In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast host Sam Believ (founder of http://www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Dr. Manesh Girn, a neuroscientist, psychedelic researcher, and co-founder and CEO of Five Discovery, a psychedelic biotechnology company developing therapeutics for neurodegenerative disorders. Previously, Dr. Girn completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco working with Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying psychedelic experiences. He has authored over two dozen peer-reviewed publications on brain networks, psychedelics, and cognition.

We touch upon topics of:

  • His personal introduction and background in Eastern spirituality (03:00 – 04:00)

  • Parallels between meditation and psychedelic altered states (04:00 – 05:10)

  • The scientific concepts of ego dissolution and ego inflation (05:10 – 10:00)

  • How psychedelics work in the brain and neuroplasticity (10:00 – 13:00)

  • The brain as an interconnected ecosystem (13:00 – 15:10)

  • Why disruption and temporary chaos lead to healing and recalibration (15:10 – 17:00)

  • Coherence, transient states, and capturing brain dynamics (17:00 – 19:10)

  • Myths and realities of the Default Mode Network (DMN) (19:10 – 21:40)

  • Other brain networks affected by psychedelics and their therapeutic roles (21:40 – 24:00)

  • Psychedelics for creativity, professional breakthrough insights, and non-hallucinogenic therapeutics (24:00 – 27:00)

  • Using complexity science and system-level approaches in mental health (29:45 – 32:45)

  • Why individuals experience highly variable, context-dependent psychedelic effects (32:45 – 34:50)

  • Precision psychiatry and personalized dosing (34:50 – 37:10)

  • Placebo-controlled research on microdosing vs. high-dose applications (37:10 – 41:40)

  • The difficulty of studying the neuroscience of bad trips (41:40 – 44:00)

  • The value of first-person psychedelic experience for scientific researchers (44:00 – 46:15)

  • How the brain is hardwired to experience deep love, gratitude, and connection (46:15 – 49:10)

  • The challenges of measuring endogenous DMT and theories of post-retreat reactivations (49:10 – 54:30)

If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to http://www.lawayra.com

Find more about Dr. Manesh Girn on Instagram or YouTube @thepsychedelicscientist, his personal website maneshgirn.com, or learn about his biotechnology company at fivediscovery.com.