In this episode of the Meadow Podcast, hosts Mike Townsend and Dr. Tracy Kim Townsend, MD explore stress, trauma, consciousness, and human potential through a grounded lens. They unpack how modern life keeps us stuck in chronic stress states, why our nervous systems become dysregulated, and how our relationship to pain, identity, and meaning shapes our experience of suffering.

They discuss the difference between pain and suffering, how trauma lives in the nervous system, and why many of our modern stressors are psychological rather than physical. Mike and Tracy also explore dopamine, addiction loops, and the “Plenty Paradox” — why having more can sometimes leave us feeling worse — and how seeking challenge and discomfort may be key to recalibrating our system.

The conversation expands into psychedelics as a tool for identity-level change, how psilocybin may support both mental and physical healing, and why these experiences can act as catalysts for reconnecting with awareness, purpose, and deeper consciousness. They also reflect on spirituality, ego dissolution, and the conditions that lead people toward profound transformation.

If you’re curious about trauma healing, stress regulation, consciousness, or how psychedelics and intentional practices can unlock human potential, this episode offers a thought-provoking and expansive conversation.

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References & Suggested Reading / Listening:
→ Waking Up App — meditation and mindfulness guidance by Sam Harris
→ The Body Keeps the Score — by Bessel van der Kolk
→ Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma — by Peter A. Levine
→ Dopamine Nation — by Dr. Anna Lembke (explores dopamine regulation and the “Plenty Paradox”)
→ Works by Gabor Maté on trauma, stress, and mind-body health

Dr. Tracy Kim Townsend, M.D., is a licensed medical doctor and licensed psilocybin facilitator, and the Co-Founder of Meadow Medicine, a doctor-led psilocybin service center based in Portland, Oregon.

Meadow provides legal, medically informed psilocybin services for adults seeking healing support for depression, anxiety, burnout, PTSD, substance abuse, grief processing, and life transitions. Our programs combine rigorous safety screening, structured preparation, guided journey sessions, and integration support to help clients unlock meaningful, sustained change.

If you’re interested in learning more about legal psilocybin services, visit:
👉 https://www.meadowmedicine.org


Subscribe for more down-to-earth education about psychedelics.

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Disclaimer: This channel is for educational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. Psilocybin services are currently legal in Oregon under state regulation. Always consult your own healthcare provider before making decisions about medications or mental health treatment.

In this episode of the Meadow Podcast, hosts Mike Townsend and Dr. Tracy Kim Townsend, MD explore anxiety, depression, trauma, meditation, and consciousness with a grounded and human perspective. They unpack why our minds get stuck in fear and rumination — future‑focused anxiety and past‑focused depressive patterns — and how we can cultivate presence and healing through mindful practices.

They discuss how meditation helps interrupt thought spirals, why trauma shapes core beliefs and nervous system states, the difference between PTSD and complex PTSD, and how psychedelic experiences can catalyze deep psychological and spiritual repair. Mike and Tracy also touch on meditation practice beyond benefits, the blend of Western and Eastern psychological and spiritual wisdom, and how expanding awareness transforms everyday life.

If you’re curious about meditation as a skill, trauma healing, or how meditation and psychedelics support emotional integration and resilience, this episode offers a clear and deeply reflective conversation.

References & Suggested Reading / Listening:

→ Waking Up with Sam Harris — meditation app and secular spirituality guidance by Sam Harris, including instruction on mindfulness and understanding the nature of mind.

→ The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma — by Bessel van der Kolk, on trauma’s effects and recovery.

→ Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma — by Peter A. Levine, on how trauma manifests in the body and pathways toward release.

→ When The Body Says No and other works by Gabor Maté — exploration of stress, trauma, and mind‑body health.

#MeadowMedicine #Meditation #PsychedelicHealing #TraumaHealing #Anxiety #Depression #Consciousness #Mindfulness

Dr. Tracy Kim Townsend, M.D., is a licensed medical doctor and licensed psilocybin facilitator, and the Co-Founder of Meadow Medicine, a doctor-led psilocybin service center based in Portland, Oregon.

Meadow provides legal, medically informed psilocybin services for adults seeking healing support for depression, anxiety, burnout, PTSD, substance abuse, grief processing, and life transitions. Our programs combine rigorous safety screening, structured preparation, guided journey sessions, and integration support to help clients unlock meaningful, sustained change.

If you’re interested in learning more about legal psilocybin services, visit:
👉 https://www.meadowmedicine.org


Subscribe for more down-to-earth education about psychedelics.

