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Stand In The Circle

Dr. Rosalind Watts

Welcome to Stand in the Circle, with me, Dr Rosalind Watts. I'm a clinical psychologist, a psychedelic researcher, and founder of ACER Integration. This is a podcast about how we get connected in a culture that pulls us apart. We talk about the hardest experiences of being human, and the circles of care we have needed, couldn't find, and are searching for now. With stories from people who have lived it, and from researchers and practitioners. Healing in community is the older way. The work of our times is to rebuild our connectedness to ourselves, to each other, and to the living world.

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Yesterday · 46 min
Stand in the Circle 5.3: Dr. Anne Wagner - MDMA and Couples Therapy
Dr. Anne Wagner is a clinical psychologist, psychedelic researcher, and founder/director of Remedy Clinic and Remedy Institute in Canada. In this episode, she shares her journey from studying couples therapy for PTSD to pioneering MDMA-assisted couples therapy. Key topics: Anne's path from clinical psychology to psychedelic research, including her own first MDMA experience in a therapist training trial The pilot study combining MDMA with CBCT (Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy) for couples where one partner has PTSD, and the surprising results Founding Remedy as a not-for-profit model: a clinic that funds a research institute, proving psychedelic therapy can be done ethically and sustainably outside pharma and academia What an MDMA couples therapy session actually looks like: futons, headphones, navigating between inner experience and connection, holding hands The power of bringing a loved one alongside you in healing, and why feeling "not alone" matters beyond symptom reduction Safety, adverse events, and the therapeutic container The roadmap to access: off-label prescribing once MDMA is approved The history of MDMA couples therapy, from Ann and Sasha Shulgin to the present day Anne's personal reflections after 12 years in the field. Learning patience, holding ethical ground, and choosing "psychotherapy first" Mentioned in this episode: Remedy Clinic & Remedy Institute: remedyinstitute.ca Ann & Sasha Shulgin - Better Living Through Chemistry (documentary about the Shulgins) MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) CBCT (Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD) Ask a question to Ros on this topic or another, or suggest a topic Link to our free Stand in the Circle webinar
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October 26 · 54 min
Stand in the Circle 5.2: Baya Voce on the Devotional Practice of Repair
Dr. Rosalind Watts sits down with Baya Voce. Baya combines a masters in social work from Columbia University, advanced training in Relational Life Therapy under Terry Real, and ongoing mentorship in a supervision group led by renowned couples therapist, Esther Perel. Her TEDx talk on loneliness has been viewed by over 5 million people. She is currently working on a book on relational repair. In this episode, Baya shares her deeply personal journey through the hardest relational spaces of her life, from navigating a new diagnosis for her daughter to reconsidering her marriage on a beach anniversary. Together they explore why long-term relationships are so much harder than we're told, the "change vs. accept" partner dynamic, and what it really means to build capacity for pain. Timestamps: 1:25 —Baya's journey: from new mother to repair as a devotional practice 7:28 — The myth that relationships should be easy 10:20 — The "change and accept" partner dynamic (Dr. Alexandra Solomon) 18:11 — The couples therapy moment: "Do you even want to be in this relationship anymore?" 21:04 — The one-year marriage: committing one year at a time 21:55 — "Can I accept this person exactly as they are if they change nothing?" 24:45 — Terry Real's question: "Is what I'm getting worth grieving what I'm not?" 35:17 — "You don't escape the pain" — both staying and leaving hurt 37:32 — "Relationship isn't hard. Being with yourself inside of relationships is hard." 46:27 — Baya shares her decision to start taking SSRI antidepressants 52:39 — What if we taught relationships in schools? People & Resources Mentioned: Terry Real: therapist, teacher, and author; Baya's mentor Esther Perel: psychotherapist, Baya's supervisor Dr. Alexandra Solomon: the "change and accept partner" concept (podcast: We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle) Priya Parker: author of The Art of Fighting Brene Brown : "the arena" concept Jefferson Fisher: "The first word out of your mouth in a hard conversation is a breath" Jennifer and Brian Russell: relationship coaches Columbia University: MDMA-assisted couples therapy research Follow Baya: Instagram: @bayavoce Look at her website bayavoce.com re her upcoming book on relational repair.
