The MindStew Podcast

Psychedelics and the Brain's Hemispheres - Adam Levin

Dr. Adam Levin, a psychiatrist and researcher, based at Ohio State University's Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education (CPDRE). Adam works at the intersection of psychedelics, psychiatry and neuroscience. In this conversation, we discuss Adam's recent paper, which proposes a new theory about how psychedelics work, focusing on the intriguing role of brain lateralisation in psychedelic experiences and therapeutic outcomes.

The effectiveness of therapy - Bruce Wampold and Pim Cuijpers

My guests today are Bruce Wampold and Pim Cuijpers, two of the leading experts in the research of the effectiveness of psychotherapy. Bruce is Emeritus Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and author of the seminal book, The Great Psychotherapy Debate: The Evidence for What Makes Psychotherapy Work. [https://www.amazon.com.au/Great-Psychotherapy-Debate-Evidence-Makes/dp/0805857095] Pim is Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology at the Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and is also director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Dissemination of Psychological Interventions [https://apps.who.int/whocc/Detail.aspx?Pre3y3+s7mka4cizfAf9PQ==]. In this conversation, we discuss the evidence for psychotherapy as a whole, the evidence for how the effectiveness of different psychotherapies compare, how to study the drivers of change in psychotherapy (such as the "therapeutic alliance") and discuss what the current evidence suggests as fruitful avenues for the future of psychotherapeutic research and practice.

The Philosophy of Psychedelics – Chris Letheby

My guest today is Dr Chris Letheby, a philosopher working on issues related psychedelic drugs who is currently a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Western Australia and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Adelaide. Chris is also the author of the book Philosophy of Psychedelics [https://www.amazon.com.au/Philosophy-Psychedelics-Letheby/dp/0198843127], which was published in 2021 by Oxford University Press. In this conversation we touch on the account given in Chris' book of the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics, and then go deep into Chris' account of the phenomenology of psychedelics. This conversation was a lot of fun, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

A guide to seeing a psychologist – Ros Knight

My guest today is Ros Knight is a Clinical and Counselling Psychologist with over 25 years experience and the President of the Australian Psychological Society (the largest professional organisation of psychologists in Australia) from 2017-20 was the Clinical Director at Macquarie University for nearly 14 years. This conversation is something of a guide for people who may be considering getting professional psychological support for the first time. We discuss when to see a psychologist, what to look for in a psychologist, how to know if you and your therapist are a good fit and how to get the most out of therapy.

Incorporating the Numinous into Psychological Practice - Ralph Piedmont #2

My guest today is Professor Ralph Piedmont, Professor of Pastoral Counselling at Loyola University in Maryland and a past president of the APA's Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. In this conversation, we discuss spirituality as a clinically-relevant personality trait, and how one can go about integrating spirituality into clinical practice. Ralph is also co-author (with Teresa Wilkins) of the recently published book, Understanding the Psychological Soul of Spirituality [https://www.routledge.com/Understanding-the-Psychological-Soul-of-Spirituality-A-Guidebook-for-Research/Piedmont-Wilkins/p/book/9781138559165]. **20% Discount Available to MindStew listeners - with the code BSE20**