Michael Ryoshin Sapiro, PsyD - Truth Medicine, Psychedelics, and Living Your Truth

Truth Medicine frames healing around discovering and living a person’s authentic truth, with truth itself treated as the core therapeutic medicine rather than the psychedelic experience alone. Michael Ryoshin Sapiro connects this approach to his work as a clinical psychologist and Zen Buddhist monk, describing psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and retreats as processes that help people speak truths they have repressed or avoided, especially truths tied to early experiences, identity, and emotional safety. Sapiro explains a structured model that includes preparation and trust building, then psychedelic sessions and integration, with ketamine-assisted psychotherapy highlighted. He emphasizes finding the “heart of the hurt,” using somatic and guided practices to engage defenses with compassion, and viewing growth as becoming who someone would be without old limits. He also contrasts one-on-one therapy with retreat work, noting how group and individual settings can both support safety and meaningful change, and he discusses ethics and anxiety endurance as part of the healing journey.