10th of January 2025
Abstract
This lecture will delve into the evolution and implementation of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) in Switzerland, exploring its progression from early research leadership in the 1990s to contemporary clinical practice. Since 2014, exceptional permits for the therapeutic use of substances like LSD, MDMA, and psilocybin have facilitated thousands of treatments under a regulated framework. The presentation will highlight milestones such as the establishment of therapist training programs by the Swiss Medical Association for Psychedelic Therapy (SÄPT), as well as the integration of PAT into mental health care. Key challenges, including scaling high-quality training, maintaining rigorous documentation, and fostering professional networks, will also be discussed. Drawing on the meddical history of Switzerland, the lecture will offer insights into the global potential for PAT to transform mental health care while upholding ethical and clinical standards.
Speaker Biography
Dr. Helena Aicher is a postdoctoral researcher engaged in studies investigating ayahuasca-inspired formulations and the processes involved in psychedelic-assisted therapy. She also works as a therapist, facilitating the limited medical use of psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA, primarily in group settings. As a key member of the Swiss Medical Association for Psychedelic Therapy (SÄPT), she plays an active role in therapist training, focusing on developing robust programs that integrate theory, practice, and ethics. Dr. Aicher operates at the intersections of science and practice, contributing to the advancement of psychedelic therapy through innovative research, clinical work, and education.
15th of January 2025
Abstract
DMT is a fast-acting and potent psychedelic, entailing radical visual hallucinations, encounters with intelligent entities, and, in some cases, ontological shock. Within this study, we used a neurophenomenological approach to study the temporal dynamics of subjective experience and EEG dynamics under a high-dose (40mg) and low-dose (20mg) of DMT. We found more nuanced differences between the two doses of DMT when integrating temporal dynamics within our analyses, such as finding the 40mg dose to be initially lower in valence, but with more intense visual hallucinations and dissolutions of time and selfhood. Further, we computed neural markers on the EEG data, broadly belonging to spectral, information-theoretical and connectivity families. We found that permutation entropy measures and oscillatory alpha power were most predictive of phenomenology, with surprisingly weak neurophenomenological associations between Lempel-Ziv complexity. Our results contribute to the neuroscience of psychedelics through the integration of more complex models of phenomenology whilst simultaneously studying the brain, and sheds light on which neural features are most strongly associated with the DMT-state.
Speaker Biography
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Evan Lewis-Healey is a final year PhD student at the Consciousness and Cognition Lab at the University of Cambridge. His work entails using temporally fine-grained models of subjective experience combined with EEG to study the relationship between the mind and the brain in altered states of consciousness. During his PhD, he collected the largest-to-date neurophenomenological dataset on breathwork, showing neural and experiential similarities to psychedelics. Prior to his PhD, Evan received a master's in Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Amsterdam, where he worked on the cognitive neuroscience of psychedelics and meditation.
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16th of January 2025
Abstract
Psychedelic substances have gained widespread attention for their therapeutic potential and insights into the mind. However, research on their possible negative effects remains limited. While some recent studies have explored the aftermath of psychedelic use, there is still a lack of empirical data on the long-term challenges individuals may face after a trip, what these difficulties entail, and how they might be addressed.
The Challenging Psychedelic Experiences (CPE) project investigates adverse experiences associated with psychedelic use in recreational, therapeutic, and clinical settings. Using a mixed-methods approach that combines online surveys with in-depth interviews, the study has identified a range of reported difficulties, including anxiety, fear of going mad, fear of permanent damage, insomnia, dissociation, existential crises, and more. This research aims to create a taxonomy of post-trip challenges and strategies participants have used to manage these effects, shedding light on whether similar challenges respond to similar coping techniques.
As psychedelics gain legal and cultural acceptance in therapy and recreation, understanding both their benefits and risks is essential for promoting safe use. With millions of people already experimenting with psychedelics and many more interested in their potential for healing or spiritual growth, it is crucial to examine the adverse effects experienced by a minority of users. The findings from this study will offer valuable insights for future research and clinical applications as psychedelics become more mainstream in mental health and medicine. The presentation will highlight key themes of post-trip difficulties and coping strategies reported by participants.
