SEASON 5
How To Get Free: The Psychedelic Renaissance for Black America
If freedom is a birthright, host Tonya Mosley is on a journey to experience the depths of it. Season 5 explores emerging science that shows psychedelics like MDMA and psilocybin mushrooms can help to heal racial trauma, whether it’s diagnosed PTSD or the kind of trauma that comes from the pain of living as a Black person in a racist world. Join us on the journey, beginning April 13th.
Tonya Mosley is on a journey to experience the depths of freedom and liberation and discovers new research that shows psychedelics as a promising treatment for all forms of PTSD — including racial trauma. Tonya sets out to try magic mushrooms and discovers the psychedelic renaissance is overwhelmingly white despite its Indigenous and African roots. Episode 1 kicks off this 6-part journey, led by Tonya, which explores the latest science, the push for FDA approval, and the movement to get Black and Brown therapists trained in psychedelic therapy. LISTEN TO EPISODE ONE
Wise Ones:
Monnica Williams, Researcher. Sara Reed, Licensed Family Therapist. Jazmin Hupp, Psychedelic Guide
Psychedelics work by allowing us to have an experience with ourselves — To face our biggest traumas without being retraumatized. This episode explores what that experience is like. But first, Black people (rightfully skeptical of altered states) must trust enough to let go.
LISTEN TO EPISODE 2
Wise Ones:
Nicholas Powers: New Yorker, poet, journalist, professor, and psychedelic activist. Camille Barton: Educator and consultant within the psychedelic-assisted therapy space.
Decades after Richard Nixon declared the war on drugs, our evolved understanding of drug addiction has ushered in a new understanding of mental health and the flaws of the criminal justice system, and with it, a resurgence of an age-old medicine, once criminalized — now used as a form of healing. In Episode 3, we meet the children of the drug war and discover how they’re navigating this newfound exploration of psychedelics to find personal healing. LISTEN TO EPISODE 3
Wise Ones:
Ayize Jama Everett, Educator; Mary Pryor, Detroiter, Entrepreneur.
We explore the magic in magic mushrooms and the ancestral and Indigenous origins of using them to heal. What does ancestral knowledge mean for Black people disconnected from our lineage? LISTEN TO EPISODE 4
Wise Ones:
adrienne maree brown, author, activist; Undrea Wright, The Ancestor Project.
This week we take a break from our series to answer your questions about psychedelic-assisted therapy and the use of psychedelics to help alleviate depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. LISTEN TO EPISODE 5
Wise Ones:
Dr. Joseph McCowan, licensed clinical psychologist; Justin Richmond, producer and podcaster.
The public's perception of drugs and drug use is changing.
And with it, the decrim movement is in full swing. Soon the FDA is expected to approve psychedelic-assisted therapy. But are these steps enough for Black people in America?
Enough to keep us safe in a world of racial bias and over-policing? There’s the potential for liberation but also for oppression. Episode 6 explores what could happen if psychedelics become legal. LISTEN TO EPISODE 6
Wise Ones
Dr. Carl Hart, Neuroscientist; Natalie Ginsberg, Global Impact Officer, MAPS.
We want to hear what you think about Truth Be Told! You can help us out by filling out a short audience survey at deartbt.com/survey.
We’ve explored the psychedelic renaissance with Black scientists, therapists and everyday people in search of healing. In this season closer, host Tonya Mosley finds her own path toward healing in the place that’s been with her all along. Home.
Also, some parting words from our Wise Ones: Ernestine Mosley, Dr. Monnica Williams, Nicolas Powers, Undrea Wright, Camille Barton, Ayize Jama Everett.
LISTEN TO EPISODE 7
We want to hear what you think about Truth Be Told! You can help us out by filling out a short audience survey at deartbt.com/survey.
SEASON 5 WISE ONES
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Camille Barton
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Dr. Carl Hart
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Mary Pryor
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Nicholas Powers
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Sara Reed
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Joseph McCowan
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Natalie Ginsberg
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Jazmin Hupp
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Dr. Monnica Williams
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adrienne maree brown
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Ayize Jama-Everett
Visit our resources page to explore the research and potential benefits of psychoactive drugs to heal intergenerational and racial trauma.