Mind Body Health & Politics

Psychotherapist Gisele Fernandes-Osterhold joins Dr. Richard Louis Miller to discuss a groundbreaking psilocybin-assisted therapy study for young adults with anorexia nervosa at the University of California, San Francisco.Together, they explore how psychedelics can help restore connection between mind, body, and community—and how true healing extends beyond the individual to include family, culture, and environment.The study, led by UCSF’s Tripper Lab, is one of the first in the world to focus on the developing brain and the inclusion of families in psychedelic therapy. Gisele explains how this approach moves away from blame and control toward empowerment, self-awareness, and compassionate healing.She and Richard also discuss the cultural factors that shape body image, the impact of social media, the rising rates of eating disorders since the pandemic, and why anorexia remains one of the deadliest mental health conditions.“Recovery isn’t just gaining weight. It’s gaining yourself.” — Gisele Fernandes-Osterhol

Beyond Profit: The Human Cost of Capitalism — with Dr. David McNallyHistorian Dr. David McNally joins Dr. Richard Louis Miller to explore the deep relationship between capitalism, slavery, and community — and why the path forward may depend on reclaiming our capacity for cooperation and hope.Together, they trace how capitalism evolved from feudal systems, how slavery became its brutal engine, and how modern life still reflects those same dynamics of exploitation and insecurity. They discuss the moral cost of wealth built on oppression, the erosion of academic freedom, and the possibilities for new forms of collective ownership and economic justice.Through it all, McNally reminds us that hope is more powerful than anger and fear, and that history shows our greatest progress comes when people act together in community.Guest:Dr. David McNally — Cullen Distinguished Professor of History and Business at the University of Houston, and author of Slavery and Capitalism, Blood and Money, and Monsters of the Market.Key

The Psychology of Love and Connection with Dr. Rick HansonPsychologist Dr. Rick Hanson joins Dr. Richard Louis Miller to explore how compassion, community, and love can rewire the human brain — and why our survival as a species may depend on it. Together, they discuss the “two wolves within us,” how positive neuroplasticity turns fleeting moments of kindness into lasting change, and what it takes to heal both personally and collectively in a divided world.Guest: Dr. Rick Hanson – Psychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and author of Hardwiring Happiness, Resilient, and Buddha’s BrainKey Topics:The duality of human nature: love vs. hateHow to “feed the wolf of love” through daily practicePositive neuroplasticity and the science of emotional rewiringBuilding compassion in polarized timesWhy community is essential to mental healthHow wealth inequality and power distort human connectionThe link between poverty and psychological sufferingSimple daily tools for calm, resilienc

The Psychology of Love and Connection with Dr. Rick HansonPsychologist Dr. Rick Hanson joins Dr. Richard Louis Miller to explore how compassion, community, and love can rewire the human brain — and why our survival as a species may depend on it. Together, they discuss the “two wolves within us,” how positive neuroplasticity turns fleeting moments of kindness into lasting change, and what it takes to heal both personally and collectively in a divided world.Guest: Dr. Rick Hanson – Psychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and author of Hardwiring Happiness, Resilient, and Buddha’s BrainKey Topics:The duality of human nature: love vs. hateHow to “feed the wolf of love” through daily practicePositive neuroplasticity and the science of emotional rewiringBuilding compassion in polarized timesWhy community is essential to mental healthHow wealth inequality and power distort human connectionThe link between poverty and psychological sufferingSimple daily tools for calm, resilienc

Building Community with MDMA: Charles Wininger's 20-Year ExperimentPsychotherapist Charles Wininger shares 20 years of experience leading group MDMA sessions in New York, detailed protocols for creating safe communal experiences, and his vision for a nationwide simultaneous experience to rebuild community connections.Guest: Charles Wininger - Psychotherapist for 35 years, psychonaut for 50 years, author of "Listening to Ecstasy: The Transformative Power of MDMA"Key Topics:Why community is literally life or deathComplete protocols for group MDMA experiencesThe "serious fun" middle way between therapy and ravesGround rules: consent, boundaries, and safetyWhy mixing substances changes everythingCouples using MDMA 2-3x weekly at micro-dosesPlanning a nationwide simultaneous experienceThe Fireside Project's 24/7 psychedelic supportTimestamps:00:00 Introduction - Tribal animals need community01:01 Meet Charles Wininger01:59 "Community is the medicine"03:55 MDMA as the "chemical of connection"06:22 Healing a 7-year