The Challenging Psychedelic Experiences (CPE) project investigates adverse experiences associated with psychedelic use in recreational, therapeutic, and clinical settings. Using a mixed-methods approach that combines online surveys with in-depth interviews, the study has identified a range of reported difficulties, including anxiety, fear of going mad, fear of permanent damage, insomnia, dissociation, existential crises, and more. This research aims to create a taxonomy of post-trip challenges and strategies participants have used to manage these effects, shedding light on whether similar challenges respond to similar coping techniques.
As psychedelics gain legal and cultural acceptance in therapy and recreation, understanding both their benefits and risks is essential for promoting safe use. With millions of people already experimenting with psychedelics and many more interested in their potential for healing or spiritual growth, it is crucial to examine the adverse effects experienced by a minority of users. The findings from this study will offer valuable insights for future research and clinical applications as psychedelics become more mainstream in mental health and medicine. The presentation will highlight key themes of post-trip difficulties and coping strategies reported by participants.
Speaker Biography
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Shayam Suseelan is a PhD candidate at King’s College London and University College London where his research focuses on the effects of LSD on time perception, using tools like fMRI, MEG, microphenomenology, and experience sampling. Through his work, he hopes to bridge the gap between the phenomenological and neuronal aspects of the psychedelic experience, exploring how these two perspectives intertwine. Shayam is also involved in the Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project, studying the less-discussed side of psychedelics—adverse effects—and working to identify strategies that help people manage and integrate these experiences over the long term. With a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of York and an MSc in Psychology from the University of Greenwich, Shayam’s academic path reflects his curiosity about the intersections of biology, psychology, and consciousness research.
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16th of January 2025
Abstract
There is growing evidence that psychedelic experiences can trigger long lasting distress and studies of persisting difficulties suggest a high prevalence of ontological challenges (related to the way people understand reality and
existence) [1].
In our latest Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project study [2], we conducted semi-structured interviews with 26 people who reported existential distress following psychedelic experiences. We explored the phenomenology of participants’ difficulties and the ways they navigated them, including what they found helpful and unhelpful in their process.
Thematic analysis revealed the kinds of distress that accompanied participants’ worldview and identity shifts; persistent preoccupation with making sense of the experience and confusion about their existence and purpose. Along with cognitive difficulties stemming from the ungrounding of their prior frameworks for understanding, participants’ ontologically challenging experiences also had significant emotional, social, bodily, and other functional impact. Participants primarily alleviated their distress through ‘grounding’ practices of embodiment, and the social and cognitive normalization of their experiences.
Psychedelic-induced ontological shock leads to the ungrounding of fundamental structures for understanding reality, which in absence of appropriate resources can destabilise individuals and impair their ability to function in everyday life. Psychedelic integration that follows ontologically challenging experiences may be conceptualised as a process of normalisation, rebuilding stable ground following the dissolution of prior frameworks for understanding the world. Findings will be discussed in the context of psychedelic-related difficulties and the challenges of integration.
1. Evans J, Robinson OC, Argyri EK, Suseelan S, Murphy-Beiner A, McAlpine R, Luke D,
Michelle K, Prideaux E. (2023). Extended difficulties following the use of psychedelic drugs: A mixed methods study. Plos ONE.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293349
2. Argyri, E.K., Evans, J., Luke, D., Michael, P., Michelle, K., Rohani-Shukla, C., Suseelan, S., Prideaux, E., McAlpine, R., Murphy-Beiner, A., Robinson, O. (2024). Navigating Groundlessness: An interview study on dealing with ontological shock and existential distress following psychedelic experiences. SSRN
https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4817368
existence) [1].
In our latest Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project study [2], we conducted semi-structured interviews with 26 people who reported existential distress following psychedelic experiences. We explored the phenomenology of participants’ difficulties and the ways they navigated them, including what they found helpful and unhelpful in their process.
Thematic analysis revealed the kinds of distress that accompanied participants’ worldview and identity shifts; persistent preoccupation with making sense of the experience and confusion about their existence and purpose. Along with cognitive difficulties stemming from the ungrounding of their prior frameworks for understanding, participants’ ontologically challenging experiences also had significant emotional, social, bodily, and other functional impact. Participants primarily alleviated their distress through ‘grounding’ practices of embodiment, and the social and cognitive normalization of their experiences.
