Tony Gibertini: Psychadelic First-Responder

The Abiders Urban Achiever Podcast

**New Episodes Released Every Wednesday**

My guest today is Firefighter/Paramedic Tony Gibertini. Tony and I met when he was undergoing training to be a firefighter in Northwest Indiana. Our arrangement was one that proved difficult, if not impossible, to have conversations like the one you're about to hear. The traditional educational system is in many ways archaic, punitive, egocentric, and even adversarial at times. This educational methodology has proven to be wrought with learning pitfalls in children, and for adult learners, the teacher-student hierarchy becomes further convoluted and dated. As Tony points out in the interview, however, when you pick up on a commonality of trust, insight, and deep contemplation those barriers of contemporary expectations begin to erode and dissolve. When his training was finished, he sparked a conversation with me that included such names as Alan Watts, Terrence Mckenna, Joe Rogan, and Christopher Ryan. That conversation grew into a friendship I have been most grateful for. He's a good man, and thorough (thanks Maude).

Tony has a story unlike any other that called him to work in emergency medicine and management. Most folks that enter the fire service do so because of nepotism; carrying on a tradition of family service to the job. Another commonality is a desire to help people and many join because of this. Tony, however, recalls how he never had a calling to a line of work, feeling lost and without meaning. It wasn't until a very powerful psychedelic experience with hallucinogens that he had an epiphany and began down the path leading to his present vocation. He describes how a largely masculine, even alpha type A demographic of employment doesn't need to be so linear and polarized. New shit has come to light. This could be ah ah a lot more ah ah ah ah complex... I mean.... it's not just, it might not be.... such a simple..... ya know? What am I blathering about? There is a balance that can occur where we can do certain jobs without adhering to a strict dogma of archetypal behavior... individualism through community and collectivism in a vocation.

Long story short, he's a funny fuckin' dude who has learned from an early age how to take it easy and abide. We cover a variety of topics, and you're really going to love how this conversation pans out!

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Intro Music:

• Veteran of the Psychic Wars (Blue Oyster Cult)

Useful Links/Video Resources:

• Psychadelic Society of First Responders Facebook Group
• Flight of Thoughts Podcast with Jake Mitchel
• Find the Others (Timothy Leary Speech)
• The Big Lez Show by Jarrod Wright
• The Century of Self Documentary (on Edward Bernays)
• The Midnight Gospel full Netflix trailer

Businesses/Products Referenced:

• 7 suns Farm Fort Wayne
• DC Meats Osceola
• Paul Stament's BeeMushroomed Feeder

Outro Music:

• Schism (Tool)
  

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