The Telepathy Tapes — S2E7: Psychedelics and Accessing Consciousness
Host: Kai Dickens
Date: November 26, 2025
Episode Overview
In this rich and boundary-pushing episode, Kai Dickens explores how psychedelics have been used historically—and in the present—to access alternative states of consciousness, heal trauma, and even solve seemingly impossible problems. The episode weaves together indigenous wisdom, Western ancient history, contemporary scientific research, and deeply personal human stories, ultimately asking whether psychedelics are a lost key to the collective consciousness and spiritual connection that have shaped human culture for millennia.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Indigenous Wisdom and Miracles in the Amazon
[02:20–07:18]
- The Amazon Plane Crash Rescue:
The episode opens with the gripping 2023 narrative of four missing children who survived 40 days alone after a plane crash in the Amazon. Their survival and rescue is attributed not just to the concerted search effort, but pivotally, to the intervention of indigenous elder and shaman Don Rubio. - Ayahuasca Ceremony to Access Shared Consciousness:
Don Rubio undertakes an ayahuasca (yajé) ceremony with the explicit intention of finding the children. He describes becoming "the consciousness of the jungle," seeing through the eyes of animals and guiding the search party to the children’s exact location.
“I became the consciousness of the jungle. I could see through the eyes of the jaguar and animals, and from them I knew exactly where the children were.”
— Don Rubio (via translator), [05:55]
- Ayahuasca as Spiritual & Practical Technology:
Kuntanawa Nation Chief Harou (via translator) calls ayahuasca “ancestral technology,” a biological connection that bridges spiritual and physical worlds. It’s described as a plant that elevates humans to other realms, echoing ancient origin stories and ongoing communal practices.
“Ayahuasca was given to us so we can connect with those that die. ... It’s a plant that elevates us into other realms, into other dimensions.”
— Chief Harou (E), [07:46]
2. Psychedelics in Ancient Western Traditions
[08:22–16:53]
- Widespread Sacred Use in Ancient Societies:
Psychedelics were not only integral in indigenous cultures, but were also present in Western antiquity.
Author Brian Muraresku discusses how the Greeks, through Dionysian mystery cults and the annual ceremonies at Eleusis, used wine mixed with psychoactive herbal additions (like ergot) for spiritual revelation and to transcend the fear of death.
“Wine at the time was not prized ... because of its alcoholic value. ... It was a potion, ... a mechanism for the delivery of a number of different botanical compounds.”
— Brian Muraresku (C), [09:40]
“At Eleusis ... initiates described it as a moment when the veil lifted, when the soul could see and when life and death were revealed to be intertwined.”
— Kai Dickens (A), [13:18]
- Scientific Evidence of Ancient Psychedelic Potions:
Modern archaeobotanical studies have identified ergot traces in ancient ritual vessels, lending weight to the possibility of longstanding, pan-cultural psychedelic traditions.
“If we have the first physical forensic evidence for the notion of an ancient potion spiked with ergot ... maybe these tall tales ... has more meat on the bone than we’ve been led to believe.”
— Brian Muraresku (C), [16:10]
3. Modern Science & Psychedelic-Assisted Healing
[20:02–31:31]
- Veteran Healing Story: Juliana Mercer
Former Marine Juliana Mercer recounts her journey with PTSD, traditional therapy's limits, and the personal and spiritual transformation wrought by ayahuasca and psilocybin retreats. Her experience spotlights the potential for rapid, profound healing and a reconnection with the sacred, reframing loss and trauma.
“Overnight, I was able to experience that 20 years of collected trauma and grief ... and let it release from my body and from my soul and my spirit. ... That happened in one night.”
— Juliana Mercer (F), [25:22]
“These modalities aren’t a silver bullet. ... It was me doing it with a therapist before and after, and also with a psychedelic coach that was helping me to navigate and explore everything that came up.”
— Juliana Mercer (F), [26:30]
- Clinical Research: Yale’s Dr. Ben Kalmendi
Dr. Kalmendi details how psilocybin’s effect on neuroplasticity allows for breakthroughs in otherwise treatment-resistant depression, OCD, and PTSD. He uses vivid metaphors to distinguish psychedelics from standard treatments, framing them as both disruptors and reconcilers of the rigid loops of psychiatric illness.
“SSRIs are trying to change a river’s flow by adding more water, whereas psychedelics are more like the spring melt that breaks up ice jams. ... [They] seem to create windows of neuroplasticity where real change becomes possible.”
— Dr. Ben Kalmendi (D), [29:10]
- Psilocybin’s Social and Personal Effects: Paul Stamets
Famed mycologist Paul Stamets advocates for psilocybin as a tool for cultivating empathy, reducing aggression, and making people “nicer”—changes with wider social benefit as well as internal transformation.
“Psilocybin makes nicer people. ... It reduces the excitement for aggression and makes people more contemplative or respectful.”
— Paul Stamets (G), [31:49]
4. The Spiritual Dimension in Science
[36:36–42:40]
- Blurring Science and Spiritual Mysticism:
Both clinical researchers and psychedelic users report that mystical or spiritual experiences emerge naturally—even in sterile lab settings. Profound states of unity, encounters with deceased loved ones, and transformative shifts often manifest outside of any explicit religious framework.
“Even in our medical context, with clinical language and scientific protocols, the spiritual dimensions emerge naturally. People described encounters with deceased loved ones, feeling of connection to something greater, experience of unity, sense of oneness or transcendence.”
— Dr. Ben Kalmendi (D), [37:33]
- Integration Challenges:
Researchers and cultural commentators alike emphasize that scientific and medical models are not well-suited to synthesize these metaphysical dimensions, lacking both the language and training to deeply support the spiritual side of the psychedelic experience.
