Switzerland is a hub for psychedelic research. PROZ is a student organization that makes academic research on psychedelics accessible to both students and the general public.
Get a chance to ask Rick Doblin your question! The talk will be broadcasted over Zoom in a lecture hall at the University of Zürich with a live Q&A at the end. For more information see below.
Further events for this semester will be announced!
Ego-dissolution is perhaps the most infamous and yet poorly defined phenomenon to occur during psychedelic experiences. Based on a phenomenological qualitative study of more than 1500 trip reports, Jason Day will present his findings that there are, in fact, several different types of psychedelic ego-dissolution. He will describe how these types can be distinguished by the particular form of self-awareness that is reduced or lost. However, he will finally argue that there is no convincing evidence for the idea that psychedelic experiences can involve consciousness without any self-awareness.
PROZ is very happy to announce that the Swiss Psychedelic Student Forum will take place in Zurich this year! Join us on the 4th of May for a whole day of insightful talks by the future of Swiss Psychedelic Research, where six Students will present their work. The Student Forum is a great opportunity to meet interesting people who share your interest for psychedelics. For more information about the main organiser visit www.alps.foundation. Get your Tickets now:
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The lecture next Tuesday will be on the subjective and pharmacological effects of 1P-LSD. Prof. Dr. Volker Auwärter is one of the leading toxicologists in the field of new psychoactive substances in the German-speaking world. He was the first to discover and identify the synthetic active ingredients in the 'herbal inscence' spice after trying it himself. He also conducted a self-administration study with 1P-LSD, and that's what he'll be talking about!
Frankly, Rick Doblin is a legend. He is the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and has been at the forefront in advocating for the use of psychedelics in PTSD-therapy and research since the 1980s. As a renowned speaker he has talked at countless conventions all across the world and made media appearances on the Joe Rogan Podcast and more. In 2021 the esteemed journal “Science” named Rick’s results of the first Phase 3 study using MDMA to treat PTSD one of Science's Top 10 Breakthroughs of the Year. This year already, MDMA might receive FDA approval for clinical use all thanks to the work of his team, making it easier for other countries to follow. They have already begun training for healthcare providers, spread their knowledge across the globe and aim for net-zero trauma by 2070. Rick Doblin is not just a great scientist and philanthropic entrepreneur, but also an inspiring personality who embodies what he’s preaching. Rick will join us via zoom and the talk will be exclusively streamed in the lecture hall. After the presentation, you will also have the opportunity to ask Rick your questions!
Are you especially interested in the mystery of consciousness and curious to find out, how psychedelics might shed a light on this phenomenon? Then join us in listening to PD. Dr Stocker, who is a project leader for consciousness studies (ETH Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich) and a research associate in psychopharmacology (University Hospital Basel).
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As part of the PROZ-Talk, Eve & Rave will present the main mission of its organization and talk about specific psychedelic research chemicals discussed on their message board. Additionally they will teach you how to be with someone who’s having a challenging psychedelic experience. In the end there will be an opportunity to join the extended team to help out at parties and music festivals to gain experience in working with people under the influence of psychoactive substances.
Exploring Psychedelic Use Among Swiss University Students & The Potential of Psychedelics as a Preventive Treatment for Cluster Headaches In the first part of the talk we will discuss the results of the UNIDELIC Survey, where we quantitatively assessed psychedelic usage among students at a Swiss university. Looking at the prevalence of psychedelic use but also the motivations driving students towards these experiences (i.e. introspection, coping, enhancement…). We will also explore the relationship between psychedelic use and transdiagnostic factors such as mindfulness and cognitive flexibility. The second part of the talk highlights the promising role of psychedelics as preventative treatment for cluster headache syndrome which are considered as one of the most painful conditions to exist. The talk will conclude with a compelling personal testimony from a patient who utilized classical psychedelics to self-treat his headache condition.
Navigating the chaos of psychedelic neuroimaging: A multi-metric evaluation of acute psilocybin effects on brain entropy. Investigations into the acute effects of psychedelics on brain imaging have emphasised increased 'brain entropy' as a potential neural correlate. To date, 12 previous studies have reported brain entropy effects, each reporting a single and unique metric, none of which have been examined in an independent cohort. In this talk Drummond McCulloch will walk us through what brain entropy is, how it can be measured and how these independent measures of brain entropy can (and should be) unified. Drummond is part of the Neurograd PhD at the University of Copenhagen. Drummond holds a first-class degree in Pharmacology with Neuroscience from the University of Glasgow. His goal is to develop and optimise psychedelic-based treatments to improve patient outcomes. This talk will be free with no prior registration needed. Drummond will be the first international speaker to join us on Zoom, presenting his research and answering our questions.
For all of you interested in psychedelics from a more recreational perspective, our next talk come Tuesday (12.03) should be just your thing! The Drug Information Center Zurich (DIZ) will be talking all about psychedelics in Switzerland, drug statistics and analysis as well as harm reduction & safer use. They will focus more on the recreational usage of psychedelic substances and the real-world data right here in Zurich. The institution is funded by the city and does important work für safer use by providing free drug testing, annual recaps and walk-in advise. As for every talk: no registration is needed and everything is completely free and open to everyone!
