Dear Friends,
Can a person who once drank a fifth a day ever have a drink on a Saturday night?
For most of my career the answer from religion, the law, and my own profession was no. You were either clean or you were using. There was no gray.
Our guest, Dr. Andrew Tatarsky, has spent forty years working in the gray. He is a clinical psychologist in New York who developed Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy.
I invited Andrew back to Mind Body Health & Politics to put that question to him. He also tells the story of an 89-year-old woman who came to him wanting to cut back her drinking, and what happened in three sessions.
I invite you to listen to our conversation.
His book and trainings are at andrewtatarsky.com.
Below, a practice for the moment between the urge and the act.
Today’s Practice: The Pause
A simple thing to take with you from this week’s conversation.
When somebody says something, or an urge shows up, pause. Take a second. Say “give me a second” out loud if you need to.
Take it in. Consider it. There is no rush.
Then choose your response.
Do it once today and once tomorrow. Watch for your quick reactions.
Practice it for a week, and write back telling me what you caught.
Golden light,
Dr. Richard Louis Miller
Forthcoming New Book
Resources mentioned
Andrew Tatarsky — andrewtatarsky.com | Training | Harm Reduction Psychotherapy
InnerMost, New York — Casey Paleos, MD, co-founder and chief medical officer: innermost.one
Alan Marlatt — “compassionate pragmatism” (12:07); E. M. Jellinek — the disease-model progression chart (18:11)
A note on working together
I offer a small number of one-on-one sessions for those who want to work with me directly.
This is not traditional therapy. You bring whatever is troubling you, and we practice the simple tools I have used with patients for six decades — ways of quieting the mind and easing anxiety that you can carry into daily life.
We go at your pace, and we work on what helps.
My Latest Book
The Adverse Effects and Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Medicines was recently reviewed by Samuel Bendeck Sotillos in the Journal of Psychedelic Studies. I was honored by it. Read the review here.
A few words from the front of the book:
Dr. Richard Louis Miller is a true elder and wisdom keeper of the psychedelic community, and his credentials come honestly, through hard-won experience. In this book, he continues his role as an educator by sharing his knowledge of both the perils and the promise of psychedelic substances. The reader will find valuable advice on how to avoid pitfalls while realizing the maximum benefits from the thoughtful and safe use of these remarkable medicines.
— Dr. Dennis McKenna, ethnopharmacologist and author of The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss
Putting forth the adverse effects of these substances in readable form contributes to their understanding and separates psychedelic scientists from those who would cover over, or even hide, negative effects of pharmaceuticals.
— Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco
It’s the fifth book in my series on psychedelic medicine. You can find it on Amazon.
My Other Books
Freeing Sexuality: Psychologists, Consent Teachers, Polyamory Experts, and Sex Workers Speak Out
Integral Psychedelic Therapy (co-edited with Jason A. Butler & Genesee Herzberg)
Psychedelic Wisdom: The Astonishing Rewards of Mind-Altering Substances
Psychedelic Medicine: The Healing Powers of LSD, MDMA, Psilocybin, and Ayahuasca
Master Your Mind: Practical Tools to Calm Anxiety, Silence Your Inner Critic and Stop Overthinking