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October 19 · 1 hr 1 min
Stand in the Circle 5.1: Relationship Troubles with Meg and Kenneth
Stand in the Circle 5.1: Relationship Troubles with Meg and Kenneth Dr. Rosalind Watts explores relationship troubles, the arguments that harden into patterns, the moments where winning means losing something bigger. Two ACER community members share what they've learned from reading Us by Terry Real in the ACER Book Club. Meg, 71 and widowed, reflects on what she couldn't see in her marriage and the key wisdom from Terry Real’s book that she'd pass on: "Urgency is your enemy. Breath is your friend." Kenneth, a former venture capitalist turned potter, shares his journey from toxic work life to self-awareness, community, and nature connection. Key themes: me vs. us consciousness, the adaptive child, the power of repair, relational courage, and how community helps us do the work we can't do alone. Timestamps: ● 0:53 — Intro & this month's theme ● 2:37 — Overview of Us by Terry Real ● 5:18 — Meg's story ● 14:00 — Changing your own behaviour ● 24:26 — Relational courage ● 29:44 — Psychedelics & relational healing ● 33:36 — Meg's distilled wisdom ● 37:53 — Kenneth's story ● 50:40 — Nature connection ● 54:52 — Three takeaways Resources: Us by Terry Real · Free "Stand in the Circle" webinar Next up: Baya Voce on the mechanics of repair, then Dr. Anne Wagner on MDMA-assisted couple’s therapy. Questions? Link to the form to ask Ros a question about this topic or anything else, to be addressed in a future episode ttps://forms.gle/jVcGniTN3uS1bjz18
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October 5 · 59 min
Stand in the Circle: Psychedelics, Anxiety & IBS with Dr. Franklin King
Dr. Franklin King joins Dr. Rosalind Watts for a wide-ranging conversation about the realities of psychedelic therapy, beyond the hype. They explore Franklin's research on psilocybin for IBS, MDMA for chronic pain and fibromyalgia, and group MDMA therapy for veterans with PTSD. The conversation challenges the "miracle cure" narrative around psychedelics and digs into how much actual work is involved, the importance of integration, and why expectations shape outcomes. Topics include Franklin's path from skepticism to psychedelics via MAPS training in 2016 Psilocybin for IBS: unexpected findings on sleep and heart rate MDMA for fibromyalgia and chronic pain using hyperscan brain-to-brain imaging Group MDMA therapy for veterans; ketamine paired with Fireside Project coaching Why psychedelics aren't a panacea, and the danger of "miracle cure" media narratives How expectations shape outcomes; the concept of "work" measured in years, not weeks Historical psychedelic research (1950s–60s)- psycholytic models, Thorazine, and Franklin's paper database project Psychedelics and anxiety in 2026; microdosing; connectedness as the true outcome Cost, accessibility, and the Oregon psilocybin model Listener question on phobias; The Pearl Dive as a preparation tool; holotropic breathwork About The Pearl Dive The Pearl Dive is a ~30-minute guided imagery journey created by Dr. Rosalind Watts, originally used to prepare participants in the Psilocybin for Depression trials at Imperial College London. In this episode, Franklin describes how it was used in the IBS study to give participants a non-drug "dry run" of the vulnerable, eyes-closed inner state before their medicine session. It's available to purchase from acerintegration.com/the-pearl-protocol — £7/month for personal use (includes "The Pearl Dive" for preparation and "Planting a Pearl as a Seed" for integration), or £30/month for small clinic access. ACER also runs free live virtual workshop versions, check their events page for upcoming dates. Next event is on the 11th of November 2026- sign up here https://acerintegration.com/acer-live-events/pearl-dive
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September 24 · 1 hr 3 min
Standing in the Circle with Anxiety week 1: ACER members Sin and Indira
In this week’s episode I talk to ACER members, Sin and Indira about their personal experiences with anxiety, and how, in different contexts, psychedelics can either ease or amplify it. Indira has lived with IBS-D for thirty years. She now believes that, for her, the condition was rooted in years of pushing anxiety down rather than feeling it and listening to it. After trying many treatments, it was psychedelics and learning to communicate with her gut that finally worked. My second guest, Sin, began experiencing anxiety and panic attacks after taking part in a psychedelic clinical trial of 5-MeO-DMT for depression. Her depression lifted but the anxiety arrived afterwards, leading her to seek her own care, communities