Dennis McKenna: Why Psychedelics Deceive as Much as They Reveal

Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal

Curt Jaimungal

Physics, Philosophy, Society & Culture, Science

4.6 • 606 Ratings

🗓️ 7 August 2023

⏱️ 82 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Dennis McKenna, an ethnopharmacologist and brother of Terrence McKenna, explores how psychedelics function within community contexts, the hurdles of consciousness research, and the practical and philosophical dimensions of modern psychoactive drug use. He reflects on his brother’s legacy, the Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss, and the future of ethnopharmacologic searches.- 00:00:00 - Introduction- 00:01:19 - Dennis McKenna's working habits / quotidianness- 00:03:49 - "Hang up when you receive the message"- 00:08:35 - Psychedelics aren't meant to be taken isolated from community- 00:13:22 - Terrence, the family, and Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss- 00:18:46 - Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs (ESPD)- 00:27:49 - MDMA's uses (and designer drugs)- 00:40:31 - Mycelium vs. fruiting bodies- 00:46:03 - Psychological metamorphosis without hallucinogens?- 00:56:46 - Staying "grounded" and not being "high" all the time- 00:59:23 - Terrence never found ground and got lost- 01:12:13 - Perils of investigations into consciousness- 01:14:47 - Gender differences in psychedelics- 01:15:24 - Love in disunity rather than pure "connectedness"SPONSORS:- Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!)- Crypto: https://tinyurl.com/cryptoTOE- PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-left-unsaid-with-curt-jaimungal/id1521758802- Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e- Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeverything- TOE Merch: https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerchRESOURCES:- https://youtu.be/I9fJbns2aBU- Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss (Dennis' book): https://amzn.to/3QmjzmT- ETHNOPHARMACOLOGIC SEARCH FOR PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS: https://espd55.com- Dennis' website: https://mckenna.academy/- Karl Friston TOE podcast (Cautions on Consciousness): https://youtu.be/SWtFU1Lit3M Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal features long-form, technically detailed interviews with leading researchers in physics, mathematics, consciousness, and philosophy, exploring topics at the level of active research. For academics, graduate students, and anyone seeking depth beyond popular science. SPONSOR: I personally subscribe to The Economist. TOE listeners get 35% off the annual subscription. No other podcast has this! https://economist.com/TOE FOLLOW: Substack | Spotify | YouTube | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Medicine has always been uncomfortable with the idea of spirit, the idea of the mind.
0:06.0	The brain is just a complex machine.
0:08.5	I disagree.
0:09.4	I think that the traditions and the history of the use of these things, these things aren't
0:14.1	medicines for the spirits.
0:15.9	They're medicines for the soul.
0:18.8	Dr. Dennis McKenna is a pioneer in the field of entphal pharmacology and psychoactive substances.
0:24.9	He's notable due to his comprehensive research into the indigenous uses and biochemistry of
0:29.4	psychoactive plants.
0:30.9	Dennis McKenna's work has been instrumental in understanding the connections between
0:34.7	neurochemistry and consciousness, particularly through his research on DMT.
0:39.6	Dennis, by the way, shares the same last name as Terence McKenna because he's Terence McKenna's brother.
0:44.9	In this conversation, we delve into the often ignored deceptive aspects of psychedelics.
0:49.9	That is, the impact that these substances have on both introspective as well as extrospective processes.
0:55.5	The interplay between self-reflection and environmental perception is a crucial theme in Dr.
1:00.6	McKenna's work, and it's one that people don't seem to ask him much about, making this
1:04.2	a distinctive conversation today.
1:06.1	During this podcast, you'll notice that Dennis and I bond over sharing personal stories
1:10.1	that we don't talk about much
1:11.3	publicly. It was an honor to speak to Dennis, and I hope this isn't the last time. I look forward
1:15.2	to speaking with him again. Enjoy this conversation today with Dr. Dennis McKenna. Are you someone
1:21.0	who wakes up much later in the day? Are you a night owl? I don't wake up later, but I need time to get on track, you know, I'm
	...

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