209 - One Man's Experiences with Psychedelics with Mark A. Michaels209 - One Man's Experiences with Psychedelics with Mark A. Michaels
Ruthless Compassion with Dr. Marcia Sirota
Writer Mark A. Michaels talks with Dr. Marcia Sirota about his use of psychedelics, especially ketamine with EMDR, in the context of trauma, identity, and attachment. They question traditional diagnosis, discuss risks and benefits of different psychedelic settings, and reflect on how these experiences can change self-understanding.
41:51•21 May 2026
Psychedelics, Therapy and Self-Discovery with Mark A. Michaels
Episode Overview
- A strong, trusting relationship with a therapist is essential before adding psychedelics to therapy.
- Ketamine combined with EMDR can, in some cases, reduce distress quickly and deepen insight when used carefully.
- Over‑focusing on diagnosis and labels may distract from the main goal of reducing suffering and improving life.
- Group psychedelic work and medicalised ketamine without psychotherapy can carry significant risks or limited long‑term benefit.
- Mystical or spiritual experiences are not a guaranteed path to healing; integrating insights into everyday life matters more.
“Used wisely and well, the insights that you can gain are much deeper and more rapid than you can with extended therapy.”
What insights can experts and survivors share about addiction, trauma, and healing with psychedelics? This episode of *Ruthless Compassion* brings together psychiatrist Dr. Marcia Sirota and writer/conceptual artist Mark A. Michaels for a candid, sometimes unsettling, sometimes funny conversation about using psychedelics in therapy.
Mark describes himself as “an uncontrolled experiment” and talks about finding out in his thirties that he was conceived by donor insemination, and how tracking down his biological father “was like looking in the mirror for the first time.” That shock reshaped his view of Freud’s Oedipus complex and pushed him to question long‑held assumptions in psychoanalysis and diagnosis.
He then talks through a recent crisis: the collapse of his marriage, daily thoughts that life wasn’t worth living, and how a new course of therapy combining ketamine and EMDR shifted things within weeks. He explains how psychedelics helped him anchor a sense of secure attachment to a former analyst and then to himself, saying he used them “to fall in love with my intellect” instead of seeing it as a pathology.
You’ll hear sharp criticism of over‑reliance on labels like PTSD and complex trauma, and how insurance‑driven diagnosis can distort treatment. Mark and Marcia compare different models of ketamine treatment, the high costs and access issues, and the risks of poorly held group psychedelic sessions versus careful one‑to‑one work.
They also touch on spirituality, with Mark pushing back on the idea that mystical experiences are the main healing ingredient: he’s wary of turning psychedelics into a quest for enlightenment instead of grounded symptom relief and genuine change in daily life. If you’re curious about whether psychedelics might fit into therapy, or you just like hearing someone question clinical sacred cows with humour and honesty, this conversation gives plenty to think about.
What parts of your own story might look different if you had permission to rewrite them?
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