and support network. Together, these stories show how psychedelics can interact with anxiety in very different ways, depending on context, preparation and support. Next week we will hear from two clinicians to explore this from a clinical and research perspective. Apply to join ACER: https://acerintegration.com/apply-now The next cohort of applications close on the 26th of September. What you hear on this podcast is first-hand experience. Stories, not advice. Not medical advice, not any kind of advice. In our ACER sharing circles, the ethos is that we share our stories and others listen, and nobody gives advice, because what's right for one person is wrong for another. Sometimes in this podcast I'll tell you what research says, or what guidelines say, and this might be a starting point for deeper reflections and conversations with people who know you and can help you find your own path. A word on psychedelics: they are absolutely not for everyone. They can cause real harm when they aren't handled safely. Books/media mentioned: Michael Pollan - How to Change Your Mind; Netflix Documentary - How to Change Your Mind 5-MeO-DMT support: James W. Sanders and Dr. Bianca Sebben are seeking to connect with those interested in joining a participant network for individuals who were administered 5-MeO-DMT as part of a research study. The group has been developed in response to participants contacting us seeking additional support with integration following their studies, however they also welcome participants who may not be seeking support but still wish to share with others about their experience of the study. The group will provide avenues to share your perspectives, find support if needed, and may create opportunities for participant perspectives to play a greater role in shaping standards of preparation, dosing, and integration in future research and clinical practice. To connect with them and have your say about the potential group format and activities, please complete the form below. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc-94GZsY0nK15uHHglsCTQE9XF1ZN1E9qAUG0T_jHycvvKaA/viewform?usp=dialog You can also contact james.sanders.25@ucl.ac.uk with any questions. Submit a question for a future episode: https://forms.gle/JgJaAjDRbowAcyWZ9
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September 8 · 21 min
Standing in the Circle with Menopause week 4: Your questions answered
This week Ros answers the question: "I have incredibly supportive friend relationships with five people, but none of them know each other. It feels like individual community, because I am the link to everyone, each from different parts of my life. Does this count as a circle? How do I move from this to a true circle to stand in?” Ros explains how circles contain two key ingredients, fun and support; either of which can be a great place to start when shifting a collection of separate friendships into a true circle to stand in. When starting with fun: you could get all five friends in one place, once, with no agenda. Perhaps in a woodland cabin, a big kitchen table, or a call if that's easier. It doesn't have to be a wedding or a funeral to be worth doing. Or start with support: you could use The Hologram framework, a peer care structure from artist Cassie Thornton, where each person in a small circle holds a different part of one person's life, then you rotate. In ACER we open a Hologram space to members after being with us for seven months. Or you could do a year together: using the Twelve Trees as a shared structure, with the option to train afterwards to run your own local circle. Like Ros's Sapwood Circle, the twelve-tree group Ros started in her garden in Frome, where none of them knew each other before they began. If you are interested in joining ACER please note that applications for the October cycle close on Thursday 1st October. Please note: A change from next month: Stand in the Circle moves to fortnightly. Two episodes per terrain instead of four. The first with ACER community members who have lived it, the second with researchers and practitioners. Questions get answered as we go along. Next month the terrain is anxiety. Links: Cassie Thornton, The Hologram: https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745343327/the-hologram/ Cassie Thornton, It's Too Late. Do It Anyway!, which includes a Hologram starter kit: https://thickpress.com/product/its-too-late-do-it-anyway-a-book-about-being-a-cultural-worker-in-the-apocalypse-a-hologram-starter-kit/ Submit a question: https://forms.gle/JgJaAjDRbowAcyWZ9 Apply to join ACER: https://acerintegration.com/apply-now
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August 31 · 50 min
