Altered Mates

Episode 34: ‘Your scientific illiteracy makes me shudder!’ on The X-Files: Jose Chung’s From Outer Space

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 06:00:00 +0800

The X-Files is an American television series created by Chris Carter. It was originally aired in the 90s but enjoyed a brief revival in late 2000s. The series follows FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully in their investigations of the "X-Files" (unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena). Both Mulder and Scully are effective agents but Mulder believes in the existence of the paranormal, whereas Scully is a medical doctor and skeptic who has been assigned to scientifically analyze Mulder's case files. The episode we are looking at in today’s discussion is called 'Jose Chungs From Outer Space' and was Episode 20 of Season 3.

In an attempt to analyse and recount the plot of this episode of The X-Files we spiral out into many different zones: Carl Jung on flying saucers, alien abduction experiences revealed through hypnosis, reconstructed memories, rebirthing & breathwork, EMDR, CIA brainwashing programs, and so on…

If you enjoy this episode then, this time next week, check out the 'X-Files Addendum' (Altered Mates -- Bonus Episode #13) wherein we will unleash upon the Altered Mates Patreon and Substack, another hour's worth of content from this discussion.

References

The X Files: Jose Chungs From Outer Space — Season 3, Episode 20 (1996)
J.F. Martel — Reality is Analog: Philosophizing with Stranger Things / Part One
J.B.S. Haldane — Possible Worlds and Other Essays (“Now, my own suspicion is that the universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose”)
C.G. Jung — Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Sky (1959)
Leonard S. Newman and Roy F. Baumeister — Toward an Explanation of the UFO Abduction Phenomenon: Hypnotic Elaboration, Extraterrestrial Sadomasochism, and Spurious Memories (1996)
Frank Herbert — Dune (1960)
X-Files — Eugene Tooms
Alanis Morissette — All I Really Want — Jagged Little Pill (1995)
Radiohead — Subterranean Homesick Alien — OK Computer (1997)
Tool — Rosetta Stoned — 10,000 Days (2006)

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Altered Mates Substack

Altered Mates Patreon

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here (hard copy, ebook and audiobook).
Listen to the free serialised audiobook here.

Episode 33: On Conspiracy: A preliminary discussion

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:00:00 +0800

According to Brian Keely, who wrote a widely read paper published the journal of philosophy in 1999, “A conspiracy theory is a proposed explanation of some historical event (or events) in terms of the significant causal agency of a relatively small group of persons—the conspirators—acting in secret.” In this episode we try to get a handle on what a conspiracy is, what a conspiracy theory is, and what this has to do with us and our podcast. We neither push nor debunk any conspiracies in this discussion; that’s not really what we are interested in (though we do toss up a few to chew on…think the assassination of Julius Caesar, the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, Nixon and the Watergate scandal, Scientology and Operation Snow White, CIA & Operation Paperclip, MK-Ultra, and even pharmaceutical conspiracies…).

It was our intention to discuss in detail another session from the 2001 interview with Robert Anton Wilson ('Robert Anton Wilson Explains Everything, or Old Bob Exposes His Ignorance'), and while Wilson looms over this conversation, we decided to come back a week later to have another crack at his ideas; so if you’d like to hear more, then check out our Patreon in about a week, as we we will be releasing that discussion as a bonus episode.

References

Robert Anton Wilson Explains Everything: Or, Old Bob Exposes His Ignorance: Session Four - Politics And Conspiracy Theory (2001)
Uscinski & Enders—What Is a Conspiracy Theory and Why Does It Matter?
Tool — Right in Two — 10,000 Days (2006)
2pac (1995) Me Against the World
Nera & Schöpfer — What is so special about conspiracy theories?
Alan Moore — V for Vendetta (1982—1989); film version written by The Wackowskis and directed by James McTeigue in 2005.
Altered Mates—Episode 11—Giving LSD to kids! (…to treat severe childhood schizophrenia)
Altered Mates—Episode 12—Confrontation with the Unconscious: Part One — Psychedelic Experience and Psychosis

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Altered Mates Substack

Altered Mates Patreon

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here (hard copy, ebook and audiobook).
Listen to the free serialised audiobook here.

Episode 32: Chakras, Jung, and Avatar: The Last Airbender

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 06:00:00 +0800

In this episode we explore the concept of the chakras as outlined in Hindu and Buddhist yogic and meditation traditions, though we focus our conversation on one episode of children's animation Avatar: The Last Airbender. Specially, we discuss Season 2 — Episode 19: The Guru. Tobias brings to the table a lecture series delivered by C.G Jung called 'The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga', and we each reflect on our own experience of the emotional material we can associate with these strange centres of energy spinning around in our physical and energetic bodies…

References

Avatar The Last Airbender — Book 2: Earth, Episode 19 — The Guru
C.G. Jung — The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga: Notes of the Seminar Given in 1932 (edited by Sonu Shamdasani)
Harold Coward — Mysticism in the Analytical Psychology of Carl Jung and the Yoga Psychology of Patañjali: A Comparative Study
If you want to hear more about Alejandro’s deepest darkest fears then check out Episode 22 (Ayahuasca & The Fear).
The Sinner — Season 3

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Altered Mates Substack

Altered Mates Patreon

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here.
Listen to the serialised audiobook here.

Episode 31: Robert Anton Wilson, Consciousness Change and the 8-Circuit Model of Consciousness

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 06:00:00 +0800

In this episode we discuss an interview with one of Alejandro’s heroes and most significant influences, Robert Anton Wilson. We give a brief introduction to Wilson’s life and briefly touch on a few important concepts: reality tunnels, the Copenhagen interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, and attachment theory, before we unpack Leary and Wilson’s 8 Circuit Model of Human Consciousness.

In 2001, Wilson recorded a long-form, 6 hour interview, with Michael Taft, which gave him the opportunity to dive into his various areas of interest, including language & reality, conscious change, and politics & conspiracy theory. The recording is called “Robert Anton Wilson Explains Everything (Or Old Bob Exposes His Ignorance)”, and it provides an excellent introduction to Wilson's life and ideas. In today’s episode, we discuss Session Three from this recording, titled “Consciousness Change, And The Eight-Circuit Model Of Human Consciousness.”

References

Robert Anton Wilson Explains Everything: Or, Old Bob Exposes His Ignorance: Session Three - Consciousness Change, And The Eight-Circuit Model Of Human Consciousness (2001)
Robert Anton Wilson — Prometheus Rising (1983)
Robert Anton Wilson — Cosmic Trigger I (1977)
Alfred Korzybski — Science and Sanity (1933)
Susan Blackmore — Conversations on Consciousness (2007)
Alejandro Tuama — The Occurrence at Herdsman’s Lake (2025)
Grant Morrison — Live at DisInfo Convention 2000
Grant Morrison — Pop Magic! — from Book of Lies: The Disinformation Guide to Magick and the Occult
Altered Mates — Episode 11 — Giving LSD to kids! (…to treat severe childhood schizophrenia)

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Altered Mates Substack

Altered Mates Patreon

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here.
Listen to the serialised audiobook here.

Episode 30: Where are my minds? On the Left Brain / Right Brain Divide

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 06:00:00 +0800

In this episode we go on a journey into the two hemispheres of the brain. Using a recent Substack post—an interview Ana Lund conducted with Dr. Pascal Vrticka—as a framing device we explore the ongoing debate concerning hemispheric lateralisation, or in other language: the left brain and the right brain.

