Podcast 231: An Expert’s Guide to the Medicinal Potential of Psychedelics with Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris

This week on the WHOOP Podcast, VP of Performance Science, Principal Scientist, Kristen Holmes sits down with one of the leading researchers in the study of how psychedelics such as psilocybin can change the human brain, Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris. Dr. Carhart-Harris is a professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and has been conducting lifechanging research on how psychedelics can be used to successfully treat everything from depression, anorexia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and addiction. He shares more on how these substances can chemically alter the brain, and how they can affect HRV, RHR, sleep architecture, feelings of gratitude, and overall well-being. 

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EPISODE CHAPTERS:

• 2:30 – The etymology of psychedelics
• 6:35 – Researching altered states and altered consciousness
• 12:53 – Recreational use of psychedelics
• 16:00 – How attitudes around psychedelics are changing
• 19:11 – The most promising and exciting aspects of psychedelic research
• 24:20 – Physiological markers impacted by psychedelics
• 31:00 – The optimal time to explore psychedelic treatment 
• 35:35 – What it means to biologically “let go”
• 39:57 – The performance-enhancing possibilities of psychedelics
• 45:11 – Legality in the U.S. 
• 50:20 – What Robin is obsessing over
• 51:35 – The biggest benefits of psychedelics

Resources:

Psychedelics and the Impact on Veterans and PTSD

Dr. Carhart-Harris on Twitter