Episode 41: Exploring Psychedelic Assisted Therapy with Dr. Raymond Turpin

In this fascinating episode, Taraleigh and Dr. Leah talk with Dr. Raymond Turpin about the past, present, and future of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Dr. Raymond tells his inspiring story of being turned on to psychedelics in the 1980s and knowing they would be part of his career path. He shares all the research and training he has done from that point on and how he is now the Executive and Clinical Director of one of the first MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) recognized extended access programs for MDMA assisted therapy. Dr. Raymond describes the three major goals of his non-profit, The Pearl Psychedelic Institute, to research, teach best practices, and offer equitable psychedelic-assisted therapy to those in need. Listeners will find out why the drug companies aren’t interested in psychedelics for healing and the major differences between psychiatric and psychedelic therapy. Also included is a discussion on how this relates to the live music experience and ancient healing rituals. For the “Did you Know,” Dr. Leah shares how you can find out more about the research of MAPS and the work of the Pearl Psychedelic Institute and Taraleigh encourages listeners to check them out now for the “Daily Jam.”


Dr. Turpin was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and attended the University of Georgia where he earned a bachelor's degree in psychology. He went on to earn an MA in psychology from West Georgia University and then a doctorate in clinical psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. He has lived in the mountains of western North Carolina since 2001 and founded and operated a mental health agency that provided free and low-cost mental health services to over 40 local public schools from 2004-2016. He has been in private practice since 2018. Dr. Turpin is a co-lead-investigator at one of MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies) Expanded Access sites studying the use of MDMA as an adjunct to psychotherapy for treatment-resistant PTSD. He is also the current Executive and Clinical Director of the Pearl Psychedelic Institute which is intended as a research, treatment and training organization assisting in bringing psychedelic medicines into acceptance as mental health treatments. He is a lifelong amateur musician and attended 100 Grateful Dead shows by the mid-90s and countless Jerry Garcia Band and Garcia/Grisman shows over the years. Find out more at https://www.pearlpsychedelicinstitute.org/.


This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please leave us a rating or review on iTunes and join our Facebook group to dive deeper into the conversation of live music and health and wellness.


Groove Therapy is brought to you by Osiris Media. To discover more podcasts that connect you more deeply to the music you love, check out osirispod.com.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.