Welcome to the Psychedelic Conversations Podcast!

Episode 179:
In this episode, we speak with musician, guide, and rhythm keeper Penn Johnson about his journey with psychedelics and the role of music in ceremony and integration. We explore how his experiences with peyote inspired him to help others reconnect with their inner rhythm, creativity, and sense of purpose. Together, we discuss the importance of bringing ceremonial insights into everyday life, breaking inherited patterns, and finding stillness through connection with nature. We also reflect on authenticity, presence, and discernment when choosing facilitators in the psychedelic space. Penn shares a live musical performance and offers a glimpse into his immersive retreats in Hawaii, inviting us to explore vulnerability, honour our unique gifts, and express ourselves more freely.

About Penn:
Penn Johnson is a songwriter, storyteller, and nomadic guide who combines live music, somatic conversation, and time in nature to help people reconnect with themselves. His work draws on more than a decade of travel and learning across Hawaii, Costa Rica, India, Nepal, and beyond. Through private immersions, he supports founders, leaders, and people carrying the pressures of everyday life, encouraging them to slow down, reconnect with their bodies, and rediscover their natural rhythm.

Connect with Penn:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pennjohnsonofficial
- Website: https://www.pennjohnson.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pennjohnson
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/pennjohnson
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pennjohnson
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pennjohnsonmusic
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3hlYATiXNSaQxVpkMwncjW
- Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/penn-johnson/1436878897

Thank you so much for joining us!

Psychedelic Conversations Podcast is designed to educate, inform, and expand awareness.

For more information, please head over to https://www.psychedelicconversations.com

Please share with your friends or leave a review so that we can reach more people and feel free to join us in our private Facebook group to keep the conversation going. https://www.facebook.com/groups/psychedelicconversations

This show is for information purposes only,
and is not intended to provide mental health or medical advice.

About Susan Guner:
Susan Guner is a holistic psychotherapist with a mindfulness-based approach grounded in Transpersonal Psychology, focusing on trauma-informed, community-centric processes that offer a broader understanding of human potential and well-being.

Connect with Susan:
Website: https://www.psychedelicconversations.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/susan.guner
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-guner/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/susanguner
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanguner
Blog: https://susanguner.medium.com/
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/susan-guner

#PsychedelicConversations #SusanGuner #PennJohnson

Welcome to the Psychedelic Conversations Podcast!

Episode 178:
In this episode, we speak with Hein Pijnnaken and Jennifer Rotermund from the Microdosing Institute about microdosing, responsible facilitation, and the power of community. We explore the personal experiences that brought them to this work and their commitment to supporting others. We discuss their eight-month Microdosing Facilitator Program, including personal development, live learning, and hands-on practicums that prepare participants to guide others. Our conversation also explores scientific research, Indigenous wisdom, harm reduction, and the importance of integration. We reflect on why facilitators need to do their own inner work and how small, connected communities encourage trust and peer accountability. Together, we consider microdosing as one part of a broader process of growth, supported by meaningful relationships and ongoing guidance.

The Microdosing Institute:
- https://microdosinginstitute.com/

About Hein:
Hein Pijnnaken is a Transformational Coach, NLP Master (advanced), and microdosing educator & coach. While growing up in the Netherlands—one of the most psychedelic-friendly countries in the world—I became familiar with psychedelics when I was 17 years old. I have been intrigued by the potential healing power of psychedelics, and have used them as transformative tools ever since. Today, he has over 30 years of experience guiding psychedelic sessions and has immersed himself—both theoretically and practically —in the topic of microdosing since 2016. He strongly believes microdosing is an incredible tool for self-development, especially in combination with effective coaching.

About Jennifer:
Jennifer Rotermund, is the Lead Facilitator at the Microdosing Institute, out of the Netherlands. She is a Psychedelic Integration Coach, a Cannabis Health & Wellness Coach and a Microdosing Educator. She is also a Sacred Ceremonialist, who has been initiated in both a Lakota ceremonial path, as well as in her ancestral Northern European Pagan path. For the last decade, she has supported others in their safe exploration of psychedelics through her private practice. And, last year, she launched - with a team of facilitators - an Earth-focused Psychedelic Spiritual Center, called Psychrament. You can find her at: https://www.psychrament.com/

Connect with Hein:
- LinkedIn: https://nl.linkedin.com/in/hein-pijnnaken-73b479208

Connect with Jennifer:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-rotermund-7b541025
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gaiaceousgardens/

Thank you so much for joining us!

