The Psychedelic Renaissance with Nicholas Collura (Show Notes)

GoDeX
Aug 6
2 min read

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In this episode, we speak with Nicholas Collura—a board-certified chaplain, spiritual director, and Enneagram teacher—about the unfolding intersection between psychedelics and contemporary spirituality. We explore what the so-called "psychedelic renaissance" means for spiritual direction, Christian practice, and the broader search for meaning in a disenchanted world.

Topics include integration, cultural appropriation, mystical experience, the challenges and risks of reintroducing visionary substances into modern religious life, and what psychedelics might reveal about the gaps—and potential—within our spiritual traditions. A thoughtful conversation for those curious about where spirit and altered states meet.

Learn more about Nicholas at www.nicholascollura.com

Episode Highlights

[00:00:50] Introducing Nicholas Collura and the Psychedelic Landscape

We introduce Nicholas and our conversation opens with an overview of the substances involved in the psychedelic renaissance and how Michael Pollan’s How to Change Your Mind helped catalyze a shift in public and medical discourse around their use.

[00:13:18] Interfaith Dialogue with Plant Medicines

Nicholas reflects on his experiences with ayahuasca and how its ceremonial use in indigenous traditions sparked a deeper commitment to interreligious dialogue. Rather than cultural appropriation, Nicholas advocates for respectful exchange—approaching psychedelic traditions from within one's own spiritual roots.

[00:23:53] Psychedelics, the Earth, and the Divine Feminine

Nicholas explores how Christian disconnection from the earth, the feminine, and the mystical has deep roots. He draws parallels between plant medicine traditions and overlooked Christian mystics like Hildegard of Bingen, suggesting that psychedelic encounter may catalyze a reconnection with suppressed dimensions of the faith—particularly the sacred feminine and earth-based spirituality.

[00:29:14] Plant Intelligence & Integration

We explore the ethical and spiritual tensions of using psychedelics like ayahuasca outside their traditional cultural contexts. Nicholas acknowledges the risk of appropriation but also suggests that these plant medicines may possess a boundary-crossing, invitational intelligence that offers healing to outsiders. Integration, he says, is about bringing insights "back down the ladder" into everyday life—using rituals, relationships, and symbols (like Christian communion) as containers for meaning.

[00:43:02] Integration vs. Domestication

What does it mean to "integrate" a psychedelic experience in a society that often demands conformity? The hosts and guest reflect on the tension between grounding visionary experiences and being pressured to reintegrate into a disenchanted culture. Is integration always healing, or can it become a form of domestication?

[00:52:10] The Transformation of Faith

Nicholas shares how psychedelics have influenced his theology and spiritual life. Rather than moving him away from Christianity, they deepened his appreciation for its symbols and mysteries, especially the figure of Jesus as healer and mystic. Psychedelics, he argues, can open new ways of understanding the Gospels.

[01:01:57] Everything Belongs: Hope, Mystery, and Belief

In closing, Nicholas reflects on how his work and experiences have shaped a theology of radical belonging. Even in a time of ecological collapse and spiritual fragmentation, he finds hope in the idea that all things—light and shadow—are held within a deeper wholeness sustained by divine mystery and love.