Psychedelics and the Nature Connection [ONLINE]

What if a pill could promote pro-environmental behaviour?

We are currently in a sixth mass extinction event of life on this planet, due to human actions on the biosphere. This ecological crisis appears to stem from a disconnection of humans from the natural world.

Classical psychedelics appear to possess the intrinsic property of turning us on and tuning us into nature. In recent research, both the psychedelic experience and contact with nature have been associated with a number of overlapping and potentially synergistic mechanisms, and psychedelics have been implicated with increasing feelings of nature connectedness in an enduring sense.

What does this mean, and how can psychedelics bring this about?

What benefits might be there to incorporating more nature into therapeutic psychedelic sessions?

How nature-based content, settings and practices can be incorporated into psychedelic therapy models, and what potential do psychedelics such as psilocybin have as agents for enhancing nature connectedness?

What are the potential implications of this at a time of growing mental health and environmental crises?

In a time of disconnect, alienation and ecological destruction, Dr Gandy will answer all these questions, focusing on how consciousness change can enable greater connection to our world, and the implications for the health of humanity and the planet as a whole.

Dr Sam Gandy is working at the cutting edge of psychedelic research, combining his two passions: love of the natural world and a strong interest in psychedelics. Sam has a PhD in ecological science from the University of Aberdeen and an MRes in entomology from Imperial College London, where he is currently working as a collaborator for the Centre for Psychedelic Research.