logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2023
27m 30s

Psychedelics

Bbc World Service
About this episode

James Gallagher reports on a psychedelic renaissance; a new wave of research testing hallucinogenic drugs like magic mushrooms to treat mental health conditions.

There’s genuine excitement and some early encouraging evidence. A manufacturer tells James that in five years’ time, it’s possible that psychedelics could be part of the medicine cabinet – but with the hype, there’s risk too and there’s much still to learn about who these drugs could help and how.

Presenter: James Gallagher Producer: Geraldine Fitzgerald

Image: Fungi on purple background. Credit: Getty Images.

Up next
Aug 18
The Life Scientific: Neil Lawrence
When you think of Artificial Intelligence, does it inspire confidence, or concern?Although it's now generally accepted that this technology will play a major role in our future, a lot of conversations around AI and machine learning come back to the argument over us losing control ... Show More
26m 29s
Aug 11
The Life Scientific: Liz Morris
A frozen, white world at the far-reaches of the globe, where you're surrounded by snow and silence, might sound rather appealing. Factor in temperatures that drop to -57°C and a few of us might be put off - but for glaciologist Liz Morris, that's very much her happy place.Liz is ... Show More
26m 27s
Aug 4
The Life Scientific: Anthony Fauci
Welcome to a world where medicine meets politics: a space that brings together scientific research, government wrangling, public push-back and healthcare conspiracies…Dr Anthony Fauci was the Director of America’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for nearly f ... Show More
26m 29s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2023
Psychedelics for depression
Can magic mushrooms help your mental health? James Gallagher cuts through the hype and examines the evidence to find out if psychedelics can treat depression. Presenter: James Gallagher Producer: Geraldine Fitzgerald 
38m 28s
Sep 2022
05: The Future of Psychedelics in Healthcare
Judith Warner speaks with Dr. Matthew Johnson about the state of psychedelic research today and the likelihood that certain drugs — MDMA and psilocybin specifically — could soon be approved for the treatment of conditions like addiction and PTSD. Psychedelics have long been known ... Show More
28m 26s
Oct 2023
Psychedelics
No, you’re not hallucinating! In episode 89 of Overthink, Ellie and David investigate the loopy world of psychedelics. Did you know that after doing psychedelics Jean-Paul Sartre went through a  “lobster phase” during which he hallucinated lobsters everywhere he went? Once parade ... Show More
59m 37s
Jul 2023
Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris: An Expert’s Guide to the Medicinal Potential of Psychedelics
On this week’s episode, WHOOP VP of Performance Science, Principal Scientist, Kristen Holmes is joined by Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, a distinguished professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. He is one of the leading researchers in the st ... Show More
55m 5s
Mar 2024
psychedelic therapy, a talk with robin carhart-harris [video]
[video available on spotify] i've dabbled in the world of psychedelics a little bit. i've taken mushrooms a few times, but i really don't know a lot about psychedelics. however, it's becoming an increasingly more relevant topic as it's been revealed that they can help with mental ... Show More
50m 28s
Sep 2022
Babbage: How psychedelics could fix the brain
Psychedelic drugs—such as LSD and psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in magic mushrooms—may be coming to the medicine cabinet. Research into their use to treat mental-health conditions was long blocked by law and stigma. But in recent years, there has been a revival of i ... Show More
44m 25s
Sep 2021
Dr. Matthew Johnson: Psychedelics for Treating Mental Disorders
This episode I discuss medical research on psychedelic compounds with Dr. Matthew Johnson, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. We discuss the biology and medical clinical-trial uses of psilocybin, MDMA, ayahuasca, DMT, and L ... Show More
2h 49m
Dec 2019
#177 — Psychedelic Science
Sam Harris speaks with Roland Griffiths about the current state of research on psychedelics. They discuss the historical prohibition against their use; the clinical and scientific promise of psilocybin, mescaline, LSD, DMT, MDMA, and other compounds; the risks associated with the ... Show More
1h 26m
May 2024
The Power and Promise of Psychedelics in Therapy
Bad trips, anti-drug PSAs, and the crackdown under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 helped stigmatize psychedelics in the U.S. But now, there’s renewed clinical inquiry into whether these drugs can ease emotional trauma. To understand the future of psychedelics, Audie calls ... Show More
37m 39s
Sep 2022
Babbage: How psychedelics could fix the brain
Psychedelic drugs—such as LSD and psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in magic mushrooms—may be coming to the medicine cabinet. Research into their use to treat mental-health conditions was long blocked by law and stigma. But in recent years, there has been a revival of i ... Show More
44m 25s