Psychedelic-induced ontological shock leads to the ungrounding of fundamental structures for understanding reality, which in absence of appropriate resources can destabilise individuals and impair their ability to function in everyday life. Psychedelic integration that follows ontologically challenging experiences may be conceptualised as a process of normalisation, rebuilding stable ground following the dissolution of prior frameworks for understanding the world. Findings will be discussed in the context of psychedelic-related difficulties and the challenges of integration.
1. Evans J, Robinson OC, Argyri EK, Suseelan S, Murphy-Beiner A, McAlpine R, Luke D,
Michelle K, Prideaux E. (2023). Extended difficulties following the use of psychedelic drugs: A mixed methods study. Plos ONE.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293349
2. Argyri, E.K., Evans, J., Luke, D., Michael, P., Michelle, K., Rohani-Shukla, C., Suseelan, S., Prideaux, E., McAlpine, R., Murphy-Beiner, A., Robinson, O. (2024). Navigating Groundlessness: An interview study on dealing with ontological shock and existential distress following psychedelic experiences. SSRN
https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4817368
Speaker Biography
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Eirini Ketzitzidou Argyri is a PhD candidate at the University of Exeter and a Research Fellow with the Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project. She completed her Philosophy, Pedagogy and Psychology degree at the University of Ioannina, in Greece, and her MSc in Psychology of Education at the Institute of Education, UCL. Her work explores normality challenging and diversifying experiences. Prior to her shift to psychedelic academia she worked on projects studying prejudice and open mindedness in development, looking at the role of norms and morality in reasoning about exclusion. Eirini is particularly interested in the mechanisms triggered by challenging perceptions of normality, and their layered impact on individual and collective potential for transformation and eudaimonia. Currently, her research discusses uncertainty (in)tolerance, vulnerability, and prosociality, in relation to the worldview shifts triggered by psychedelic substances
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22nd of January 2025
Abstract
Virtual reality has enabled the capacity to externalize oneself and embody others. What types of dialogue does this enable? And what is the role of the body in such exchanges? In this talk we will contextualize the technology within a longer history of human developments, from ancient mirrors to how deepfakes are enabling new self-dialogue possibilities.
Speaker Biography
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Dr. Manoj Doss is a cognitive neuropsychopharmacologist in the Department of Psychiatry and the Center for Psychedelic Research & Therapy at The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School. He received a bachelor's from The University of Texas at Austin, a master's from University College London, post-baccalaureate training from University of California, Davis, a doctorate from University of Chicago, and postdoctoral training at the Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine before returning to UT Austin. Dr. Doss is broadly interested in the acute and persisting effects of psychoactive drugs on cognition and brain function with focuses on hallucinogens and episodic memory. He utilizes complex cognitive paradigms, neuroimaging, and computational modeling to explore what makes 5-HT2A psychedelics unique compared to other classes of psychoactive drugs in terms of their basic effects and their therapeutic mechanisms. Dr. Manoj Doss is a cognitive neuropsychopharmacologist in the Department of Psychiatry and the Center for Psychedelic Research & Therapy at The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School. He received a bachelor's from The University of Texas at Austin, a master's from University College London, post-baccalaureate training from University of California, Davis, a doctorate from University of Chicago, and postdoctoral training at the Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine before returning to UT Austin. Dr. Doss is broadly interested in the acute and persisting effects of psychoactive drugs on cognition and brain function with focuses on hallucinogens and episodic memory. He utilizes complex cognitive paradigms, neuroimaging, and computational modeling to explore what makes 5-HT2A psychedelics unique compared to other classes of psychoactive drugs in terms of their basic effects and their therapeutic mechanisms. |
22nd of January 2025
Abstract
In this lecture, Manoj Doss addresses the "Cinco Sins of Psychedelic Research," highlighting methodological concerns and biases, including those stemming from self-experimentation and researchers' personal drug experiences. Advocating for a closer integration of cognitive psychology and neuropharmacology, he calls for empirical approaches to study psychedelics' effects on cognition and memory. Doss's critique underscores the importance of behavioral measures to advance a scientific understanding of psychedelic substances.
