Just say no! That's the mantra most of us have picked up from authority figures in our lives about drugs of all sorts, no matter their category.

But for our guest Ashley Booth and a growing number of scientists, doctors and thinkers, it's become clear that our culture threw the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to the usefulness of psychedelics. This particular class of compounds - psilocybin, LSD, DMT and others - is special. They provide strange, unusual forms of consciousness, changing the perspectives of those who take them so much that their experiences can be life-changing.

Bart Campolo has never tried psychedelics. But in his project to become more empathetic, more available to love others fully, and to make the most of the one life he has, he has become more and more certain that he can't afford to avoid psychedelics forever. His conversation with Ashley includes: special usefulness for those with PTSD, anxiety and depression; Ashley's own experiences; how to interpret the experiences and what they may tell us about reality; how to find a good guide; what scares Bart the most; and how we learn impactful things regardless of whether it's a fun process or not.

Ashley Booth is a scientist, researcher and psychonaut. Her website can be found at AshleyBooth.net and her advocacy community can be found at AwareProject.org. Their guide for would-be participants (mentioned in this episode) can be found at AwareProject.com/Questions. Another of her endeavors can be found at InnerSpaceIntegration.com.

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Humanize Me is hosted by Bart Campolo and is produced by JuxMedia.com.