The REAL Science of Psychedelic Therapy: Microdosing, MDMA, Ketamine, Ayahuasca, and More

The Liz Moody Podcast

Liz Moody

Health & Fitness, Self-improvement, Education, Mental Health

4.8 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 21 May 2025

⏱️ 91 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Do you think you might benefit from psychedelics, but have concerns about potential risks? In this conversation, I speak with Dr. Alexander Belser about psychedelics, from anecdotal benefits to the chemical breakdowns and reactions of psychedelic drugs. We discuss common drugs like psilocybin and MDMA to indigenous traditions around ayahuasca to lesser-known psychedelics like ibogaine. Psychedelics are being studied for potential benefits for treating depression, PTSD, anxiety, and more. For the average person, do the benefits of taking psychedelics outweigh the risks? And how do you know which psychedelics are right for you? Alex and I discuss anecdotal experiences and research on psychedelics, and the behaviors that can reduce potential harms. In this episode, we get into: What Are Psychedelics? Psilocybin (Shrooms), MDMA, Ketamine, LSD, & Ibogaine Treating Addiction With Psychedelics Ayahuasca and Appropriation From Indigenous Cultures The Science Behind Microdosing How To Safely Experiment With Psychedelics and If It’s Right For You For more from Dr. Alex Belser, find him on Instagram @alex.belser or online at https://alexbelser.com/. Check out his book, EMBARK Psychedelic Therapy for Depression: A New Approach for the Whole Person. Ready to uplevel every part of your life? Order Liz’s book 100 Ways to Change Your Life: The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships & Success now! To join The Liz Moody Podcast Club Facebook group, go to www.facebook.com/groups/thelizmoodypodcast. Connect with Liz on Instagram @lizmoody or online at www.lizmoody.com. Subscribe to the substack by visiting https://lizmoody.substack.com/welcome. Check out the previous episodes of The Liz Moody Podcast discussed today: Ask the Doctor: Anxiety Edition: Everything You Need to Know About Treating Anxiety Naturally with Ellen Vora, MD The New Science Of Depression & How To Actually Heal (+ SSRIs, Postpartum, Grief, and More) Check out some resources discussed in this episode: https://chacruna.net/ https://www.iceers.org/ayahuasca/ https://psychedelic.support/ This episode is sponsored by:AG1: visit drinkag1.com/lizmoody and get your FREE year supply of Vitamin D and 5 free travel packs today. The Liz Moody Podcast cover art by Zack. The Liz Moody Podcast music by Alex Ruimy. Formerly the Healthier Together Podcast. This podcast and website represents the opinions of Liz Moody and her guests to the show. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for information purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions. The Liz Moody Podcast Episode 331. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	A fear that I have around psychedelics, is there any danger in forming bad neural connections
0:05.4	in addition to new good ones?
0:07.1	I was an MDMA therapist for many years.
0:09.6	And what we found, I'll just cut to the chase with the research, is that...
0:12.8	Why hasn't there been pharmaceuticals that have come from these compounds?
0:17.6	If they are so powerful, so many people are having these incredible results, why isn't this something you can go just ask your psychiatrist for?
0:23.8	Microdosing. What are your thoughts on microdosing? What are your thoughts on microdosing?
0:27.7	Is there anything you could articulate that you've learned about who we are or why we're here from all of these experiences that you've had?
0:34.3	Hello, friends, and welcome back to the Liz Moody podcast. Today, we're diving
0:38.4	into one of the most fascinating and rapidly evolving areas of mental health and wellness,
0:43.7	psychedelics. These substances are everywhere in the cultural conversation right now, but what type,
0:49.9	what's hope, and what's actually backed by science? This episode is all about unpacking the complexities, the potential, and the very real risks
0:57.8	of psychedelics, and I promise that you will walk away with a deeper understanding of how they
1:02.6	work and whether they might be helpful for you or somebody that you love.
1:06.8	Our guest today is Dr. Alex Belser, a licensed psychologist and one of the foremost leaders in the psychedelic clinical community.
1:13.0	For over 20 years, Alex has been at the forefront of research into how psychedelics can help treat some of the hardest to tackle mental health challenges.
1:21.0	Think depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, addiction, and even end-of-life distress.
1:30.1	He's authored over a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters and has given over 50 lectures, presentations, and grand rounds
1:35.4	about psychedelic medicine, and he's currently conducting research at NYU and Yale. His work has been
1:41.2	featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, and even Michael
1:44.7	Paulin's iconic book, How to Change Your Mind. In this episode, we're getting into the science
1:49.5	of how all different types of psychedelics work, including MDMA, ayahuasca, psilocybin, ketamine,
	...

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