Dear friends and neighbors,
My interview with Police Officer Sarko Gergerian was illuminating for many reasons. It was comforting to hear that police departments are offering counseling to officers who have witnessed horrendous events, and it was encouraging to discover that police were considering using MDMA and other psychedelics for treatment for PTSD and depression. I came away with more compassion and empathy for the personal lives of first responders, and hope you will too.
Please watch, read, or listen to the interview, and let me know what you think in the comments.
Wishing you Golden Light,
Dr. Richard Louis Miller
Further Reading:
Transcript
Dr. Richard Louis Miller: The following program, Mind Body Health & Politics, is brought to you by our Mind Body Health & Politics team. We produce this program, as well as books. The first one was Psychedelic Medicine and the one that just came out last night is called Psychedelic Wisdom. We also do lectures from time to time. Please go to our website, take a look over the archives, and become a subscriber. We'd love to have you as part of our psychedelic and Mind Body Health & Politics communities.
Welcome to Mind Body Health & Politics. I'm your host, Dr. Richard Louis Miller.
The mission of Mind Body Health & Politics is to enhance your physical and psychological wellbeing and to encourage community. I say encourage community because I believe that human beings are friendly, tribal animals. When we associate with one another in small enough groups where we know each one by name, or at least by face, we are cooperative and collaborative.
However, we must acknowledge that there is a small percentage of humans who are dangerous predators, and when they organize in tiny groups, they are very dangerous to the rest of us. We must be forever mindful so that we maintain our democracy and our republic and do not allow ourselves to ever go back to being subjects, but always remain as citizens. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.
The first working police officer in the United States to earn the certified addiction recovery coach credential—Police Lieutenant Sarko Gergerian
Dr. Richard Louis Miller: Today, on Mind Body Health & Politics, it's my privilege to be interviewing Sarko Gergerian. He is the first working police officer in the United States to earn the certified addiction recovery coach credential from the commonwealth of Massachusetts.
He also has a lot of other credentials, so many that we're going to begin the interview by asking him to tell us about some of them. Welcome to Mind Body Health & Politics, Sarko.
Sarko Gergerian: Thank you so much, Dr. Miller. It's my pleasure to be here.
Dr. Richard Louis Miller: As I said in the brief introduction, you've got a lot of credentials. Tell us about some of the other things that you're certified in. I know you're certified with MAPS—the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies—which was founded by my dear friend, Rick Doblin. Give us a summary of some of your credentials.
Sarko Gergerian: I always start off by saying that I have the privilege to work in my community as a police lieutenant by day. Nights and weekends, I work as a psychotherapist, primarily with adults.
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