Standing in the Circle with Menopause week 3: ACER Participants Emma, Margot, and Hattie
Emma, Margot, and Hattie. Emma talks about navigating perimenopause and autism. She lives in Canada where microdosing is legal, and found support through the careful use of tinctures. Margot had almost ten years of perimenopause before menopause, in a new town, sent from doctor to doctor with nobody telling her what was going on. Her medicine was finding a circle of crones. Hattie is near the end of a seven year perimenopause and chose not to take HRT, with a really interesting and thoughtful perspective. Apply to join ACER: https://acerintegration.com/apply-now. Next cohort applications close at the end of September. Half price financially supported places open until 1 September. What you hear on this podcast is first-hand experience. Stories, not advice. Not medical advice, not any kind of advice. In our ACER sharing circles, the ethos is that we share our stories and others listen, and nobody gives advice, because what's right for one person is wrong for another. Sometimes in this podcast I'll tell you what research says, or what guidelines say, and this might be a starting point for deeper reflections and conversations with people who know you and can help you find your own path. A word on psychedelics: they are absolutely not for everyone. They can cause real harm when they aren't handled safely. Books mentioned: Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom by Christiane Northrup. Hagitude by Sharon Blackie. Wise Power by Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer. Submit a question for a future Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/JgJaAjDRbowAcyWZ9
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August 24 · 50 min
Standing in the Circle with Menopause week 2: Experts Grace, Melissa, Mikaela
Melissa Whippo is a psychedelic psychotherapist and founder of Deva Collective. Their 1st study is a naturalistic observational survey of perimenopausal women who microdose San Pedro. We also talk about PMDD, late ADHD diagnosis, rage, and the crone. Dr Grace Blest-Hopley is a neuroscientist and founder of Hystelica, the 1st research organisation focused on women's biology and psychedelic use. She talks about HRT, why oestrogen and psychedelics may share pathways, and body set. Mikaela de la Myco is a lay womb practitioner working with herbs, water and story. She talks about steams and bajos, and the phrase ‘plant medicine.' Deva Collective: https://www.devacollective.org Survey eligibility and FAQ: https://www.devacollective.org/faq Melissa's recent article: https://psychedelicstoday.com/2026/08/13/perimenopause-psychedelic-research-2/ Chacruna Institute: https://chacruna.net Hystelica: https://hystelica.com Mikaela de la Myco: https://www.mushwomb.love Mikaela's videos, including yoni steaming: https://www.youtube.com/@mamadelamyco IAPMD, for PMDD support: https://iapmd.org On microdosing: A Really Good Day by Ayelet Waldman, and Microdosing for Health: Healing and Enhanced Performance by James Fadiman and Jordan Gruber. FREE EVENTS TO GO DEEPER: Stand in the Circle webinar: https://acerintegration.com/stand-in-the-circle-webinar-lp Superblooming the Aftermath, Thursday 3 September, 20:00 to 21:30 (UK): https://acerintegration.com/acer-live-events/event-two-57yhe-j9hxt-sps5t-9n39m The Orison Tree, a free 15 minute tree journey: https://acerintegration.com/meditations-and-guides Apply to ACER Integration: our next Cohort starting in October https://acerintegration.com/apply-now Ask Ros a question for a future podcast episode: https://forms.gle/jVcGniTN3uS1bjz18
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August 17 · 52 min
Standing in the Circle with Menopause week 1: Perimenopause: The Unguided Initiation
Most of us reached perimenopause with no idea what it was. In this episode I go through what's actually happening, tell my own story: BRCA, surgical menopause, PMDD, and a conversation in a taxi that changed what happened to my body. Content warning: the second half discusses violence against women, including sexual violence, and the Gisèle Pelicot case. This podcast is first-hand experience: stories, not advice. Not medical advice, not any kind of advice. In ACER sharing circles we share our stories and nobody gives advice, because what's right for one person is wrong for another. Psychedelics come up on this podcast because that's my background. Nothing here is an encouragement to use them. If you disagree with anything you hear this month, write in. I'll raise it in the Q&A at the end of the month. If you're struggling: Your GP, first. Samaritans (UK) 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org The Daisy Network, for premature ovarian insufficiency