Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris: The Science of Psychedelics for Mental Health | Huberman Lab Podcast
In this episode, my guest is Robin Carhart-Harris, PhD, distinguished professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. He is one of leading researchers in the study of how psychedelics such as psilocybin, LSD and DMT can change the human brain and in doing so, be used to successfully treat various mental health challenges such as major depression, anorexia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and addiction. He explains how psilocybin induces sustained changes in adaptive brain wiring and cognition. We discuss the key components of safe and effective psychedelic journeys, the role of hallucinations, the use of eye-masks to encourage people to “go internal,” and music, as well as what effective therapist support consists of before, during and after the session (also known as integration). We discuss micodosing vs. macrodosing and how researchers control for placebo effects in psychedelic research. We also discuss the current legal landscape around psychedelic therapies. Psychedelic therapies are fast emerging as powerful and soon-to-be mainstream treatments for medical health disorders, but they are not without their risks. As such, this episode ought to be of use to anyone interested in brain plasticity, mental health, psychology or neuroscience.
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Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris
Academic Profile: https://profiles.ucsf.edu/robin.carhart-harris
Publications: https://profiles.ucsf.edu/robin.carhart-harris#toc-id3
Support USCF Psychedelic Research Fund: https://makeagift.ucsf.edu/site/SPageServer?pagename=A1_API_GeneralGivingForm&Other=Psychedelic%20Research%20Fund%20zzz%207031398-SFFDN
UCSF Clinical Trials Enrollment: https://clinicaltrials.ucsf.edu/psychedelic-experiences
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RCarhartHarris
TEDx Talk: https://youtu.be/MZIaTaNR3gk
Articles
Self-blinding citizen science to explore psychedelic microdosing: https://bit.ly/3IxMrUJ
Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression: https://bit.ly/3Os2I11
Pivotal mental states: https://bit.ly/3ITFVYH
Increased global integration in the brain after psilocybin therapy for depression: https://go.nature.com/3q4Sb1z
Structure-based discovery of nonhallucinogenic psychedelic analogs: https://bit.ly/41Svyux
Self-Medication for Chronic Pain Using Classic Psychedelics: A Qualitative Investigation to Inform Future Research: https://bit.ly/3Wr1q8C
MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study: https://go.nature.com/3WqI2Zd
Timestamps
00:00:00 Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris
00:02:12 Sponsors: Eight Sleep, Levels, HVMN
00:05:41 The Brain-Body Contract
00:06:31 Origin of the Word: “Psychedelics”; Pharmacology
00:12:05 Psychedelics & Revealing the Unconscious Mind, Psychotherapy
00:17:32 Microdosing
00:26:08 Psilocybin vs. Magic Mushroom Doses
00:28:28 “Psychedelic-Therapy”, Music
00:35:12 Sponsor: AG1 (Athletic Greens)
00:36:26 Psychedelic Journey: “Trust, Let Go, Be Open”
00:43:01 Negative Emotions, Fear & Psychedelics
00:46:21 Global Functional Connectivity, Serotonin 2A Receptor; Subjective Experiences
00:52:33 Pharmacology: Therapeutics without Psychedelic Effects; SSRIs
00:58:45 Psilocybin & Depression; Long-Term Effects: Connectivity & Neuroplasticity
01:09:14 Sponsor: LMNT
01:10:26 Psilocybin Therapy & Anorexia
01:12:56 Integration Phase & Psychedelic-Therapy; Meditation
01:19:50 First-Time Psychedelic Use, “Entropic Brain Effect”, Neuroplasticity, Cognition
01:30:16 Fibromyalgia & Psychedelic Treatment; MDMA Therapy & “Inner Healer”
01:38:55 Placebo Response & Psychedelic Therapy
01:41:39 LSD & Psychedelic-Therapy, Micro-Dose
01:48:19 Combination Psilocybin-MDMA Therapy
01:56:06 DMT “Rocketship” & Serotonin 2A Receptors; Ibogaine
02:01:04 “Ego Dissolution”, Cocaine vs. Psychedelics; Relapses
02:12:26 Psychedelics & Legal Landscape; Decriminalization
02:17:54 MDMA, Trauma & Clinical Trials; Future Regulatory (FDA) Approval?
