London Psilocybin Symposium: A Recap
One of our goals at the Psychedelic Society is to bring people together- to learn, to explore, to connect. We’ve enjoyed the challenge of doing this virtually but we were thrilled to be back in person last week to host our London Psilocybin Symposium on October 15, at the Cockpit Theatre, London.
The event was an ambitious one bringing together some of the most celebrated researchers, therapists, advocates, and artists in psychedelics to discuss all things ‘magic mushrooms.’ With a venue at capacity, and our livestream fully booked up we knew it was going to be hard work - but a great event.
Chaired and hosted by Psychedelic Society facilitator, Martha Allitt, our symposium welcomed some of the leading voices in the field of psychedelic therapy to share their knowledge and thoughts on some of the most pressing questions in the field- how do psychedelics work? What are the challenges? And what cultural challenges are we in for if they go mainstream?
We opened the night with an incredible look into the ‘music’ made by the bioelectric signals of the mycelial network of different species, converted into electronic music: mushroom bio-sonification!
Our fascinating keynote session featured Maria Papysorou and Tim Read of the Institute of Psychedelic Therapy (IPT) - an organisation building a trusted community network among mental health specialists working in psychedelics. They talked about various aspects of research and development, focusing on the importance of ‘integration’ of psychedelic experiences.
We then welcomed Biz Bliss, the co-director of Alalaho, a psilocybin retreat centre in the Netherlands who took us through a visualisation of a ‘typical’ psychedelic therapy retreat.
After a musical interlude from Bristol-based artist, Sophie Munger, we then welcomed each member of our panel on ‘The Future of Psychedelic Therapy.’ Timmy Davis - head of the Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group's Psilocybin Rescheduling Project on his work to legalise psilocybin in the UK; Ashleigh Murphy-Beiner of the Association for Psychedelic Therapists (APT) - an organisation committed to building safe and ethical practices in psychedelic therapy; and Leonie Schneider and Ian Roullier who introduced the Psychedelic Participant Advocacy Network (PsyPAN).
The resounding message of the night was one of hope and excitement. There are many challenges on the horizon for this field but it’s clear that psilocybin and other psychedelics, when properly administered, hold unique potential to help us connect and heal- both on an individual and social level.
If you missed it, our sister project, the Psychedelic Renaissance documentary, team has done an amazing writeup on the entire night.
Psychedelic Society £20 tier members will soon be able to access a recording of the event on our Video-On-Demand platform - so there’s never been a better excuse to join!
Event Gallery - London Psilocybin Symposium
