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 fromacerintegration.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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