02:23:25 Psilocybin & Current Clinical Trials
02:28:41 Mental Health & Psychedelic Treatment, Safeguards, Paradigm Shift
02:34:39 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter
Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac – https://www.blabacphoto.com
Disclaimer: https://hubermanlab.com/disclaimer
41 Comments
Please put any comments or questions and suggestions for topics you would like me to cover on the podcast as well as guests you would like me to include, here in the comments section. Thank you for your interest in science!
I tryed microdose lsd it definitely helped but i found ketamin helped me the best for depression
After exploring souls for a tat more then 26 years I came to a conclusion that might have some truth to it. There are to mayor character phenotypes emphaths and narcissists. Only one will pass on while the other is going to extinction. God' speed
They could speed up the trip length if they used real mushrooms instead of synthetic psilocybin and used the lemon tek method.
Dosing = 28:06
How about an in-depth episode about micro-dosing psilocybin and other psychedelics for better mental health and enhancing life overall
I just started Microdosing LSD and it has been life-changing. 100 %
Great to know I’ve been self medicating appropriately since I was a teenager. ❤😊
I pay for arrive subscription so I don't get ads. Cut the bullshit ads
Andrew "or so I've heard" Huberman 😂
Im slw learner…..innrmning😮
Andrew we need subtitles in Sapnish, please. Is it possible? I´m writing from BA, Argentina. I offer myself to translate and subtitle this.
37:45 my personal experience on mushroom therapy was that letting go allowed me to experience some really traumatic memories in a different way than I normally would be able to. While those memories were still incredibly painful, it allowed me to experience some of the other feelings involved in the memory such as love and acceptance.
It can b dangerous…please be safe ..i almost died while dosing on the blue Meanie's and I had just one.. I gagged and kept vomiting 🤢 🤕 and I was so sick and lightheaded I fell after..I did with lemon 🍋 and boiled it coz it was smelly and when tasted raw just a bit induced gag reflex..
I felt like I ate extremely high dose of blue fungus that grows on top of my food left for months into my stomach..10 hrs later I still feel extremely sick 😫 my whole body feels struck by lightning like surviving death..
Just before I vomited I saw daylight like I was dying for a few seconds and I knew 1000000 percent sure if I didn't automatically vomit for 20 mins I wld hv died and my throat still hurts from vomiting so hard..
My body felt like I took poison
I had tried in a chocolate bar bfr w mini dose nothing happened at all i didnt even feel a trip🍫just prob pleasant but im usually a very happy person..my boyfriend said i looked more aware and i meditated way better bcoz of calmness ..I hv never taken before that.
I will not be trying death again 😂😂this killed me..I am starved but I don't feel like eating Only drained after resting for hours..
Please be careful especially trying unsupervised..
I was not capable of calling 911.. my eyes shut and my body cramped and all I can say vomiting 🤢 saved my life. Yes I bought from a legal shop.. not some shady person
I care abt u all and hopefully one person out there may hv my reaction.
Love u all people 💓 ❤
I don't know why but insightful content like this inspires me to get up and do something productive
Such a great interview! Thank you Dr. Huberman, – you asked the best questions to have such an informative and deep conversation. Thank you for your continued work Dr. Carhart-Harris!
All of these scientists need to get off their ass and do some work!
54:25 I don't think big pharma really want to cure people, if they brought out a psilocybe medication they would either ban it or make it cost too much for the average person
ienc
I did LSD once when I was about 21, I'm 59 now. I laughed all night, slept great and felt great for the next two weeks. Ever since I keep saying I need another brain reset. That's exactly what it felt like happened. I've asked around for the last 3 years here in Yuma and Tucson and nobody seems to know where to get it. You'd think it would be easy to find here. I won't send money over the internet. I have severe treatment resistant depression, severe anxiety and Narcolepsy. I pretty much have spent the last 25 years in bed, wasting everyday of my life. Why is it if a drug makes us feel good or better it's bad? Life is too short to go through it miserable especially when there is something that really helps
Can you discuss SCOPOLAMINE as antidepressant
Intravenous hyoscine may have rapid antidepressant effects, consistent with the hypothesis that hypersensitivity of the cholinergic system may play a role in pathophysiology of mood disorders• Immediate antidepressant effects are likely due to muscarinic antagonism• Abnormal glutamate transmission has been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression, so longer-lasting antidepressant effects may be due to reduced NMDA receptor expression; induction of the mTOR pathway may also be present
What an amazing conversation between two interesting people. Thank you for this work.