Wanting to dispel a few myths about the left brain / right brain divide, we each expected, when we began our research, to maintain our existing position that hemispheric lateralisation is largely oversimplified. And to a certain extent we do maintain this position. But we both ended up curiously compelled by the complexities we found.

Alejandro brings in research from Ian McGilchrist and speculation from Philip K. Dick after following a curious synchronicity that emerged via his studies. And Tobias brings in research from a psychotherapeutic context from Allan Schore. The result is a fascinating discussion that ends up in territory neither of us predicted.

References

Ana Lund & Dr. Pascal Vrticka: So Happy Together: Deconstructing The Right Brain/Left Brain Myth (2025)
Allan Schore: Right brain-to-right brain psychotherapy: recent scientific and clinical advances (2022)
Dr Iain McGilchrist: Can the divided brain tell us anything about the ultimate nature of reality? (2011)
Philip K. Dick: Man, Android and Machine (1975)
Sander L. Koole and Wolfgang Tschacher: Synchrony in Psychotherapy: A Review and an Integrative Framework for the Therapeutic Alliance (2016)
Altered Mates — Episode 2 — “Take it easy, dude…” & Episode 3 — ...but take it!
Pixies — Where is My Mind?
Metallica — Master of Puppets

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Altered Mates Substack

Altered Mates Patreon

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here (hard copy, ebook and audiobook).
Listen to the free serialised audiobook here.

Episode 29: “We are the Weirdos, mister”: on The Craft

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 06:00:00 +0800

The Craft (1996) directed by Andrew Fleming and written by Peter Filardi, was pivotal in the representation and perhaps the construction of a new kind of witch; of a young, teenage girl with dark makeup, dark clothes and black nail polish, surrounded by red candles, pentagrams and tarot decks. It really was the season of the witch in the late 90s, with Sabrina the Teenage Witch hitting global television screens later in 1996, followed by Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1997 and Charmed in 1998.

Fleming hired Wicca consultant Pat Devin, high priestess of Covenant of the Goddess in developing the film, and the attention to detail in the rituals and ceremonies are a feature of the film.

In this episode we do our best to cover the plot and themes of the film but as usual, we go on a few tangents; considering, for example, feminism, Satan & Christianity, power, community, and the relationship between witchcraft and psychedelics.

References

The Craft (1996)
Part of Five (1994 — 2000)
The Beatles — Revolver (1966) — Tomorrow Never Knows
Scott J. Hill (2019) — Confrontation with the Unconscious
Altered Mates — Episode 12 — On Scott Hill’s “Confrontation with the Unconscious”—Part One
Altered Mates — Episode 13 — On Scott Hill’s “Confrontation with the Unconscious”—Part Two
Witch (BBC Podcast)

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

Altered Mates Substack

Altered Mates Patreon

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here (hard copy, ebook and audiobook).
Listen to the free serialised audiobook here.

Episode 28: On Synchronicity

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 06:00:00 +0800

In this episode we examine the phenomena of synchronicity, a term coined by Carl Jung to designate the meaningful coincidence of a psychic and a physical state or event, which have no causal relationship to one another. According to Jung, such synchronistic phenomena occur, for instance, when an inwardly perceived event (dream, vision, premonition, etc.) is seen to have a correspondence in external reality: the inner image of premonition has "come true." Neither the one nor the other coincidence can be explained by causality, but seem to be connected primarily with activated archetypal processes in the unconscious.

Jung: "I chose this term because the simultaneous occurrence of two meaningful but not causally connected events seemed to me an essential criterion. I am therefore using the general concept of synchronicity in the special sense of a coincidence in time of two or more causally unrelated events which have the same or a similar meaning, in contrast to 'synchronism', which simply means the simultaneous occurrence of two events."

We base our discussion around Jung’s lecture On Synchronicity, which can be found as an appendix in a larger work: Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle.

Throughout the discussion we scatter in a few of our own personal experiences of bizarre synchronicities. Alejandro refers Tobias to a number of photographs as evidence of synchronicity—a collection of which will be made available next week, in Alejandro’s upcoming written post.

When considering ‘mystical’ experiences, in Varieties of Religious Experience, William James wrote that ‘no account of the universe in its totality can be final which leaves these other forms of consciousness quite disregarded.’ In this episode we reach a shared thesis, wonderfully articulated by Tobias: that synchronicity seems to be a roadmap towards these ‘other forms of consciousness’, and an expression of them at the same time. We could very well echo James and argue that any account of the universe that fails to account for or at least consider the ‘meaningful coincidences’ of a synchronicity, is incomplete.

References

C.G. Jung (1960). Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle
Maria Popova — Atom, Archetype, and the Invention of Synchronicity: How Iconic Psychiatrist Carl Jung and Nobel-Winning Physicist Wolfgang Pauli Bridged Mind and Matter
Arthur Miller (2024). How the unlikely friendship of Pauli and Jung led to the discovery of CPT symmetry
Beverley Zabriskie (1995). Jung and Pauli: A Meeting of Rare Minds. [link]
DEVS (2020)
This episode is definitely not about Paulie Gualtieri from The Sopranos but go watch Christopher Moltisanti & Paulie Gualtieri Get Stuck In The Pine Barrens anyway.
Matt Ruff (2016) Lovecraft Country
Homer — Odyssey
Alan Chapman (2008) Advanced Magick for Beginners
Christophe Le Mouël (2021). Experiencing the Unus Mundus.
David Tacey (2009) Edge of the Sacred : Jung, Psyche, Earth
Stuart Davis — Man Meets Mantis

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here (hard copy, ebook and audiobook).
Listen to the free serialised audiobook here.

Episode 27: On the Borderline (Part Two)

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 06:00:00 +0800

This episode is a continuation of our discussion on Borderline Personality Disorder, which is a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image and affects, and marked impulsivity beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts. Whereas in Episode 26 — On the Borderline, we concern ourselves with the defining BPD, and getting our heads around the diagnostic criteria in the DSM V, in this episode we discuss treatment and causes of the disorder, as well as considerations around its social construction. It should be remembered that a diagnosis of a personality disorder like “borderline” says a lot about the society in which the diagnosis was developed. Keep in mind, these disorders are “decided upon” rather than “discovered”. And though they are certainly pointing towards something, they must be understood as constructions, born of particular social, historical, economic, and political factors.

References

Bjorklund, P., 2006. No man's land: Gender bias and social constructivism in the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Issues in mental health nursing, 27(1), pp.3-23. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01612840500312753)
James ‘Fish’ Gill: https://www.instagram.com/james_fish_gill/ // Buy Fish’s new book: How To Fall In Love With Humanity
Johnstone, Lucy & Boyle, Mary & Cromby, John & Dillon, Jacqui & Harper, David & Kinderman, Peter & Longden, Eleanor & Pilgrim, David & Read, John. (2019). Reflections on responses to the Power Threat Meaning Framework one year on. Clinical Psychology Forum. 2019. 47-54. (https://explore.bps.org.uk/content/bpscpf/1/313/47)
Stanley Kubrick (1987) Full Metal Jacket
Cracked: Why Psychiatry is Doing More Harm Than Good (2013) written by James Davies
Altered Mates — Episode 16 — On “Cracked: Why Psychiatry is Doing More Harm Than Good
Lester, R. (2013). Lessons from the borderline: Anthropology, psychiatry, and the risks of being human. Feminism & Psychology. 23. 70-77. (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0959353512467969)
IFS Institute — The Internal Family Systems Model Outline

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here (hard copy, ebook and audiobook).
Listen to the free serialised audiobook here.