Speaker Biography
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Marte Roel Lesur has a multidisciplinary background in art and science, with a doctorate in psychology of one’s body perception. In 2012 he cofounded BeAnotherLab a group focused on exchanging bodies through virtual reality to enable new paths for dialogue that would transcend ideology. He currently studies how a deepfake of one’s child in a self-dialogue setting might contribute to self compassion (University of Zurich), and the role of auditory signals in body perception (University Carlos III of Madrid). |
23rd of January 2025
Abstract
An axiomatic view in contemporary neuroscience is that, under well-controlled experimental conditions, event-induced potentials and oscillations vary with task-specific cognitive demands and reflect the neural support of the cognitive operation performed. A complementary view is discussed based on the premise that brain rhythms evolved to control the movement of the brain’s sensors and to register the consequences of this movement. This control of behavior is a species-independent necessity and a key survival requirement for all organisms equipped with and relying on the ability to explore the environment. Consequently, brain rhythms appear correlated with the cognitive task at hand, while they evolved primarily to support action. A series of results will be discussed that challenge the prevailing premise and support the conclusion that EEG components derived from electrophysiology appear to “underpin” cognition when they primarily reflect the potentiality and manifestation of oculomotor action, a requirement in all experimental examinations of human cognition. Waves, beyond mere waveforms, enable collective behavior across various organizational scales, ranging from neurons to animal societies.
Speaker Biography
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Tzvetan Popov researches how and why the dominant rhythm of the human brain relates to nearly all psychological concepts and constructs studied. He received training in clinical psychophysiology supervised by Brigitte Rockstroh and Gregory A. Miller. Encouraged and supported by Nathan Weisz during a sabbatical in Trento (Italy), a research stay working with Ole Jensen at the Donders Institute in Nijmegen followed. After several years of managing the MEG laboratories at the University Konstanz and the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim, Tzvetan is now an academic associate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Zurich and a Stand-in Professor for Cognitive Psychology at the University of Konstanz. |
23rd of January 2025
Abstract
Pharmacology is the discipline that deals with the interaction of a drug with an organism. As such, pharmacology is one of the key disciplines to pave the way for a solid understanding of what psychedelic drugs do to the human body and mind. Pharmacokinetics describe the journey a psychedelic drug takes into, through, and out of the body. Pharmacodynamics describe what psychedelics do when they arrive at their bodily site of target. In my talk, we will go through basic concepts of psychedelic pharmacology and discuss why it is important to factor in parameters, such as the plasma curve, metabolism, or the receptor binding preferences of a psychedelic, when considering the (safety) implications of psychedelic drug consumption. Aim is to provide the audience with reference points of how to critically think of modern psychedelic research from a pharmacological point of view. Amongst others, we will try and answer question like: (1) Why do psychedelics need 5-HT2A activation for their effects, while not all 5-HT2A activators are psychedelic? (2) May endogenous DMT be responsible for near-death experiences when dying? (3) Is microdosing safe and beneficial, or pharmacologically inactive and just a placebo?
Speaker Biography
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Tobias Buchborn graduated in Psychology (Dipl. Psych.) at the Otto-von-Guericke University (OvGU), Magdeburg. In his Diploma thesis, he investigated the behavioural and pharmacodynamic effects of the psychedelic LSD in animal model of depression. Tobias received his PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) in Neurobiology from the Faculty of Natural Sciences, OvGU. His PhD project was conducted at the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, OvGU, and addressed the behavioural and molecular biological correlates of differential tolerance to psychedelics, with focus on processes of 5-HT2A regulation. In 2016, Tobias was awarded an Individual MSCA Research Fellowship to join Imperial College, London, Department of Brain Sciences. Here, he investigated the corticodynamics of psychedelic drug action by means of cell-type specific, optogenetic voltage imaging. Since 2021 Tobias is with the Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, where he uses refined techniques of chemogenetics and fibre photometry to learn about the therapeutic applicability of psychedelic drugs in the treatment of addiction disorders. |
Past Journal Clubs
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