1:07:06 "Kind of a vulnerably to the time domain" as someone that has suffered from anxiety my entire life, I have never had my experience summed up so well.
I've done phycadelics b4. But I went too hard. And am now burnt out on them. Despite many years since last use. Thinking of micro dosing due to severe body aches, depression, and wanting to achieve a different outlook on life. Shrooms are legal here. What's a good micro dose for pain management? I don't want to trip but body highs would be welcome.
Also can anyone explain why it feels so satisfying smoking after a large meal?
Andrew.. u need to stop promoting a discredited product such as AGI if ypu want to retain credibility in the health field.. its now known its a bs product that pays promotors well and is a bit of a sham..
You are only as good as ppls trust in what you say or what promote.
It would be nice for you to actually take a stand either way and say why you still support it or shun it with a bit more detail.
There's a huge difference in potency in different strains of mushrooms.
Macro is fun once a year! 😂
whos here in 2024….lmao~~~~
pPp~~~Enjoy …
Is it dangerous for a person that have been on antidepressants for 10 years + to stop taking them to try out Psilocybin to see if it helps? Now thinking about the suden stop of takeing the meds.
Income taxes are the worst taxes because they are a tax on everything.
However, I think elimination of income taxes should be limited to earned income.
There should still be capital gains tax. And probably tax on dividends.
Please bring a neuroelectrophysiologist here.
Wanna know about EEG.
Interesting & informative interested in learning more
Wish I could share my experience with you! 😅
Please dont interrupt Robin alle the time, Andrew! He is onto so many interesting things and then you interrupt and start to tell about your experience with it. For example the anorexia bit.
It was very useful and promising. Thank you for opening the doors of specialized science to public awareness.
I am weaning off of EFFEXOR. The side effects of EFFEXOR are horrible. And the weaning side effects are even worse. It appears to me that the psychiatric patented drugs actually cause depression in the long run because the brain is being taught to re-use seratonin but create less and less of it naturally. So I as a grown up who raised two children, have had careers and businesses, have taken it upon myself to help myself without “authority” of a psychiatrist. They don’t say anything anyway. Just ask you how you feel about something. Well with my very limited if course not to be taken seriously experienced, I have learned to put an eye cover over my own eyes, listen to nice music that I put on, purchased and am able to play on my own, and take the psilocybin on my own. And yes, psilocybin works very well for depression. Amazingly well, even without the psychiatrist. I think it’s absolute bullshit that doctors have more authority over our bodies than we do. Any ill Ed’s I’ve ever had; I’ve had to cure on my own. Whenever I go to a doctor, they gaslight. That’s all they do. Is gaslight. They lie, tell you to take things that don’t work and make a person sicker and more dependent on more of their bad drugs. And even if pharma decided to provide psilocybin, I wouldn’t trust it. I’d rather pick the mushrooms on my own, I trust myself far more than any doctor. Not after what I’ve been through with lying physicians and certainly not after what they did to me with those vaccines. No one! In my family, my grandparents, great and great great grandparents have had heart disease. After my second forced shot in Canada, I had a heart attack after three hours. the third forced shot; I had another heart attack. Doctors are no longer in the health care business, they are in the business of slow and profitable murder. That’s very obvious.
Got me checking multiple times if i didn’t accidentally put this vid on sped up.. could be me, or the shrooms i am not sure any ways good video💯
I suffered from major ocd and imtrusive thoughts involving a paticularly chemical that causes me fear. Medication and therapy haven't worked. Has anyone had any similar experiences?
1:56:23 american are work focused even when thay are high 😅