Paris, 1961: Ram Dass gives James Fadiman a pill that changes his life. In this episode of Plantscendence, we sit down with pioneering researcher and author, Dr. James Fadiman, who is widely recognized for his groundbreaking work on microdosing psilocybin. Listeners are transported to 1961 Paris, where Dr. Fadiman recounts his initial exposure to psychedelics with his mentor, Richard Alpert (later to become Ram Dass), and the subsequent shift in his perception of reality. He tells the story of how he first came to research psychedelics at Stanford, and how these early experiments at the lab in Menlo Park eventually paved the way for him to develop the first modern microdosing protocols. The episode touches upon the historical context of entheogens, including the CIA’s covert involvement in psychedelic research and the drugs’ sudden prohibition during the Nixon era. Dr. Fadiman also reflects on recent shifts in societal attitudes towards psychedelics, and their potential to treat a variety of mental and physical illnesses.
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