#5 Dr Rick Barnett - A Clinical Psychologist Prepares for Legal Psychedelic Therapy

Welcome back to The Trip Report Podcast! Today, we are talking with Dr. Rick Barnett.Rick is the founder of the Center for Addiction Recognition, Treatment, Education, and Recovery in Stowe, Vermont, and the Co-Founder of the Psychedelic Society of Vermont.He is also a clinical psychologist and licensed alcohol and drug counselor with a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychopharmacology.This combination of training, clinical practice, and education made for a really interesting discussion of the emerging use of psychedelics in therapy and drug and alcohol recovery.There is a massive difference between the emerging “psychedelic industry”— clinical trials, drug development, policy reform efforts, and legal retreats—and the reality of the situation outside of these contexts.This dichotomy is one of the most fascinating features of this whole domain. While we wait for the Overton Window to shift—for FDA approval, for VA buy-in, for lawmakers and regulators to get comfortable—the use of psychedelics in unregulated, personal, grey and illegal settings is skyrocketing.This is where the psychedelic industry differs from so many other industries or technologies: there is a major distinction between the so-called “above ground” business and investment landscape, which is dominated by commercial drug development and services designed to fit into the modern healthcare system, and the so-called “underground,” a decentralized, unregulated, bottom-up psychedelic market.The need is for education, support, and community to midwife the mainstreaming of psychedelics, not suppression.In this conversation, we discuss:* The connective tissue of the psychedelic ecosystem.* The integration of psychedelic, ecstatic, and expressive approaches to clinical practice in Western healthcare systems;* Dr. Barnett’s experience responding to the cultural interest in psychedelics as a clinical psychologist;* The importance of community among healthcare professionals to increase education and best practices; andIn Greek mythology, the God Hermes is said to have possessed the ability to move freely between different realms—he could travel between the mortal world, the divine realm of Olympus, and the Underworld. This capacity made him unique in Greek Mythology. As a trained psychologist, educator, and community organizer, Dr. Barnett is like a modern-day Hermes—interfacing with the clinical and research worlds as well as the local and digital peer-to-peer community networks of the psychedelic-curious.And now, I bring you my conversation with Dr. Rick Barnett.Listen to the episode on Substack, Spotify, Google or Apple.Credits:* Hosted by Zach Haigney * Produced by Zach Haigney, Erin Greenhouse, and Katelin Jabbari* Find us at thetripreport.com* Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube* Theme music by MANCHO Sounds, Mixed and Mastered by Rollin Weary This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thetripreport.com