Psykedeelit 2023

The 2nd Finnish Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelics

What is (a) psychedelic?

November 23–24, 2023
Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland

In collaboration with Åbo Akademi University, we are organizing Psykedeelit 2023 – The 2nd Finnish Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelics, in Turku, Finland, on November 23–24, 2023. This year’s conference focuses on the specific theme of What is (a) psychedelic?

Invited keynote speakers of the conference are psychologist Dr. Max Wolff (Charité – Berlin University of Medicine & MIND Foundation), who will talk about how psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy differs from ordinary psychotherapy, and evolutionary anthropologist Dr. Manvir Singh (Institute for Advanced Study, Toulouse), who will talk about psychedelics in relation to shamanism and indigenous cultures.

The conference is multidisciplinary to the bone and open to researchers, students, and others whose work is related to psychedelics in any field of science (e.g., psychologists, physicians, pharmacologists, sociologists, philosophers, theologians, anthropologists, gender studies researchers, artists).

The Call for Proposals for talks and posters is open until May 31st, and registration is also now open.

See https://psyty.fi/psykedeelit2023 for details.

What is a psychedelic experience like? That is, what does it feel like and what other kinds of experiences are similar? And how can such a subjective event be measured? These are some of the questions studied by David B. Yaden, PhD, Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine working in The Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research. 

Dr. Yaden is interested in understanding how brief experiences can result in long-term changes to well-being, and studies the subjective and behavioral effects of psychedelics and their treatment potential, the ethical issues involved, as well as consciousness, beliefs, religion and spirituality. His recent book with Andrew Newberg, The Varieties of Spiritual Experience, has received wide-ranging praise as an update and extension of William James’ 1902 classic, The Varieties of Religious Experience.

On Tuesday, February 28th at 6PM UTC+2, Dr. Yaden will give a Zoom presentation on the psychometric self-report measures that are currently used in psychedelic research, and discuss their limitations and ways to improve and standardize these measures. 

Unlike usually, this webinar will not be recorded, so being there is the only way to hear it!

Tickets are available from our web store. For members of the association who’ve paid their membership fee for 2023, the event is free of charge. If you want to pay your membership fee for this year or become a member, you’ll find our membership products on the main page of our web store. An email with a link for free registration to the event has been sent to members of the association. If you’re not sure if you’ve paid for your membership this year, feel free to ask us.

In our webinar in July 2022, psychiatrist Simon Ruffell talked about his research on the ceremonial use of Amazonian ayahuasca and its effect on mental health outcomes, personality, epigenetics, and psychotherapeutic processes. He also introduced his current research conducting randomised controlled trials with the Psychae Institute into ayahuasca inspired concoctions and discussed the potential benefits and challenges associated with the use of plant medicines in a clinical setting.

The lecture is now available on our Youtube channel!

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If you have a professional interest in research on psychedelics or forms of psychedelic-assisted therapy or would just like to support psychedelic research in Finland, you can become a member of the Finnish Association for Psychedelic Research. We also accept donations, more info here.

Dr. Anne Wagner, the leader of the mental health innovation centre Remedy, has researched MDMA psychotherapy in the context of cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy (CBCT) for the treatment posttraumatic stress disorder. Instead of the more typical approach where just the person suffering from trauma gets the treatment, in the context of her research, both the person and their partner received MDMA therapy.

In our new interview, she also talks about the qualities of a good MDMA therapist, integrating psychedelic experiences, the challenges related to the wider implementation of MDMA therapy and integrating the modality into our health care systems, the risk of MDMA only becoming available for the affluent, how she became involved with MDMA therapy and the future of MDMA.