The Poem That Made a Room Full of Men CryDr. Jed Diamond joins Dr. Miller for a conversation about isolation, authoritarianism, and why building community may be our only defense against tyranny. Includes the Father Earth poem by Clarissa Pinkola Estés.Guest: Dr. Jed Diamond - Author of 17 books, men's health advocate, in the same men's group for 46 yearsTimestamps:00:00 Introduction - Tribal living and community01:33 Meet Dr. Jed Diamond04:10 Same-sex groups and intergenerational wisdom08:06 Isolation and loneliness since COVID12:12 Why Jed predicted Trump's presidency in May 201617:21 Military on American streets18:02 The scapegoating pattern23:27 Father Earth poem introduction24:22 Father Earth by Clarissa Pinkola Estés (full reading)31:22 Depression epidemic warning36:07 The Zen community response to violence42:06 Jed's daily walking practice for community44:00 The 10,000 step community walks47:39 MenAlive.com and Jed's work This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or

Why Marriage Is Failing America's Poor (And Making Inequality Worse)Economist Michael Tanner reveals the marriage gap between rich and poor, why rural poverty is worse than urban, and how the collapse of traditional economies is creating a generation of unmarriageable men.Guest: Michael Tanner - Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, author of research on marriage and povertyTopics Discussed:What poverty really means in AmericaWhy Scandinavian equality comes with lower living standardsThe two-class marriage system emerging in AmericaWhy women face a "bigger gamble" in marriage than menRural poverty worse than urban povertyThe Arkansas Walmart layoffs and opioid crisisCriminal justice removing 1.5 million Black men from marriage poolHalf of Fort Bragg, CA on food assistanceTimestamps:00:01 Introduction - 72% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck01:24 What is poverty in America?02:36 Two definitions of poverty - subsistence vs self-sufficiency05:08 Census Bureau's flawed poverty m

They Feed 30 People for $90 (How Cohousing Actually Works)Architect Charles Durrett reveals the economics and social dynamics of cohousing communities, plus Iceland's revolutionary approach to neurodiverse living where autism isn't a limitation but simply a different way of being.Guest: Charles Durrett - Principal architect at The Cohousing Company, coined the term "cohousing" in 1985, designed 55+ communities, author of 16 books on community designTopics Discussed:How cohousing communities feed 30 people for $90Why 34 houses share one lawnmower (and it works)The first U.S. cohousing community 35 years laterIceland's Sólheimar: 45 neurodiverse, 45 neurotypical residentsWhy people with autism drown at 166x the normal rate"Smiles per half hour" as a community metricBreaking bread 4-5 times weekly builds communityFrom isolation to internationally selling artistTimestamps:00:00 Introduction - Encouraging community for 20 years00:59 Meet Charles Durrett - Pioneer of cohousing01:40 The first U.S. cohousing communit

The Psychedelic Renaissance: 6 Leaders on Integration, Ethics & AccessAn unprecedented panel discussion featuring six pioneers of psychedelic medicine, moderated by Dr. Richard L. Miller. From underground roots to FDA trials, from ketamine clinics to ibogaine centers, these leaders reveal the challenges and breakthroughs shaping the future of psychedelic therapy.Panelists: • Matt Xavier - Author of "The Psychedelic DJ," pioneering music curation in psilocybin therapy • Wendy Tucker - Board Chair, Shulgin Foundation, preserving the lab where 200+ psychedelics were created • Sam Mandel - CEO, Ketamine Clinics Los Angeles (35,000+ infusions since 2014) • Tom Feegel - CEO, Beond Ibogaine Center, Cancun (11 MDs on staff) • Dori Lewis - Co-founder, Elemental Psychedelics & Colorado's 2nd legal psilocybin center • Joshua White - Founder, Fireside Project (30,000+ psychedelic support calls)Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction - The tribal nature of healing 02:30 The psychedelic renaissance and 50 years of suppresse

At age 9, Michael Ostrolenk looked at his overweight, chain-smoking psychiatrist and asked his mother: "He can't help himself. How's he gonna help me?" Then he walked out and never looked back.Now 54, Michael completes 50-mile rucks with weighted vests and trains Navy SEALs through SEALFIT and Unbeatable Mind Academy. After 43 years in martial arts and decades as a performance coach, he's identified why 72% of Americans are failing at health—and it's not about willpower.In this conversation, Michael reveals:Why willpower is a terrible strategy for changeThe "via negativa" approach that makes failure impossibleHis 4-pillar system (physiological, psychological, social, environmental)Why he gets blood work every 3-6 months (and what markers matter)The pull-up bar trick that transformed his client's military fitness testHow removing M&Ms matters more than resisting themThe connection between circadian biology and mental healthWhy "normalizing pathological behaviors" is destroying our healthPlus: The surprisin

