Shows
Science of Perception BoxPsychedelics and the Placebo Effect with Dr. Boris HeifetsCan psychedelics under anesthesia heal trauma? What is the latest research around ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin? That’s part of what we explore this week on Science of Perception Box. Stanford anesthesiologist Dr. Boris Heifets joins Dr. Heather Berlin and Dr. Christoph Koch to discuss the latest research on the first double-blind study on Ketamine, the placebo effect, and the therapeutic value of anesthesia-induced dreams.Dr. Boris Heifets, MD, PhD, is a board certified anesthesiologist who specializes in providing anesthesia for neurological surgery. He has practiced at Stanford since 2010. After completing residency training at St...2025-03-1348 min
From Our Neurons to YoursThe power of psychedelics meets the power of placebo: ketamine, opioids, and hope in depression treatment | Boris Heifets & Theresa LiiJoin us as we dive back into the world of psychedelic medicine with anesthesiologists Boris Heifets and Theresa Lii, who share intriguing new data that sheds light on how ketamine and placebo effects may interact in treating depression.We explore provocative questions like: How much of ketamine's antidepressant effect comes from the drug itself versus the excitement of being in a psychedelics trial? What do we know about how placebo actually works in the brain? And should we view the placebo effect as a feature rather than a bug in psychiatric treatment?Join us as...2024-11-2135 min
UnexplainableAre psychedelics breaking science?Drugs like ecstasy and mushrooms have shown promise as mental health treatments, but they’re also exposing some major cracks in how scientists study the brain.Guests: Jonathan Lambert, science journalist; Boris Heifets, professor at Stanford University of Medicine; Amy Mcguire, professor at Baylor College of MedicineFor show transcripts, go to vox.com/unxtranscriptsFor more, go to vox.com/unexplainableAnd please email us! unexplainable@vox.comWe read every email.Support Unexplainable by becoming a Vox Member today: vox.com/members ...2024-10-2324 min
Shine Without ShamePsychoactive Drugs and Mental Health: Trends, Research & Lifestyle Pt 2Part 2: Sam Vaillancourt is currently an academic researcher in the lab of Boris Heifets at Stanford Medicine. In lab, he studies how MDMA, ketamine, and psilocybin can be harnessed as therapeutics for brain disorders like depression and PTSD.Sam and I discuss his research with psychoactive drugs in clinical and therapeutic settings as potential tools that may benefit mental health. We also talk about the possible trends of psychoactive drug use outside of supervised settings and the risks involved. In part 2 of this conversation, we continue exploring how everyday lifestyle choices can play a role in metal he...2024-09-0531 min
Psychedelic Brain ScienceWhat is a psychedelic? ft. Boris HeifetsIn this episode, Alaina discusses the evolving language about some of our favorite substances and how we got to the term psychedelic. In the first segment, she highlights some historical names for psychedelic substances in western medicine. In the second segment, she is joined by Stanford anesthesiologist and psychedelic researcher Dr. Boris Heifets to discuss how the scientific field classifies compounds as psychedelic and how to make sense of the psychedelic experience.