https://www.daisynetwork.org IAPMD, for PMDD support https://iapmd.org Links: The Pomegranate Grove, https://psychedelicsociety.org.uk/ www.acerintegration.com The PMDD Healing Podcast, Charisma Whitefeather Fawcett Society, Menopause and the Workplace (2022) https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk NICE guideline NG23, Menopause: identification and management https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23 SWAN, Study of Women's Health Across the Nation https://www.swanstudy.org UNODC & UN Women, Femicides in 2024 — https://www.unwomen.org Menopause-specific CBT: the MENOS trials, self help book: Living Well Through The Menopause: An evidence-based cognitive behavioural guide https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/How-to-Have-a-Magnificent-Midlife-Crisis/Kate-Muir/9781398525504 (Another great self help book) PLUS link to NEW stand in the circle webinar https://acerintegration.com/stand-in-the-circle-webinar-lp Submit a question for Ros to answer next month: https://forms.gle/jVcGniTN3uS1bjz18
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August 3 · 1 hr 1 min
Standing in the Circle with Cancer week 4: Your Questions Answered
The last episode of our month with cancer, where I answer your questions 1)How to find a circle. 2)How to get into the psychedelic field without lots of money. 3)How to choose a retreat safely. 4)And what non-psychedelic therapies are helpful when walking through cancer. With Christine Caldwell, founder of End of Life Psychedelic Care, and Dr Ellie Cavalli, clinical psychologist and founder of After Cancer. LINKS After Cancer, Dr Ellie Cavalli https://www.thetunbridgewellspsychologist.co.uk/dr-ellie-cavalli End of Life Psychedelic Care https://eolpc.org/ Survivorship Collective, psilocybin retreats for cancer survivors https://survivorshipcollective.com/ Dr Lauren MacDonald https://drlaurenmacdonald.com/ Maggie's, who run the Where Now? course for after treatment https://www.maggiescentres.org/ Find your local psychedelic society https://globalpsychedelic.org/locator/ Volunteer with Zendo Project https://zendoproject.org/volunteer Volunteer with PsyCare UK https://www.psycareuk.org/volunteer Volunteer with Samaritans https://www.samaritans.org/ Free live ACER circles https://acerintegration.com/acer-live-events Train to offer the twelve trees where you livehttps://acerintegration.com/connect NB: stewardship training info coming to ACER website soon, in the meantime, just send us a message and we’ll get back to you. Submit a question for Ros to answer next month: https://forms.gle/jVcGniTN3uS1bjz18 DIRECTORIES A starting point, not a substitute for asking the questions in this episode. Most of these are self-listed, and MAPS and PRATI both say openly that they do not verify the credentials of the people on their lists. End of Life Psychedelic Care connector directory https://eolpc.org/international-psychedelic-connector-directory/ MAPS Psychedelic Integration List https://integration.maps.org/ PRATI, ketamine and psychedelic practitioners https://integration.maps.org/ Psychedelic Support provider network https://integration.maps.org/
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July 28 · 56 min
Standing in the Circle with Cancer week 3: Researchers Katherine MacLean and Yvan Beaussant
Katherine was a guide in the early psilocybin trials at Johns Hopkins. Yvan Beaussant is a palliative care physician in Boston. We talk about the circles of care that hold people through serious illness and through losing someone. Katherine MacLean: https://www.katherinemaclean.org Midnight Water: https://www.katherinemaclean.org/midnight-water Being Ground, the forest sanctuary in Vermont: https://www.katherinemaclean.org/being-ground Yvan Beaussant: https://www.dana-farber.org/find-a-doctor/yvan-beaussant Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies: https://labs.dana-farber.org/psychedelics The Watts Connectedness Scale: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-022-06187-5 ACER runs free live drop in sessions online: join us, you don't have to say anything, you can just listen: https://acerintegration.com/acer-live-events ACER applications https://acerintegration.com/apply-now Submit a question: https://forms.gle/jVcGniTN3uS1bjz18 Looking for a trial in your area: https://clinicaltrials.gov (US), https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk (UK), https://www.anzctr.org.au (AUS) UK: Macmillan Cancer Support, https://www.macmillan.org.uk, Marie Curie, https://www.mariecurie.org.uk, Cruse Bereavement Support, https://www.cruse.org.uk US: CancerCare, https://www.cancercare.org If you are in crisis: Samaritans 116 123 or text SHOUT to 85258 (UK). Call or text 988 (US).
