Ep. 307: Can Psychedelics Help Us Grieve? Getting Unstuck with Truth Medicine

Is psychedelic assisted therapy is BETTER than traditional talk therapy? You’ll hear how they’re different, how psychedelics may help not just the combat veteran or trauma survivor, but the functional griever (goes to work every day, acts like everything is fine, but having panic attacks out of nowhere). You’ll also hear about my own experience with psychedelics and different types of medicines for different types of grief.

 

Michael Sapiro, PsyD, is an ordained Buddhist monk, poet & clinical psychedelic psychotherapist. In addition to working extensively with first responders, he is a psychological consultant for SWAT command & a member of a crisis negotiation team. In his new book, Truth Medicine, he details how psychedelic assisted therapy has helped many find peace, purpose and healing after loss & trauma.

 

If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 278: MORBID OR SACRED? LET’S TALK ABOUT DEATH (WITH A DEATH DOULA)

 

Guest: 

https://a.co/d/eK7nTrw 

https://www.michaelsapiro.com/ 

https://www.instagram.com/dr_mike_boise/

 

Host:  

https://www.meredithforreal.com/  

https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/ 

[e-mail]

https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal 

 https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovert 

 

Sponsors: 

https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/ 

https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/ 

 

0:00 – Why psychedelics and grief belong in the same conversation

1:10 – Meet the monk-turned-therapist exploring new ways to heal

4:20 – How psychedelics shift what talk therapy can’t reach

7:05 – The brain’s default mode network and why it matters

9:00 – The surprising ways grief hides in everyday life

12:45 – Why the “stages of grief” don’t tell the whole story

15:40 – What happens when grief goes untended

18:30 – What psychedelics reveal about anger, relief, and forbidden feelings

21:50 – Ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin: how each one helps differently

25:40 – Why preparation is everything before a psychedelic journey

29:30 – What risks you should know before trying psychedelics

32:45 – Self-guided journeys vs. guided therapy: what’s the difference?

36:50 – How one client went from panic attacks to presence

40:10 – How identities like “the grieving mother” can keep us stuck

42:20 – Why grief isn’t about “getting it out” but tending it

44:15 – Final insights on grief, psychedelics, and telling the truth

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