The Psychedelic Podcast

Andean Wisdom and the Path of Huachuma - Jhaimy Alvarez-Acosta

In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin speaks with Jhaimy Alvarez-Acosta, a traditional Andean curandero from Cusco, Peru, about lineage, ceremony, and responsibility within Indigenous wisdom traditions. Find full show notes and links here: https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-341/?ref=278  They explore Andean cosmology as a living worldview and reframe master plant work as a form of deep education rather than clinical healing. The conversation emphasizes mentorship, initiation through lived experience, and healing as a relational process rooted in land, ancestors, and community. Maestro Jhaimy Alvarez Acosta has walked the path of Andean wisdom for over thirty years, guiding ceremonies and pilgrimages throughout the Andes and internationally. His work emphasizes humility, relationship, and long-term commitment to lineage-based traditions. Highlights: Fear as a guide rather than an obstacle Initiation through lived experience Huachuma in Andean tradition Roles within Indigenous healing lineages Master plants as teachers, not tools Healing as acceptance and relationship Andean cosmology in the modern world Mentorship and community-based learning Episode Links: Children of the Seven Rays Heart of the Condor Podcast Jhaimy's Instagram Episode Sponsors: The Practitioner Certification Program by Third Wave's Psychedelic Coaching Institute. The Microdosing Practitioner Certification at Psychedelic Coaching Institute. Golden Rule - Get a lifetime discount of 10% with code THIRDWAVE at checkout Third Wave occasionally partners with or shares information about other people, companies, and/or providers. While we work hard to only share information about ethical and responsible third parties, we can't and don't control the behavior of, products and services offered by, or the statements made by people, companies, or providers other than Third Wave. Accordingly, we encourage you to research for yourself, and consult a medical, legal, or financial professional before making decisions in those areas. Third Wave isn't responsible for the statements, conduct, services, or products of third parties. If we share a coupon code, we may receive a commission from sales arising from customers who use our coupon code. No one is required to use our coupon codes."

Can Europe Legalize Psychedelic Therapy? - Théo Giubilei

Can Europe Legalize Psychedelic Therapy? In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin speaks with Théo Giubilei, founder of PsychedeliCare, about how psychedelic therapy could become a public health issue at the European Union level. Find full show notes and links here: https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-340/?ref=278  They discuss how EU policymaking works, why stigma and political risk continue to shape reform, and the challenges of coordinating psychedelic care across multiple healthcare systems. The conversation also explores why patient testimony and citizen-led advocacy may be essential to shifting public health policy in Europe. Théo Giubilei is a Brussels-based mental health advocate and founder of the PsychedeliCare European Citizens' Initiative. A graduate in European Politics and Public Affairs from Sciences Po Strasbourg, he previously worked in European public affairs before dedicating himself full-time to psychedelic policy reform. Since 2022, Théo has led a grassroots coalition across all 27 EU member states working to advance safe, legal, and equitable access to psychedelic therapies as a public health issue. Highlights: European Citizens' Initiative explained Political and cultural barriers to reform Patient testimony in policy debates U.S. vs EU access models Public funding and coordination Episode Links: PsychedeliCare Initiative European Commission ECI Page Episode Sponsors: The Practitioner Certification Program by Third Wave's Psychedelic Coaching Institute. The Microdosing Practitioner Certification at Psychedelic Coaching Institute. Golden Rule - Get a lifetime discount of 10% with code THIRDWAVE at checkout Third Wave occasionally partners with or shares information about other people, companies, and/or providers. While we work hard to only share information about ethical and responsible third parties, we can't and don't control the behavior of, products and services offered by, or the statements made by people, companies, or providers other than Third Wave. Accordingly, we encourage you to research for yourself, and consult a medical, legal, or financial professional before making decisions in those areas. Third Wave isn't responsible for the statements, conduct, services, or products of third parties. If we share a coupon code, we may receive a commission from sales arising from customers who use our coupon code. No one is required to use our coupon codes."  

African Psychoactive Plants: Dreams, Ancestors, and Healing - Jean-Francois Sobiecki

African Psychoactive Plants: Dreams, Ancestors, and Healing In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin speaks with Jean-Francois Sobiecki, a South African ethnobotanist, clinical nutritionist, and healer whose work challenges the assumption that Africa lacks psychoactive plant traditions. Find full show notes and links here: https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-339/?ref=278  Drawing from over two decades of research and a 15-year apprenticeship with a Northern Sotho healer, Jean-Francois explores dream-enhancing medicines like Ubulawu, ancestral healing systems, and cross-cultural parallels with Amazonian plant traditions. The conversation also examines conservation, initiation, and the role of African psychoactive plants in global mental health. Jean-Francois Sobiecki is a South African ethnobotanist, clinical nutritionist, and healer with over two decades of experience researching African psychoactive plant traditions. A research associate at the University of Johannesburg and founder of Phytoalchemy, he has documented more than 300 psychoactive plant species and completed a 15-year apprenticeship under Northern Sotho healer Leti Maponya. He is the author of African Psychoactive Plants: Journeys in Phytoalchemy. Highlights: Challenging myths about African visionary plants Ubulawu and dream-based healing Psychoactive vs psychedelic distinctions African and Amazonian initiation parallels Archaeological evidence of psilocybin in Africa Conservation and healing gardens Episode Links: Jean-Francois Sobiecki's Website Jean-Francois book, African Psychoactive Plants: Journeys in Phytoalchemy These show links may contain affiliate links. Third Wave receives a small percentage of the product price if you purchase through the above affiliate links. Episode Sponsors: The Practitioner Certification Program by Third Wave's Psychedelic Coaching Institute. The Microdosing Practitioner Certification at Psychedelic Coaching Institute. Golden Rule - Get a lifetime discount of 10% with code THIRDWAVE at checkout Third Wave occasionally partners with or shares information about other people, companies, and/or providers. While we work hard to only share information about ethical and responsible third parties, we can't and don't control the behavior of, products and services offered by, or the statements made by people, companies, or providers other than Third Wave. Accordingly, we encourage you to research for yourself, and consult a medical, legal, or financial professional before making decisions in those areas. Third Wave isn't responsible for the statements, conduct, services, or products of third parties. If we share a coupon code, we may receive a commission from sales arising from customers who use our coupon code. No one is required to use our coupon codes."

