My guest this episode is Dr. Paul Conti, M.D., a psychiatrist and expert in treating trauma, personality disorders and psychiatric illnesses and challenges of various kinds. Dr. Conti earned his MD at Stanford and completed his residency at Harvard Medical School. He now runs the Pacific Premiere Group—a clinical practice helping people heal and grow from trauma and other life challenges. We discuss trauma: what it is, its far-reaching effects on the mind and body and the best treatment approaches. We also explore how to choose a therapist and how to get the most out of therapy, as well as how to do self-directed therapy. We examine the positive and negative effects of antidepressants, ADHD medications, alcohol, cannabis and the therapeutic potential of psychedelics (e.g., psilocybin and LSD), ketamine and MDMA. This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking or already doing therapy, processing trauma and/or considering psychoactive medication. Both patients and practitioners ought to benefit from the information. For an up-to-date list of our current sponsors, please visit our website: https://www.hubermanlab.com/sponsors. Previous sponsors mentioned in this podcast episode may no longer be affiliated with us. Social & Website Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Twitter - https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab Website - https://hubermanlab.com Newsletter - https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network Subscribe to the Huberman Lab Podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3thCToZ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3PYzuFs Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3amI809 Other platforms: https://hubermanlab.com/follow Dr. Paul Conti Links Website: https://www.drpaulconti.com Pacific Premier Group, PC: https://www.pacificpremiergroup.com Trauma: The Invisible Epidemic: How Trauma Works and How We Can Heal From It: https://amzlink.to/az01KBLaUX3m6 Timestamps 00:00:00 Dr. Paul Conti, Trauma & Recovery 00:02:30 ROKA, InsideTracker, Blinkist 00:07:00 Defining Trauma 00:14:05 Guilt & Shame, Origins of Negative Emotions 00:21:38 Repeating Trauma, the Repetition Compulsion 00:28:23 How to Deal with Trauma & Negative Emotions/Arousal 00:37:17 Processing Trauma, Do You Always Need a Therapist? 00:45:30 Internal Self-talk, Punishing Narratives & Negative Fantasies 00:51:10 Short-Term Coping Mechanisms vs. Long-Term Change 00:53:22 Tools: Processing Trauma on Your Own, Journaling 00:57:00 Sublimination of Traumatic Experiences 01:02:34 Tool: Finding a Good Therapist 01:07:20 Optimizing the Therapy Process, Frequency, Intensity 01:14:51 Tool: Self-Awareness of Therapy Needs, Mismatch of Needs 01:16:35 Self-talk & Journaling, Talking to Trusted Individuals 01:19:00 Prescription Drugs & Treating Trauma, Antidepressants, Treating Core Issues 01:28:35 Short-term vs. Long-Term Use of Prescription Drugs, Antidepressants 01:32:18 Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) & Prescription Drugs 01:37:31 Negative Effects of ADHD Prescription Drugs 01:40:37 Alcohol, Cannabis – Positive & Negative Effects 01:44:53 Psychedelics: Psylocibin & LSD, Therapeutic Uses, Trauma Recovery 01:54:32 Sentience, Language, Animals 01:55:48 Psychedelic Hallucinations, Trauma Recovery 02:00:01 MDMA (Therapeutic Uses) 02:04:47 Clinical Aspects of MDMA 02:07:28 Language, Processing Trauma, Social Media, Societal Divisions 02:15:09 Defining “Taking Care of Oneself” 02:21:13 Dr. Conti, Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous Supplements, Instagram, Twitter, Neural Network Newsletter The Huberman Lab Podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.