Dr. Heather Lee: When Traditional Therapy Fails, Sacred Medicine SucceedsMind Body Health Politics Episode - Dr. Richard Lewis MillerEpisode DescriptionA mother lost her 2-year-old to cancer and spent two years bedbound with grief. Traditional therapy, medication, and family support all failed her. Then she discovered Dr. Heather Lee's psilocybin therapy in Colorado—and everything changed. What happened next will challenge everything you think you know about healing trauma and grief.Dr. Heather Lee is Colorado's 22nd licensed psychedelic facilitator and author of the upcoming book The Psilocybin Sessions: 10 True Tales of Women's Wisdom Awakening. Her legal, clinical work with sacred medicine is producing results that conventional medicine struggles to explain.Timestamped Chapters00:00 - The Epidemic of Isolation and Why We Need Community03:00 - Dr. Heather Lee's Revolutionary Approach to Healing05:00 - The Grieving Mother's Two-Year Journey Through Hell08:00 - When Her Deceased Child Appeared During the Sess

The Forgiveness Trap: Why "Forgive and Forget" Perpetuates the Very Harm It Claims to HealDescription: Most people think forgiveness means welcoming harmful people back into your life. Veronica Monet reveals why this approach actually perpetuates cycles of abuse—and what real healing looks like.Guest Bio: Veronica Monet is a former high-end escort turned therapist and domestic violence counselor. Having survived childhood sexual abuse in what she describes as "a family of pedophiles," she now specializes in Internal Family Systems therapy and helping survivors break generational cycles of trauma. She's the author of the upcoming book "The Pedophile Who Loved Me: My Treacherous Path to True Forgiveness."Key Topics:Why religious forgiveness often enables continued abuseHow shame drives harmful behavior underground instead of stopping itThe difference between true forgiveness and dangerous reconciliationBreaking generational cycles of sexual abuse in familiesInternal Family Systems and how trauma creates "split"

Dr. Lauren Rosewarne on Perversion, Porn, and What We Won't Talk AboutDescription:Pop culture isn't just entertainment—it's become our default sex educator. Dr. Lauren Rosewarne breaks down how algorithms profit from our sexual confusion and why "perversion" is actually universal human experience.Guest Bio: Dr. Lauren Rosewarne is a media scholar at the University of Melbourne who has built her career studying topics most academics avoid: perversion, masturbation, pornography, and how pop culture becomes our informal sex educator. Author of numerous books including "Part-Time Perverts," "Cheating on the Sisterhood," and research on masturbation in popular culture, she examines how entertainment fills the gaps left by formal education—particularly around sexuality and human behavior.Key Topics:Why pop culture has become our default sex educatorHow algorithms track sexual curiosity and profit from shameThe myth of "perversion" and why sexual interests are universalMedia representation of masturbation and female

The Forgiveness Trap: Why "Forgive and Forget" Perpetuates the Very Harm It Claims to HealDescription: Most people think forgiveness means welcoming harmful people back into your life. Veronica Monet reveals why this approach actually perpetuates cycles of abuse—and what real healing looks like.Guest Bio: Veronica Monet is a former high-end escort turned therapist and domestic violence counselor. Having survived childhood sexual abuse in what she describes as "a family of pedophiles," she now specializes in Internal Family Systems therapy and helping survivors break generational cycles of trauma. She's the author of the upcoming book "The Pedophile Who Loved Me: My Treacherous Path to True Forgiveness."Key Topics:Why religious forgiveness often enables continued abuseHow shame drives harmful behavior underground instead of stopping itThe difference between true forgiveness and dangerous reconciliationBreaking generational cycles of sexual abuse in familiesInternal Family Systems and how trauma creates "split"

Dr. Alex Belser, clinical scientist and psychologist formerly at NYU and Yale, reveals why 98% of psychedelic therapy happens underground—and the dark history the field doesn't want you to know. Guest Bio: Dr. Alexander Belser is a clinical scientist, psychologist, and psychedelic researcher. Author of EMBARK Psychedelic Therapy for Depression (Oxford University Press) and Queering Psychedelics: From Oppression to Liberation, he has been a leader for LGBTQIA+ advocacy in psychedelic spaces. Key Topics:The economics forcing psychedelic therapy underground Hidden history of conversion therapy with LSD Current threats to LGBTQ+ research Solutions for accessible psychedelic healingTIMESTAMPS: [00:00] Cold Open Montage [01:20] Welcome & the return to tribal living [02:24] Dr. Belser introduction - Brooklyn, NY [04:13] The future of community psychedelic medicine [06:02] Johnson & Johnson's $32,000/year ketamine vs. generic [07:42] Why 98% of psychedelic therapy is underground [09:21] Harm reduction approac