Psychedelic Conversations Podcast is designed to educate, inform, and expand awareness.

For more information, please head over to https://www.psychedelicconversations.com

Please share with your friends or leave a review so that we can reach more people and feel free to join us in our private Facebook group to keep the conversation going. https://www.facebook.com/groups/psychedelicconversations

This show is for information purposes only,
and is not intended to provide mental health or medical advice.

About Susan Guner:
Susan Guner is a holistic psychotherapist with a mindfulness-based approach grounded in Transpersonal Psychology, focusing on trauma-informed, community-centric processes that offer a broader understanding of human potential and well-being.

Connect with Susan:
Website: https://www.psychedelicconversations.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/susan.guner
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-guner/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/susanguner
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanguner
Blog: https://susanguner.medium.com/
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/susan-guner

#PsychedelicConversations #SusanGuner #HeinPijnnaken #JenniferRotermund

Welcome to the Psychedelic Conversations Podcast!

Episode 177:
In this episode, we speak with returning guest David Drapkin about the evolving relationship between psychedelics, mental health, and artificial intelligence. David shares how his background in social work, psychotherapy, addiction treatment, and psychedelic education now informs his work designing AI conversations for wellness support. We explore AI’s potential as a therapeutic co-pilot, alongside vital questions about consent, privacy, regulation, and the irreplaceable value of human presence. We also discuss the shadow side of the psychedelic field, practitioner accountability, medicalisation, safe access, and the need for transparent standards and peer support. David reflects on low-dose approaches, inner healing intelligence, and the importance of moving slowly when someone is psychologically destabilised. Together, we consider why lasting healing requires community, careful preparation, and a reliable “landing container” for integration.

Watch our previous conversation here:
https://youtu.be/ePWwr_iaNWk?si=b9SXIf3ZlXR9rkI0

About David:
David Drapkin is a psychotherapist trained in England, Australia, and the United States, with 12 years of clinical experience. He specialises in addiction, depression, anxiety, trauma, men’s health, OCD, PTSD, and psychedelic- and cannabis-assisted therapy. Drawing from psychodynamic therapy, CBT, psychoanalysis, Internal Family Systems, somatic-informed practices, and mindfulness, David takes a humanistic, strengths-based approach that honours each client’s complexity and innate capacity for healing. His work helps people look beyond diagnostic labels, identify the deeper roots of unhealthy patterns, and reconnect with their values, intuition, and authentic selves. By encouraging curiosity, mindful self-awareness, emotional honesty, and a willingness to embrace change, David supports clients in developing the insight, skills, and resolve needed to create meaningful and lasting transformation.

Connect with David:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daviddrapkin/
- Website: https://www.davedrapkin.com/

Thank you so much for joining us!

Psychedelic Conversations Podcast is designed to educate, inform, and expand awareness.

For more information, please head over to https://www.psychedelicconversations.com

Please share with your friends or leave a review so that we can reach more people and feel free to join us in our private Facebook group to keep the conversation going. https://www.facebook.com/groups/psychedelicconversations

This show is for information purposes only,
and is not intended to provide mental health or medical advice.

About Susan Guner:
Susan Guner is a holistic psychotherapist with a mindfulness-based approach grounded in Transpersonal Psychology, focusing on trauma-informed, community-centric processes that offer a broader understanding of human potential and well-being.

Connect with Susan:
Website: https://www.psychedelicconversations.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/susan.guner
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-guner/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/susanguner
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanguner
Blog: https://susanguner.medium.com/
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/susan-guner

#PsychedelicConversations #SusanGuner #DavidDrapkin

Welcome to the Psychedelic Conversations Podcast!

Episode 176:
In this episode, we speak with returning guest Matt Zemon about ordinary mysticism, psychedelic spirituality, and the healing power of human connection. Matt shares how his first guided psychedelic experience reshaped his worldview and inspired his studies in neuroscience, psychology, ministry, and spiritual practice. We discuss his book "Ordinary Mystics" and the idea that mystical experiences are available to everyone, not only saints, prophets, or spiritual authorities. Together, we explore community as a container for integration, the risks of spiritual grandiosity, religious harm, and the tension between medical and spiritual models of psychedelic use. We also consider how psychedelics may help us remember our interconnectedness, deepen family relationships, and rediscover childlike wonder. Finally, Matt explains his work supporting entheogenic communities and reducing risk across medical, recreational, and spiritual contexts.

