PT510 – Early Research, Psychedelics in Palliative Care, and the Intersection of Science and the Sacred, with William Richards, STM, Ph.D.

Psychedelics Today

In this episode, Joe and Kyle interview William Richards, STM, Ph.D.: senior advisor at Sunstone Therapies, psychologist at the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, contributor to Vital, and author of Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics & Religious Experiences.

He talks about the first time he experienced psilocybin in a research study in 1963, his early studies on the psychology of religion, working with Abraham Maslow, how he became one of the early psychedelic therapists, and what it was like for all of that to disappear when Nixon came into office and shut everything down. He discusses his move into psychedelics and end-of-life care after seeing patients’ fear of death completely disappear, and contemplates whether psychedelics could help people prepare for death – how would we live if we no longer feared death?

He also discusses:

• How the integration of psychedelics into palliative care should be a huge step in cultural acceptance
• How psychedelics could be used for education and boosting creativity, problem solving, and even new perspectives on history and classic works
• The study of comparative religion and the potential for psychedelics to find the connections and commonality between seemingly disparate religions
• The impact of psychedelic experiences on the perception of the sacred
• How fascinating it is that the same substance, dose, and set and setting can create such incredibly different experiences

and more! For links, head to the show notes page.