—

Disclaimer: This channel is for educational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. Psilocybin services are currently legal in Oregon under state regulation. Always consult your own healthcare provider before making decisions about medications or mental health treatment.

In this episode of the Meadow Podcast, Dr. Tracy Kim Townsend, MD and Mike Townsend share a behind-the-scenes look at Meadow’s recent growth, evolving systems, and the philosophy guiding their work. From expanding their physical space to building a mission-driven team, they reflect on what it really takes to scale a legal psilocybin service center while staying grounded in care, safety, and integrity.

They explore the importance of letting go of perfectionism, especially in entrepreneurship and content creation, and how embracing iteration allows for real progress. Tracy and Mike also break down Meadow’s client journey—from consultations and screening to personalized health intake reviews—highlighting how technology and human expertise work together to create a safe and supportive experience.

The conversation also introduces Meadow Med School, a new learning platform designed to support clients through preparation, integration, and community connection. To close, Tracy offers a primer on complex PTSD, explaining how it differs from traditional PTSD, how it develops, and why it’s becoming more widely recognized. She shares how psychedelic work may help address deeply rooted patterns by working not just with the mind, but the nervous system as a whole.

If you’re curious about how a modern psychedelic service center operates, how safety and screening are handled, or how trauma healing fits into a broader path of personal growth, this episode offers a transparent and insightful look inside Meadow.

00:00 Introduction
01:12 Letting Go of Perfection
03:17 Center Growth Updates
04:27 New Spaces Ready
05:03 Meet the New Team
05:15 Consultations and Screening
08:41 Tech and AI Tools
10:26 Health Intake Safety System
13:50 Meadow Med School Launch
16:32 Complex PTSD Primer and Wrap

Dr. Tracy Kim Townsend, M.D., is a licensed medical doctor and licensed psilocybin facilitator, and the Co-Founder of Meadow Medicine, a doctor-led psilocybin service center based in Portland, Oregon.

Meadow provides legal, medically informed psilocybin services for adults seeking healing support for depression, anxiety, burnout, PTSD, substance abuse, grief processing, and life transitions. Our programs combine rigorous safety screening, structured preparation, guided journey sessions, and integration support to help clients unlock meaningful, sustained change.

If you’re interested in learning more about legal psilocybin services, visit:
👉 https://www.meadowmedicine.org


Subscribe for more down-to-earth education about psychedelics.

—

Disclaimer: This channel is for educational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. Psilocybin services are currently legal in Oregon under state regulation. Always consult your own healthcare provider before making decisions about medications or mental health treatment.

In this episode of the Meadow Podcast, host Dr. Tracy Kim Townsend, MD sits down with Ayahuasca Curandera Tatiana Aya Tupinambá to explore the deeper meaning of medicine, healing, and humanity’s relationship with nature. Tatiana shares her powerful journey from growing up in the Amazon jungle to navigating trauma, addiction, and depression — and ultimately returning to the jungle to train in traditional ayahuasca practice.

They discuss what ayahuasca is, how indigenous traditions understand ceremony, and why healing is not about quick fixes but about remembering our essence. Tatiana explains the rigorous training process of plant dieting, the importance of integrity in facilitators, and how community ceremony creates connection between people, nature, and spirit.

If you’re curious about ayahuasca, traditional plant medicine training, or how psychedelic healing fits into a broader path of self-awareness and transformation, this episode offers a grounded and deeply human perspective.

Dr. Tracy Kim Townsend, M.D., is a licensed medical doctor and licensed psilocybin facilitator, and the Co-Founder of Meadow Medicine, a doctor-led psilocybin service center based in Portland, Oregon.

Meadow provides legal, medically informed psilocybin services for adults seeking healing support for depression, anxiety, burnout, PTSD, substance abuse, grief processing, and life transitions. Our programs combine rigorous safety screening, structured preparation, guided journey sessions, and integration support to help clients unlock meaningful, sustained change.

If you’re interested in learning more about legal psilocybin services, visit:
👉 https://www.meadowmedicine.org


Subscribe for more down-to-earth education about psychedelics.

—

Disclaimer: This channel is for educational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. Psilocybin services are currently legal in Oregon under state regulation. Always consult your own healthcare provider before making decisions about medications or mental health treatment.

In this episode of the Meadow Podcast, host Mike Townsend sits down with psilocybin facilitator and lifelong Buddhist Michael Kelly to explore how psychedelic therapy can guide people through major life transitions—from career changes and divorce to facing the end of life with peace and presence.

Michael shares his personal journey from decades in the tech industry to becoming a trauma-informed facilitator, highlighting how psilocybin helped him release medical PTSD and rediscover meaning through mindfulness and connection. Together, they discuss how psilocybin therapy can complement traditional therapy, support spiritual growth, and offer profound insights into death, ego, and what it means to truly let go.