Research in animals suggests that ketamine, LSD, and other psychedelics can enhance neuroplasticity. Largely because of these animal findings, neuroplasticity is often cited as an important reason for psychedelics’ effectiveness in therapy. This is a decent theory. But neuroplasticity is also more complicated than a simple drug effect, and it can be strongly influenced by our experiences, environment, and behavior. What does this mean for psychedelic research? Come join a discussion on what we think we know about psychedelics and neuroplasticity, why a caged rat and a (free-range) human might react differently to psychedelics, and how neuroplasticity is influenced by experiences – psychedelic or otherwise.
PROZ stands for Psychedelic Research Organization of Zurich. We are a student association dedicated to exploring the scientific and philosophic framework surrounding psychedelics.
Our interdisciplinary team includes students from fields like psychology, pharmacology, biology, physics, and computer sciences; all united by our academic interest in psychedelics.
Our goal is to raise awareness of the potential benefits and risks associated with psychedelics, as well as their clinical and psychotherapeutic applications. We also strive for open science, making research accessible to everyone, and creating opportunities for dialogue and networking.
We organize a variety of events, including talks, discussions, and informal events, where experts and members can share and discuss their knowledge. If possible, we record the lectures and upload them on YouTube and our website.
Founded in 2022, we are a young organisation. Nevertheless, we have an Instagram account where we post useful information about our activities and interesting information about psychedelics in general. Also, in fall 2023 we launched our first public talk series and could not have been happier with the amount of people showing up. As we become more experienced with organising events, we hope to offer a wide range of activities for students, professors, researchers and the general public interested in psychedelics. All our upcoming events will be registered on this website.
We regularly organize Events in Zurich. As the University of Zurich is largely funded by taxpayers, we think it is important to give the public something back. With our free talks, discussions and other events we hope to allow people who are researching psychedelics to share their knowledge with the public and interested students from all kinds of academic backgrounds. This means that for all of our events the only thing you need is an open schedule and an open mind.
Open Science is a movement to make scientific research accessible to all levels of society, amateur or professional. This includes things such as making academic papers freely accessible, publishing research data and preregistering studies. But the language of science is often very domain specific and for non-specialists it is difficult to read academic papers. Our goal is to make this academic knowledge more accessible for the public and students from different backgrounds.
Psychedelic science is an interesting and very interdisciplinary field. Researchers from biology, psychology, neuroscience, philosophy and many more fields study these mysterious substances. Thus interdisciplinary collaboration is an important aspect for psychedelic science. We hope that our events and platforms offer a space for future and current researchers to connect and learn about a broad range of approaches. We hope to combine the rigorous scientific efforts from STEM fields with the more open and broad ideas of the humanities and whatever disciplines lie in between.
The ALPS Foundation is a Swiss non-profit organization dedicated to educating professionals and the general public on evidence-based psychedelic research and therapy. Supporting community building around these topics, and paving the way for therapeutic psychedelic treatments provided in a safe, legal, and accessible manner.
Other than collaborating in different Swiss psychedelic research projects as well as in the access facilitation to safe and legal psychedelic treatments for patients in need, the ALPS Foundation also organizes two highly successful academic events on psychedelic science in Switzerland. Check out the website to learn more about those Events.
The Swiss Psychedelic Student Network brings together all university student associations dedicated to psychedelic sciences at a national level.
While their ambition is rooted locally, their perspective is international, providing students interested in psychedelics with an environment to grow and learn. Through various events, they aim to disseminate evidence-based knowledge about psychedelics, including medical applications, fundamental biological research, and social perspectives.
Sharing the same goals, the ALPS Foundation and the Swiss Psychedelic Student Network have created the ALPS Student Board, a team composed of one or two representatives from each student association. This board facilitates communication and collaboration between these entities, to coordinate educational programs and promote psychedelic science communication at a national scale.
Psychedelics are all about strengthening existing connections and forming new ones. Tell your friends about our association and our projects, take them with you and make them bring their friends too! Our events are great opportunities to make even more friends and to find out about interesting frontiers in psychedelic science and possible master theses, PHD's, internships and jobs that are up for grabs.
As a non-profit Organization we do our very best to make every event as free as possible. To achieve this, we invite organizations to join us as sponsors. Your support allows us to offer these enlightening events without any cost barriers, reaching a broader audience and fostering a greater understanding of psychedelics. As a valued sponsor, your organization's name and logo will be prominently featured at each event, demonstrating your commitment to advancing knowledge and awareness.
You like what we do and want to play a part in it? We are always excited to welcome new members in our organization! Just send us a DM on Instagram or an E-Mail and we'll schedule a meeting.
You are fascinated by the world of psychedelics and eager to share your insights with an equally enthusiastic crowd? Feel free to contact us and we will do our best to make your talk happen!
In our WhatsApp community chat you will be always up to date on the upcoming events and major developments of the academic field of psychedelic science. Join our:
If you have an elaborate question or would like to collaborate with us, send us an Email:
Another way to stay informed is following our Instagram account. Get updates on upcoming Events and useful information conveniently in your Instagram Feed.
