Psychedelic Studies

The 20th century’s discovery of LSD and subsequent use of various psychedelics in both therapeutic practice and popular culture has been a deeply transformational event in modern civilization. It has carried the power of a collective initiatory rite of passage, yet often without an adequately containing ritual structure, indigenous wisdom tradition, or clinical knowledge to mediate that transformation.  

In this episode CIIS Professor Emeritus and cultural historian Richard Tarnas examines the larger historical and evolutionary context that brought forth the psychedelic awakening of the 1950s and 1960s. He explores the work of therapists and researchers Stanislav Grof and C.G. Jung, and discusses the larger impact that psychedelics have had and continue to have on our civilization in crisis. 

This episode was recorded during a live online event on February 5th 2026. A transcript is available below.

You can watch a recording of this episode and many more episodes on the CIIS Public Programs YouTube Channel.

Discover how degree completion programs offer flexible pathways for adult learners to finish their bachelor's degree.

Explore CIIS’ groundbreaking Bachelor’s program and the bold vision behind its creation.

Michelle Tea is best known for her book, Modern Tarot, which is now a cult classic. Her latest book, Modern Magic, explores her magical roots. Sharing how she crafted her own magical practice, Michelle offers a framework to tap into the distinctive magic that lies within each of us, a framework that incorporates queer, feminist, anti-racist, and intersectional values.

In this episode, self-described DIY witch, professional tarot reader, author, and feminist icon Michelle Tea is joined by arts-based, psychedelic-assisted ancestral psychotherapist Camara Meri Rajaberi for an illuminating conversation that explores modern magic.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on November 6th, 2024. A transcript is available below.

You can watch a recording of this episode and many more episodes on the CIIS Public Programs YouTube Channel.

Multiple major news outlets covered CIIS’ new Bachelor of Science in Psychedelic Studies and the University’s tradition of excellence in consciousness research.

In this episode, CIIS professor and clinical psychologist Jason Butler and clinical psychologist Genesee Herzberg are joined by psychotherapist and mentor in the CIIS Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research Gisele Fernandes-Osterhold for a conversation exploring how psychedelic medicine can be incorporated into contemporary psychotherapy.

Together, Jason, Genesee, and Gisele examine the practice of psychedelic therapy and offer practical guidance for cultivating a highly effective, ethically grounded, and integral approach to psychedelic therapy.

This episode was recorded during an in-person and live streamed event at California Institute of Integral Studies on January 25th, 2024.  A transcript is available below.

You can watch a recording of this episode and many more episodes on the CIIS Public Programs YouTube Channel.

CIIS to launch the first-ever undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Psychedelic Studies offering, planned to begin in fall 2025.

CIIS plans to expand its community health services with the launch of a new psychedelics clinic that will provide patients with ketamine-assisted treatments, the first of its kind to be associated with a university in the United States.

The field of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has been growing rapidly in recent years with decriminalization efforts moving forward on local, state, and federal levels. Ketamine was first developed in the 1960s as a surgical anesthetic for humans. In recent years, it was discovered that ketamine also has rapid acting anti-depressant and anti-obsessional properties.

In this episode, clinician Gisele Fernandes-Osterhold has a conversation with psychologist Raquel Bennett about her experience working as a ketamine specialist over the past 19 years and the exploding field of therapeutic ketamine.

Learn more about Raquel's personal experience using Ketamine in an interview.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on March 4, 2021. A transcript is available below.

You can watch a recording of this episode and many more episodes on the CIIS Public Programs YouTube Channel.

MDMA is currently in phase three of clinical trial research studies for the treatment of trauma in the United States, Canada, and Israel.

In this episode, clinician and CIIS professor Gisele Fernandes-Osterhold has a conversation with Israel-based MAPS clinician-researcher Keren Tzarfaty on the benefits and therapeutic applications of MDMA assisted psychotherapy. Keren and Gisele go deep into the nature of the psychedelic experience, the principles that guide the therapeutic work, and the new paradigm this study offers to treatment of PTSD and to psychotherapy in general.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on April 6, 2021. A transcript is available below.

You can watch a recording of this episode and many more episodes on the CIIS Public Programs YouTube Channel.

Psilocybin has been decriminalized in many cities in the United States and most recently has been approved for use in psychotherapy in the state of Oregon. In the latest studies, psilocybin has shown efficacy for patients suffering from depression, addiction, and end-of-life distress.

In this episode, clinician and CIIS professor Gisele Fernandes-Osterhold has an illuminating conversation with UCSF psychiatrist Brian Anderson on the benefits, risks, and therapeutic applications of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on May 6, 2021. A transcript is available below.

