From Underground to FDA: Four Decades in Psychedelic Medicine

Episode 299

Raymond C Turpin, Psy.D.

In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin speaks with Dr. Raymond Turpin, a psychologist and psychedelic researcher who has been studying these medicines since 1984. Dr. Turpin shares his journey from discovering Timothy Leary's writings as a college student to founding the Pearl Psychedelic Institute in North Carolina. He discusses his experience as one of only two sites nationwide to provide MDMA-assisted therapy through the FDA's expanded access program, the profound healing he witnessed in patients with treatment-resistant PTSD, and the challenges faced after the FDA's rejection of MDMA therapy in 2024. 

Through stories of clinical breakthroughs, educational initiatives, and recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene, Dr. Turpin offers insights into the evolving landscape of psychedelic medicine and his hope for its future integration into mainstream mental healthcare.

Dr. Raymond Turpin is the Executive Director and Clinical Director of the Pearl Psychedelic Institute in western North Carolina. He has been studying and researching psychedelics since 1984 and earned his doctorate in clinical psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Dr. Turpin served as an investigator in an Expanded Access program providing MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment-resistant PTSD and has worked with ketamine-assisted therapy while providing psychedelic integration services. Since 2022, he has been a Mentor for the Certificate in Psychedelic Therapy and Research program at CIIS. His clinical experience spans psychiatric hospitals, emergency units, residential treatment facilities, schools, and community mental health clinics.