Dr. Lauren Rosewarne on Perversion, Porn, and What We Won't Talk AboutDescription:Pop culture isn't just entertainment—it's become our default sex educator. Dr. Lauren Rosewarne breaks down how algorithms profit from our sexual confusion and why "perversion" is actually universal human experience.Guest Bio: Dr. Lauren Rosewarne is a media scholar at the University of Melbourne who has built her career studying topics most academics avoid: perversion, masturbation, pornography, and how pop culture becomes our informal sex educator. Author of numerous books including "Part-Time Perverts," "Cheating on the Sisterhood," and research on masturbation in popular culture, she examines how entertainment fills the gaps left by formal education—particularly around sexuality and human behavior.Key Topics:Why pop culture has become our default sex educatorHow algorithms track sexual curiosity and profit from shameThe myth of "perversion" and why sexual interests are universalMedia representation of masturbation and female

Dr. Jarrett Rose reveals groundbreaking research from inside a week-long psychedelic retreat in Jamaica where 11 strangers took escalating doses of psilocybin—and discovered something clinical trials are missing entirely.Guest Bio:Dr. Jarrett Rose is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at SUNY Polytechnic Institute studying psychedelic culture and group therapy dynamics. A former high school dropout who was medicated with Ritalin against his will, he earned his PhD from York University in Toronto and now conducts participant-observation research in real-world psychedelic settings. He recently published groundbreaking research on collective effervescence in psychedelic therapy and is collaborating with Dr. Daniel Kruger on psychedelic community studies.Key Topics:- Why 99% of psychedelic therapy happens in groups, not clinical trials- The economics making individual therapy impossible for most people- How "collective effervescence" amplifies healing outcomes beyond individual sessions- Escalating doses: 3-5g,

Dr. Alex Belser, clinical scientist and psychologist formerly at NYU and Yale, reveals why 98% of psychedelic therapy happens underground—and the dark history the field doesn't want you to know. Guest Bio: Dr. Alexander Belser is a clinical scientist, psychologist, and psychedelic researcher. Author of EMBARK Psychedelic Therapy for Depression (Oxford University Press) and Queering Psychedelics: From Oppression to Liberation, he has been a leader for LGBTQIA+ advocacy in psychedelic spaces. Key Topics:The economics forcing psychedelic therapy underground Hidden history of conversion therapy with LSD Current threats to LGBTQ+ research Solutions for accessible psychedelic healingTIMESTAMPS: [00:00] Cold Open Montage [01:20] Welcome & the return to tribal living [02:24] Dr. Belser introduction - Brooklyn, NY [04:13] The future of community psychedelic medicine [06:02] Johnson & Johnson's $32,000/year ketamine vs. generic [07:42] Why 98% of psychedelic therapy is underground [09:21] Harm reduction approac

Discover how scientific self-experimentation went from heroic standard practice to career-ending stigma—and what we lost about consciousness research in the process.Why 19th-century scientists routinely self-experimented with psychoactive substancesHow the 1962 FDA amendments changed scientific culture foreverThe underground networks continuing psychedelic research outside institutionsWhat the MDMA therapy rejection reveals about modern scientific politicsLinks & Resources:"Psychonauts" by Mike Jay"Free Radicals: How a Group of Romantic Experimenters Gave Birth to Psychedelic Science"Full interview available on Mind Body Health & Politics podcastImperial College London psychedelic researchNative American Church peyote ceremoniesTimestamped Chapters: (00:00) - Introduction: The Scholar's Privilege (02:00) - When Self-Experimentation Was Standard Practice(05:00) - Humphrey Davy and the Birth of Psychedelic Science (11:00) - Freud, Cocaine, and Neurasthenia (15:00) - William James and the Stream of Consc

In this illuminating conversation, Dr. Richard Miller speaks with Satya, a Portuguese healer and former professional surfer, about the vital importance of self-care for those in helping professions. From the healing power of small communities to the ongoing work of trauma integration, this discussion offers practical wisdom for sustaining oneself while serving others.About Our GuestSatya is a 47-year-old healer based in Portugal who transitioned from professional surfing to founding the Awareness Facilitator School, which combines psychotherapy, meditation, quantum physics, ancient philosophies, and bodywork. Her approach emphasizes helping clients "rise in consciousness" rather than treating them as patients.Key Topics & Timestamps02:10 - Life in a small Portuguese surfer village and the healing power of community10:23 - Satya's journey from professional surfer to healer13:42 - The profound impact of ayahuasca on healing deep trauma17:33 - Dr. Miller's parallel journey creating Wilbur Hot Springs as a na