MAPS founder, Rick Doblin, joins Madison to talk psychedelic legalization, MDMA assisted psychotherapy, and to dive into his personal spiritual experiences and practices.
Rick Doblin, Ph.D., is the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). He received his doctorate in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, writing his dissertation on the regulation of the medical uses of psychedelics and marijuana. His undergraduate thesis at New College of Florida was a 25-year follow-up to (Ram Dass’ and Tim Leary’s) classic Good Friday Experiment. Rick studied with Dr. Stanislav Grof, and was among the first to be certified as a Holotropic Breathwork practitioner. His professional goal is to help develop legal contexts for the beneficial uses of psychedelics and marijuana. He currently resides in Boston with his wife, dog, and empty rooms from three children.
For more on Rick Doblin’s psychedelic research, visit MAPS.org. To learn about Madison Margolin, head over to MadisonMargolin.com.
Psychedelic Renaissance: Science, Spirituality, & System Change
Welcoming the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, Rick Doblin PhD, to the podcast, Madison invites him to share his journey alongside psychedelics—uncovering what set him on the path to begin MAPS – the leading organization in developing legal contexts for the beneficial use of psychedelics. From here, Rick shares personal insights into the psychedelic experience, spirituality, system change, MDMA legalization, & the human capacity for compassion.
“My parents trained me to do whatever little you can, even on these big pictures, and if everybody were to do that, then maybe there would be change. So when I first started doing LSD and I got this sense that there was this theory of change of how me as an individual, others, humanity as a group, would be better off if we had more of this spiritual unitive connectivity, I thought, ‘Okay, this is it. I’m gonna focus my life on this.'” – Rick Doblin, PhD
Rick Doblin & Raghu talk about the psychedelic renaissance & MDMA assisted therapy, on Ep. 348 of Mindrolling
Psychedelic Legalization: MDMA Therapy, Mass Mental Health, & Harm Reduction (14:14)
Speaking to the nuances of working with often difficult government systems to shift psychedelics—most notably MDMA—into legal therapeutic modalities, Rick offers perspectives on the various pathways toward psychedelic legalization and the ensuing healing process of our “mass mental health.” Through this lens, Rick shares on the MAPS initiative underway in Denver to train police officers and first responders in psychedelic harm reduction – how to respectfully and safely deal with someone having a deep or difficult trip.
“What we want to do is medicalize to be administered by trained therapists covered by insurance; and then licensed legalization over time with harm reduction methods and treatment on demand to make it so that it’s really accessible to everybody for all different purposes, and people can choose which way they want to go.” – Rick Doblin, PhD
Psychedelic Spirituality: Trauma, Mysticism, Healing, & Gravity (28:01)
Prompted by Madison to share on the healing potential of spiritual experiences, Rick relays insight into overcoming trauma through mysticism, before sharing the colorful trip report from his deepest, most life-changing MDMA roll, where he was “cradled in the arms of gravity.” From here, they dive into the connection between memory, emotion, fear, and inner healing through the lens of Ram Dass’ prescription to ‘Be Here Now.’
“I had this idea that gravity was holding me there, and that gravity was a force of love. I had this image of being cradled in the arms of gravity, and it was as warm and as rich as a lover, a human person. It was just that same depth of emotion towards gravity woven into the fabric of the universe holding things together. I felt, ‘This is what the monks are trying to do.'” – Rick Doblin PhD