Jan 13, 2023
Justin Townsend is the CEO and Head Facilitator
at the psilocybin therapy retreat centre MycoMeditations. He
is on the show for this episode to explore two topic themes:
- The business side of running a successful psilocybin retreat
centre in the economic context of the modern corporate world
without losing your ethics in the process
- The therapeutic framework and philosophy that MycoMeditations
holds for their retreats and their guests.
Some of the things we cover on the first side of the
conversation: Justin’s journey from the corporate world to running
an psychedelic psilocybin therapy retreat centre; psychopathology
and integrity in the corporate world, and how good people end up
doing bad things; the nuances around running a financially
successful psychedelic retreat centre without ethical sacrifices;
what it means to be building what they call “gold-standard for
group-facilitated psilocybin therapeutics in natural settings”;
data propriety; and supporting peer-reviewed research.
In the other half of the conversation we explore: why
MycoMeditations holds an entity “non-shamanic” framework for their
psilocybin work; how to support someone who has a beyond Western
framework experience from a non-shamanic framework; helping to
prevent post-psychedelic hypomania from evolving into psychosis;
differentiating between psychosis and a “normal psychotomimetic
response”; non-pharmacological interventions for psychosis and
psychotomimetic responses; as well as The Golden Shadow and the
dangers of golden-shadow projection in both psychedelic therapy and
spiritual communities.
Enjoy.
...
For links to Justin's work, full show notes, and a link to watch
this episode in video, head to bit.ly/ATTMind170
*** FULL TOPICS BREAKDOWN BELOW**
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*****
Episode Breakdown
- (0:00) Opening
- (1:12) Overture and guest bio
- (5:18) Patron thanks
- (6:05) An important statement about endorsements
- (7:41) Interview begins
- (7:47) Justin’s journey from the corporate world to running an
psychedelic psilocybin retreat centre
- (12:52) Exploring the toxic psychology/behaviours of the
corporate world
- (20:26) Psychopathology in the corporate world, and how good
people end doing bad things—multipolar traps
- (26:03) Merging his corporate experience and psychedelic work
to build a high-quality company in the psychedelic retreat
field
- (29:27) The importance of protecting a business ethos from
financial takeover
- (32:39) Exploring nuances around running a financially
successful psychedelic retreat centre without ethical
sacrifices
- (39:06) MycoMediation’s mission to build the “gold-standard for
group-facilitated psilocybin therapeutics in natural settings” —
and how and why they are doing it
- (44:08) Why MycoMeditation will keep their “gold-standard” data
proprietary, for now
- (54:46) Where/how MycoMediation is helping support
peer-reviewed science.
- (57:21) Building a fully non-shamanic framework for psilocybin
retreats, and why it matters for Western
- people.
- (1:04:41) How to support someone who has a beyond Western
framework experience from a non-shamanic framework
- (1:17:16) Helping to prevent post-psychedelic hypomania from
evolving into psychosis
- (1:21:09) Differentiating between psychosis and a “normal
psychomemetic response”
- (1:31:16) Discussing non-pharmacological interventions for
psychosis and psychomimetic response
- (1:39:04) The Golden Shadow and the dangers of golden-shadow
projection in psychedelic therapy
- (1:45:51) A “tough pill to swallow” with respect to the issues
of indigenous reciprocity and biopiracy as a psychedelic
company
- (1:60:52) How MycoMeditations is helping to give back to the
people of Jamaica
- (1:58:12) Pushing back on Townsend’s “tough pill to
swallow”
- (2:01:50) Townsend’s concerns around what is happening with
psilocybin in Oregon
- (2:06:58) Closing the interview, follow up links and
socials
- (2:08:30) Outro
*****
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