For more on Dr. Heifets research:
https://heifetslab.stanford.edu/publications/
For more on the...2024-09-021h 03Shine Without ShamePsychoactive Drugs and Mental Health: Trends, Research & Lifestyle Pt 1Part 1: Sam Vaillancourt is currently an academic researcher in the lab of Boris Heifets at Stanford Medicine. In lab, he studies how MDMA, ketamine, and psilocybin can be harnessed as therapeutics for brain disorders like depression and PTSD.Sam and I discuss his research with psychoactive drugs in clinical and therapeutic settings as potential tools that may benefit mental health. We also talk about the possible trends of psychoactive drug use outside of supervised settings and the risks involved. In part 1 of this conversation, we begin to explore how everyday lifestyle choices can play a role in me...2024-08-2935 min
Mind & MatterPsychedelics, Consciousness, Mental Health & the Entropic Brain | Robin Carhart-Harris | 173Send us a textAbout the guest: Robin Carhart-Harris, PhD is a neuroscientist & psychopharmacologist. His lab at the University of California-San Francisco studies the effects of psychedelics and other drugs on the human brain, using neuroimaging and other approaches.Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Carhart-Harris discuss: psychedelics & the human brain; functional connectivity & entropy in brain patterns; the “entropic brain” hypothesis of psychedelic drug action; psychiatry & depression; psychology, Carl Jung & Sigmund Freud; the FDA’s rejection of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD; latest research on psychedelics; and more.Related episode:...2024-08-241h 57
Mind & MatterPsychedelics, Consciousness, Psychiatry, Psychology, Mental Health & the Entropic Brain Hypothesis | Robin Carhart-Harris | #173About the guest: Robin Carhart-Harris, PhD is a neuroscientist & psychopharmacologist. His lab at the University of California-San Francisco studies the effects of psychedelics and other drugs on the human brain, using neuroimaging and other approaches.Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Carhart-Harris discuss: psychedelics & the human brain; functional connectivity & entropy in brain patterns; the “entropic brain” hypothesis of psychedelic drug action; psychiatry & depression; psychology, Carl Jung & Sigmund Freud; the FDA’s rejection of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD; latest research on psychedelics; and more.*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice.Related episod...2024-08-211h 57
Anxiety My Friend - Ansiedade Minha AmigaPsychedelic Experiences - INTRO“Discomfort is the price of admission to a meaningful life”, Susan David
This introductory episode is about the new mini-series, which explores psychedelic experiences.
People:
Links:
Gary Stix's article, focussing on the work of Boris D. Heifets and others
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-makes-a-psychedelic-experience-not-always-a-drug-it-turns-out/
Mindbloom
https://www.mindbloom.com/blog/what-is-a-psychedelic-experience
2024-08-1317 min
Psychiatry TomorrowWill the FDA Approve MDMA-AT?: Experts Weigh InIn this episode of Psychiatry Tomorrow, Dr. Carlene MacMillan hosts a panel of experts to discuss the FDA's pending decision on MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. The conversation explores the current landscape of clinical enthusiasm and regulatory caution, key challenges facing approval, and potential regulatory requirements. Panelists Dr. Owen Muir, Dr. Boris Heifets, and Andrew Penn share their insights on functional unblinding in clinical trials, safety monitoring, and provider qualifications. The episode concludes with a look at the future of psychedelic medicine and the potential impact of the FDA's decision on mental health treatment.
Brought to you...2024-08-0157 min
BestBehaviorBoris Heifets on Psychedelics and Discovery in life and medicinePsychedelics! listen to know more2024-06-2736 min
Mind & MatterAnesthesia, Placebo Effects, Consciousness, Subjectivity, MDMA, Ketamine, Opioids, Psychedelics | Boris Heifets | #163About the guest: Boris Heifets, MD, PhD is an anesthesiologist and researcher at Stanford University. His lab studies non-ordinary states of consciousness and psychoactive drugs like MDMA, ketamine, and psychedelics.Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Heifets discuss: anesthesia and how anesthetics work; placebo effects & expectations in clinical research; ketamine as an antidepressant, anesthetic, and recreational drug; the subjective effects of psychedelics and other drugs; MDMA and Lykos Therapeutics’ attempts to gain FDA approval for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy; opioids & placebo effects; and more.Related episodes:* How Does Ketamine Work & Is It Addictive? | Christian Lüscher | #90* Con...2024-06-221h 44
