PSYCH Symposium 2022

The inaugural PSYCH Symposium at the National Gallery in London brought together leading individuals and institutions in the psychedelic healthcare industry.

A particular highlight was the lecture given by renowned neuropsychopharmacologist Professor David Nutt. Professor Nutt talked to the audience about the current evidence on serotonin 5-HT2A receptors and how they work against psychedelic drugs like psilocybin, LSD, and DMT. While many in the audience were by no means scientists, the Professor has a wonderful knack for explaining complicated scientific concepts to the lay person. Certainly, his narrative on brain development and how psychedelic compounds disrupt brain function gave me, and I’m sure many others in the audience, a more nuanced context for how specific psychedelic compounds affect the brain differently.

Another highlight was Keith Abraham – CEO of Heroic Hearts UK, the UK wing of the charity which aims to give veterans suffering from PTSD and depression access to leading therapies – spoke very poignantly about his own experience as a paratrooper in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the work he and Heroic Hearts have been doing giving veterans access to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. He recalled his life-changing experience taking ayahuasca in South America, and the success he has had taking other veterans on these journeys.

However, many speakers at the conference skirted around an inconvenient fact which might cause investors to hesitate: the programs of psychotherapy that nearly all agree are essential to accompany psychedelic treatment are very expensive and take a very long time. Many studies to date have programs which lasted more than 12 weeks, and companies developing psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy business models have quoted consumer costs of over £7000. While these factors may not be a barrier for the most severe cases of mental health disorders, the high costs in time and money may present a barrier to the wider commercialisation of treatments for less severe cases for things like nicotine addiction.

…PSYCH symposium showed the positive impact psychedelic medicine is already having for those affected with mental health disorders…

While the legislative environment still has a significant way to go before these treatments are widely available, but the PSYCH symposium showed the positive impact psychedelic medicine is already having for those affected with mental health disorders. The wealth of studies and trials which are taking place and the mounting evidence they are presenting suggests that widely available psychedelic treatment is not a question of if, but when.