PSYCHEDELICS REVISITED

60 Mins

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From the 1950s through the 1970s, early clinical research into psychedelics began to suggest potential benefits for a range of psychological conditions. While some psychedelic plants and fungi have long been used in traditional contexts, substances like LSD and MDMA were later investigated by Western scientists and doctors as potential treatments for conditions from addiction to anxiety. Then came the War on Drugs, bringing most psychedelic research to a halt for decades.

Now, psychedelics are having a second act. Over the past two decades internationally, and more recently in Australia, clinical trials have begun to yield promising and sometimes striking results. In 2023, Australia became the first country to approve the clinical use of MDMA and psilocybin at a national level for specific mental health conditions. Dr Paul Liknaitzky, head of Monash University’s Clinical Psychedelics Lab, returns to Beaker Street Festival — along with a participant in a recent psychedelics trial — to discuss emerging findings, future directions, and the lived experience of psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Content warning: This session discusses mental health conditions, trauma, and therapeutic use of psychedelic substances. Recommended for mature audiences.


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Tegan Taylor A multi-award winning health and science reporter for the ABC, Tegan Taylor hosts Radio National’s Life Matters and What’s That Rash? She has received a Walkley Award and a Eureka Prize for Science Journalism.

PRESENTERS

Dr Paul Liknaitzky Exploring how once-taboo substances might reshape mental health care, Dr Paul Liknaitzky directs Australia’s first and largest clinical psychedelic research program. He is also the Director of the country's first university-accredited psychedelic education program.

GUEST

Andrea After working as a police officer across metropolitan and rural Victoria, Andrea sought psychedelic-assisted therapy following severe PTSD linked to traumatic frontline experiences. She describes the treatment as life altering, helping her confront trauma, rebuild her sense of self, and regain hope for the future.

HOUSE BAND

Stevie and the Bunsen Burners Stevie and the Bunsen Burners return to provide scintillating musical accompaniment to the stellar line up of talks & events. These science-fiction-cabaret-game-show dream girlies are proudly non-scientific, yet empirically proven to warm up your night and get your toes tapping.

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