and how this relates to psychedelic healing, as well as the ethical dilemmas in psychedelic healing. We conclude our conversation with Alexander's account of his extended state DMT experience at Imperial College London and his belief in the power of the teaching presence. Alexander Beiner is a writer, cultural commentator, and podcaster. He's one of the founders of Rebel Wisdom, a media and events organization with a quarter of a million subscribers and a focus on making sense of culture and complexity. He's also an executive director of Breaking Convention, Europe's longest-running conference on psychedelic science and culture. He is a leading critical and countercultural voice in the "psychedelic renaissance" and has produced a number of films, articles, and events at the leading edge of the conversation about the potential of psychedelics. Timestamps: (07:00) - The Roots of the Mental Health Crisis (13:00) - The Role of Psychedelics in Healing (23:00) - Understanding Existential Risks and Psychedelic Healing (33:30) - Ethical Dilemmas in Psychedelic Healing (42:30) - Alexander’s Extended State DMT Experience and the Teaching Presence Links: Alexander Beiner: Sensemaking The Bigger Picture The Bigger Picture | Alexander Beiner | Substack Alexander Beiner (@alexander_beiner) Breaking Convention