Episode 26: On the Borderline (Part One)

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 21 May 2025 17:00:00 +0800

In this episode we discuss Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), also referred to as Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD). Somewhat unintentionally Alejandro gives an overview of the TV show Bojack Horseman but this leads to a discussion of the characteristics of BPD using the character of Bojack as an example. We also bring in Anakin Skywalker as another example of a fictional character who may potentially fit the characteristics of someone diagnosed with BPD.

We centre our discussion around a 2006 paper written by Pamela Bjorklund titled, “No man's land: Gender bias and social constructivism in the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder”.

In the process, we break down the diagnostic criteria used in the DSM V for BPD but if you’re interested, see below:

Borderline Personality Disorder:

A pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image and affects, and marked impulsivity beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) or the following:

Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment (Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behaviour covered in Criterion 5)
A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterised by alternatingbetween extremes of idealisation and devaluation
Identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self
Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g. spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating) (Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behaviour covered in Criterion 5)
Recurrent suicidal behaviour, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behaviour
Affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g. intense episodic dysphoria, irritability or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days)
Chronic feelings of emptiness
Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g. frequent displays of temper,constant anger, recurrent physical fights)
Transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms

References

Bjorklund, P., 2006. No man's land: Gender bias and social constructivism in the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Issues in mental health nursing, 27(1), pp.3-23. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01612840500312753)
Johnstone, Lucy & Boyle, Mary & Cromby, John & Dillon, Jacqui & Harper, David & Kinderman, Peter & Longden, Eleanor & Pilgrim, David & Read, John. (2019). Reflections on responses to the Power Threat Meaning Framework one year on. Clinical Psychology Forum. 2019. 47-54. (https://explore.bps.org.uk/content/bpscpf/1/313/47)
Lester, R. (2013). Lessons from the borderline: Anthropology, psychiatry, and the risks of being human. Feminism & Psychology. 23. 70-77. (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0959353512467969)
Molly Adler — Back from the Borderline Podcast — https://pod.link/1576242501/episode/b66e124fcbc8095cac0f959cac5f32a1
Girl, Interrupted (1999). Director by James Mangold. Story by Susanna Kaysen.
Episode 15 — One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) directed by Milos Forman
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962) written by Ken Kesey
Bojack Horseman (2014—2020)
Bojack blogpost on Tumblr by @characterdiagnosis
Star Wars Episode III — Revenge of the Sith (2005)
intense dysphoria and “that” ayahuasca ceremony… Episode 22 — Ayahuasca & The Fear
Gabrielle Brand, Monash University
Brand G, Wise S, Walpole K. A dis-ordered personality? It's time to reframe borderline personality disorder. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2021 Jun; 28(3):469-475 (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jpm.12682)

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here (hard copy, ebook and audiobook).
Listen to the free serialised audiobook here.

Episode 25: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 06:00:00 +0800

In this episode we go on a savage journey to the heart of the American Dream through an immersion into Hunter S. Thompson and Terry Gilliam’s nightmarish Las Vegas. We discuss Hunter S. Thompson’s 1971 masterwork of “Gonzo” journalism, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and along side it, Terry Gilliam’s wonderful 1998 film adaptation. In our usual way we get fully derailed for a while and just as we seem to be driving our huge Chevy convertible away from Las Vegas, we finally answer that call from our attorney to head straight back in to the belly of the beast to consider the demise of the American Counterculture of the 1960s and finish off this savage, sweat inducing, blood and rum soaked trip of an episode.

References

Hunter S. Thompson (1971) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Terry Gilliam (1998) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Jack Kerouac (1957) On the Road

Diane di Prima

James Truslow Adams (1931) The Epic of America

Black Sabbath — Master of Reality (1971) — Sweet Leaf

Rage Against the Machine (1992) Know Your Enemy. (recent live version here).

BBC — Planet Earth II — Iguana vs Snakes

Altered Mates — Episode 6 — F-ing the ineffable: William James, Mysticism, and the Psychedelic Experience

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here (hard copy, ebook and audiobook).
Listen to the free serialised audiobook here.

Episode 24: MORE Sex Secrets of the Black Magicians EXPOSED!

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 06:00:00 +0800

In this episode of the podcast we continue our discussion of the first thirty pages of Ramsey Dukes’ essay on magical thinking; “Sex Secrets of the Black Magicians Exposed”, commonly abbreviated to S.S.O.T.B.M.E.

Dukes’ model of compass directions differentiates between Art, Magic, Religion and Science, and the modes of thinking associated with each direction. In Dukes’ model of the four compass directions Dukes suggests that, “Magic, Art, Religion and Science represent movement towards Wholeness, Beauty, Goodness and Truth respectively.” These compass points, according to Dukes, don't have to conflict with each other; they can exist alongside each other. One doesn’t have to be correct and the rest wrong. An intelligent person can allow them to co-exist and use or adopt one or more as each situation calls for them.

We take our time to discuss functional specialisation in the brain, and in particular, hemispheric specialisation. Research into the human brain has consistently found areas of functional specialisation. For example, verbal cognition is processed largely in the left hemisphere of the brain of most people, and imagery or spatial cognition is largely processed in the right hemisphere of most brains, and the frontal lobes in each hemisphere are responsible for executive functioning, or higher cognitive functions like organisation, planning and decision making. Prominent researchers Miller and Cummings used PET (Positron Emission Tomography) and fMRI (functional magnetic imaging) scans to support functional specialization of the frontal cortex—finding the left frontal cortex active in verbal working memory processes and and visuospatial working memory in the right frontal cortex.

In our discussion we agree that there seems to be some more occluded areas of the brain or nervous system responsible for some of the functions Ramsey Dukes is evoking when he writes about the kind of processing going on in magical thinking. Dukes writes, “I want to suggest that our brains have evolved a non-logical data processing facility which is, in its own way, every bit as useful and sophisticated as reason but which we tend to play down or analyse away because its causal connections seem so tenuous. This facility which I call ‘feeling’ acts much faster than reason and seems to process vast amounts of data in parallel rather than sequentially like logical thought. As such it is hard to put into words, the words chosen tend to be feeling words, and the process is more akin to Art than Science.”

As an exercise in understanding we attempt to take Tarot Divination and map it against Dukes’ model of the four compass directions of Magic, Art, Religion and Science.

It’s also worth mentioning, especially now that we have reached the second of our two-part series on this text, that Dukes never actually reveals the sex secrets of the black magicians, and neither do we…

References

Ramsey Dukes (1974) — S.S.O.T.B.M.E: an essay on magic
Altered Mates — Episode 17: The Big Lez Show — Choomah Island 2
Marzoli, D., D’Anselmo, A., Malatesta, G., Lucafò, C., Prete, G., & Tommasi, L. (2022). The Intricate Web of Asymmetric Processing of Social Stimuli in Humans. Symmetry, 14(6), 1096. https://doi.org/10.3390/sym14061096
Altered Mates — Episode 4 — Understanding Ourselves through IFS & Episode 5 — Big Self Energy
Watson, A. (2025). Vibes-based methods. Qualitative Research, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/14687941241308707
Alan Watts — A Conversation with Myself
Altered Mates — Episode 20 — Surrender!
James Hillman — The Soul’s Code (2017)

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here (hard copy, ebook and audiobook).
Listen to the free serialised audiobook here.

