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PODCAST

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir

John Wasson • Darren Hackett

Our Webby-nominated 22-episode serialized audiobook is inspired by real events and people—most notably, a 1957 Life magazine presentation by R. Gordon Wasson called "Seeking the Magic Mushroom." That piece introduced the Western world to psilocybin mushrooms and helped ignite the psychedelic revolution. In this story, we follow Dr. Lidiya Hart Johnson, a fearless neuroscientist who once had a front-row seat to that revolution. Now facing her own decline, she"s in a race against time—and she believes

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All Episodes

29:42

Ep. 22: Epilogue and Afterword

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2026/02/19

Last time, Exa traveled from Danbury to Brooklyn to scatter Lidiya's ashes. Along the way, she listened to a recording of Lidiya's final days: Chris's confessions, Lidiya's compassion, and the sacred mushroom ceremony that set him on a path toward healing. In this final episode, Chris wrestles with the hardest part of storytelling: the ending. Fourteen months after Lidiya's death, he's healthier, stronger—and suddenly unsure of everything. A consequential journey awaits. Unexpected messages from

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42:50

Ep. 21: Persephone Quest

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2026/02/19

Last time, Chris returned from a walk still wrestling with the weight of Lidiya's story—and his own doubts about finishing her book. Over dinner, an unexpected memory surfaced: a long-buried misunderstanding between Lidiya and Exa. What unfolded was a reckoning years in the making—an apology, a confession, and a new path forward. But just when it seemed every tension had eased, a call from his estranged wife sent Chris reeling, leading him to a bridge high above the frigid Housatonic River as it

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43:04

Ep. 20: Spillway

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2025/12/25

Last time, Lidiya journeyed through visions both luminous and unsettling, guided by Exa's steady presence. Amid hallucinatory forests, a ten-foot dewdrop, and the shifting edges of perception, she discovered clarity, a rekindled sense of wonder, and the quiet assurance that even in darkness, the mind—and the heart—can find their way home. In this episode, Chris begins to unravel. Haunted by regret, alcoholism, and loss, he reaches a point he's never dared go before. With Jefferson Airplane on the

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26:47

Ep. 19: Dewdrop

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2025/12/25

Last time, Lidiya recalled how music lifted her out of despair—and into a dangerous, intoxicating affair. What began with a night at the Kennedy Center ended in deception, heartbreak, and the realization that she still hadn't healed. In this episode, that healing finally begins. With Exa by her side, Lidiya returns to the mushroom—not as a researcher, but as a seeker. What unfolds is part ceremony, part memory, part dream—and what it reveals may be her greatest legacy yet. Copyright 2025 John H

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38:44

Ep. 18: The Rite

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2025/12/04

Last time, Lidiya recalled the moment everything changed. A missed babysitter. A bouquet of daffodils. A fateful trip to Bethesda. In a single afternoon, she lost the people she loved most—and the evidence she and Craig had risked everything to protect. In this episode, we follow her into the long winter that followed. What begins with silence, snow, and Mahler's Fifth Symphony becomes something else entirely: a rite of passage and a return to the world. Copyright 2025 John H. Wasson

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45:48

Ep. 17: The Daffodil and Watercolored Serendipity

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2025/12/04

Last time, Lidiya and Craig took their investigation to the edge—digging into secret programs, decoding euphemisms, and quietly exposing some of the CIA's darkest experiments. From university labs to brothel safehouses, the truths they uncovered were as disturbing as they were undeniable. In this episode, Lidiya recalls the day everything changed. What begins with breakfast, a missed babysitter, and a bouquet of daffodils ends in unspeakable loss. But in that moment—when the world turned dark— a

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40:31

Ep. 16: Mirrors and Martinis

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2025/11/06

Last time, Lidiya and Craig made a pact: no more secrets. Together, they agreed to infiltrate the very systems that once recruited her. What began as quiet complicity was now open resistance—dangerous, yes, but necessary. In this episode, the story unfolds in flashbacks and fieldwork—hidden files, forbidden experiments, and missions that test both their courage and their love. What they uncover about Operation Midnight Climax—and about themselves—will change everything. Copyright 2025 John H. Wasson

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29:15

Ep. 15: A Hard Tack

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2025/11/06

Last time, Lidiya brought us into the most luminous stretch of her past: a summer of discovery, joy, and unexpected love with Craig Johnson. From BASIC code to Capitol Hill, from omelets to Woodstock, everything felt open and full of promise. In this episode, that promise is tested. As whispers of surveillance grow louder and Lidiya's past catches up to her, she finds herself at a crossroads. And this time, she's not alone. Copyright 2025 John H. Wasson

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36:56

Ep. 14: Sonnet 18

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2025/10/16

Last time, Chris confronted the truth about Lidiya's legacy—and she confessed that she wasn’t just a witness to history. She had been part of it. In this episode, we glimpse a different side of Lidiya. She’s brilliant, curious—and unexpectedly in love. In the heat of 1969, as music drifts through the air and the world begins to change, Lidiya lets herself hope. Even in uncertain times, something beautiful begins to grow. Copyright 2025 John H. Wasson

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29:48

Ep. 13: Mushroom Girl

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2025/10/16

Last time, Chris and Lidiya peeled back the layers of unintended consequences: how Gordon’s scientific curiosity became ammunition in a hidden war. This time, the story gets stranger—and darker. They called her “Mushroom Girl.” Gifted, curious, and far too trusting. But in 1960s Cambridge, where science flirted with surveillance and innocence was a mask, even brilliance could be recruited—without knowing it. Copyright 2025 John H. Wasson http://www.hermagicmushroommemoir.com/episodes