If you’re curious about psilocybin as a catalyst for personal transformation, emotional healing, or spiritual exploration, this episode offers a grounded and deeply human perspective on the medicine’s potential.

Dr. Tracy Kim Townsend, M.D., is a licensed medical doctor and licensed psilocybin facilitator, and the Co-Founder of Meadow Medicine, a doctor-led psilocybin service center based in Portland, Oregon.

Meadow provides legal, medically informed psilocybin services for adults seeking healing support for depression, anxiety, burnout, PTSD, substance abuse, grief processing, and life transitions. Our programs combine rigorous safety screening, structured preparation, guided journey sessions, and integration support to help clients unlock meaningful, sustained change.

If you’re interested in learning more about legal psilocybin services, visit:
👉 https://www.meadowmedicine.org


Subscribe for more down-to-earth education about psychedelics.

—

Disclaimer: This channel is for educational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. Psilocybin services are currently legal in Oregon under state regulation. Always consult your own healthcare provider before making decisions about medications or mental health treatment.

In this episode of the Meadow Podcast, host Mike Townsend sits down with psilocybin facilitator and trauma-informed guide Nitai Aleksiewicz to discuss the healing power of psychedelics. Nitai shares his journey from working with trauma survivors to becoming a psilocybin retreat facilitator, highlighting how grief, loss, and resilience shaped his path.

They explore the essential role of psilocybin therapy in Oregon, how to prepare for a psychedelic journey, and why integration practices are crucial for long-term transformation. Nitai breaks down how facilitators create safe and supportive environments for those seeking healing from trauma, depression, anxiety, and grief.

If you’re curious about legal psilocybin therapy in Oregon, how to approach psychedelics responsibly, or the deeper philosophy of healing and integration, this episode is for you.

→ Download our free dosing guide: https://meadowmedicine.org/dosing-guide/
→ Apply for psilocybin services at: https://meadowmedicine.org

In this episode, Mike sits down with Andrew Conley, cofounder of Althea, to explore what it takes to build a psychedelic startup. Althea’s software powers much of the psilocybin services sector, and together they discuss the business of psychedelics along with the political and economic forces shaping society and drug policy.

📚 Books & Thinkers Referenced

• The Lessons of History by Will & Ariel Durant
• Principles by Ray Dalio
• The Changing World Order by Ray Dalio
• Judy Faulkner (founder of Epic Systems)
• Rick Doblin (MAPS, early MDMA research)
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (environmental law, psychedelics)
• Bill Gates (Microsoft, antitrust reflections)
• Elon Musk (entrepreneur, political influence)
• Mitt Romney (healthcare reforms in Massachusetts)

Althea - Psychedelic Care Navigation
https://withalthea.com/

Dr. Tracy Kim Townsend, M.D., is a licensed medical doctor and licensed psilocybin facilitator, and the Co-Founder of Meadow Medicine, a doctor-led psilocybin service center based in Portland, Oregon.

Meadow provides legal, medically informed psilocybin services for adults seeking healing support for depression, anxiety, burnout, PTSD, substance abuse, grief processing, and life transitions. Our programs combine rigorous safety screening, structured preparation, guided journey sessions, and integration support to help clients unlock meaningful, sustained change.

If you’re interested in learning more about legal psilocybin services, visit:
👉 https://www.meadowmedicine.org


Subscribe for more down-to-earth education about psychedelics.

—

Disclaimer: This channel is for educational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. Psilocybin services are currently legal in Oregon under state regulation. Always consult your own healthcare provider before making decisions about medications or mental health treatment.

In this episode, we dive into one of the most important topics for anyone considering psychedelic therapy: SSRI tapering.

Dr. Tracy Townsend (Harvard-trained orthopedic surgeon, now psilocybin facilitator and co-founder of Meadow Medicine) and Mike Townsend explore what it really takes to safely reduce or discontinue antidepressants before a psychedelic journey.

You’ll learn about:
• Why tapering is essential before macrodosing
• How micro-dosing can be helpful for SSRI tapering
• The challenges people face when reducing antidepressants
• What the science and our clinical experience tell us

Whether you’re preparing for psychedelic therapy, supporting someone who is, or simply want to understand this growing field better, this conversation will give you practical insights and guidance.

📍 Learn more at: https://meadowmedicine.org

→ Download our free dosing guide: https://meadowmedicine.org/dosing-guide/
→ Apply for psilocybin services at: https://meadowmedicine.org