You can watch a recording of this episode and many more episodes on the CIIS Public Programs YouTube Channel.

With the second renaissance and re-emergence of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, the general public and therapists alike are confronted with new areas of exploration, but with few systematic frameworks available.

With questions surrounding legal access to care, ongoing criminalization, and medical restrictions to care limiting the therapies available, the immediate future of psychedelic-assisted therapy remains shrouded in uncertainty, even in the face of expanding interest. On the cusp of this new era—one of excitement but also uncertainty—one of many ways to explore this emerging landscape is through the lens of the psychospiritual and the therapeutic uses of psychedelics.

In this episode, clinical psychologist, founder of the Center for Existential Exploration, and author Kile Ortigo is joined by licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and social justice advocate Mary Sanders for a conversation on Dr. Ortigo's latest book, Beyond the Narrow Life, an exploration of the psychospiritual and therapeutic use of psychedelics, which includes the process of psychedelic integration.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on August 26th, 2021. A transcript is available below.

You can watch a recording of this episode and many more episodes on the CIIS Public Programs YouTube Channel.

Apela Colorado is a traditional cultural practitioner and Indigenous scientist dedicated to creating a bridge between Western thought and Indigenous worldviews. In her latest book, Woman Between the Worlds, Dr. Colorado invites us to explore how Indigenous wisdom resonates in modern life while lovingly teaching us to honor its power, beauty, and potential.

In this episode, CIIS faculty Susana Bustos joins Dr. Colorado for a conversation about her lifelong journey connecting with the essence of Indigenous spirituality and culture, and reawakening to the wisdom of her Native American and French Gaul ancestors.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on November 4th, 2021. Access the transcript below.

Poet, journalist, and professor Nicholas Powers describes his youth as growing up with tales of counter culture for bedtime stories.

In this episode, he talks with Natalie Metz, a licensed Naturopathic Doctor, herbalist, faculty member and mentor in the Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research at CIIS.

Nicholas shares stories from his journey exploring psychedelic experiences and events in a discussion about what psychedelic integration could be in the 21st Century.

This episode contains explicit language. A transcript is available below.

Rick Doblin, founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), has been a relentless advocate for developing legal contexts for the beneficial uses of psychedelics paired with psychotherapy for decades. He is also a teacher for the Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research.

In this episode, licensed psychotherapist Gisele Fernandes has a fascinating conversation with Rick about the future of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Diving into his vast knowledge of the science of psychedelics, Rick discusses how drugs such as LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA affect your brain. He shares how, when paired with psychotherapy, psychedelics could change the way we treat PTSD, depression, substance abuse, and more.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on October 23, 2020. A transcript is available below.

You can watch a recording of this episode and many more episodes on the CIIS Public Programs YouTube Channel.

CONTENT ADVISORY: This episode contains references to the existence of traumatic events such as assault, rape, and suicide.

Psilocybin mushrooms have been used for hundreds, likely thousands of years. Currently, more than 65 universities in North America and Europe have been approved for clinical studies ranging from treating depression and Alzheimer’s to addiction. Psilocybin has clearly risen to the forefront of medical research.

In this episode, renowned mycologist and medical researcher Paul Stamets provides an illuminating talk covering the psilocybin movement through history into the current modern moment as well as an overview of the most clinically significant studies, the newest research on psilocybin analogues, micro-dosing, and the implications for creating a paradigm shift in the ecology of consciousness.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on December 3rd, 2021. Access the transcript below.

You can watch a recording of this episode and many more episodes on the CIIS Public Programs YouTube Channel.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to more fully reveal injustices, inequities, and imbalances that contribute to climate change, ecological degradation, and economic instability that threaten our individual and collective well-being. This potent time invites us to consider questions like: How can we cultivate individual, collective, and ecological resilience in this unstable new reality? What lessons does the pandemic offer for addressing climate change and human health?

This episode features Natalie Metz, licensed Naturopathic Doctor, herbalist, faculty member and mentor in the Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research, and Elizabeth Allison, Professor of Ecology, Spirituality, and Religion, in a conversation exploring connections between human health and the health of the planet. They discuss the current global narratives in medicine and climate change, and how each narrative relates to human and planetary health. Natalie and Elizabeth explore the microcosm and macrocosm of embodied health and the emergence of a new consciousness that embraces collective well-being.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on June 18, 2020. You can watch a recording of this episode and many more episodes on the CIIS Public Programs YouTube Channel.