Episode 23: Sex Secrets of the Black Magicians EXPOSED: On Magical Thinking

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 06:00:00 +0800

According to Ramsey Dukes, “Magic is a technique by which the human mind attempts to operate upon its world. As such it is similar to Art, Religion and Science, but note that the term ‘its world’ is meant to embrace not only the physical universe but also all phenomena, objective and subjective, which do not respond to direct control.”

In this episode we consider Ramsey Dukes’ essay on magical thinking; “Sex Secrets of the Black Magicians Exposed”, commonly abbreviated to S.S.O.T.B.M.E. Well, that was our intention anyway… it takes us a while to meander around the concept of magic, our exposure to the concept of magic and even early aversions to it. Eventually, we discuss Dukes’ model of compass directions differentiating between Art, Magic, Religion and Science, and the modes of thinking associated with each ‘direction’. In this essay, Dukes comes to a similar conclusion to Carl Jung: human thought is comprised of four distinct elements: intuition, observation, logic and feeling. Dukes argues that, “any practical method of thinking demands at least two of these four elements, one to serve as an input of impressions and the other to process them.”

Our primary concern in tackling this obscure text is to determine what magic or magical thinking actually is, and whether or not this a relevant term for us to use.

References

Ramsey Dukes (1974) — S.S.O.T.B.M.E: an essay on magic
Black Sabbath — Black Sabbath (1970) — The Wizard
Chef (2014) & The Chef Show (2019)
Wilfred Owen (1921) — Dulce et Decorum Est

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here (hard copy, ebook and audiobook).
Listen to the free serialised audiobook here.

Episode 22: Ayahuasca and The Fear

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 06:00:00 +0800

In the second episode of season 2 the altered mates continue our discussion of our personal experiences with ayahuasca.

In this episode, Alejandro relates his rather disturbing experience in one particular ceremony from his ayahuasca retreat in Iquitos, Peru in August 2024. Alejandro recounts his evening of existential dread—which he describes at one point as, "the worst feeling I’ve ever felt,” and Tobias offers insight and interpretation in response.

In the later stages of the episode, Tobias considers his intentions going into an upcoming ayahuasca ceremony.

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here (hard copy, ebook and audiobook).
Listen to the free serialised audiobook here.

Episode 21: On Ayahuasca

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 06:00:00 +0800

In the first episode of season 2 we begin a discussion of some of our most profound and significant personal experiences with ayahuasca over the past ten years. We consider the prospect that ayahuasca might be a “highly evolved conscious entity”, or at the very least, an entity possessing an intelligence and possibly having a message to communicate with humanity.

References

The Temple of the Way of Light
Tobias Penno — How Ayahuasca Offers Psychosocial Wellbeing
Caffyn Jesse — Ecstatic Belonging: A Year on the Medicine Path

Altered Mates

Episode 1 — Challenging Psychedelic Experiences
Episode 6 — F-ing the Ineffable: William James, Mysticism, and the Psychedelic Experience
Episode 18 — Coming out of the psychedelic closet
Episode 19 — A Glimpse of Eternity
Episode 20 — Surrender!

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here (hard copy, ebook and audiobook).
Listen to the free serialised audiobook here.

Episode 20: Surrender!

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 06:00:00 +0800

In this, the final episode of Season 1 of the Altered Mates Podcast, we (Alejandro Tuama and Tobias Penno) discuss what is on the immediate horizon for us both. Tobias gives us a little taste of his PhD—in terms of both the subject matter of his research and the origin story as well—which is in the final stages of submission and approval! And Alejandro talks about his upcoming trip to South America.

Along the way we discuss the concept of “character loops” which Alejandro brings in from the HBO TV Series “Westworld”.

We reflect on how we can “de-armour” the ego and what it truly means to “surrender” to the medicine.

We find time to reflect on a recent mushroom ceremony, and in particular, the implications of this recent ceremony for Alejandro and his upcoming meeting with “the medicine” in the Peruvian Amazon.

And we toss around the concept of the “Daimon”, which Alejandro brings in from James Hillman’s book “The Soul’s Code”, and in particular consider the implications of what we call “daimonic derailment.”

As we mention in the episode, this will be the final episode for Season 1 of the Altered Mates Podcast. We are both keen as mustard to get cracking on Season 2, which will happen just as soon as I (Alejandro) return from South America.

Adios Amigos!

References

Jonathan Nolan & Lisa Joy — Westworld (2016—2022)
Hayao Miyazaki — Spirited Away (2001)
The Daniels — Everything, Everywhere, All At Once (2022)
The Wachowskis — The Matrix Franchise
Chris Letheby — Philosophy of Psychedelics (2021)
Game of Thrones — Dothraki
James Hillman — The Soul’s Code (2017)

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here.
Listen to the serialised audiobook here.

Episode 19: A Glimpse of Eternity

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 06:00:00 +0800

This episode of the podcast features Alejandro reading two chapters from his debut novel, A Glimpse of Eternity—published in 2022, and based on his own transformational journey to South America in 2016.

At this stage in the narrative, Alejandro’s alias, “Nick”, has made his way to Iquitos in the Peruvian Amazon. He is joined by his two mates, Stan & Billy, and they have just arrived at an Ayahuasca Healing Centre, named “Way of the Spirit”. Earlier in the novel, Nick undertook two very disappointing ayahuasca ceremonies in The Sacred Valley. He also fell into a downward spiral of anxiety, depression and self-loathing. Chapters 9 & 10 of A Glimpse of Eternity recount Nick’s first two ayahuasca ceremonies at Way of the Spirit and his first Tobacco Dieta.

From the blurb:

A Glimpse of Eternity is edgy, jungle-dank backpacker fiction infused with philosophy, ecstasy, and a dark sense of humour.

Nick is a twenty-seven-year-old high school teacher who has lost his way. Anxious, depressed, and frustrated, he travels to South America in search of his life’s purpose and hopefully, through the use of powerful psychedelic plants, a mystical experience.

At an ayahuasca centre deep in the Peruvian Amazon, confronted with the raw, overwhelming power of “the medicine”, Nick must learn to traverse the dangerous path on which he finds himself, or risk toppling over into insanity and despair.

This is a raw and unflinching novel about a young man’s search for a meaningful existence – a joyful, ecstatic journey of transcendence, tempered by the darkness and gut-wrenching horror of the path he must walk to get there.

The timing of this episode couldn't be better because the audiobook for A Glimpse of Eternity is now available for purchase, so if you enjoy listening to Alejandro reading the novel, then search for it wherever you get your audiobooks or check out the links below. (There's also a free version still available on the Altered Mates Patreon).

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here.
Listen to the serialised audiobook for free here.

Episode 18: Coming out of the psychedelic closet

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 06:00:00 +0800

It’s not always easy talking to friends and family about psychedelics. But it’s another step from discussing these powerful, life changing, spiritual experiences within the confines of our homes, with those we trust most, to making that announcement in public, to the wider population, who may not be so charitable or understanding.

Hopefully, if enough of us find a way to share our stories, and if we can listen with open hearts and open minds, then maybe we can shift the mindset of the culture at large.

In this episode of the podcast, the Altered Mates each take a turn in reading a personal essay. Both essays amount to a “coming out” of the psychedelic closet, not just to our friends and families, but to the wider community. Tobias’ piece was written in 2020 for the Thank You Plant Medicine movement. Alejandro’s piece was published in 2021, in one of the last editions of the Psychedelic Press print journal.

Thank you for listening and we hope you enjoy this rather personal edition of the Altered Mates podcast.

