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For some time now, Australia has lagged behind much of the research world when it comes to institutional psychedelic medical research. Following the dedicated work of the community at large, some real movement is taking place in scientific and academic circles around Australia, with Melbourne emerging as an epicentre of much of this new and exciting research.

Listen to the experts discuss the current and future status of Australian psychedelic clinical trials and discuss some of the therapeutic benefits of entheogens for those looking to explore academic and research settings down under.We will discuss why psychedelic medicine has recently taken off in Australia, as well as challenges ahead for research teams. How can we ‘keep it real’ as big players turn on to psychedelic research projects? What role does the community play in psychedelic medicine, and what warning signs and traps should we look out for to keep the research on track?

Facilitator: Chris Letheby
Panel Guest: Marg Ross, Martin Williams, Renee Harvey, Karen Hitchock & Vince Polito

-- Bios --
Dr Margaret Ross is a consultant clinical psychologist and the clinical lead in Australia’s first ever psychedelic clinical trial. The trial will be based at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne and will investigate the ability of psilocybin-assisted therapy to alleviate anxiety and depression in terminally ill patients. The St Vincent’s clinical trial will see palliative care patients given one to two doses of psilocybin and psychotherapy in a treatment protocol shown in overseas trials to produce rapid and dramatic improvements in depression and anxiety, and provide an altered outlook on their situation approaching death.

Dr Chris Letheby is a Lecturer in Philosophy at The University of Western Australia (UWA). His areas of specialization are philosophy of mind, philosophy of cognitive science, and philosophy of neuroscience. His research to date has focused mainly on the use of classic psychedelic drugs in neuroscience and psychiatry. In several articles and a book, Letheby has argued that a traditional conception of psychedelics as agents of insight and spirituality can be reconciled with naturalism, the philosophical position that the natural world is all there is. His monograph Philosophy of Psychedelics was published in 2021 by Oxford University Press.

Martin Williams PhD is currently a Research Fellow in Computational Neuroscience at the Turner Institute of Brain and Mental Health, Department of Psychology, Monash University, Melbourne. Previously, he was a Research Fellow in Medicinal Chemistry at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University. Martin was founding President and is currently Executive Director of the health-promotion charity, Psychedelic Research in Science & Medicine (PRISM, established 2011), and founding and current Vice-President of the botanical/education charity, Entheogenesis Australis (EGA, established 2004).

Renee Harvey is a highly experienced clinical psychologist who relocated from the UK to Australia to develop training in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP). She has many years of experience as a lecturer, trainer, clinician and service developer within the mental health field. Her ideas on PAP training are featured in a recently published book chapter (Harvey, 2021) and in various talks and podcasts. Renee is currently assisting as a therapist on the psilocybin trials at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, aimed at the alleviation of depression and anxiety associated with life-threatening illness. She also has a private practice in Melbourne with an emphasis on providing psychedelic integration.

Vince Polito is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychological Science at Macquarie University in Sydney. His research investigates cognitive and neurological changes in altered states of consciousness. He is currently leading the MicroDep trial investigating low dose psilocybin as a treatment for moderate depression.

Dr Karen Hitchcock is a specialist physician and fellow of the Royal Australian College Physicians. She worked in major metropolitan hospitals for fifteen years before moving into private practice. Dr Hitchcock was one of Australia’s first authorised prescribers of medicinal cannabis. She is currently a trial therapist in the St. Vincent's hospital end of life psilocybin trial.

-- About EGA --
Entheogenesis Australis is a charitable educational organisation established in 2004. To find out more about what we do, head over to our organisational website, [ Ссылка ]

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