Watch our previous conversation here:
https://youtu.be/4Jr3awHkvXg?si=rkLqF508QgJ4M1HQ

About Matt:
Matt Zemon is Executive Director of the Council on Spiritual Practices, an organization that for over three decades has been dedicated to making experiences of the Sacred more available to more people. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from Pacific School of Religion, specializing in psychedelics in religious practice, and a Master of Science in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health from King's College London. The author of six books on psychedelics, religion, and healing, he serves an entheogenic faith community and views direct spiritual experience as rooted in religious tradition and deserving of legal protection. Matt is grounded in the conviction that personal healing contributes to collective healing. He writes and speaks as a fellow traveler who does not promote psychedelics as shortcuts or cures. Matt speaks regularly at conferences, universities, and religious communities on the intersection of psychedelics, spirituality, science, and law.

Connect with Matt:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattzemon/
- Website: https://www.mattzemon.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matt.zemon/?hl=en

Thank you so much for joining us!

Psychedelic Conversations Podcast is designed to educate, inform, and expand awareness.

For more information, please head over to https://www.psychedelicconversations.com

Please share with your friends or leave a review so that we can reach more people and feel free to join us in our private Facebook group to keep the conversation going. https://www.facebook.com/groups/psychedelicconversations

This show is for information purposes only,
and is not intended to provide mental health or medical advice.

About Susan Guner:
Susan Guner is a holistic psychotherapist with a mindfulness-based approach grounded in Transpersonal Psychology, focusing on trauma-informed, community-centric processes that offer a broader understanding of human potential and well-being.

Connect with Susan:
Website: https://www.psychedelicconversations.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/susan.guner
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-guner/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/susanguner
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanguner
Blog: https://susanguner.medium.com/
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/susan-guner

#PsychedelicConversations #SusanGuner #MattZemon

Welcome to the Psychedelic Conversations Podcast!

Episode 175:
In this episode of Psychedelic Conversations, we speak with Vermont-based addiction recovery advocate and author Rory Van Tuinen to explore his deeply personal journey through grief, opioid addiction, relapse, and recovery. Rory shares how the loss of his best friend, a serious car accident, and prescribed opioids led to years of heroin and methadone dependence. We discuss the transformative roles ayahuasca, ibogaine, peer support, family connection, and intentional integration played in helping him reclaim his identity. Rory also introduces his book, Awakening the Heart: Reclaiming Identity After Addiction, and reflects on sensitivity, acceptance, and storytelling as tools for healing. Together, we examine harm reduction, psychedelic safety, cultural respect, and the need to build thoughtful bridges between Indigenous traditions and Western models of care.

Find Rory's book here:
https://a.co/d/09dZtUXK

About Rory:
Rory Van Tuinen is a Vermont-based advocate for addiction recovery, author, and co-creator of Candid Conversations by Cultivating Connections. Drawing from his lived experience of opioid addiction, relapse, and recovery, he supports initiatives that foster resilience, connection, harm reduction, and personal transformation. His book, Awakening the Heart: Reclaiming Identity After Addiction, explores the experiences that shaped his journey and the roles of psychedelic medicines, peer support, family, and integration in his healing. Rory believes that sharing honest stories within our communities can challenge stigma, deepen acceptance, and become a powerful mechanism for both individual and collective revolution.

Connect with Rory:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roryvantuinen/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roryvantuinen/
- Website: https://roryvantuinen.com/

Thank you so much for joining us!

Psychedelic Conversations Podcast is designed to educate, inform, and expand awareness.

For more information, please head over to https://www.psychedelicconversations.com

Please share with your friends or leave a review so that we can reach more people and feel free to join us in our private Facebook group to keep the conversation going. https://www.facebook.com/groups/psychedelicconversations

This show is for information purposes only,
and is not intended to provide mental health or medical advice.

About Susan Guner:
Susan Guner is a holistic psychotherapist with a mindfulness-based approach grounded in Transpersonal Psychology, focusing on trauma-informed, community-centric processes that offer a broader understanding of human potential and well-being.

Connect with Susan:
Website: https://www.psychedelicconversations.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/susan.guner
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-guner/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/susanguner
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanguner
Blog: https://susanguner.medium.com/
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/susan-guner

#PsychedelicConversations #SusanGuner #RoryVanTuinen

Welcome to the Psychedelic Conversations Podcast!