References

Thank You Plant Medicine

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here.
Listen to the serialised audiobook here.

Episode 17: The Big Lez Show — Choomah Island 2

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 06:00:00 +0800

The Big Lez Show is an animated TV series, that premiered on YouTube in 2012. The show was created by Jarrad Wright, Tom Hollis, and Izak Whear; with Jarrad being the driving creative force of the show.

Choomah Island 2 (2015) — written and animated by Jarrad Wright — is the finale of Season 3 of The Big Lez Show. In this feature length episode of The Big Lez Show, Leslie and his mates fly to Choomah Island to blow up the Choomah’s hive and get rid of their species for good. They also find time to eat some psychedelic mushrooms they find growing in a field, and Big Lez smokes a joint of some mysterious psychedelic, given to him Sassy the Sasquatch.

In this episode we cover the basic plot of Choomah Island 2, but narrow down especially on those two psychedelic trips, expertly depicted in the film. In response to the experience of the characters during a magic mushroom trip, we take an extended sojourn into a discussion of trees… treating trees as individuals capable of communicating with us, and we discuss the power of considering a tree (and by extension the rest of the natural world) as “thou” rather than “it”, and even find a way to bring in James Cameron’s first Avatar film.

Finally a warning: if you’re at all squeamish about swearing then this probably isn't the episode for you…

We hope you enjoy our discussion of Jarred Wright’s The Big Lez Show — Choomah Island 2.

References

Jarrad Wright appearances on the “Your Mate Tom” Podcast
The Big Lez Show
The Big Lez Show — Choomah Island 2
The Big Lez Show — The Mike Nolan Show — Episode One
The Big Lez Show — Trippa Snippa
The Big Lez Show — Sassy the Sasquatch
The Wachowskis — The Matrix
Aldous Huxley — The Doors of Perception
Alejandro Tuama — A Glimpse of Eternity
James Hillman — The Soul’s Code
Ursula K. Le Guin — Late in the Day
Altered Mates: Episode 7: Jung, The Shadow, and A Wizard of Earthsea
Alejandro couldn't remember the name of… The Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne.
Paris Williams — Rethinking Madness: Towards a Paradigm Shift in our Understanding and Treatment of Psychosis
Alejandro couldn’t remember where “standing reserve” came from— it’s here… Martin Heidegger — The Question Concerning Technology.
Martin Buber — I and Thou
Altered Mates: Episode 6 — F-ing the Ineffable: William James, Mysticism, and the Psychedelic Experience
James Cameron — Avatar — Destruction of the Home Tree

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here.
Listen to the serialised audiobook here.

Episode 16: On “Cracked: Why Psychiatry is Doing More Harm Than Good”

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 06:00:00 +0800

In this episode we use James Davies’ book “Cracked: Why Psychiatry is Doing More Harm Than Good” as a launch pad to discuss some of the glaring issues with psychiatry and its sugar-daddy; the pharmaceutical industry.

The writer, James Davies is psychotherapist with a PhD in Medical and Social Anthropology from the University of Oxford. He is a Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology and Psychology at the University of Roehampton, London.

Davies acknowledges that as a psychotherapist he could be seen as being biased in favour of the psychotherapeutic approach which can be considered to be in opposition to the ‘pharmaceutical’ approach of psychiatry. He makes no attempt to present a balanced account in this book—it unashamedly presents a series of arguments against psychiatry and its sugar-daddy (Alejandro’s words…) the pharmaceutical industry.

Overall, thestrongest arguments presented concern depression and the inefficacy of anti-depressant drugs, and perhaps he should have narrowed his argument to focus just on depression rather than extrapolate to the whole field. Regardless, he makes a number of compelling points that portray psychiatry and the pharmaceutical industry as nothing short of despicable.

The main points of this book can be summarised as follows:

psychiatric diagnostic models are more products of culture than of science
the efficacy of antidepressant drugs is no better than placebo
pharmaceutical companies engage in behaviours that present antidepressants as more effective than they really are
behind Western psychiatry is a variety of cultural assumptions about human nature and the role of suffering of questionable validity and utility.
Western practices of psychiatry may undermine successful local ways of managing distress

We also consider in this episode one of the most important chapters in the history of psychedelic culture, being the adventures of the brothers McKenna to La Chorera in the Colombian Amazon, and their encounter there with The Mushroom…

References

Cracked: Why Psychiatry is Doing More Harm Than Good (2013) written by James Davies
Episode 1 — Challenging Psychedelic Experiences
Moncrieff, J., Cooper, R.E., Stockmann, T. et al. The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence. Mol Psychiatry 28, 3243–3256 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-022-01661-0
- vs…
Jauhar, S., Arnone, D., Baldwin, D.S. et al. A leaky umbrella has little value: evidence clearly indicates the serotonin system is implicated in depression. Mol Psychiatry 28, 3149–3152 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-023-02095-y
Ferguson, I., & Dowd, P. (2019). Mental health social work: the dog that hasn’t barked. In M. Lavalette (Ed.), What is the Future of Social Work? (1st ed., pp. 57–68). Bristol University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvqc6hjk.11
Corpus Christi (2019)
Martín Prechtel — The Smell of Rain on Dust: Grief and Praise
Dr Rosalind Watts
Terence McKenna — True Hallucinations: Being an Account of the Author's Extraordinary Adventures in the Devil's Paradise

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here.
Listen to the serialised audiobook here.

Episode 15: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 06:00:00 +0800

In this episode, we use the film adaptation of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest as a launching point to discuss ideas around psychiatry, psychiatric wards, and the conflict between the individual and the establishment.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was originally a novel, written by Ken Kesey and published in 1962. (Ken Kesey, worked the graveyard shift as an orderly at a mental health facility in Menlo Park, California. He spoke to the patients and witnessed the workings of the institution. He also voluntarily took psychoactive drugs, including mescaline and LSD, as part of Project MK Ultra. In addition to his work with MK Ultra, Kesey took LSD recreationally.)

The novel was adapted into film in 1975, directed by Miloš Forman, and went on to win five Academy Awards.

The narrative focusses on the antics of the rebellious Randle Patrick McMurphy (played by Jack Nicholson in the film), who fakes insanity to serve his sentence for battery and gambling in a psychiatric hospital rather than at a prison work farm. The head administrative nurse, Nurse Ratched, rules the ward with absolute authority, assisted by her three day-shift orderlies and her assistant doctors and nurses.

In this episode we discuss the character of McMurphy, as an example of an “individual” who stands out from the crowd like Tyler Durden in Fight Club (who we discussed in Episode 8 — Monsters & Masculinity). McMurphy cannot be allowed to run loose in society, and so he is trapped and forced into the punishment system. One Flew Over the Cuckoos nest is about “the combine”, the machine, that forces us to fall into line. With the arbitrary rules, the opiate drugs to dull our senses, with the shame that turns us into our own police.

Towards the end of the book, one of the patients comments how they forced McMurphy to stand up for them, as they are too cowardly to stand up for themselves. McMurphy pushes the boundaries of the system in their behalf, smashing up against a machine that he cannot defeat, a machine that wants to grind everyone down into the dirt.

But despite this seemingly hopeless situation, this film (and novel) can still serve as a call to action. It can be a call to be an individual in the face of the oppressive machine. To be the one who stands, not the masses who push. Either way we are destined to be ground into dust by the machine, but to be an individual is surely a more glorious way to live and honourable way to die.

