Dr. Harold Kudler on Veterans, Science, and the Search for Meaning

Dr. Harold Kudler on Veterans, Science, and the Search for Meaning

Our guest on this episode is Dr. Harold Kudler, a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, former co-chair of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Special Committee on PTSD, and member of the American Psychiatric Association's psychedelics workgroup. Our conversation journeys through historical understandings of trauma, military psychiatry, and psychedelic medicine. Along the way, Dr. Harold revisits figures ranging from Charcot, Freud, and W.H.R. Rivers to William James and John Keats, considering the longstanding tension in psychiatric care between science and magic. Throughout, Dr. Harold offers a nuanced perspective that resists easy answers, embracing scientific rigor while acknowledging that healing may involve dimensions of meaning, ritual, relationship, and altered consciousness that medicine does not fully explain. Drawing on decades of work with veterans, Dr. Harold maps historical understandings of PTSD and its treatment. With caution and hope, he explores important questions such as: * Can psychedelics help restore meaning and human connection after devastating experiences? * Are the visionary aspects of psychedelic experiences side effects—or central to their healing potential? * How do clinicians balance evidence-based medicine with the enduring human pull toward transcendence and transformation? This episode is a thoughtful exploration of trauma, longing for mystery, and the enduring question at the heart of both psychotherapy and psychedelic medicine: How do we help people find their way back to a world that feels worth living in?

Dr. Diana Moga on Ketamine, Neurodiversity, and the Transitional Space

In this episode of The Psychonaut Show, we sit down with Dr. Diana Moga to explore the intersection of neurodiversity, psychoanalysis, and psychedelic-assisted healing. Dr. Diana holds an MD and a PhD in neuroscience and is also trained in psychiatry and psychoanalysis, and her work extends across the topics of gender and sexuality, psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, and neurodiversity. In this episode we focus on the clinical application of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, specifically highlighting its benefits for neurodiverse individuals. Dr. Diana discusses the higher incidence of social trauma that neurodiverse individuals are exposed to, and conversely, the ways in which KAP may be particularly suited to opening back up a field of play and relational trust. She also problematizes the idea that neurodiversity itself needs treated, and instead brings individual experience back to the center of treatment. Dr. Diana referenced several scholarly works that are linked here for further exploration: Reduction in Social Anxiety After MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy with Autistic Adults-- paper by Nick Walker, Alicia Danforth, et al. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30196397/ Hans Loewald's paper On the Therapeutic Action of Psycho-Analysis https://it.scribd.com/document/190181049/Hans-Loewald-On-the-Therapeutic-Action-of-Psycho-Analysis The Disintegrating Self: Psychotherapy of Adult ADHD, Autistic Spectrum, and Somato-psychic Disorders by Phil Mollon-- https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780429481499/disintegrating-self-phil-mollon

Dr. Larry Fischman on Inner Healing Intelligence as a Relational Process

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Larry Fischman, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst whose work has long bridged the gap between psychedelic states and the human unconscious. Dr. Fischman enters the journey with his own "arbitrary beginning" in 1973 when a high school road trip to see the Grateful Dead led to his first LSD experience—a profound departure from his known world that opened a lifelong inquiry into different states of consciousness. The conversation delves into Dr. Larry’s early writing where he compared the quality of consciousness in psychedelic states to dreams and psychotic episodes. He explains how these states are similar in the way they allow direct access to primary process. By depathologizing these experiences, he suggests that what we often view with fear in psychiatry is actually an accessible, albeit different, plane of reality. Dr. Larry argues that psychedelic-assisted therapy is not just an isolated interior journey, but an interpersonal field where the presence of the therapist is vital. This is particularly powerful for those healing from developmental trauma; by leaning into the concept of "inner healing intelligence," a therapist can help a patient regain trust by first encouraging them to trust their own internal resources. Drawing on the works of Aldous Huxley, Stan Grof, and D.W. Winnicott, Dr. Larry explores the "is-ness" of the psychedelic experience—the moment when one sees the world stripped of learned abstractions. He concludes with a vision for the future where psychedelics are embraced as "a royal road to the unconscious," serving as essential allies for analysts in helping people truly understand themselves.

Our Journey So Far

In this reflection episode, Dr. Tracy and Dr. John pause to integrate the groundbreaking work and far-reaching associations generated in their conversations with their first three guests: Dr. Alexa Albert on using MDMA to treat pathological narcissism, Dr. Jeffrey Guss on the "lost sisters" of psychoanalysis and psychedelics and their current reunion, and Dr. Megan Rundel on reframing mystical states as profoundly connective rather than merely regressive. Moving beyond the interviews, Tracy and John dive into a candid discussion about the evolution of the analyst’s role. They challenge traditional Freudian neutrality and explore the value of clinical authenticity, the impact of an analyst’s own psychedelic experiences, and how a relational approach creates a unique play space for deep psychological healing.

Dr. Megan Rundel on Expanded States of Consciousness

In this episode, we speak with clinical psychologist, psychoanalyst, and Zen teacher Dr. Megan Rundel about her work at the intersection of psychoanalysis, psychedelics, and spirituality. Drawing on her recent paper “Expansion and Regression in Oceanic Experience: A Model of Psychedelic Consciousness for Psychoanalysis,” Dr. Megan explores how psychedelic states and psychoanalytic treatment approach psychological terrain in ways that are both contrasting and complementary. The conversation examines how psychedelic experiences can disrupt entrenched psychological patterns—often linked to the brain’s default mode network—while psychoanalysis provides the slower, relational framework needed to understand and integrate those experiences. Dr. Megan also discusses the role of the unconscious, transference, and ethical “frame” in psychedelic work, and argues that psychoanalytic thinking can deepen the field beyond its current short-term clinical models. Finally, the discussion turns toward expansive states of consciousness often described as mystical or oceanic—experiences of interconnectedness, ego expansion, and love—and how psychoanalysis might develop a richer language for understanding them. Episode Links: - Dr. Megan Rundel's article Expansion and Regression in Oceanic Experience https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10481885.2025.2574581 - Learn more about Dr. Megan Rundel on her website: https://www.drmeganrundel.com/