#423 - Mark A. Michaels | Uncontrolled Experiments, Psychedelic Therapy, and AI

A wide-ranging conversation about identity, therapy, psychedelics, and artificial intelligence. He shares how his own origin story shaped his understanding of narrative agency, self-knowledge, and the limits of expert systems. The discussion also digs into the promise and risks of combining EMDR, ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin, and AI in therapeutic work. MARK A. MICHAELS, a writer and conceptual artist. Mark's work examines fundamental paradigm dilemmas in both traditional psychotherapy and contemporary psychedelic therapy. In his forthcoming preprint, BINARIES, MULTITUDES, AND BEYOND, Mark focuses the lens on his own journey and uses narrative analysis and critique to explore how authority, expertise, and healing are currently defined. https://markamichaels.com/about/ Key topics In this episode, Mark Michaels explains why he calls himself an "uncontrolled experiment" and how being conceived through artificial insemination shaped his worldview. The conversation covers the secrecy and social shame around sperm donation, infertility, and the long-term effects of not knowing one's biological origins. Mark describes the eight-year process of uncovering his biological father through research and DNA testing, and how that discovery changed his sense of self. He connects that origin story to his interest in identity, narrative agency, psychotherapy, and the promises and limits of science. Mark discusses his early exposure to therapy as a child and his teenage experimentation with LSD, including an early bad trip and later renewed interest in psychedelics. The episode centers on his recent treatment program combining EMDR, ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin, and AI-assisted reflection after a severe post-divorce mental health crisis. Mark argues that ketamine-assisted EMDR can accelerate therapeutic work by making clients more open and reducing psychological defenses. He is sharply critical of therapy culture when it becomes passive, overly rigid, or unwilling to share power with clients. The conversation examines the shortcomings of therapist training, especially when practitioners cling to one modality and fail to support client-led exploration. Mark and the hosts discuss the "wild west" state of psychedelic therapy, including concerns about over-medicalization, bad actors, and unregulated practice. The AI section focuses on both usefulness and danger, including hallucinated facts, false confidence, "kissing my butt" responses, and the risk of reinforcing poor psychological ideas. Mark explains that AI is best used as a high-speed organizer and drafting tool, but only if the user already has enough subject knowledge to challenge errors. The episode closes with Mark encouraging people in crisis to get help, evaluate whether therapy is actually working, and seek support rather than enduring alone.   To gain access to the second half of show and our Plus feed for audio and podcast please clink the link http://www.grimericaoutlawed.ca/support. For second half of video (when applicable and audio) go to our Substack and Subscribe. https://grimericaoutlawed.substack.com/ or to our Locals  https://grimericaoutlawed.locals.com/ or Patreon https://www.patreon.com/grimericaoutlawed   Support the show directly: https://open.spotify.com/show/2punSyd9Cw76ZtvHxMKenI?si=ImKxfMHgQZ-oshl499O4dQ&nd=1&dlsi=4c25fa9c78674de3 Watch or Listen on Spotify https://www.simulationmaps.com/#products Disaster Maps, Volcano Sim, Asteroid Sim, Shipwreck Map, UFO Map etc https://grimericacbd.com/ CBD / THC Tinctures and Gummies https://grimerica.ca/support-2/ Our Adultbrain Audiobook Podcast and Website: www.adultbrain.ca Check out our next trip/conference/meetup - Contact at the Cabin www.contactatthecabin.com Join the chat / hangout with a bunch of fellow Grimericans  Https://t.me.grimerica grimerica.ca/chats   Discord Chats Darren's books www.acanadianshame.ca Sign up for our newsletter http://www.grimerica.ca/news InstaGRAM https://www.instagram.com/the_grimerica_show_podc