Episode 174:
In this episode, we speak with researcher and author Jim Tate to explore the history, cultural impact and therapeutic potential of psychedelics. Jim shares his experiences from the psychedelic movement of the 1960s, the decades-long war on drugs and today’s renewed interest in psychedelic research. We discuss his book, Elders at the Threshold: Psychedelics for Seniors, and examine how carefully supported psychedelic experiences may help older adults process grief, regret, depression, trauma and anxiety surrounding mortality. We also explore the importance of proper screening, preparation, integration and harm reduction, particularly when working with powerful substances such as ibogaine. Finally, we discuss accessibility, unsafe retreat environments and the value of creating supportive communities for elders. As Jim reminds us, it is never too late to heal, find meaning or make peace with mortality.

Read Jim's book - Elders at the Threshold: Psychedelics for Seniors - here:
https://www.amazon.com/Elders-at-Threshold-Psychedelics-Seniors/dp/B0H6KG14NV

About Jim:
Jim Tate has spent a lifetime at the intersection of systems and stories. In recent years, both have converged on one of the most consequential scientific and cultural revivals of our time: psychedelic medicine. Writing under the banner Chronicles of Kykeon, Tate brings something rare to the psychedelic therapy conversation with the eye of an investigator, the instincts of a storyteller, and the patience to follow the archives and court transcripts wherever they lead. His essays range from the shadow histories of LSD's underground distribution networks to the forgotten women of psychedelic chemistry, from the contested terrain of psychedelic-assisted therapy to the veterans carrying ibogaine across the border in search of relief no VA clinic can provide. His Substack, Chronicles of Kykeon (@kykeon23), publishes regularly on the legacy, culture, and emerging science of psychedelic substances, exploring subjects from Nixon's war on drugs to the political economy of psilocybin access to the spiritual fault lines running quietly through the modern therapy movement. Tate is also the co-founder of Psylencia, a collaborative multimedia platform dedicated to raising the quality of dialogue in the psychedelic ecosystem, and host of Inside the Revival, a podcast featuring clinicians, researchers, harm reduction specialists, pharmacists, PhDs, pastors, and military veterans, a deliberately wide tent.

Connect with Jim:
Substack: @kykeon23

Thank you so much for joining us!

Psychedelic Conversations Podcast is designed to educate, inform, and expand awareness.

For more information, please head over to https://www.psychedelicconversations.com

Please share with your friends or leave a review so that we can reach more people and feel free to join us in our private Facebook group to keep the conversation going. https://www.facebook.com/groups/psychedelicconversations

This show is for information purposes only,
and is not intended to provide mental health or medical advice.

About Susan Guner:
Susan Guner is a holistic psychotherapist with a mindfulness-based approach grounded in Transpersonal Psychology, focusing on trauma-informed, community-centric processes that offer a broader understanding of human potential and well-being.

Connect with Susan:
Website: https://www.psychedelicconversations.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/susan.guner
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-guner/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/susanguner
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanguner
Blog: https://susanguner.medium.com/
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/susan-guner

#PsychedelicConversations #SusanGuner #JimTate

Welcome to the Psychedelic Conversations Podcast!

Discount Code To Join The Happy Hormone Club Membership: rose10

Episode 173:
In this episode, we speak with bestselling author Rose Kilian about somatic healing, nervous system regulation, women’s health, and the profound healing connection between humans and horses. Rose shares how her personal experiences with panic attacks, chronic stress, anxiety, and endometriosis led her to explore somatic exercises and understand the relationship between trauma, hormones, and physical symptoms. We discuss how suppressed emotions and unprocessed fear can affect the nervous system, why healing should happen gradually and safely, and how somatic work can strengthen our ability to move from stress into rest and recovery. Rose also introduces the concept of somatic cycle syncing, encouraging women to understand their menstrual cycles, practise greater self-compassion, and support hormonal health by helping the body feel safe.

Find Rose's Book Here:
https://us.amazon.com/Somatic-Exercises-Nervous-System-Regulation-ebook/dp/B0CWTHBKB7?ref_=ast_author_mpb

The Reference Study On Endometriosis:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30016439/

About Rose:
Rose is a bestselling author, having written multiple Somatic exercise books. She specializes in how the nervous system impacts women's health, using somatic work to heal female hormones. She shares her work in the Happy Hormone Club, an online membership program for women with hormone imbalance and cycle related symptoms. She also works with horses, using her understanding of both the human and equine nervous systems to help horses with trauma start a new life.