Mind & MatterAnesthesia, Placebo Effects, Consciousness, Subjectivity, MDMA, Ketamine, Opioids, Psychedelics | Boris Heifets | 163Send us a textAbout the guest: Boris Heifets, MD, PhD is an anesthesiologist and researcher at Stanford University. His lab studies non-ordinary states of consciousness and psychoactive drugs like MDMA, ketamine, and psychedelics.Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Heifets discuss: anesthesia and how anesthetics work; placebo effects & expectations in clinical research; ketamine as an antidepressant, anesthetic, and recreational drug; the subjective effects of psychedelics and other drugs; MDMA and Lykos Therapeutics’ attempts to gain FDA approval for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy; opioids & placebo effects; and more.Related episodes:...2024-06-221h 44From Our Neurons to YoursPsychedelics Part 2: How do drugs alter our perceptions? | Boris HeifetsToday, we're going to talk about how psychedelics alter our perception of reality and what that says about... reality! Welcome to part two of our conversation with Stanford anesthesiologist and psychedelics researcher Boris Heifets! Last time, we talked with Boris about the question of why psychedelics help people with mental health disorders. This week, we're going to dive into a different question, which is to explore how psychedelics work in the brain. How are they able to alter something as fundamental as our perceptions of reality — and could understanding these effects tea...2024-05-0923 minFrom Our Neurons to YoursPsychedelics, placebo, and anesthetic dreams | Boris Heifets (part 1)Psychedelics are a hot topic in psychiatry today. They’re producing dramatic reversals for patients with severe depression, PTSD, and other mental health conditions. But scientists still have fundamental questions about why these drugs are so effective. For example, is the "trip" even necessary? Some think it is not and are working to design drugs with similar brain chemistry but no psychoactive effects — “Taking the trip out of the drug.” Others suspect that many of the benefits of psychedelics can be attributed to hype and expectation: People expect to get better, so they do. ...2024-05-0230 min
Plain English with Derek ThompsonThe Truth About Ketamine: Depression Cure, Health Fad, or Placebo?One week ago, Matthew Perry’s autopsy report came back, finding that the ‘Friends’ actor died from the acute effects of ketamine overdose. His death has sharpened focus on the popular and controversial drug. Ketamine has been hailed as a miracle cure for depression and anxiety, criticized as a VC-fueled fad, and investigated as a placebo. But what is ketamine, what is its history, what do we know about how and why it works, and how could it help hundreds of millions of people with depression and anxiety? Today’s guest is Boris Heifets. He is an assistant professor of anest...2023-12-2243 min
Business TripAre psychedelics effective under anesthesia?: Boris Heifets (Stanford pt 2)Stanford University is one of the leading universities in psychedelic science, focusing on understanding how psychedelics work in the body. This is part 2 of a 3-part series, where we will explore groundbreaking discoveries via leading Stanford researchers who are revealing the significance of psychedelic science in modern research. We continue with Boris Heifets.Boris Heifets, an assistant professor at Stanford's School of Medicine. Boris leads the Heifets Lab, which is dedicated to understanding and improving on powerful, rapid-acting therapies for psychiatric disease, such as ketamine, MDMA and psilocybin. Boris is an anesthesiologist and n...2023-08-1737 min
Psychiatry TomorrowPlacebos & Psychedelics: Assessing Efficacy with Dr. Boris HeifetsThe "placebo effect" gets a bad rap. The human mind is a powerful thing, capable of incredible feats of healing and transformation. Nowhere is this more evident than in the world of psychedelic research. Dr. Boris Heifets has spent years studying the neurobiological underpinnings of these compounds, but he knows that their true power lies in something much deeper. In this interview, Dr. Boris Heifets discusses:•His efforts to understand the neurobiological underpinnings of psychedelics, and how that translates to the future of psychiatry•The healing power of suggestion (and an amazi...2023-05-1136 min
NeuwriteWestBrains and Bourbon Ep8 The Anesthesiology and the EcstasyThis week on Brains and Bourbon, we chat with Boris Heifets about anesthesia and the brain, treating Parkinson's disease with electrical stimulation, and why taking ecstasy might be a good idea if you suffer from depression*.
Dr. Heifets is an anesthesiologist at Stanford Hospital, as well as a postdoctoral researcher in Rob Malenka's lab.
*And you do it in your doctor's office.2014-05-211h 02