As Imperial College London’s Centre for Psychedelic Research begins work on the clinical utility of psychedelics, it’s time to ask: what do we really know about them – and why has it taken us this long to try and find out?
The way we see, and use, psychedelics is changing. Last month, Imperial College London opened the Centre for Psychedelic Research, a new facility dedicated to further exploration of these drugs. The centre will focus on two main areas: the action of psychedelics in the brain, and their clinical utility. In regards to the latter, researchers are keen to study psychedelics as aides to psychotherapy, with a particular focus on depression.