Anne Wagner, CPscyh, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and researcher who is committed to helping understand and improve trauma recovery. She is also the founder of Remedy, a mental health innovation community. She is Adjunct Professor at the Department of Psychology and an Associate Member of the Yeates School of Graduate Studies at Ryerson University. Anne completed a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Postdoctoral Fellowship at Ryerson University, and is the 2019 recipient of the Clinical Section of the Canadian Psychological Association’s Early Career Scientist Practitioner Award. She is currently the Past-Chair of the Traumatic Stress Section of the Canadian Psychological Association and her work has been funded by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research, and the Canadian Armed Forces.

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If you have a professional interest in research on psychedelics or forms of psychedelic-assisted therapy or would like to otherwise support psychedelic research in Finland, you can become a member of the Finnish Association for Psychedelic Research.

The set and setting principle, which states that context shapes experiences with psychotropics, is the most central, recurring concept in psychedelic science and therapy. It is considered crucial to interpreting the results of psychedelic science, and to optimizing the outcomes of psychedelic therapy. How does set and setting relate to psychedelic phenomenology? Why did it emerge specifically in the context of psychedelic science? And how is set and setting related to other fields of extra-pharmacological investigation like placebo science?

Last spring, scholar of psychedelic history and sociology, dr. Ido Hartogsohn presented a webinar on the evolution, evidence and implications of set and setting for research, therapy and beyond. A recording of the session is now available on our Youtube channel.

Ido Hartogson is an assistant professor at the Graduate Program for Science, Technology and Society, at Bar Ilan University. Hartogsohn’s work explores the subject of set and setting in psychedelic research and culture. His book American Trip: Set, Setting and the Psychedelic Experience in the Twentieth Century appeared with MIT Press (2020).

The Finnish Association for Psychedelic Research is a non-profit association promoting scientific research related to psychedelics and the availability of accessible information based on such research.

• • • • •

If you have a professional interest in research on psychedelics or forms of psychedelic-assisted therapy or would like to otherwise support psychedelic research in Finland, you can become a member of the Finnish Association for Psychedelic Research.

Legal psychedelic therapy is mostly available in research contexts. Switzerland is an exception to this rule: In addition to research projects, the country grants individual treatment permissions for psychedelic therapy. Psychiatrist and psychotherapist Peter Gasser has extensive experience with these forms of therapy: At the turn of the 90s, he had special permission from the Swiss Federal Office for Public Health to research LSD and MDMA. After 2007, he has conducted two studies for LSD-assisted therapy in patients with anxieties due to life-threatening diseases. Since 2014, he has held individual permissions by the Swiss Health Administration for therapy with mind altering substances, which currently also includes psilocybin.

In Nov 2021, Dr. Gasser lectured in a webinar organized by the Finnish Association for Psychedelic Research. Drawing from his own clinical experience and from research projects around the world, Gasser discussed the framework he uses and the conclusions that can currently be made regarding psychedelic therapy.

Born in 1960, psychiatrist and psychotherapist Peter Gasser runs a private practice in Solothurn, Switzerland. He is a husband and a father of three. He was trained in psychodynamic methods as well as in therapy with mind altering drugs, i.e. psycholytic or psychedelic therapy. He has been a member of the Swiss Medical Society for Psycholytic Therapy since 1992 and its president since 1996.

• • • • •

If you have a professional interest in research on psychedelics or forms of psychedelic-assisted therapy or would like to otherwise support psychedelic research in Finland, you can become a member of the Finnish Association for Psychedelic Research.

-> Buy ticket from our web store! <-

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive plant concoction that’s traditionally been used in Amazonian tribal rituals. Recently, research on its possible positive impacts on mental health has been gaining increasing attention. Use of the brew has been studied in both laboratory and traditional settings. Psychiatrist Simon Ruffell is one of the researchers currently investigating the brew. In addition to interesting results on mental health and wellbeing, his research team has been the first to study epigenetic effects correlated with psychedelic use.