Psychedelics Then and Now: Culture, Capital, and Consciousness - Zach Leary

In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin sits down with Zach Leary to explore how psychedelic culture has evolved from its countercultural roots into today's rapidly commercializing landscape. They discuss mysticism versus medicalization, the ethics of psychedelics in capitalist systems, the rise of psychedelic churches, and why integration and responsibility matter more than peak experience alone. Find full show notes and links here: https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-338/?ref=278 Zach Leary is a psychedelic educator, integration coach, and host of the Psychedelics Then and Now Podcast. He has spent over 30 years immersed in psychedelic culture and is the author of Your Extraordinary Mind, forthcoming from Sounds True. Highlights: Countercultural roots of psychedelics Medicalization vs mysticism Psychedelics in capitalism Set and setting Psychedelic churches Integration and stewardship Episode Links: Zach Leary Website Zach Leary Instagram Psychedelics Then and Now Podcast Episode Sponsors: The Practitioner Certification Program by Third Wave's Psychedelic Coaching Institute. The Microdosing Practitioner Certification at Psychedelic Coaching Institute. Golden Rule Mushrooms - Get a lifetime discount of 10% with code THIRDWAVE at checkout

Death by Astonishment: DMT and the Hidden Nature of Reality - Dr. Andrew Gallimore

In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin reconnects with computational neurobiologist and author Dr. Andrew Gallimore to explore the mysteries of DMT, intelligence, and extended-state psychedelic technologies. Find full show notes and links here: https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-337/?ref=278  They revisit themes from their earlier conversation and dive deeper into Andrew's latest book, Death by Astonishment, examining DMT as an information-gating technology, its relationship to non-human intelligences, and its emerging therapeutic and neuroprotective applications. Andrew also shares updates on DMTx infusion research and reflects on what extended-state experiences could mean for the future of consciousness science and human evolution. Dr. Andrew Gallimore is a computational neurobiologist, chemical pharmacologist, and writer based in Tokyo. He holds a master's degree in chemical pharmacology and a PhD in biological chemistry from the University of Cambridge, and has completed postdoctoral research fellowships in computational neuroscience at the Universities of York, Oxford, and Okinawa. For more than two decades, Andrew has studied the neuropharmacology of psychedelics, with a particular focus on DMT and its implications for understanding consciousness. He is the author of Alien Information Theory, Reality Switch Technologies, and Death by Astonishment (St. Martin's Press, 2025). In collaboration with Dr. Rick Strassman, he helped develop the DMTx continuous intravenous infusion protocol for extended journeys in the DMT space. Highlights: Revisiting the brain as an information-gating system DMT as a technology rather than a drug "Alien intelligences" and what intelligence really means The Intelligence Principle and post-biological minds Why extended-state DMT (DMTx) matters Continuous infusion as deep-sea diving vs. free-diving Psychedelics as tools for expanding intelligence Non-human entities and "galactic data networks" Neuroprotective effects of DMT during stroke The future of selective sigma-1 receptor agonists Episode Links: Andrew Gallimore – Building Alien Worlds Death by Astonishment (Macmillan) Episode 146 with Andrew: DMT, Alien Intelligence, and Transhuman Ascension Episode Sponsors: The Microdosing Practitioner Certification at Psychedelic Coaching Institute. The Practitioner Certification Program at Psychedelic Coaching Institute. Golden Rule Mushrooms - Get a lifetime discount of 10% with code THIRDWAVE at checkout These show links may contain affiliate links. Third Wave receives a small percentage of the product price if you purchase through the above affiliate links. Disclaimer: Third Wave occasionally partners with or shares information about other people, companies, and/or providers. While we work hard to only share information about ethical and responsible third parties, we can't and don't control the behavior of, products and services offered by, or the statements made by people, companies, or providers other than Third Wave. Accordingly, we encourage you to research for yourself, and consult a medical, legal, or financial professional before making decisions in those areas. Third Wave isn't responsible for the statements, conduct, services, or products of third parties. If we share a coupon code, we may receive a commission from sales arising from customers who use our coupon code. No one is required to use our coupon codes. This content is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. We do not promote or encourage the illegal use of any controlled substances. Nothing said here is medical or legal advice. Always consult a qualified medical or mental health professional before making decisions related to your health. The views expressed herein belong to the speaker alone, and do not reflect the views of any other person, company, or organization.