A trip to Peru, a trek into the Amazonian rainforest, a life-changing encounter with a shaman and a powerful psychedelic brew: These are the ingredients of a compelling TED talk.
On Saturday, UNM research scientist Robert Rhatigan will speak at the TEDxABQ conference, sharing the story of how he conquered crippling alcoholism with the help of ayahuasca, an ancient psychoactive drink made from rainforest plants.
Rhatigan, who does research in geospatial and population studies, said his goal at the conference is to be an ambassador on the power of psychedelic plants and non-traditional therapies in the treatment of addiction.
“I want people to walk away understanding that psychedelic substances are not something that are simply drugs of abuse that people use for hedonistic reasons, recreation, whatever,” he said. “There is a very compelling body of research showing that these substances have incredible therapeutic potential.”
Five years ago, Rhatigan said he had become desperate after struggling with alcoholism for 10 years.
He had tried 12-step programs, therapy, doctors and medication, but nothing got rid of his powerful cravings for alcohol, and he was not interested in white-knuckling it for the rest of his life, he said.
“Nothing seemed to address the underlying issue,” he said. “I was looking for something that would help to remove my desire to drink, and nothing that I came across seemed to offer that.”
Then he heard about the successes of shamans in Peru who conduct traditional healing ceremonies using ayahuasca, and he decided to fly to the Amazon and give it a try.
“As a scientist, I’m sort of hesitant to share the more personal aspect of it, but there was just something calling me to give it a shot,” he said. “There was just this voice that I couldn’t ignore that was telling me to go down to the Amazon and see what happens.”
Once there, Rhatigan said, he participated in a ceremony that truly changed his life. He didn’t want to give away the whole speech before the event, but he said that the psychedelic experience began a mental process that has completely removed his desire to drink. He said that he also believes there was a biological mechanism at work, a chemical change in his brain that has ended his cravings.
“In a moment I knew exactly what had happened. My desire to drink was completely absolved,” Rhatigan said.
Aside from telling his own story, Rhatigan will discuss the research currently being done on addiction treatment using psychedelics, much of it being conducted at UNM.
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In the 1990s, Dr. Rick Strassman conducted studies at UNM on the effects of DMT, the active ingredient in ayahuasca. His research led to the book and recent documentary “DMT: The Spirit Molecule.”
Currently, Dr. Michael Bogenschutz is working at UNM, studying the treatment of alcoholics using a combination of therapy and psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms.
Rhatigan plans to highlight this groundbreaking local research, and hopes his talk will educate people on the therapeutic values of these plants, which are still much stigmatized.
“This is a potential viable means of lasting addiction recovery. It was for me, it was for others, and I just want more people to know about it, because I know how hard it is to escape the cycle of addiction,” he said.
Rhatigan said it is a huge honor to be speaking at a TED event. He had always enjoyed watching TED talks online, and he feels proud that he now has an “idea worth spreading” that will hopefully help people with their own addictions, he said.
“I think TED is a fabulous idea, it’s a great organization,” Rhatigan said. “There’s never been anything like it, where people can share their ideas in this format, just standing up on stage and talking, and where it will be on the internet for everybody in the world.”
Rhatigan said he is currently finishing a book about his experience, and hopes to find a publisher soon.
Jonathan Baca is a news editor at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com, or on Twitter @JonGabrielB.
