Beyond Psilocybin: Exploring the Clinical Potential of Alternative and Novel Psychedelics
About: Given the focus of recent research into the medical applications of psilocybin-assisted therapy for the treatment of a range of mental health conditions from depression and anxiety to eating disorders and substance dependence, the community would be forgiven for believing that psilocybin is the only “classic” psychedelic to offer therapeutic benefit. However, psychedelics have a rich diversity of chemistry, pharmacology and phenomenology, and so there is arguably a great deal of untapped potential to be explored within the psychedelic pharmacopeia. In this talk I will discuss several facets of the actions and effects of psychedelics, leading to an exploration of the potential for psychedelics beyond psilocybin to be utilised in medical practice.
Speaker: Dr Martin Williams, Executive Director, Psychedelic Research in Science and Medicine
Bio: Dr Martin Williams is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University. His research background is in Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology. Martin is a co-investigator on a number of Australian clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, including the St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne study of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in palliative care; the Monash PsiConnect neuroimaging study of psilocybin with mindfulness meditation; the Swinburne pilot study and 3PAP RCT of 2- vs 3-dose psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression; and several other studies of psilocybin, MDMA and other psychedelics for the treatment of a range of mental health conditions. Martin is also a founding member and volunteer supporting Entheogenesis Australis & PRISM.