Connect with Rose:
Website: https://happyhormoneclub.co.za/

Thank you so much for joining us!

Psychedelic Conversations Podcast is designed to educate, inform, and expand awareness.

For more information, please head over to https://www.psychedelicconversations.com

Please share with your friends or leave a review so that we can reach more people and feel free to join us in our private Facebook group to keep the conversation going. https://www.facebook.com/groups/psychedelicconversations

This show is for information purposes only,
and is not intended to provide mental health or medical advice.

About Susan Guner:
Susan Guner is a holistic psychotherapist with a mindfulness-based approach grounded in Transpersonal Psychology, focusing on trauma-informed, community-centric processes that offer a broader understanding of human potential and well-being.

Connect with Susan:
Website: https://www.psychedelicconversations.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/susan.guner
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-guner/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/susanguner
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanguner
Blog: https://susanguner.medium.com/
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/susan-guner

#PsychedelicConversations #SusanGuner #RoseKilian #SomaticHealing #SomaticWork #SomaticExperiencing

Welcome to the Psychedelic Conversations Podcast!

Episode 172:
In this episode, we discuss the evolving landscape of psychedelic work with Lucyne Jade and returning guest Simon Hinkly. Together, we explore what brought them to this path, from Lucyne’s decades of experience in psychotherapy, plant medicine, retreat facilitation, and integration, to Simon’s journey from filmmaking and men’s work into psychedelic practice. We also speak about the future of psychedelic healing, including retreats, clinical models, indigenous wisdom, safety, integration, and the importance of moving away from extraction toward collaboration and “cross-pollination.” A central focus of the conversation is their pioneering psilocybin retreat for former boarding school students, created to support deep healing around disconnection, grief, survival strategies, and inner child wounds. Lucyne and Simon share the intention behind the retreat, the importance of preparation and integration, and why creating a safe, well-held container is essential for meaningful transformation.

About Lucyne:
Lucyne Jade is an intuitive healer, mentor and psychotherapist. She worked as an addiction therapist for many years at the Priory in London. She now specialises in Breathwork, Therapy and Shamanism and has travelled throughout Central and South America, Hawaii and Europe studying and becoming a carrier of ancient healing practices. She leads personal developments workshops and retreats in the UK and Europe. Most recently she spent 3 years at Rythmia Life Advancement Centre in Costa Rica, where she ran groups up to 100 people. She has a great passion for holding space for awakening and creating an environment of safety, love, depth and transformation. She is also a skilled sound healer and uses the power of sound during workshops. Lucyne has been also been trained to utilise the following modalities to inform her work: Neurolinguistic Programming, Hypnosis, Family Constellations, Art Therapy, Kundalini Yoga, Kirtan Chanting, Mater Reiki and Life Coaching.

About Simon:
Simon Hinkly has been involved in the film industry for many years working as a First Assistant Director on feature films and TV series such as The Long Good Friday and My Beautiful Laundrette. Later as a producer of short films. He has worked as a producer, director and assistant director on over 50 feature films, shorts and documentaries. Simon brings a great passion for telling stories that have a big impact on the world. As a producer Simon was twice winner of the Kodak Film Awards for Best Short Films: Letters of Service (2004) and A Neutral Corner (2006)

Connect with Lucyne:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucynejade/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@lucynejade750
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucyne-jade-2a9556218/
Website: https://www.heartfirehub.com/

Connect with Simon:
Email: simonhinkly1@gmail.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-hinkly-b209a5b/
Website: https://www.boardingoninsanity.com/

This show is for information purposes only,
and is not intended to provide mental health or medical advice.

About Susan Guner:
Susan Guner is a holistic psychotherapist with a mindfulness-based approach grounded in Transpersonal Psychology, focusing on trauma-informed, community-centric processes that offer a broader understanding of human potential and well-being.

Connect with Susan:
Website: https://www.psychedelicconversations.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/susan.guner
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-guner/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/susanguner
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanguner
Blog: https://susanguner.medium.com/
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/susan-guner

#PsychedelicConversations #SusanGuner #LucyneJade #SimonHinkly #PsychedelicPodcast #Microdosing #PlantMedicines #Entheogens