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!
Dr. Cumming is a highly accomplished neuroscientist, author, and professor in the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the University of Bern. His research focuses on molecular and neuroimaging techniques, particularly positron emission tomography (PET) scans. Using this technology, he has extensively investigated the role of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin applying this knowledge to the study of psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Over his career, he has held positions at prestigious institutions such as McGill University, Aarhus University, the University of Oslo, and Queensland University of Technology. In more recent years, Dr. Cumming has also published on other neurobiological topics, including psychedelics such as MDMA, psilocybin, LSD, and DMT, as well as MAO inhibitors like the β-carboline harmine. In tonight's talk, Dr. Cumming will discuss the neurochemistry of DMT, which, along with β-carboline MAO inhibitors such as harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine, are key components of the Amazonian plant-based brew Ayahuasca.
There are two paradigms of how psychedelics should be used in psychotherapy. The psychedelic paradigm, developed and practiced in North America, provides for the patient to be administered one or two high-dose sessions, which should then primarily lead to a mystical experience of connectedness, which should break up encrusted feelings and thought structures in order to help the patient out of depression or similar mental disorders. This model provides for 3-10 hours of accompanying psychotherapy. During the 1960s, a number of methodologically sound studies were carried out which showed that this method positively changed the mood of many patients in the weeks following treatment, but did not lead to lasting improvement. This is also confirmed by current therapy studies, all of which were carried out using the psychedelic paradigm. The so-called psycholytic therapy established in Europe during the 1960s has psychoanalytic treatment as its framework. It provides for long-term psychotherapeutic treatment (1-2 sessions per week over 1-2 years). During this treatment, 5-20 so-called psycholytic, i.e. lower-dose sessions, which focus less on ego resolution and more on psychodynamic effects and interpersonal content, are interwoven. At the time, this method was mainly used to treat patients who were resistant to psychotherapy. Even today, the method appears to be promising again, as psychedelic therapy seems to produce short-term improvements - and lasting changes in human experience and behavior probably require more time per se. The lecture provides an overview of the two paradigms, explains the principles of psycholytic therapy and discusses these in the context of the current study situation.
Explore key perspectives in the development of psychedelic treatments through insights from a Randomized Clinical Trial with Psilocybin to treat Depression. Starting with how factors like set and setting shape the subjective experience experience and treatment outcomes. Delve into the complexities of designing clinical trials, including the challenges posed by blinding and the nocebo effect, and the ethical implications for psychedelic drug development. Finally, learnings from the study offer a glimpse into the future of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), highlighting its potential in group therapy settings and the promise of precision psychiatry for tailored treatment approaches. The talk will conclude with 15min for Q&A followed by an Apéro!
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.