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July 22 · 1 hr 6 min
Standing in the Circle with Cancer week 2: ACER members Rebekah and Kim
We explore connectedness as medicine across 3 levels: connection to self, to others, and to the living world. In this episode we meet two members of the ACER community with two different paths and a shared truth: we are not meant to carry these things alone. Support: For families caring for a child with cancer: US: Momcology, peer support built by and for caregivers, momcology.org. UK: Young Lives vs Cancer, younglivesvscancer.org.uk. Childhood Cancer Parents Alliance, ccpa.org.uk. For anyone bereaved by suicide: UK: Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide helpline 0300 111 5065. Suicide&Co, suicideandco.org. US: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention loss resources, afsp.org/ive-lost-someone. Alliance of Hope, allianceofhope.org. For families grieving a child UK: The Compassionate Friends, 0345 123 2304. Child Death Helpline, 0800 282 986. US: The Dougy Center, dougy.org. If you are in crisis right now: UK, Samaritans 116 123. US, Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call or text 988. ACER Integration is a year-long community for people who want to heal in connection, not isolation. https://acerintegration.com/ To submit a question for the podcast https://forms.gle/jVcGniTN3uS1bjz18 Mentioned in this episode: Rebekah trained in psychedelic-assisted therapy with the Integrative Psychiatry Institute (IPI). More at integrativepsychiatryinstitute.com. Kim took part in a registered psilocybin clinical trial. Anyone wanting to understand what trials are open and where can search by condition and location: US, clinicaltrials.gov. UK, Be Part of Research, bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk. Australia and New Zealand anzctr.org.au. Legal, supervised psilocybin therapy in the US is currently available only through licensed programs in OR and CO, with NM expected to follow. Everywhere else, access remains within research trials.
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July 14 · 50 min
Standing in the Circle with Cancer week 1: Ros and Amelia
Nearly 1 in 2 of us in the UK will face cancer in our lifetime. This month, Dr Rosalind Watts opens the territory of cancer, not the medicine, but the loneliness, the fear, the missing village, and the connection that can hold us through it. In this first episode, Ros sets out the ground for the month and shares a personal story. Her cousin Tom was diagnosed with a rare cancer at ten and died at 13. His mother, Ros's aunt Amelia, speaks about walking him through it, the night he died, the community that held her, and a connection to him that has never ended. Please note: this episode holds the story of a child who died of cancer. If you have lost a child or are going through serious illness with someone you love, please go gently and see the support resources below. Amelia's shared crossing Witnessing part of Tom's journey as he died is what researchers call a shared death experience. Her account is part of the work of the Shared Crossing Project, founded by William Peters, whose book is At Heaven's Door (2022): https://www.sharedcrossing.com The prayer Ros mentions: The reimagined feminine Hail Mary comes from Way of the Rose, by Perdita Finn and Clark Strand and the community they founded: https://wayoftherose.org. The words Ros says are her own remembered version. References UK lifetime risk (Cancer Research UK): https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics The Watts Connectedness Scale (2022): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-022-06187-5 Psilocybin for cancer distress, 2016 trials: Johns Hopkins, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0269881116675513, and NYU, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5367551/ MD Anderson psilocybin nerve-damage trial: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07227909 Katherine MacLean's Being Ground: https://www.katherinemaclean.org Support lines Cruse Bereavement Support (UK): 0808 808 1677. The Compassionate Friends, for bereaved parents (UK and US): tcf.org.uk, compassionatefriends.org. Macmillan Cancer Support (UK): 0808 808 00 00. CancerCare bereavement counselling (US): 1-800-813-4673. In crisis: Samaritans (UK) 116 123. In the US, call or text 988. ACER Integration: https://acerintegration.com/ Submit a question for the Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/jVcGniTN3uS1bjz18 Next week: Ros is in conversation with ACER members Rebekah, who is living with metastatic breast cancer, and Kim, whose son survived cancer. Both describe psychedelic experiences that helped them find connection in the hardest times.
