121. Valorie Masuda - Psychedelic Therapist

In this episode of the podcast, I bring you a fantastic conversation with Valorie Masuda, Psychedelic Therapist with Roots to Thrive,

“Roots to Thrive is Canada’s first and only multidisciplinary, non-profit healthcare practice to legally offer evidence-informed, multi-week, group therapy programs that use a community of practice model, uniquely designed to address trauma and to promote resilience, and to also include the option of psilocybin-assisted and ketamine-assisted group therapy.”

source: https://rootstothrive.com/about-us/what-is-roots-to-thrive/

Valorie is a palliative care physician and general practitioner in oncology working in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. She is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of British Columbia currently working on a clinical trial demonstrating the feasibility of delivering psilocybin therapy in a group set, setting and integration model with Roots to Thrive. She is certified in psychedelic medicine through the California Institute of Integral Studies and has also received training through Therapsil and Roots to Thrive. Valorie is a Fellow of the College of Family Physicians, specializing in Emergency Medicine and Palliative Care.

I am really excited to bring you this conversation. Those of you who have listened to the podcast know that, as a self experimenter, I have dabbled with the use of Psilocybin in microdoses as a way to manage depression and anxiety. Although we don’t discuss microdosing in this episode, you will still find a ton of information and insight here as we discuss the use of psilocyban mushrooms in larger doses as a way to help patients deal with existential end of life mental health difficulties.

The common thread through it all is that humans have lost their connection to one another. Human connection used to be vital for survival but is something we have lost through the way we now look at our lives with a colonial lense. We also discuss how our dismissal of indigenous culture has negatively affected our long term mental health with our disconnection from community and nature. We chat about how poor mental health is addressed with pharmacology rather than digging down to the roots of trauma and how natural medicinal compounds such as psilocybin can help.

I’ve been wanting to share a conversation like this for some time and I’m so happy to be bringing this to you now.

Therapsil
Roots to Thrive
Multidisciplinary Association For Psychedelic Studies