On Monday, July 4th at 6PM UTC+3, Ruffell will talk about his research in a Zoom webinar organized by the Finnish Association for Psychedelic Research (Psykedeelitutkimusyhdistys ry). He will provide an overview of his research surrounding the ceremonial use of Amazonian ayahuasca and its effect on mental health outcomes, personality, epigenetics, and psychotherapeutic processes. Ruffell also introduces his current research conducting randomised controlled trials with the Psychae Institute into ayahuasca inspired concoctions and discusses the potential benefits and challenges associated with the use of plant medicines in a clinical setting.

Tickets are available in two categories: 10 € (full price) and 5 € (students / low income participants). You can buy a ticket in our web store.

For members of the association who’ve paid their membership fee for 2022, the event is free of charge. If you want to pay your membership fee for this year or become a member, you’ll find our membership products on the main page of our web store. An email with a link for free registration to the event has been sent to members of the association. If you’re not sure if you’ve paid for your membership this year, feel free to ask us.

About the speaker:

Simon Ruffell studied medicine at the University of Sheffield before specialising in psychiatry. He completed his core psychiatric training at The Maudsley Hospital in London and worked at King’s College London as a Senior Research Associate investigating the use of psilocybin for treatment resistant depression. Simon has a keen interest in transcultural psychiatry and has worked for a variety of charities overseas. Since 2016 he has conducted research into the traditional psychedelic brew ayahuasca and its effects on mental health based in the Peruvian Amazon and is currently completing his PhD in this based at Goldsmiths, University of London. In his spare time Simon volunteers for Psycare – a charity offering support to those undergoing challenging drug experiences at music festivals.

The Finnish Association for Psychedelic Research is a non-profit association promoting scientific research related to psychedelics and the availability of accessible information based on such research.

We interviewed neuroscientist Chris Timmermann who researches psychedelics such as DMT and LSD at Imperial College London.

The interview was recorded at the Breaking Convention 2019 conference, and discusses topics such as the effects of psychedelics on values and the openness and rigidity of thinking, the experiential worlds catalyzed by DMT, the relationship between science, materialism and idealism, the role of integration in making sense of psychedelic experiences, the bodily effects of psychedelics, interest on psychedelics in the scientific community, the question about the possible biasing effects of self-experimentation with psychedelics, and the relevance of altered states of consciousness.

• • • • •

If you have a professional interest in research on psychedelics or forms of psychedelic-assisted therapy, or you would like to otherwise support psychedelic research, you can join the Finnish Association for Psychedelic Research at https://psyty.fi/en/join/membership/.

-> Buy ticket from our web shop! <-

The set and setting principle, which states that context shapes experiences with psychotropics, is the most central, recurring concept in psychedelic science and therapy. It is considered crucial to interpreting the results of psychedelic science, and to optimizing the outcomes of psychedelic therapy.

How does set and setting relate to psychedelic phenomenology? Why did it emerge specifically in the context of psychedelic science? And how is set and setting related to other fields of extra-pharmacological investigation like placebo science?

On Thursday, March 10th at 6PM UTC+2 / 6PM CET, scholar of psychedelic history and sociology, dr. Ido Hartogsohn will present a Zoom webinar on the evolution, evidence and implications of set and setting for research, therapy and beyond. The event is organized by the Finnish Association for Psychedelic Research. Tickets are available in two categories: 10 € (full price) and 5 € (students / low income participants). You can buy the ticket in our web store.

For members of the association who’ve paid their membership fee for 2022, the event is free of charge. If you want to pay your membership fee for this year or become a member, you’ll find our membership products on the main page of our web store. An email with a link for free registration to the event has been sent to members of the association. If you’re not sure if you’ve paid for your membership this year, feel free to ask us.

Ido Hartogson is an assistant professor at the Graduate Program for Science, Technology and Society, at Bar Ilan University. Hartogsohn’s work explores the subject of set and setting in psychedelic research and culture. His book American Trip: Set, Setting and the Psychedelic Experience in the Twentieth Century appeared with MIT Press (2020).

The Finnish Association for Psychedelic Research is a non-profit association promoting scientific research related to psychedelics and the availability of accessible information based on such research.