Prof. dr. Dimitri De Bundel was invited by Psychedelic Society Belgium to speak at the 4th PSBE Symposium. In his talk, he presented his research on how psychedelic molecules act on receptors in brain circuits.
The symposium brought together speakers from a wide range of disciplines, including psychiatry, psychology, philosophy and anthropology, as well as people sharing their own lived experience. Beyond the pharmacology, the programme explored the many factors that shape an individual’s response to psychedelic-assisted treatment, such as expectation, meaning-making, the therapeutic alliance and integration.
Prof. De Bundel stresses that psychedelics are not a magic bullet, but that they can be a valuable tool for improving mental health when used with integrity, without over-medicalisation or magical thinking. An important question for the future, he notes, is whether public health systems will be able to afford the prices that private companies may charge for these treatments.
Many thanks to Psychedelic Society Belgium, and congratulations to organisers Birgitte Andersskog and Margaux Plurien on a well-run symposium.