Healing trauma with psychedelics with Saj Razvi— Part 1
Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories | Psychotherapy, Trauma, and Psychedelics
11/05/19
•65m
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This is the first of a two part very special interview with Saj Razvi, the Director of Education at Innate Path in Denver, CO. Saj weaves together his three fascinating perspectives— that of a nationally recognized trauma expert, his own personal story of early childhood neglect and how this shaped everything else to come, and finally his long journey of healing the deepest wound a person can have, eventually coming to MDMA and then psilocybin at the latter part of his therapy journey.
The episode starts with some foundational concepts in understanding trauma and its long term effects, then shifts to compare and contrast psychotherapy vs somatic therapies vs psychedelic assisted therapies (cannabis vs ketamine vs MDMA vs psilocybin). Part 1 ends with Saj's life-changing MDMA therapy session and beautifully describes how MDMA might help people break through the dissociative legacy of complex PTSD and attachment trauma.
Saj Razvi and the Psychedelic Somatic Institute
https://www.psychedelicsomatic.org/
Dr. H
https://www.craigheacockmd.com
Previous Episode
How to think about anxiety
October 23, 2019
•7m
Anxiety and pain are the primary drivers of medical visits, as well as two of the more complicated symptoms to break down in a meaningful way. In this mini-episode, Dr. H presents the metaphor of "below the neck" vs "above the neck" anxiety to help us think about anxiety in a way that might better guide diagnosis and treatment. "Above the neck" anxiety emanates from the ruminating/imagining/obsessing/spin-cycle brain, while "below the neck" anxiety is the body's fight/flight response, with adrenaline coursing through the body to send the blaring smoke alarm signal of impending danger...even where there is no apparent immediate threat.
It matters greatly whether anxiety initially sparks from above or below, and the failure to pinpoint the source can lead to treatment failure and prolonged suffering. Obsessional/ruminative anxiety responds best to mindfulness meditation, cognitive therapy, and SSRIs; somatic/adrenaline anxiety requires interventions such as biofeedback, (intensive) aerobic exercise, meditation, beta blockers, and the various somatic trauma therapies (EMDR, somatic experiencing, Hakomi). Benzodiazepines address both types, but at significant potential cost.
Dr. H
https://www.craigheacockmd.com
Next Episode
Healing trauma with psychedelics with Saj Razvi— Part 2
November 19, 2019
•36m
In this second part of Saj's story, he continues to explore the transformative healing of his MDMA session. Initially believing his therapy journey to be complete, his mother later develops terminal cancer and his attachment wounds reactivate. This impending loss leads him to seek even more advanced and difficult work with psilocybin and the support of two experienced guides in the Netherlands.
Saj further develops the idea that while psilocybin may well have major therapeutic potential, it is definitely not a starter psychedelic medicine, but rather one that requires significant psychological preparation and scaffolding in order to harness its power.
Saj Razvi and the Psychedelic Somatic Institute
https://www.psychedelicsomatic.org/
Dr. H
https://www.craigheacockmd.com
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