ACADEMIC CIRCLE

Alongside our need to hold difficult emotions, we increasingly need to hold conflicting ideas in this age of information. For this reason, The Institute for Psychedelic Therapy has the Academic Circle.

You could think of it like a ‘journal club’, where we read and discuss the seminal academic papers covering psychedelic/consciousness neuroscience, clinical trials, psychology, psychotherapy, public health and more. It is a space designed to help us all increase our understanding of the literature; finding new ways of grasping that which we previously struggled with, and stepping out of our comfort zones.

My background is not professional academia – I’ve not designed research studies, developed psychotherapy approaches or scanned any brains. I’ve dipped my toe enough to have a reasonable grip on medical science; enough to support my practice as a psychiatrist over the past ten years. I consider myself to be an academic with a small ‘a’. I’m inspired by ‘real Academics’; their scientific rigour and their contribution to the return of psychedelic therapy in our societies today.

I hope we can come together and teach each other through curious enquiry and lively discussion. There’s so much to learn. Let’s share our knowledge, passion and commitment to the field.

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