“We’re not just adding a new treatment. We’re asking a system built on symptom suppression to accommodate transformation, transcendence... So it’s an architectural issue rather than a procedural.”
— Dr. Ben Kalmendi (D), [42:04]
5. Psychedelic Traditions: Repression, Survival, and Legacy
[44:00–48:57]
- Loss and Persecution in the West:
The rise of the Christianized Roman Empire led to the systematic destruction and outlawing of ancient psychoactive rites. Much knowledge—often transmitted orally by women—was lost or buried, with later witch trials and inquisitions targeting female healers specifically.
“Women were the keepers of sacred wines and herbal brews for thousands of years. ... If even one recipe survived the Roman crackdown, it would make sense for it to resurface centuries later, carried forward by the women who refused to let that knowledge die.”
— Kai Dickens (A), [47:14]
“The brewers of the magical beer ... that was women. ... As you go forward in time, women are also mixing these sacred wines. ... Maybe some of these female healers become the folk healers or the witches or the wise women of the Dark Ages, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.”
— Brian Muraresku (C), [46:11–46:49]
- Echoes Across Time:
The persistence of psychedelic ritual knowledge—from classical temples to “witchy wine” recipes cited in witch trials—suggests that some secret traditions endured underground for centuries.
“Something about knowledge of the pharmacopoeia and these magical wines and this forbidden heretical knowledge survived. ... It seems to really have really survived into the record to the point where, where, you know, church inquisitors are writing about this during the trials and prosecutions of these medieval witches.”
— Brian Muraresku (C), [48:37]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | [05:55] | Don Rubio (via translator) | “I became the consciousness of the jungle. I could see through the eyes of the jaguar and animals, and from them I knew exactly where the children were.” | | [07:46] | Chief Harou (via translator) | “Ayahuasca was given to us so we can connect with those that die. ... It’s a plant that elevates us into other realms, into other dimensions.” | | [09:40] | Brian Muraresku | “Wine at the time was not prized or cherished because of its alcoholic value ... it was a mechanism for the delivery of a number of different botanical compounds.” | | [13:18] | Kai Dickens | “At Eleusis ... initiates described it as a moment when the veil lifted, when the soul could see and when life and death were revealed to be intertwined.” | | [16:10] | Brian Muraresku | “If we have the first physical forensic evidence for the notion of an ancient potion spiked with ergot. ... maybe these tall tales ... has more meat on the bone than we’ve been led to believe.” | | [25:22] | Juliana Mercer | “Overnight, I was able to experience that 20 years of collected trauma and grief ... It was clearing up what it would have taken to deal with 20 years of grief through therapy. And that happened in one night.” | | [29:10] | Dr. Ben Kalmendi | “SSRIs are trying to change a river’s flow by adding more water, whereas psychedelics are more like the spring melt that breaks up ice jams. ... Psychedelics, they seem to create windows of neuroplasticity where the real change becomes possible.” | | [31:49] | Paul Stamets | “Psilocybin makes nicer people. ... It reduces the excitement for aggression and makes people more contemplative or respectful.” | | [37:33] | Dr. Ben Kalmendi | “Even in our medical context... the spiritual dimensions emerge naturally. People described encounters with deceased loved ones, feeling of connection to something greater, experience of unity, sense of oneness or transcendence.” | | [42:04] | Dr. Ben Kalmendi | “We’re not just adding a new treatment. We’re asking a system built on symptom suppression to accommodate transformation, transcendence... So it’s an architectural issue rather than a procedural.” | | [47:14] | Kai Dickens | “Women were the keepers of sacred wines and herbal brews for thousands of years.” | | [48:37] | Brian Muraresku | “Something about knowledge of the pharmacopoeia and these magical wines and this forbidden heretical knowledge survived.” |
Timestamps for Important Segments
- [02:20–07:18]: Amazon plane rescue and shamanic ayahuasca intervention
- [08:22–16:53]: Psychedelics in ancient Western traditions, Eleusinian Mysteries, and archaeological evidence
- [20:02–26:24]: Veteran Juliana Mercer’s journey from trauma to healing via ayahuasca and psilocybin
- [27:51–31:31]: Clinical perspectives from Dr. Ben Kalmendi on psilocybin and mental health
- [31:37–32:11]: Paul Stamets on psilocybin’s effects on empathy and aggression
- [36:36–42:40]: Intersections of healing and spiritual experience in psychedelic research
- [44:00–48:57]: The suppression and secret survival of Western psychedelic traditions, especially by women
Episode Tone and Style
The episode balances wonder, curiosity, and a reverence for mystery with a scientist’s respect for evidence. Kai Dickens’ narration and the voices of scholars, healers, veterans, and scientists combine into a tapestry that is both earthy and metaphysical, practical and poetic.
Recap: Why This Episode Matters
This episode urges listeners to reconsider psychedelics not as a new or fringe phenomenon, but as an ancient, cross-cultural technology for healing, insight, and spiritual connection—one lost to Western history through repression and erasure but held alive in indigenous lineage. Simultaneously, it calls for integrating scientific, legal, and spiritual frameworks so that these experiences can heal not just individual minds, but collective wounds and disconnection from the transcendent.
Next week’s preview:
The series transitions from altered states toward exploring energy healing and the ways consciousness might be able to heal itself, weaving together emerging science and age-old wisdom.
This summary is designed to provide a clear and thorough reflection of the episode’s core themes and moments for those who have not listened, while respecting the language and intent of the speakers.