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July 6 · 43 min
The Care That Makes the Medicine Work | #4, Month 1 Topic: Psychedelics for Depression
Michelle Baker-Jones is a relational psychotherapist and psychedelic guide who worked alongside Ros on the first Imperial psilocybin-for-depression trial. In this conversation: attachment, friendship and loss, the wounded healer, what's being lost as psychedelic therapy scales, and finding sanctuary in trees. The trials & the film Magic Medicine (2018, dir. Monty Wates)- the documentary following the 1st Imperial psilocybin-for-depression trial: magicmedicine.net · Netflix The Watts Connectedness Scale: overview and manual: drrosalindwatts.com/watts-connectedness-scale · validation paper (Watts et al., Psychopharmacology, 2022): link.springer.com The ACE model: the prep-and-integration approach Michelle refers to building on (Watts & Luoma, 2020) and access to 'pearl dive' the visualisation made from the ACE model- to prepare for a psychedelic experience: https://www.drrosalindwatts.com/pearl-dive Ideas & terms we mentioned IFS (Internal Family Systems): therapeutic model developed by Richard Schwartz: ifs-institute.com Attachment styles: Bowlby's four patterns and the Adult Attachment Interview The wounded healer: the Jungian archetype Michelle names. Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner & Richard Alpert, The Psychedelic Experience (1964) Druidry: the Bardic and Ovate training Michelle is undertaking, through the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD) https://druidry.org/ The wider context Trump's executive order on psychedelic therapy (18 April 2026), which Ros references alongside concurrent healthcare cuts: White House order · plain-English explainer: TIME ACER & staying connected ACER Integration: https://acerintegration.com/ Submit a question for a future Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/JgJaAjDRbowAcyWZ9 If you are living with the kind of heavy depression Ruth describes, you do not have to sit in it alone. Samaritans volunteers are there any time. In the UK, call 116 123. In the US, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
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June 29 · 1 hr
Ruth: The Spiral, Not the Straight Line | #3, Month 1 Topic: Psychedelics For Depression
What does healing actually look like in the years after a psychedelic experience? Not a straight line, but a spiral. In this first guest episode, Dr Rosalind Watts is in conversation with Ruth, who took part in a psilocybin-for-depression trial and has spent the years since walking the long, slow road of integration. Ruth had lived with depression for most of her adult life, and had tried most of the conventional routes, when she joined the trial in 2019. She talks about what brought her to it and the two strikingly different sessions she had: one expansive and full of light, and one that was hours of darkness and fear. But the heart of this conversation is what came after. Ruth went home weeks before COVID lockdown, with her integration circle cancelled and almost no support around her. She talks about the ACER sharing circles that grew out of that time, the somatic practices she tried (some that worked, some that made her furious), and the slow, spiralling, six-year journey since. It is an honest picture of integration as real work, and of how being witnessed by others, and witnessing them, is part of what makes an opening last. In this episode: Why Ruth chose a clinical trial over travelling abroad, and what safety made possible "This is not where you belong, you are trapped here," and finding meaning in the hard journey Tree meditations, and reconnecting with the living world Knowledge versus wisdom, and learning to use what she already had Trying somatic practices and breathwork, and letting some things not work Being witnessed, reciprocity, and not carrying the whole load alone Six years on: the ups, the downs, and the spiral References and links: The trial Ruth took part in: Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression (Carhart-Harris, Giribaldi, Watts et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2021). Free summary on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33852780. Full paper: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032994 If you're interested in taking part in a clinical trial: search current studies on ClinicalTrials.gov (https://clinicaltrials.gov) or, in the UK, the NHS "Be Part of Research" service (https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk). "Trust, let go, be open," the trial's guiding phrase, comes from psychedelic pioneer Bill Richards, in his book Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences. The Watts Connectedness Scale (Watts et al., 2022, open access): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-022-06187-5 If you are living with the kind of heavy depression Ruth describes, you do not have to sit in it alone. Samaritans volunteers are there any time. In the UK, call 116 123. In the US, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. ACER Integration: https://acerintegration.com/ Submit a question for a future Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/JgJaAjDRbowAcyWZ9 Next week: Ros is in conversation with Michelle Baker Jones, the colleague she started those pandemic sharing circles with, a therapist on multiple psychedelic trials, with her own story of disconnection and connection.
