Course overview
The course provides a broad overview on the history, science, and ethics of psychedelics, providing participants with core concepts and all necessary knowledge to effectively navigate the complex galaxy of psychedelic medicines. The Introduction to the Science of Psychedelics course offers you a competitive edge in preparation for the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly-evolving field.
What you’ll learn
- Basic concepts and context
- Historical summary
- Substance overview
- Medical applications
- Clinical practice
- Research
- Ethics & bio-cultural sustainability
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, you should have acquired the necessary knowledge which will enable you to:
- Define psychedelics, understand their basic characteristics, and differentiate them from other psychoactive substances;
- Understand the tumultuous history of psychedelics, putting in perspective its ancient roots with our contemporary legal and moral approaches;
- Recognize and differentiate the main psychedelic plants, fungi, animals, products, and substances;
- Understand the current state of the art of medical applications for psychedelics, and the basics of posology;
- Master tools to assess the benefit-risk balance of psychedelics, taking into account a variety of factors;
- Understand the basics of risk prevention and harm reduction;
- Understand how clinical research with psychedelics is conducted;
- Be aware of the current trends and future areas of psychedelics research;
- Recognise the ethical challenges of psychedelic therapy, and the specific risks over natural resources;
- Identify pathways and solutions to address the risks of biocultural appropriation or biopiracy.