After observing modern shamanic trainings with a growing concern, clinical psychologist and scholar Anotonio Ramirez began exploring more traditional forms of shamanism by interviewing elder shamans in Latin America.

In this talk, recorded at CIIS on May 21, 2019, Antonio shares his ideas about the dangers of shamanism as it is practiced today in urban areas, how these practices are affecting native shamanism, and suggests ways to avoid falling prey of unethical practitioners.

Author and psychedelic explorer Chris Bache’s book, LSD and the Mind of the Universe chronicles his experiences and insights from 73 high-dose LSD sessions conducted between 1979 and 1999. This became the philosophical adventure of a lifetime, but one Chris had to keep largely hidden from his colleagues and society.

In this episode, licensed psychotherapist Gisele Fernandes talks with Chris about his 20-year journey into the depths and heights of consciousness.

This episode was recorded during an event on April 16, 2020 in front of a live audience in San Francisco, California.

For more than four decades, Don Lattin has written about the social, spiritual, and political aspects of the psychedelic drug movement as a newspaper reporter, freelance journalist, and the author of four books of narrative non-fiction.

In this episode, KQED Science senior editor Kat Snow has a conversation with Don looking back on the long, strange trip his career has been.

This episode was recorded during an event on March 5, 2020 in front of a live audience in San Francisco, California.

In this episode, naturalist Maya Elson talks with Lawrence Millman about his life and work as an author and mycologist exploring the fascinating world of fungi.

This episode was recorded during an event on December 12, 2019 in front of a live audience in San Francisco, California.

Join renowned ethnopharmacologist and author Dennis McKenna for this engaging talk combining ethnobotany, psychopharmacology, history, and the philosophical reflections of a luminary in this field.

This episode was recorded during an event on November 21, 2019 in front of a live audience in San Francisco, California.

In this episode, psychotherapist and CIIS professor Gisele Fernandes-Osterhold has a conversation with social anthropologist and researcher Beatriz Labate about the risks and benefits of the globalization of ayahuasca through the lens of her research on new and traditional uses of psychoactive substances.

This episode was recorded during an event on July 11, 2019 in front of a live audience in San Francisco, California. 

Psychedelic therapist Daniel McQueen and CIIS faculty Natalie Metz explore the potential for healing and personal transformation through the intentional use of cannabis and psychedelics.

This episode was recorded during an event on March 27, 2019 in front of a live audience in San Francisco, California.

Psychologist and NYU researcher Dr. Tony Bossis reviews one of the first FDA-approved clinical trials of psychedelic drugs since research was effectively banned in the 1970s. His work is part of the recent renaissance in psychedelic studies, with results suggesting that psilocybin and other hallucinogens may help treat anxiety, addiction, end-of-life distress, and shed light on the neurobiology of mystical experience.

This episode was recorded during an event on October 22, 2015 in front of a live audience in San Francisco, California.

Mycologist Paul Stamets examines how mushrooms can help the health of people and the planet.

This episode was recorded during an event on August 11, 2016 in front of a live audience in San Francisco, California.

One of the leading thinkers in the emergent field of neurodiversity, CIIS faculty member Nick Walker, discusses the benefits of a more neurodiverse world. This talk was part of the Big Ideas at CIIS series.

This episode was recorded during an event on October 13, 2016 in front of a live audience in San Francisco, California.

Author and Professor of Religious Studies Dr. Christopher Bache discusses his twenty year long regimen of psychedelic exploration and therapy with CIIS Professor Sean Kelly.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on December 9, 2016.

You can watch a recording of this episode and many more episodes on the CIIS Public Programs YouTube Channel.

CIIS’ Natalie Metz explores the potential that psychedelics hold for the future of medicine.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on March 22, 2017.

You can watch a recording of this episode and many more episodes on the CIIS Public Programs YouTube Channel.

Author Ayelet Waldman is joined in conversation by CIIS writing professor Carolyn Cooke to discuss her personal experiment with the therapeutic value of psychedelics.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on March 29, 2018.

You can watch a recording of this episode and many more episodes on the CIIS Public Programs YouTube Channel.

Ethnobotanist Kathleen Harrison is joined in conversation by Natalie Metz to explore entheogens and the rich and complex relationship between plants, mushrooms, and human beings.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on May 23, 2018.

You can watch a recording of this episode and many more episodes on the CIIS Public Programs YouTube Channel.

Mycologist and author Paul Stamets explores the magical world of mushrooms, deepening our understanding of the planet and its people.

The FDA approved large-scale studies using MDMA-assisted therapy and positive results found in psilocybin research.