Ryan Meeks: Cancer and Psychedelics Burn Away Everything But Love
What do we learn about love through cancer and psychedelic journeys? And what if psychedelic medicines could help you find meaning without needing religion to justify it?
In this episode, we speak with Ryan Meeks, founder of Nautilus Integration and author of "Life is a Gift, Love is the Point." Ryan spent sixteen years as a megachurch pastor before his 2017 Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis accelerated his departure from Christianity and opened him to psychedelic healing. He now guides people through integration while emphasizing fitness, embodiment, and relationships.
Ryan and I explore cancer as purifying fire that burns away everything inessential, leaving only what matters. We discuss how psychedelics delivered what religion promised but couldn't provide, why love must be verb not just feeling, and how his pastoral skills translate to holding space during vulnerable journeys. Ryan describes the paradox of protective dissociation during cancer treatment and the challenging work of re-embodiment afterward.
Visit www.healingcancerjourneys.org and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Substack at 'healingcancerjourneys'.
How do families heal together when cancer detonates through entire family systems, leaving everyone wounded?
In this episode, we speak with Ismail Ali, co-Executive Director at MAPS and psychedelic policy architect. Ismail holds a law degree from UC Berkeley, co-founded the Psychedelic Bar Association, and has been remarkably open about his family's use of ayahuasca ceremony to process grief after his mother's death from cancer. We explore how cancer grief and psychedelic use both carry profound stigma that isolates families in their suffering, and how Ismail's family courageously gathered three generations for ceremony even though his mother had fled Colombia partly to escape drug-related violence.
We also discuss MAPS's people-centered approach across three pillars: policy advocacy including Right to Try and Freedom to Heal Act, research establishing safety and efficacy, and education translating complex information for patients and providers. After forty years, MAPS is transitioning into an orchestration role, coordinating diverse organizations while keeping actual humans at the center of every decision. Ismail reminds us that policy work can become dehumanizing and abstract, but at the end of the day, if one person gets impacted by safe legal access to psychedelic medicines, that is everything.
You can find us online at www.healingcancerjourneys.org. Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Substack at @healingcancerjourneys.
20 Feb 2026
Dr. Tony Back, University of Washington: Hope, Zen, and Psychedelics in Cancer
How do you cultivate hope that motivates you through cancer treatment without falling into magical thinking that prevents you from living in the present?
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Tony Back, palliative care physician, oncologist, psychedelic researcher and Zen practitioner. Tony explores the paradox of hope in cancer—how it can be essential for survival while simultaneously pulling us away from present-moment awareness. He offers both clinical and contemplative perspectives on healthy hope versus toxic positivity.
We also discuss Tony's strategic approach to social change, from training oncologists in difficult conversations to becoming the first physician to publicly share his psilocybin experience. His recent research on psychedelics among healthcare workers received 2,200 applications for 30 slots, revealing how psychedelic medicines might heal both patients and the doctors caring for them.
You can find us online at www.healingcancerjourneys.org (http://www.healingcancerjourneys.org) and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Substack where our handle is healingcancerjourneys.
4 Feb 2026
Jason Konner
Interview with Jason Konner
9 Dec 2025
Anne Hamilton, Survivorship Collective: Customizing Psychedelic Retreats for People Living with Cancer
Anne Hamilton of Survivorship Collective discusses customizing psychedelic retreats with a four-step process designed for cancer survivors, ensuring medical safety and emotional support in this interview.
3 Dec 2025
Dr. Linda Carlson, CAN-PACT: Building Infrastructure for Psychedelic-Assisted Cancer Therapy
Dr. Linda Carlson discusses CAN-PACT's initiative to establish research infrastructure for psychedelic-assisted cancer therapy, addressing knowledge gaps and training therapists to ensure equitable access in an interview.
16 Nov 2025
Angela Amirault, Altered Healing: Finding Your Psychedelic Medicine for Your Cancer Journey
Altered Healing founder Angela Amirault discusses navigating psychedelic medicines like cannabis, ketamine, and psilocybin for cancer patients, emphasizing safety and self-compassion in this interview with Dan.
30 Oct 2025
Ashley Lukens: Radical Remission, Psychedelic Medicine and Thriving on Cancer
Ashley Lukens, cancer thriver and Clarity Project co-founder, discusses her cancer journey, psychedelic medicine's role in healing, and the importance of psychedelic access, in an interview about reframing cancer and trusting intuition.
10 Oct 2025
Dr. Manish Agrawal, Sunstone Therapies: Healing Cancer Beyond Tumors
Dr. Manish Agrawal, Sunstone Therapies CEO, discusses how modern medicine overlooks the psychological dimensions of cancer, and explores psychedelics as a different medicine addressing meaning and connection in this interview.
19 Sept 2025
Interview with Matt Zemon
Matt Zemon discusses his cancer journey in an interview, offering insights into healing and resilience.
23 Feb 2025
My Journey: The Grim Reaper Gave Me Mushrooms
In this episode, I read my essay describing my experience with psychedelic medicines in my cancer journey. Let's journey together.
23 Feb 2025
Why I Started Healing Cancer Journeys
In this inaugural episode, we define Healing Cancer Journey's mission to provide education and community for people exploring psychedelic medicines in their cancer journeys. Let's journey together.
Who has been a guest on Healing Cancer Journeys
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Anne Hamilton
Dr Linda Carlson
Angela Amirault
Ashley Lukens
Dr Manish Agrawal
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
262
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 47 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
69
Social presence
0
YouTube
64
Engagement
0
Contact Healing Cancer Journeys
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