PSA Profiles: Exploring Psychedelic Intersections Of Addiction, Passion, And Community

By Jack Gorsline

For two decades, Daniel Shankin has dedicated his professional life to the pursuit of personal growth and healing. As the founder of Tam Integration, an evolution of his extensive experience as a meditation teacher and leadership coach, he has created a space for people seeking profound transformation. Shankin's work offers support to those on a journey of self-development, whether they choose to engage with "sacraments and medicines" or not. 

A New England resident who enjoys reading sci-fi and fantasy with his eldest child, Shankin finds inspiration in the works of authors like Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick, believing they tapped into levels of consciousness that can be accessed through powerful psychedelics. Also a musician in his spare time, Shankin's diverse interests and decades of professional experience provide a unique perspective on the intersection of personal passions, professional purpose, and the mysteries of the mind. We asked him about all of that and more … 

JG: When and why did you first become interested in psychedelics? 

DS: I was young, probably too young. I started smoking pot in high school and listening to my parents’ hippie vinyl. The Beatles made it look really good. They made a really good case to Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream. As a disaffected teen in a boring suburb, psychedelics were a trustworthy way to have an evening that was interesting, insightful, enjoyable, and community-building. 

Psychedelics had this added benefit of being a truth serum, of sorts. We saw that our defense mechanisms were lowered, and we were more honest and connected with ourselves and each other. Even though we were wild kids, we were thoughtful and working to make the best choices that we knew how. We made a lot of mistakes, and hell, I still do. But I learn from them, eventually. We can all have breakthroughs.

One such breakthrough happened when I was 24. I was at a music festival, at the Gorge, and had an experience where the LSD told me that I needed to stop drinking. I started drinking young, and it wasn’t doing me any good. People had suggested that I slow down or stop, but to no avail. It wasn’t until I had this bold experience that showed me in no uncertain terms the results of my actions that I was able to put down the spirits in favor of spirit.

What’s the origin story of Tam Integration?

As I sobered up, I recognized that I was in need of some pretty deep  healing and personal growth. I had a copy of “Be Here Now” and had already been practicing meditation for some time. This was a call to make a deeper commitment to my practice and to a life of service. 

As time progressed, I moved into coaching. Coaching is awesome because if the conditions are right, it becomes a shared state of expansive awareness between you and your client. I found myself working with people integrating a wide variety of spiritual experiences, and psychedelics was just part of that. Over time, this part of the practice just took over. 

In 2018, I started to offer public psychedelic integration circles. We needed a name for them, and at the time, I was living in the shade of Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County. It was a special place for me, and also called to mind that old zen/psychedelic piece of wisdom, First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is. The circles were a success, and as the community grew so did the offerings. As people got comfortable with virtual meetings, it enabled us to share our quirky brand of integration wisdom with people from all over the world. The rest is history. 

One of the biggest concerns surrounding psychedelic-assisted therapy is the high cost of treatment sessions. How do you think this issue can be addressed—be it legislatively, commercially, or otherwise—to make psychedelic medicine more accessible to a broader range of participants?

The funny thing about this is that people have been taking psychedelics quite successfully with their friends and family for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Before there was any such thing as a doctor or a therapist. Potentially before there were even shamans. 

Psychedelics are remarkably safe and effective. With just the barest knowledge of how to create a safe space, ethical, compassionate, good hearted people can hold space for their loved ones. The idea that “therapy” is somehow required for psychedelic transformation, healing, or growth is a trick. It’s ‘columbusing,’ as the kids say. 

We live in a miraculous world where all the information you could ever need is at our fingertips, it’s not hard to learn some best practices with your friends, and build a community of caring individuals. If you start low (dosage wise) and go slow (frequency wise) and normalize having deep, vulnerable, supportive conversations about your experiences, it’s highly likely that you’ll get at least as much out of the experience as you would at an expensive treatment center.

Grassroots advocates for psychedelic policy reform in the US and abroad have gained and maintained remarkable traction and influence. So far, they have spearheaded efforts in 10 cities in Massachusetts and statewide reform movements led by grassroots groups in Oregon, Colorado, and, most recently, New Mexico. As an integration, education, and community-building focused organization, how do you see Tam Integration influencing future collaborative efforts across the grassroots community in Massachusetts to enact psychedelic policy reforms at the local and/or state level?

