Why aren't we talking about this: Psychedelics

For most of us, psychedelics come with a lot of baggage. Drugs. Hippies. Bad trips. Losing control. Yet, there’s another conversation happening around them. One about perspective, identity, creativity, connection and what can happen when the patterns we’ve spent years living inside suddenly become a little less fixed. In this episode I’m joined by Nasreen El-Mariesh, transformational coach, certified Psychedelic Integration Coach and co-founder of Women are the Medicine. Naz works with women around empowerment, relationships and the conditioning and patterns that can keep us stuck, bringing together psychedelic integration, somatic work, coaching and spirituality. She came to this work through her own experiences with both microdosing and larger psychedelic journeys, before training with the Psychedelic Coaching Institute. We talk about what psychedelics actually are, the difference between microdosing and a psychedelic journey, why integration matters, and why so many women seem to be becoming curious about them in midlife. Underneath all of that, this is really a conversation about control. The stories we tell ourselves, the patterns we keep repeating, the fear of what we might find if we look underneath them and the slightly terrifying possibility that sometimes the thing getting in our way might be us. Whether you’re already curious, deeply sceptical, or currently thinking absolutely fucking not, this one is for you. Find Naz Website: https://www.nasreenel-mariesh.com/ Women are the Medicine / Deep Dive Retreat, 12–16 October: https://www.womenarethemedicine.co/our-next-retreat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nasreen\_elmariesh Resources mentioned Naz’s free microdosing guide: https://www.womenarethemedicine.co/md-guide *A Really Good Day* — Ayelet Waldman *How to Change Your Mind* — Michael Pollan A note on this episode This is a conversation about psychedelics, personal experience and curiosity, not medical advice or a recommendation to take them. Psychedelics can carry risks, may interact with medication or existing health conditions, and their legal status varies depending on the substance and where you are. If you’re considering exploring them, please do your own research and seek appropriate professional advice.   —— *Why Aren’t We Talking About This?* is a series of honest conversations about the stuff we rarely discuss but probably should - big feelings, weird thoughts, life, death, sex and all the messy, beautiful parts of being human. Hosted by me, Carly Osman-Holme, on a quest to dodge a full-blown existential crisis. I’ve reached that point in life where I’m asking the big questions: How did I get here? What do I actually want? And why didn’t they teach us any of this in school?