032 | The Nuances of Psychedelic Science with Manesh Girn (AKA The Psychedelic Scientist)
“The idea that you need a mystical experience to get a benefit from psychedelics is not true; this is not what the research has shown us.”
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In this episode we talk about:
What Manesh is currently studying in the realm of Psychedelic research
Why Manesh has become more conservative in approaching Psychedelic science
Non-specific amplifiers, the entourage effect and expectancy effects
How psychedelic use amplified the placebo effect
Obstacles & challenges that are unique to psychedelic science
The bio-psycho-social framework for psychedelic research
Pragmatic clinical trials
The (Michael) “Pollan” Effect
The Therapeutic Alliance, The Emotional Breakthrough Inventory, Mystical Experience Questionnaire, and Psychological Insight Inventory
The goal of psychedelic science and coming up with better models
Key points to share with others about psychedelic science
The chemical imbalance theory and the issue with pathologizing
Mentioned in the episode:
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“If we take the approach of just focusing on the drug effect on the brain, we’re ignoring the full suite of things that psychedelics can do. These more holistic models [such as the bio-psycho-social framework] are needed to frame it.”
Where to find out more about Manesh Girn:
Manesh is currently a PhD student in Neuroscience at McGill University and has been lead or co-author on over a dozen scientific publications and book chapters on topics including psychedelics, meditation, daydreaming, and the default-mode network. He is currently conducting research on the brain mechanisms underlying LSD, psilocybin, and DMT, in collaboration with Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris and others from the Imperial College London Center for Psychedelic Research. In his free time, he also runs a YouTube channel - called The Psychedelic Scientist - where he discusses the latest findings in psychedelic science in an easy to understand, but non-superficial, form.
“[Psychedelics are] a very interesting class of drugs that don’t lend themselves to black and white thinking. They’re very grey.”