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June 22 · 31 min
When the Lights Go Out Again | #2, Month 1 Topic: Psychedelics For Depression
Psychedelic medicines can open a door. But what happens when there's nothing waiting on the other side to help you stay open? In this episode, Dr. Rosalind Watts tells the story of John, a participant in one of the first psilocybin trials for depression. Through John's story, Ros explores a question that sits at the heart of modern psychedelic care: what happens after the breakthrough? Along the way, she reflects on a major new U.S. executive order designed to accelerate access to psychedelic medicines, and the mix of hope and ethical tensions it raises. Ultimately, this episode asks a bigger question than whether we are ready for psychedelic medicines. It asks whether we are ready to build the kinds of communities that can hold all of life's threshold moments: grief, birth, loss, love, transformation, and healing. References and links: Watch Magic Medicine (dir. Monty Wates), the documentary following John and the Imperial College London psilocybin trial. Netflix (UK): https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81409016 and Prime Video. The Watts Connectedness Scale (Watts et al., 2022, Psychopharmacology, open access): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-022-06187-5 The US executive order on accelerating treatments for serious mental illness (White House, April 2026): https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-is-accelerating-medical-treatments-for-serious-mental-illness/ Jules Evans on therapists' safety and ethics concerns in psychedelic trials (Ecstatic Integration): https://www.ecstaticintegration.org/p/therapists-on-psychedelic-trials On Gabon protecting iboga (National Geographic): https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/ibogaine-pschedelic-drug-root-fair-trade-gabon Book: María Sabina: Her Life and Chants, by Álvaro Estrada Sophy Banks and Healthy Human Culture Submit a question to Ros, to be answered on a future podcast episode: https://forms.gle/JgJaAjDRbowAcyWZ9 If you are struggling: If you are in the dark place Ros describes, you do not have to sit in it alone. Samaritans volunteers are there any time. In the UK, call 116 123. In the US, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Learn more about the ACER community: https://acerintegration.com/ Connect with Dr. Rosalind Watts: https://www.drrosalindwatts.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rosalind-watts/ https://www.instagram.com/acerintegration https://medium.com/@DrRosalindWatts
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June 12 · 46 min
Introducing Stand in the Circle | #1, Month 1 Topic: Psychedelics For Depression
There's a lot to be angry about right now. But rage can't be the only thing we feel. This is a place to come for stories of people moving from disconnection to connection, numbness to feeling, isolation to belonging. In this first episode, clinical psychologist Ros Watts introduces Stand in the Circle. What it is. Where it came from. And the night she walked out in the rain and ended up with her arms around a tree. Ros tells the story of her years running one of the first clinical trials treating depression with psychedelic therapy, and the truth is: she was publishing research on connectedness while living a deeply disconnected life. The heart of the episode is the difference between the pyramid and the circle. The shape most of us were raised inside, where you climb, perform, and hide what's hard. And the shape we're learning instead, where no one stands above anyone else and the question shifts from "how am I doing" to "how are we doing." Each month on the podcast will include 4 episodes: a solo episode, a conversation with someone from the ACER community, a thinker or researcher, then your questions answered. Mentioned in this episode: ACER Integration. Free live ACER circles: https://acerintegration.com/acer-live-events To try a tree journey, come to the Introduction to ACER Integration. The Watts Connectedness Scale, on connectedness across self, others, and world: https://bit.ly/3Qe5KJK bell hooks, on healing as communion, from All About Love: New Visions (2000): https://bit.ly/44261Tb Dacher Keltner, on human contact and the nervous system: https://bit.ly/3Q8qRgx Suzanne Simard, on forests, mycorrhizal networks, and mother trees: https://bit.ly/4dZK2SQ Maria Sabina, the Mazatec medicine woman whose ceremony reached LIFE magazine without her consent. Michelle Baker Jones, who set up the first online sharing circles with Ros. If you need support: This podcast holds some tender ground, and listening can bring things up. If you are struggling, please reach out. You don't have to carry it alone. UK and Ireland: call Samaritans free, any time, on 116 123. Or text SHOUT on 85258. US: call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, free and confidential, any time, by dialing 988. You can also chat online at 988lifeline.org. Crisis Text Line is available 24/7. Text HOME to 741741. Elsewhere: please look up your local crisis line. Help is there and asking for it is a choice to stand in the circle. Connect with Dr. Rosalind Watts: https://www.drrosalindwatts.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rosalind-watts/ https://www.instagram.com/acerintegration Submit a question for a future episode: https://forms.gle/jVcGniTN3uS1bjz18 Find out more about ACER, the year-long community Ros founded: www.acerintegration.com
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