References

Episode 8 — Monsters & Masculinity: delving further into the Jungian Shadow
Episode 9 — From Pepe Silvia to Geshinka: the curious domains of psychosis
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) directed by Milos Forman
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962) written by Ken Kesey
Rottnest Island Prison & Burial Ground
The Mask (1994) directed by Chuck Russell
Tyler Durden from Fight Club, as discussed in Episode 8 — Monsters & Masculinity
Paris Williams — Rethinking Madness: Towards a Paradigm Shift in our Understanding and Treatment of Psychosis
The Shawshank Redemption (1994) written and directed by Frank Darabont
The Liberators
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia — Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here.
Listen to the serialised audiobook here.

Episode 14: Reflection & Intention

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 11:00:00 +0800

This episode begins with a discussion of the role of dreams and quickly moves on to our issues with contemporary education in both university and high school contexts. Before long, we settle down into a discussion about Tobias’ intentions for an upcoming ayahuasca ceremony, and consider ideas of discipline and maintaining a clean and unpolluted body.

We venture into some controversial realms; for instance, thinking about whether we can legitimately call psychiatrists “glorified drug-dealers”, and whether prescribing anti-depressant medication might actually be taking autonomy away from people and preventing them from following through in a process that might lead to growth...

(As always, we remind listeners to take anything we say we a grain of salt— we are speculating here about the world around us, and we are open to be challenged and critiqued on anything we say).

Tobias reflects on the profound realisation that there might be something in the world smarter than him. And finally, after much probing and prodding, he elaborates upon what can be thought of as an “embodied” approach to plant medicines.

References

Toko-pa Turner — Dream School
Ava Irani — Functional Spirituality
James Davies— Cracked
Rage Against the Machine— Freedom
Punk Therapy Podcast
Dr. Sharon Stanley — Somatic Transformation
Avatar: The Last Airbender

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here.
Listen to the serialised audiobook here.

Episode 13: Confrontation with the Unconscious: Part Two — Psychosis in Jung’s Psychology

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 06:00:00 +0800

In this episode, we conclude our two-part discussion on Scott Hill’s book, Confrontation with the Unconscious. Last episode we discussed Chapter 7 from Hill’s book, titled “Psychedelic Experience and Psychosis”. Chapter 8, the subject of this episode, concerns itself with an exploration of psychosis in Jungian Psychology.

We altered mates find ourselves now almost at the end of a deep dive into the intersession between psychedelics and psychosis, and at this point is seems to be that what is happening in both psychotic episodes and psychedelic trips are what Scott Hill refers to as a “confrontation with the unconscious”, or in other words — an overwhelming of the conscious ego by the archetypal forces of the unconscious.

According to Jung’s ideas, the archetypal forces of the unconscious, or just the archetypes, “live in a world quite different from the world outside— in a world where the pulse of time beats infinitely slowly, where the birth and death of individuals count for little. No wonder their nature is strange, so strange that their irruption into consciousness often amounts to a psychosis. They undoubtably belong to the material that comes to light in schizophrenia.”

Jung argues that our alienated condition is manifested in symbolic messages from the unconscious that express themselves in a strange and incomprehensible language, which cries out for interpretation. As Jung puts it, “in insanity we do not discover anything new and unknown; we are looking at the foundation of our own being, the matrix of those vital problems on which we are all engaged.” The terrors of the psychotic are merely extreme forms of our common human condition.

Perhaps we should consider our own sanity to be traversing a knife’s edge—for anyone who's engaged in high dose psychedelic experience, this may well be a regular thought…

As mentioned in the introduction: A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama

Purchase the novel here.
Listen to the serialised audiobook here.

References:

Episode 12 — On Scott Hill’s “Confrontation with the Unconscious”—Part One
Scott J. Hill — Confrontation with the Unconscious
Paris Williams — Rethinking Madness: Towards a Paradigm Shift in our Understanding and Treatment of Psychosis
Christopher Nolan — Inception
The Farrelly Brothers — Me, Myself & Irene
William Shakespeare — A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Pete Docter — Inside Out

Links:

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

Episode 12: Confrontation with the Unconscious: Part One — Psychedelic Experience and Psychosis

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 22 May 2024 17:00:00 +0800

In this episode we discuss a chapter from Scott Hill’s book, Confrontation with the Unconscious. It was our intention to cover two chapters, but in the end we managed to get through only Chapter 7: Psychedelic Experience and Psychosis.

We try to wrap our heads around useful, working models of psychosis and (attempt to) determine where this troubling and mysterious phenomenon overlaps with the psychedelic experience. In the process we toss around ideas like Washburn’s Ego and the Dynamic Ground; discuss how researchers accidentally induced “ecstatic mystical” experiences and cured a group of alcoholics of their addiction; speculate as to whether a psychotic episode has the potential to reveal insights for the experiencer; and we even come up with our own metaphor to illustrate how the ego can become overwhelmed by the unconscious.

Ultimately, we agree that psychotic experiences and psychedelic experiences appear to have a common underlying mechanism that enables unconscious material to penetrate the psychic membrane and potentially overwhelm the ego, albeit in a variety of different forms and across varying durations in time.

One question left unresolved in our discussion is this: if you have a personality disorder, are you more likely to have a psychotic experience? If you have any insight into this question, please get in touch with us…

References

Scott J. Hill — Confrontation with the Unconscious
Paris Williams — Rethinking Madness: Towards a Paradigm Shift in our Understanding and Treatment of Psychosis
John E. Nelson — Healing the Split: Integrating Spirit Into Our Understanding of the Mentally Ill
Michael Washburn — Ego and the Dynamic Ground
Ernest Becker — The Denial of Death
Bobby “Bacala” Baccalieri
Kurzgesagt — “Addiction” (note: Kurzgesagt has taken the video down from their YouTube, but it is available here).
Episode 1 — Challenging Psychedelic Experiences
Episode 9 — From Pepe Silvia to Geshinka: the curious domains of psychosis
Episode 10 — Czech, mate! Psychedelic Research in Communist Czechoslovakia
Episode 11 — Giving LSD to kids! (…to treat severe childhood schizophrenia)

Links:

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby.

Episode 11: Giving LSD to kids! (…to treat severe childhood schizophrenia)

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 01 May 2024 06:00:00 +0800

In this episode we discuss a paper written by Gary Fisher concerning some intriguing research that he and some fellow colleagues conducted in the 1960s. This paper and our discussion surrounding it is quite confronting, as it deals with extremely troubled children who were suffering terribly. But even more intriguing than the depths of the psychoses these children were trapped within, was the profound breakthroughs that Fisher and his team were able to facilitate with the help of LSD—to transform the lives of some of these children from total horror into functioning members of society.

But probably the most confronting and disappointing aspect of this whole paper, is the fact that—as Fisher writes in the introduction—this, “research done 35 years ago is still the last word on the use of psychedelics to treat these conditions.” Indeed, we were left thinking what an outrageous and avoidable tragedy it is that the terrible suffering of children like these continues to this day because of the so-called “war on drugs” and the related cessation of research into psychedelics.

The paper appeared in the newsletter of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), Volume 7 Number 3, in the summer of 1997 (pp. 18-25). The paper is titled: Treatment of Childhood Schizophrenia Utilizing LSD and Psilocybin.

