Mindrolling – Raghu Markus – Ep. 301 – Trust in Consciousness with Anthony P. Bossis

Anthony P. Bossis

Clinical psychologist Anthony P. Bossis joins Raghu on the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation about his research on psychedelics and learning to put trust in consciousness through the psychedelic experience.

Anthony P. Bossis, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine. He conducts FDA approved psychedelic research investigating the therapeutic efficacy of psilocybin on existential and psycho-spiritual distress at the end of life. Anthony is a co-founder of Palliative Care Service at Bellevue Hospital and on the advisory committee and faculty for the Art of Dying Institute in New York City where he maintains a private psychotherapy practice. Find research from Anthony at med.nyu.edu.

Resources from this episode: Psychedelics and Psychology Tedx Talk Rolling Thunder Revue on Netflix  
Getting Beyond the Small Stuff

Anthony shares his path of self-exploration that includes a study of the mystic core of the world religions and contemplative practice. A path that he has come to pursue alongside his professional work studying the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.

“I had already been fascinated by the mystical experience. Then comes across this way that we could have that, potentially, through these medicenes that have been done for thousands of years.” – Anthony P. Bossis

Wired for Meaning (14:15)

Raghu and Anthony speak about the evolving role of psychedelics in human history. Anthony reflects on the therapeutic uses for psychedelics that scientists, like himself, are rediscovering. He and Raghu look at the influence of cultural figures, like Ram Dass, who showed the public that psychedelics had the potential to be more than just another drug to get high off of.

“Aside from being powerfully therapeutic in a lot of ways, what appears to be the most robust feature (of psychedelics) is this mystical experience. I am left wondering what that is. We are wired for transcendent experiences, why is that?” – Anthony P. Bossis

Trust in Consciousness (34:30)

We learn about the way that Anthony helps his patients integrate their experiences after psychedelic therapy. Anthony examines how the lives of these patients are transformed in the months following therapy.

“People who had naturally occuring and/or entheogenic induced mystical experiences report that that experience of reality was more real than this reality.” – Anthony P. Bossis

Further explore the science of psychedelics and the study of plant medicine with ethnopharmacologist Dennis McKenna on Ep. 20 of the Be Here Now Network Guest Podcast

     

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