Psychedelics were introduced into western addiction medicine as far back as the 1930s. One of the first to receive this treatment was Bill Wilson, the founder of alcoholics anonymous, who experienced a profound shift in his cravings and urge to drink. 

Location: Cruciform Building - B404 LT2 Gower Street London WC1E 6BT

In the first psychedelic research era of the 60s, the therapeutic effects of these substances in treating addiction were first explored with some of the highest effect sizes in addiction medicine to date. In this modern era there are several early stage controlled clinical studies confirming these findings. 

These studies though fundamentally negate a key element – the processes and mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects. In this talk I will describe how multimodal digital and neurobiological investigations can be incorporated into these studies to unravel the therapeutic potential of these compounds in treating addiction and how these insights can greatly advance psychedelic medicine.

Rayyan Raja Zafar BSc. MSc.

Medical Research Council Doctoral Training Partnership (MRC DTP) PhD Candidate

Centre for Psychedelic research & Neuropsychopharmacology