Dr. Richard Louis Miller
Clinical psychologist. Psychedelic elder. Host of Mind Body Health & Politics. Author of The Adverse Effects & Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Medicines (Park Street Press, on sale May 5, 2026).
Booking and galley requests: Charlie Deist, producer · producer@mindbodyhealthpolitics.org · Richard is California-based; 30–60 minute remote interviews preferred.
Advance Praise
What they're saying
“Dr. Richard Louis Miller is a true elder and wisdom keeper of the psychedelic community, and his credentials come honestly, through hard-won experience. In this book, he continues his role as an educator by sharing his knowledge of both the perils and the promise of psychedelic substances. The reader will find valuable advice on how to avoid pitfalls while realizing the maximum benefits from the thoughtful and safe use of these remarkable medicines.”
“I am pleased to recommend this book, which is the latest in Richard's series on psychedelic medicines. Putting forth the adverse effects of these substances in readable form contributes to their understanding and separates psychedelic scientists from those who would cover over, or even hide, negative effects of pharmaceuticals.”
“Comprehensive, well-researched, and balanced — a valuable cache of current knowledge for anyone who seeks to comprehend the psychedelic frontier.”
About the author
Dr. Richard Louis Miller has been a California-licensed clinical psychologist for over sixty-five years. At eighty-seven, he continues to see patients, write books, and host the weekly Mind Body Health & Politics podcast, now in its twentieth year.
He founded the Cokenders Alcohol and Drug Program, which detoxified more than 1,500 individuals without medication and achieved an 86 percent two-year success rate. He created and directed the Health Sanctuary at Wilbur Hot Springs in Northern California for forty-eight years. He has served as consultant to the President’s Commission on Mental Health, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the California State Assembly, and as Senior Advisor to the Alexander Shulgin Research Institute. His work has been featured in Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, NBC News, and CBS News.
The Adverse Effects and Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Medicinesis Dr. Miller’s third book on psychedelic medicine, following Psychedelic Medicine (2017) and Psychedelic Wisdom (2022). Across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and his Substack newsletter, he reaches a combined audience of more than 300,000 followers; his short-form videos have been viewed millions of times.
For Producers & Editors
Three interview angles
Richard is prepared to speak on the book from any of these three frames. Tell us which fits your audience and we'll supply pre-interview briefing notes.
The Executive Order and the Corporate Capture Pattern
On April 18, 2026, the White House fast-tracked federal review of psychedelic medicines. Two days earlier, shares of a publicly-traded psychedelic pharmaceutical company jumped forty percent. Richard is the rare voice in the psychedelic community welcoming the executive order's intent while naming the Vioxx-style corporate-capture risk that follows fast-track approvals. He is pro-medicine, pro-professional-standards, and on the record in Chapter 1 drawing the pharmaceutical-industry parallel in detail.
Sixty Years of Personal Experience with Psychedelic Medicine
Richard took his first LSD in 1965, when it was still legal. Over sixty continuous years of clinical practice and self-experimentation, he developed the terms HIDDE (Honest Information Deficit DisEase), GIFS (Government-Induced Fear Syndrome), DFS (Danger Fearlessness Syndrome), and DIG (Drug Induced Grandiosity) to describe what he observed in himself and his patients. Available to discuss the full arc — including the motorcycle accident at forty-five that DFS nearly made fatal.
Professional Standards and Patient Trust
Chapter 12 documents preventable harms in underground psychedelic ceremonies — cases where proper screening, oversight, and practitioner standards would have made the difference. Richard can discuss the FDA's 2024 rejection of MDMA-assisted therapy (Chapter 8), the abuse of patient trust in psychedelic settings, and the structural reforms he believes the field must adopt before commercialization accelerates further.
“That trust took nearly a century to build. It took only five years to destroy. The same window is now open for psychedelic medicine.”
Chapter 1 · Full Transparency
“The medicines are not the risk. The pattern is.”
From the preface
“This is not a book of warning; it is a book of hope. By confronting these challenges directly, we can help these medicines fulfill their true healing potential while protecting those who seek their benefits.”
Chapter 12 · The Way Forward
Past Appearances
Richard in the press
A selection of recent podcast conversations, media features, and archival appearances. A fuller list is available on request.
Recent podcasts
Press & archival
Release details
- Title
- The Adverse Effects & Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Medicines
- Subtitle
- A Guide to the Risks and Rewards of Using Psychedelics in Therapy
- Author
- Dr. Richard Louis Miller, MA, PhD
- Publisher
- Park Street Press (Inner Traditions)
- On-sale date
- May 5, 2026
- Formats
- Hardcover · Ebook
- Extent
- 256 pages
- Interview availability
- 30–60 minute remote; California time
Final ISBN pending publisher confirmation. Advance galley available on request.
Contact for press
For interview bookings, advance galley requests, or high-resolution assets, please email Charlie Deist, producer.
producer@mindbodyhealthpolitics.org