As an introduction, consider these two passages from the paper:

Now that the FDA has permitted research with LSD and psilocybin to resume, we feel it is important to share examples of a remarkable experiment, the results of which were not sufficiently taken into account because this line of research was prematurely halted in the mid-sixties due to political considerations. Childhood schizophrenia is still a difficult problem to treat and causes much suffering. It is a terrible shame that research done 35 years ago is still the last word on the use of psychedelics to treat these conditions.
The working hypothesis of this study is that psychosis is a massive defensive system of repression-avoidance-denial in the service of protecting the individual from experiencing early childhood trauma. The repression is so massive that the individual ceases to experience himself with any validity. The individual exists isolated in a world without feelings and this world becomes meaningless.

References

Treatment of Childhood Schizophrenia Utilizing LSD and Psilocybin, Gary Fisher.
- MAPS article
- Psychedelic Salon Podcast episode
Photos of Gary & Nancy: The Elementary Kool-Aid Acid Test

Links:

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby.

Episode 10: Czech, mate! Psychedelic Research in Communist Czechoslovakia

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 06:00:00 +0800

In this episode we continue our foray into the world of schizophrenia and psychosis. This week we base our discussion around a fascinating paper written by Sarah Marks, titled: “From experimental psychosis to resolving traumatic pasts: Psychedelic Research in Communist Czechoslovakia, 1954‑1974”.

And… while people moving through a schizophrenia or a psychotic break often experience disordered thoughts, we too, experience a certain amount of disorder in our discussion. So we hope that our listeners are possessed of a forgiving temperament and pardon our naive ramblings.

Czech it out.

References:

Sarah Marks (2015)—From experimental psychosis to resolving traumatic pasts: Psychedelic Research in Communist Czechoslovakia, 1954‑1974
Paris Williams — Rethinking Madness: Towards a Paradigm Shift in our Understanding and Treatment of Psychosis
Nassim Haramein— here but also here.

Links:

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

Episode 9: From Pepe Silvia to Geshinka: the curious domains of psychosis

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 06:00:00 +0800

In this episode we explore the mainstream medical understanding of the domains of schizophrenia and psychosis.

In the process we discuss a number of texts including Better Call Saul, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Black Swan and Joker.

According to the Verywell Health website psychosis is a “symptom”, of which signs include: hallucinations, delusions, and agitation; and schizophrenia is a mental health “condition” that can cause psychosis. People living with schizophrenia can experience symptoms of psychosis but not all people experiencing psychosis have schizophrenia.

The writers of the DSM-V suggest that schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders are defined by abnormalities in one or more of the following five domains: delusions; hallucinations; disorganised thinking; grossly disorganised or abnormal motor behaviour (including catatonia), and; negative symptoms.

Please listen in as we try to wrap our heads around these five domains of schizophrenia.

References

DSM-V-TR (APA)
Verywell Health
Under the Silver Lake (2018) directed by David Robert Mitchell.
Better Call Saul — here’s an example of Chuck McGill’s behaviour: Electromagnetic hypersensitivity
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia — the infamous Pepe Silvia scene.
Black Swan (2010) directed by Darren Aronofsky
Tchaikovsky — Swan Lake
Disorganized Speech Schizophrenia
Joker (2019) directed by Todd Philips
Rethinking Madness by Paris Williams

Links:

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby.

Episode 8: Monsters & Masculinity: delving further into the Jungian Shadow

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 06:00:00 +0800

In this episode we continue our exploration of the Jungian shadow in our lives and in literature. The two texts we are primarily concerned with are A Monster Calls and Fight Club. Both began as novels and both were adapted into fine films— Fight Club, especially, is an excellent adaptation and deserving of its popularity.

A Monster Calls (2011), is a novel written by Patrick Ness, developed from an original idea by Siobhan Dowd, who died of breast cancer in 2007. Ness writes of Dowd that she, “had the characters, a premise, and a beginning. What she didn't have, unfortunately, was time.”

In A Monster Calls, we suggest that we can consider the shadow as the appearance of the “unthinkable thought”— a thought so terrible that the young protagonist, Conor, represses it and refuses to acknowledge it, until it consumes him with guilt and he unconsciously summons a monster to help him face it.

Fight Club is a novel written by Chuck Palahniuk, and later adapted into a film by David Fincher. In Fight Club, the shadow is represented by the mysterious and charismatic Tyler Durden, who serves as a projection of the narrator's repressed desires and rage. Tyler represents the narrator’s desire to break free from the constraints of society and live a life of freedom and adventure.

We hope you enjoy the episode

References:

Episode 7— Jung, The Shadow, and A Wizard of Earthsea

Carl Jung —The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Vol 9. Part 1 and 2

Part 1: The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious
Part 2: Aion: Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self

Carl Jung — Memories, Dreams, Reflections (1962).

Maggie Hyde — Introducing Jung: A Graphic Guide

Scott J. Hill — Confrontation with the Unconscious: Jungian Depth Psychology and Psychedelic Experience (2019).

A Monster Calls (novel), written by Patrick Ness (from an original idea by Siobhan Dowd), published 2011

A Monster Calls (film), directed by J. A. Bayona from a screenplay by Patrick Ness.

Chuck Palahniuk — Fight Club (novel)

David Fincher — Fight Club (film)

Tool — Forty-Six & 2 — Ænima

Links:

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby.

Episode 7: Jung, The Shadow, and A Wizard of Earthsea

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 06:30:00 +0800

The shadow— a concept developed by Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung— refers to the unconscious aspects of one’s personality that are repressed and thus, not integrated into the “conscious” aspect of the self. The confrontation with The Shadow is an important step in the process of Jungian “Individuation”, in which a person faces, integrates and balances different parts of the psyche.

In the Altered Mates family, we find that The Shadow is a useful model to bring to the Psychedelic Experience, to account for the sometimes confronting imagery and insights we often face in those realms.

In this episode we unpack Jung’s concept of The Shadow and consider its manifestation in the classic work of fantasy fiction “A Wizard of Earthsea”, written by Ursula Le Guin.

In a wonderful essay written by Konstantinos Salavatis, the protagonist’s confrontation with The Shadow is summarised as follows:

“In A Wizard of Earthsea, Ged’s enemy is his own shadow, the dark side of his character, born out of his youthful mistakes, pride and over-confidence in addition to his ignorance that evil resides inside one’s psyche. In true Jungian fashion, only when he acknowledges the shadow within himself does he attain true selfhood and maturity.”

We hope you enjoy this plunge into the depths...

References

Carl Jung —The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Vol 9. Part 1 and 2

Part 1: The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious
Part 2: Aion: Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self

Carl Jung — Memories, Dreams, Reflections

Maggie Hyde — Introducing Jung: A Graphic Guide

Scott J. Hill — Confrontation with the Unconscious: Jungian Depth Psychology and Psychedelic Experience

Ursula Le Guin — A Wizard of Earthsea

Konstantinos Salavatis — Wholeness of Self: Coming of Age in Ursula K. Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea and The Farthest Shore

Links:

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby.

Episode 6: F-ing the Ineffable: William James, Mysticism, and the Psychedelic Experience

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 06:00:00 +0800

In this episode, the Altered Mates explore the slippery concept of Mysticism.

Our conversation centres around a classic work by pioneering American psychologist and philosopher William James (January 11, 1842–August 26, 1910), and specifically, the 1902 masterwork based on his Gifford Lectures: The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature (public library | free ebook).

The discussion begins with Alejandro describing what he considers to be his first mystical experience at Machu Picchu in 2011, after a four day hike along the Inca Trail, and importantly, a few days after the first two ayahuasca ceremonies of his life.

