Hi, I’m Amanda Siebert.
I’m really glad you’re here. Your curiosity for altered states is something we have in common, so welcome, fellow weirdo.
If you’re new to A to Z of Altered States, start with this Welcome post. You can also learn more about what altered states are and how I’ve decided to categorize them here.
A bit about me: I am an award-winning freelance journalist, best-selling author, and podcast host interested in the relationship between altered states and health and wellness. My passion for consciousness exploration and improved well-being is rooted in my lived experience as a martial artist, psychonaut, movement fanatic, breathwork novice, coldwater enthusiast and overall seeker of discomfort. It is through these and other modalities, which force me to stay present and recommit to the task at hand over and over again, that I’ve been able to meet myself most deeply. This is a place where I explore the various ways we enter that space within ourselves. I’ll be writing about my own experiences with these practices, consulting with experts, and taking up-to-date scientific literature into account when and where necessary to convey just how powerful these modalities can be.
Outside of this Substack, much of my writing has focused on drugs. I’m the author of two books that delve into society’s favourite mind-altering substances. My first book, The Little Book of Cannabis: How Marijuana Can Improve Your Life, was published by Greystone Books in 2018 on the same day cannabis was legalized in Canada. In my second book, Psyched: 7 Cutting-Edge Psychedelics Changing The World (2022), I break down the history, science, and cultural and medical uses of seven different psychedelic drugs and plant medicines, contextualized with case studies and interviews with scientists, doctors, therapists, advocates, ethnobotanists and practitioners. I'm also the host of the podcast Ibogaine Uncovered, a show that explores a little-known drug that helps people put an end to maladaptive coping mechanisms including substance use and alcoholism and overcome diagnoses like PTSD and depression.
My byline has appeared in The New York Times, Forbes, DailyOm, Healing Maps, Lucid News, Vice, Leafly, The Dales Report, Calgary Herald, and The Georgia Straight (where I received national and regional awards for my work), among others. In 2022, I received a Cosmic Sister Emerging Voices Award and was awarded Reporter of the Year at the second annual Microdose Awards. More recently I was awarded Psychedelic Journalist of the Year at the 2023 Cannadelic Awards.
I live in British Columbia, Canada with my partner, Eric, and my eight-year-old pitbull, Honey.
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