It's the drug that takes you on a trip like no other. The drug that fueled a generation of musicians, activists and philosophers, who personified the so called counterculture era of the '60s. Some know it as 'acid'; 'Lucy'; 'shrooms'. It was called a party drug. And quickly made a banned substance.
Evenso, science has long recognised the potential of psychedelics as a therapy for treating mental illnesses and a tool for understanding the human mind, but restrictions on its use since the '60s had forced numerous researchers and therapists to abandon their work.
However, the tide is changing and the field has seen a resurgence in recent times. Our speakers will talk about psychedelic drugs like LSD, psilocybin and MDMA and their effects on the brain. Come along and join a psychedelic conversation, the floor will be opened for questions. Are you ready to tackle the taboo?
Founder and Director of THE BECKLEY FOUNDATION
Amanda founded the Beckley Foundation, a UK-based think tank and UN-accredited NGO, 1998. Its chief objectives are studying the mechanisms underlying altered states of consciousness and reforming global drug policy. She is dubbed the ‘hidden hand behind the renaissance of psychedelic science and drug policy reform.”
Trained in medicine and psychiatry, with a PhD in cognitive neuroscience for work on the brain substrates of human memory, Paul studies ketamine as a “model” for psychosis in order to explore possible disturbances in neural and psychological processes that underlie the key experiences associated with psychosis – delusions and hallucinations as well as changes in perception and comprehension of the world.
Leor holds a BSc in Neuroscience from Tel Aviv University. Since June2013, he is a MRes and PhD student in neuroscience in the Beckley-Imperial Research Program under the supervision of Prof. David Nutt and Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris.
Leor specializes in fMRI analysis techniques and his main research focus is neural correlates of psychedelic visual imagery and psilocybin-assisted therapy for treatment resistant depression.
Ed is interested in understanding human brain network organization from neuroimaging data in health and disease. His recent methodological work has focused on graph theory to measure aspects of brain network topology.
He is also interested in better neuroscientific understanding and treatment of psychiatric disorders. He currently leads a small group focused on immunological mechanisms and therapeutics for mood disorders.
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Each panelist will speak 15 minutes about their work. This will be followed by a panel discussion, chaired bby Prof. Ed Bullmore (Head of Psychiatry Department), about the use of Psychedelics in research and mental health. After a moderated discussion between the experts, the floor will be opened to questions from the audience..
Come prepared with challenging, intriguing and daring questions for A Psychedelic Conversation