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37:52

Ep. 12: No Trouble At All

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2025/10/02

What happens when reverence turns to curiosity, and curiosity turns to spectacle? In our last episode, we witnessed the unraveling of Huautla’s sacred silence: from Gordon and Valentina’s respectful early visits to the post–Life magazine flood of seekers, smugglers, and spies, as the psychedelic tide rolled in. In this episode, secrets swim in plain sight—some in fish tanks, some in field notes, and some in the fractured mind of a combat medic who’s running out of rope. Gordon Wasson never meant to

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32:04

Ep. 11: Western Union and Almost Mea Culpa

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2025/10/02

In our last episode, Lidiya and Chris began the next leg of their journey—bidding farewell to Millicent, to Oahu, and to Piney’s Holistic Health Center—now bound for Danbury, Connecticut, to see Exa. While on their flight, Lidiya’s immersive storytelling took us high into the cloud forests of Huautla. We saw what Gordon Wasson saw—and met the curandera who would change the world. In this episode: before the hippies came, before the road was built, before the world knew her name, María Sabina

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34:20

Ep. 10: Piece of Work and Huautla de Jiménez

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2025/09/18

In the last episode of Her Magic Mushroom Memoir, Chris took his first halting steps toward sobriety at Piney’s Holistic Health Center. Meanwhile, Lidiya and Millicent made the long, windswept trek to Ka‘ena Point—the mythical leaping place of souls—where Lidiya finally admitted what she feared most: dying alone. And then, with Exa’s voice on the phone, a promise was made. In this episode, Millicent hands Chris a mission and a mandate. Lidiya is running out of time. But Chris, no longer just her

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45:56

Ep. 9: The Parable of Piney and Danbury Is Not a Town...

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2025/09/18

Previously on Her Magic Mushroom Memoir… Chris hit rock bottom—fired from both jobs, drunk, and ready to give up. But just as he spiraled into darkness, Lidiya showed up, literally dragging him out of his tent and into a plane. He woke up groggy and confused, halfway to Hawaii, where Lidiya had arranged a rehab stay with an old friend. He thinks he’s been kidnapped. She calls it kindness. Either way, the story has moved to a new place—one where healing might just be possible. In this next chapter,

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39:54

Ep. 8: Dust Off and A Soft Blue Hue

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2025/09/18

Last time on Her Magic Mushroom Memoir… Lidiya’s past continued to unfold—from mushroom theft and forgiveness to mentorship under Gordon and life lessons from Sister Emilka, a nun with a war tattoo and a resistance legacy. But just as Chris was absorbing the weight of her story, Lidiya dropped the news that stopped everything: she’s dying. And suddenly, Chris—the reluctant writer—was left reeling, unsure how to keep going… or even if he should. In this episode, we land in Oahu, where old

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56:54

Ep. 7: Sister Emilka and Lights Color Fade to Black

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2025/09/18

Previously on Her Magic Mushroom Memoir… Left alone with temptation, young Lidiya crossed a forbidden threshold—stealing sacred mushrooms from Gordon’s garden and embarking on a psychedelic journey that forever altered her inner world. Caught mid-trip by Exa, she expected punishment, but instead found calm, curiosity—and compassion. And when Gordon returned, what followed was no scolding, but something far more powerful: a lesson about trust, and an invitation to step into something greater. In

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34:07

Ep. 6: A Safe Landing and Respite from the Glare

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2025/09/04

Last time on Her Magic Mushroom Memoir, Lidiya opened the door to her most formative experiences: losing her mother, surviving trauma, and finding refuge in the unlikeliest of places. With Exa’s help—and Gordon’s quiet generosity—Lidiya began again. Two schools, two caretakers, and one fragile but growing sense of self. It wasn’t just a rescue—it was the moment she began to believe she might become someone. In this next chapter, Lidiya’s story shifts again—from personal awakenings to public

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49:01

Ep. 5: Prophesies and Exa

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2025/09/04

Previously from Her Magic Mushroom Memoir... Chris reluctantly met with Lidiya in a stunning Beverly Hills guesthouse, fully expecting to turn her down. But as she shared childhood memories—hookworms, a collapsed stepfather, a funeral canister named “Maxwell”—he started to reconsider. Through laughter and loss, something shifted. Lidiya wasn’t pitching a book anymore—she was opening a vein. And Chris, whether he was ready or not, was already in too deep to walk away. In this next chapter, Lidiya

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44:11

Ep. 4: Clysis and The Century Association

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2025/08/21

Last time in Her Magic Mushroom Memoir, Lidiya made a bold move—tracking down Chris Wade, the struggling writer who saved her on the beach—and offering him a chance to write her life story. Meanwhile, Lidiya prepared for the journey ahead by sorting through her past: photos, mementos, and a powerful conversation with Claire revealed just how much she's choosing honesty over denial. She’s not just facing mortality—she’s determined to shape what comes next. In this episode, Lidiya peels back the

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33:59

Ep. 3: Name Your Price and South Oaks

Her Magic Mushroom Memoir ·

2025/08/21

Previously in Her Magic Mushroom Memoir: Lidiya returned to Brooklyn shaken by her collapse in Venice—and even more so by what followed. As her mind drifted through research, memories, and grief, a second collapse led to an MRI scan, and with it, a life-changing diagnosis. As she tries to ground herself—gardening, foraging, cooking—signs and memories keep surfacing. A mushroom known as “the trumpet of the dead,” a haunting dream, a visit from the past. Now, with her time suddenly uncertain, one

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