The Science and History of Psychedelics
Psychedelics have gone from criminalised to clinical in barely a decade. Trials with MDMA and psilocybin are now among the most promising routes we have for treating depression, PTSD and addiction, and the biomedical world has started to take them seriously.
But there is a split running through the field. As the clinical use of these substances gains legitimacy, the traditional and community practices they came from are often sidelined, and in many places still criminalised. Same molecules, very different treatment.
So how do psychedelics actually work on the brain to shift mental health outcomes? And what happens to the movement if the science advances while the cultural context gets left behind?
In this Growth Lab LIVE session Dr José Carlos Bouso walks you through the history of psychedelics, the therapeutic mechanisms behind them, and the very different settings they are used in, from clinical trials to sociocultural contexts. He will also look at what coexistence and dialogue between those worlds could realistically look like.
What you'll learn
How psychedelics act on the brain, and why that matters for treating depression, PTSD and addiction
Where the clinical evidence is genuinely strong, and where the hype has run ahead of the data
Why the gap between medical and traditional use is the biggest challenge facing the field
How to read psychedelic research critically, so you can tell a real finding from a headline
About the speaker:
Dr José Carlos Bouso is a Clinical Psychologist with a PhD in Pharmacology, and Scientific Director at ICEERS and Synàptic Clinic. He has run therapeutic research with MDMA and ibogaine, plus pharmacological studies on the long-term neuropsychological effects of cannabis, ayahuasca and cocaine. He has published over 100 scientific papers on psychedelics and psychoactive plants, and is the author of ¿Qué son las drogas sintéticas? and Cannabis Medicinal: De Droga Prohibida a Solución Terapéutica. He also wrote the prologue, epilogue and notes for the latest edition of Albert Hofmann's LSD, My Problem Child.
Agenda:
1845h - Doors open
1900h - Talk starts
1945h - Q&A
2015h - Drinks & Networking
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