# Psychedelics and Myth: Why Story Shapes Transformation - David Adam Burns

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-psychedelic-podcast-221919/psychedelics-and-myth-why-story-shapes-transformation-david-adam-burns
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-psychedelic-podcast-221919/psychedelics-and-myth-why-story-shapes-transformation-david-adam-burns.md
Podcast: [The Psychedelic Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-psychedelic-podcast-221919)
Published: 2026-05-11T08:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-355/?ref=278
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/psychedelia/Podcast_355_David_Adam_Burns.mp3?dest-id=459512
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-psychedelic-podcast-221919/episodes/psychedelics-and-myth-why-story-shapes-transformation-david-adam-burns
Duration seconds: 3245

## Resource

In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin speaks with David Adam Burns, a transformational coach, artist, and founder of The Mysteries, about what may be missing from today's psychedelic conversation. Find full show notes and links here: https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-355/?ref=278 David challenges the emphasis on insight in psychedelic work, suggesting that deeper transformation comes through presence, healing, and embodied evolution. He outlines a framework for healing through integration, purification, and emotional "thawing," and explains why presence may be the most important skill for navigating psychedelic experiences. They also explore myth and storytelling as tools for collective growth, including David's work with The Mysteries and Earthsong, a retelling of the Persephone myth, and discuss the role of community, leadership, and stewardship in shaping the future of psychedelics. David Adam Burns is a transformational coach, artist, and facilitator devoted to helping human beings remember who they are. Since 2015, he has guided leaders through deep personal transformation in his one-on-one practice and co-founded The Mysteries, an artists' collective dedicated to expressing the ineffable through myth and performance. Highlights: Why insight is often overvalued Healing as integration, purification, and thawing Presence as the core psychedelic skill Story and myth as collective technologies The role of community in transformation Why leadership determines long-term outcomes Episode Links: David Adam Burns Website The Mysteries / Earthsong David on LinkedIn Episode Sponsors: The Microdosing Practitioner Certification at Psychedelic Coaching Institute. The Practitioner Certification Program by Third Wave's Psychedelic Coaching Institute. Go…

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## Transcript

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