I don’t work much on the policy side of things. I just want to make sure that we’re taking care of each other throughout the process, however it evolves. 

There are stigmas around drug use, and there is the archetype of the junkie or the drugstore cowboy still taking up real estate in people’s heads. Those of us who have used psychedelics in a mindful way have seen just the opposite, we often end up more wholesome, caring, and connected to ourselves and our communities. If we take the insights we’ve gained from our experiences and truly show up to support each other, we’re going to change the narrative and create a culture that even people who aren’t interested in psychedelics can feel comfortable supporting.

So, Tam moves with that spirit. Tam is really interested in offering teachings and support with humility and gratitude, in the hopes of creating a cultural shift that will ultimately inform policy change.

As interest in psychedelics continues to grow across the United States and around the world, what do you see as the best-case and worst-case scenarios for its future in the United States?

The best case scenario I think is we end the drug war. Our prison system is atrocious, inhumane, and corrupt, and I think everyone pretty much knows that. Having non violent drug offenders locked in expensive taxpayer funded cages with murderers doesn’t make the most sense to me. It’s a drain on our system, and it destroys families unnecessarily.

The best case scenario is that people, like combat veterans, who have severe trauma and mental and emotional distress are introduced to inexpensive and effective treatments that might really help them. 

Think about the results of just these two things. Think about a world with less stigma and criminality. Think about a world where people with severe PTSD could find peace instead of just spreading their suffering to others. 

I don’t know what the absolute worst case scenario is, but I would be sad to see this activity that is so safe and helpful be bogged down with too much bureaucracy and overreach. Psychedelic healing is for friends and family, and doesn’t really require all that much policing or law making. Also the influence of big money could pose a problem. 

I’m a big fan of small family businesses, and there is already a rush of big money players with minimal real care rushing into the marketplace. There is a potential for legacy, underground cultivators and practitioners to be pushed out. These folks have taken on so much risk and done so much of the heavy lifting to make the landscape what it is today. They must be protected at all costs.

What would you say to parents, families, and individuals who might be against or still on the fence about the use, decriminalization, and/or legalization of psychedelics? 

Well it really depends how much curiosity someone has. If someone is against psychedelics, and they are set in their ways, I’m certainly not going to waste my breath. 

But if someone is undecided and curious, I would encourage them to try to see some nuance. Try to put down your biases, and see if you can learn something new. There is light and shadow in everything. You’re allowed to have your own opinions about things, and those opinions can be varied. You can support one aspect of psychedelic use and not another. 

There is a lot going on in this space, and a lot of it is helping people. Some of it isn’t. There are always going to be people moving in the space in helpful ways, and people who aren’t so much. I’ve been taught that I get more out of supporting things that I like than by tearing things down that I don’t. So I try to focus on the good and put my energy there. 

What’s next for your personal and organizational work?

Well, I try to live a pretty simple life, and I’m probably just going to keep doing what I’m doing. I love my coaching practice, working with clients is a total joy. I like teaching, working with both facilitators and serious practitioners. I’m doing a lot of writing, which might eventually become a book. There are some new collaborations in the works that will potentially challenge me in some interesting ways, but it’s too soon to talk about those. 

Personally, I’m just working on being a better husband, father, and friend. I’m just trying to get out in nature with my kids as much as possible. I’ve got a pile of books that I need to get through. I should recommit to the gym, I hear it misses me. I’m diving deeper into my buddhist studies, and am really enjoying the direction that my meditation practice is going in. 

Aside from yourself and Tam Integration, who are some other leading innovators, and/or advocates in the psychedelic science community that you think more people should know about and hear from?

Well Darren Le Barron out of the UK for sure. Simon Yugler and Julian Vayne just wrote some pretty great books. Joel, Victoria, and Otto out of Tandava Retreats are doing great stuff.

Lastly, last week, alongside Danielle Nova from the San Francisco Psychedelic Society, Tam Integration [co-host Ed] an online conference focused on psychedelics, addiction, and recovery called Beyond Addiction. Danielle is really at the forefront of this really important topic. That’s probably a decent list for now. So many people are awesome, this is just who’s top of mind.

tamintegration.com

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