The remainder of the episode is structured around William James’ four markers of mystical states:

1. Ineffability, 2. Noetic quality, 3. Transiency, 4. Passivity.

And while these so-called “mystical” experiences may be almost impossible to convey to one another, we disregard them at our peril... for, in the words of William James:

“Our normal waking consciousness… is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the filmiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different… No account of the universe in its totality can be final which leaves these other forms of consciousness quite disregarded.”

References:

William James — The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature (1902) (public library | free ebook).

Quentin Tarantino — Pulp Fiction

(The ‘Miracle’ scene)

The Wachowskis — The Matrix

(The ‘Pill’ scene)

David Foster Wallace — This is Water.

Maya Newell — In My Blood It Runs

Robert Anton Wilson — Acceleration of Knowledge (Note: use chrome. The section around 38 mins is related to what we were talking about).

Albert Camus — The Myth of Sisyphus.

The Alex Grey Poster (Net of Being) featured in Alejandro’s house.

Tool — [Rosetta Stoned](https://open.spotify.com/track/0D8l86LXxKcgKAO17DfQsl?autoplay=true) — 10,000 Days

To find out more about the time Alejandro pissed himself during an ayahuasca ceremony, jump online and order a copy of his novel: A Glimpse of Eternity.

Links:

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby.

Episode 5: Big Self Energy: Psychedelics & the IFS Model

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 06:00:00 +0800

This is the second episode of a two part series on our experiences with, and understanding of, the Internal Family Systems (IFS) Model of Mind. If you haven’t listened to the first episode in the series yet, we do recommend stopping there first: Episode 4 — Understanding ourselves through Internal Family Systems.

This episode begins with Dr T. delving deeper into the nuances of the IFS Model, including some of the history of its development, and its application in therapy.

The discussion develops from there — touching on a wide range of topics from the groups of “parts” in the IFS model, soul retrieval, the conscious and the unconscious, the personified emotions in the film Inside Out, big Self energy, loving awareness, and the implications of the IFS model for our understanding of the self and the divine…

Throughout the discussion we hear reflections from a rather blissed out Alejandro, having just been through his third IFS session, this time as a participant of Dr T. himself! — because, as we all know, real men do therapy, and real mates run therapy sessions for each other.

References:

Episode 4 — Understanding ourselves through Internal Family Systems
Richard C. Shwartz (founder) — Internal Family Systems
Susan McConnell (founder) — Somatic IFS
Pete Docter (director)— Inside Out (2015)
Alan Watts — the game of hide and seek that God plays…
Alan Watts — the limerick that Tobias couldn’t remember during the episode but then eventually did remember.

Links:

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby.

Episode 4: Understanding ourselves through Internal Family Systems

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 06:00:00 +0800

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a model of the mind where the basic assumption is that the human mind can be divided into a number of sub-personalities, known as “parts”. Ideally, each of these sub personalities work in harmony, with a central “Self” leading the system. According to the model, as we grow and develop throughout our lives, our sub-personalities, or “parts”, also grow and develop a complex system of interactions among themselves.

In keeping with our ongoing pursuit of experiences that can help to shape and mould our developing models and philosophies, the Altered Mates sought out a skilled IFS therapist to guide us through this therapeutic process. IFS therapy can often feel like an altered state as it involves an experiential deep dive into the living mystery of our inner system.

Tobias & Alejandro share some very personal reflections, speculating on Freud’s Id Ego Superego model, as well as the Fight / Flight, and Freeze / Friend model, based on the work of Dr. Simon Martin.

Clinicians in this space often talk about clients who have spontaneous IFS processes with psychedelics - without prior exposure to this form of therapy - suggesting this model is reflecting something very real about our internal machinations - an aliveness to this system of parts within us, not entirely unlike the film “Inside Out”.

The relationships between IFS and psychedelics are manyfold, and we invite you into a reflection on their differences, similarities and potential synergies as you listen in.

References

IFS Institute — The Internal Family Systems Model Outline
Inside Out (2015)
Freud’s Model of the Id, Ego and Superego
And a later model: Flight, Fight, Freeze, Friend/Fawn

Links

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby.

Episode 3: ...but take it!

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 06:00:00 +0800

Last episode (Episode 2 — “Take it easy, dude…”) we concerned ourselves with the preparation for a high-dose psilocybin mushroom ceremony. This episode focusses on our integration, following that journey.

In coming to terms with our respective “mystical” experiences, we discuss: ego-death; who or what is the intelligence we encounter in high dose breakthrough psychedelic experiences; noetic experiences of connectedness with the great green web of life; and finally, what is it that lies at the centre of the universe.

Please note:

The Altered Mates have been engaging in ceremonial psychedelic use for over 10 years. We have each sought out experienced and trusted guides, and are always careful to put in place systems that safeguard our physical, psychological, spiritual and emotional wellbeing.

We do not suggest that psychedelics are appropriate for everyone. But for those who choose to use them, we strongly recommend great caution and great care, and consideration for psychological, emotional as well legal factors specific to your context.

The safest way to undertake a psychedelic journey is in legal contexts, under careful supervision from experienced and qualified guides.

References

Episode 2 — Take it easy, dude…
Alan Watts — Are we out of time?

Links:

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Music for the show by Si Mulumby

Episode 2: Take it easy, dude...

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 06:30:00 +0800

Episode 2 — “Take it easy, dude…”

In this episode we take seriously, the late, great Terence McKenna’s famous words: “Take it easy, dude… but take it!”

Tune in as we discuss our preparation process for a so-called “hero’s” dose of psilocybin mushrooms, taken in the manner advised by the man himself, as “five dried grams in silent darkness.”

The conversation starts with our reasons for undertaking a high-dose psychedelic journey in the first place.

We discuss how psychedelics can help us to remember something of the sacred when we get lost in the daily grind. We compare notes on our own personal preparations— including specific diets and abstinences. And we outline our intentions for the ceremony.

And from there the conversation undergoes many twists and turns through soul, self, creativity, and sexuality.

We hope you enjoy the episode.

*Please note: *
The Altered Mates have been engaging in ceremonial psychedelic use for over 10 years. We have each sought out experienced and trusted guides, and are always careful to put in place systems that safeguard our physical, psychological, spiritual and emotional wellbeing.

The safest way to undertake a psychedelic journey is in legal contexts, under careful supervision from experienced and qualified guides.

References:

Arne Rubenstein — Rites of Passage Institute

Jamie Wheel — Recapture the Rapture

Frank Herbert — Dune

Links:

Altered Mates Website

Altered Mates Instagram

Episode 1: Challenging psychedelic experiences

alejandro.tuama@outlook.com (Altered Mates) — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 09:00:00 +0800

Experienced psychonautical adventurers will know that the psychedelic experience is not all love and light. For all the beautiful visions, profound insights, and pleasure; it is also possible to expose ourselves to incredible pain, suffering, fear, and confusion.

In the conversation that follows the Altered Mates discuss three particularly challenging experiences from Alejandro’s psychonautical journey. The first with ayahuasca, the second with psilocybin mushrooms, and the third with DMT.

We use these three experiences as a launching point to consider what, as psychedelic practitioners, we can do with such experiences. How can we make sense of them? How do we reconcile them with our picture of the world? Because, if we are to take psychedelics seriously, and incorporate them into our lives responsibly, surely, we must consider their potential to present us with mystery, confusion and sometimes, complete and utter terror.

References

Graham Hancock on Ayahuasca, DMT and Entities.