034 | Dennis McKenna on His Life with Terence McKenna, Research, and Psychedelics for A Symbiotic Planet

In today's episode we speak with the incredible Dr. Dennis McKenna. Dennis has conducted research in ethnopharmacology for over 40 years. He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute, and was a key investigator on the Hoasca Project, the first biomedical investigation of ayahuasca. He is the younger brother of Terence McKenna and in today's episode we learn more about their life together exploring psychedelics and coming to the place of deciding to pursue this as a career. From 2000 to 2017, Dennis taught courses on Ethnopharmacology and Plants in Human affairs as an adjunct Assistant Professor in the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota. In the spring of 2019, in collaboration with colleagues in Canada and the US, he incorporated a new non-profit, the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy. From personal experience, to science to philosophy this episode is sure to inspire you! Buckle up!

What we talked about:

• Dennis’ youth with his brother, Terence McKenna, and introduction to cannabis and psychedelics
• The McKenna Brothers’ approach to psychedelic journeying
• Soul Retrieval and Shamanism
• Publishing the first user guide about growing psilocybin mushrooms in America
• Dennis’ education, research history and experience in studying ethnopharmacology
• The role of psychedelics as a tools for co-evolution between humanity and the planet
• The Stone Ape Theory and The Gaia Hypothesis
• How psychedelics help us to learn from nature and move into symbiosis and collaboration and away from the “conflict” model

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Mentioned in the episode:

• Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss by Dennis McKenna [Memoir]
• The Teaching of Don Juan [book]
• True Hallucinations by Terence McKenna [book]
• ESPD 55
• Hawaiian acacias
• ICEERS

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