For more than 30 years Dr. Joseph Gerstein has been collecting stories from SMART participants about powerful emotional experiences related to their recovery journey. He has now written a captivating essay about the nature of these occurances that includes examples and analysis of what he calls “secular conversion experiences.” His insight into the value of these experiences and the common elements found paints a picture of how our cognitive functions connect with the more emotive features of our lives.
Dr. Gerstein is SMART’s Founding President and a retired professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has been instrumental in the growth of SMART in the U.S. and across the globe and has personally facilitated over 4,000 SMART meetings over 34 years.
Dec 16, 2024
Dr. Michael DeMarco is a licensed mental health and family therapist and has pursued additional training in the use of psychedelic medicines for those struggling with substance use disorders. He emphasizes that there has been a significant amount of research about the use of Ketamine and other medications over the course of decades, and it’s important to know how to put such research in an appropriate context.
In this podcast, Michael talks about his own interest in the recovery ecosystem and the journey he has embarked on in the pursuit of helping others. He also relates his extensive background in cognitive behavioral therapy to his current Ketamine-assisted therapy practice.
Additional information:
Survey of peer recovery coaches’ attitude toward use of psychedelic medicines