Researchers and scientists will convene in Philadelphia to explore the future of psychedelic research

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Researchers and scientists from all around the world will convene in Philadelphia next month to talk about one thing: psychedelics.

Psychedelic substances like peyote, psilocybin and related plants and fungi have been used in cultural and medicinal ways for thousands of years.

It was only more recently that these substances and others, including LSD, ketamine and MDMA, became part of funded research studies to explore their potential as modern-day treatments for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and neurological disorders.

Still, it’s a niche area of research and experimentation. That’s why Taylor Andrews Flatt, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and co-founder of the Penn Psychedelics Collaborative, said bringing everyone together to share ideas and information can help move the field forward.

“This is an area of research and clinical application and history and anthropology and all these things where there is so much interest,” Flatt said. “And there’s so much potential for learning and exploring and healing that has the right to be explored, and we can do so safely.”

The second annual PhilaDelic conference will take place from October 3 through 6 at the University of Pennsylvania. The theme for this year’s event is “Paradigm Shifts in Psychedelic Studies.”

“In the Western World, this is looking very much like a shift in how we approach medicine and mental health and so many other spheres,” Flatt said. “We need to move very cautiously. These substances aren’t without their own risks and they are to be very respected and engaged in a proper way, but there’s just so much here to be explored.”

Discussion on current clinical drug trials and a recent decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reject Lykos Therapeutics’ use of MDMA, known as ecstasy, as a therapy for PTSD will no doubt be top of mind for some at the conference, Flatt said.

“People might view it in the short term as a setback,” she said. “But in the long term, we as a scientific community have the ethical and moral obligation to do really good work and to acknowledge and accept the limitations and frustrations that occur.”

Scholars and scientists will headline panels on a range of topics that include the intersection of psychedelics and addiction, mental health, veterinary medicine, metaphysics, medical ethics, environmental philosophy and more.

There is something for everyone, Flatt said.

“There is a whole group of us who are interested in psychedelics all kind of like nerding out together,” she said. “You might get to experience that, to not be unnecessarily siloed with your own interests, but to kind of be surrounded by a community of people who also have that shared interest.”

Registration to attend the conference in person or remotely via livestream will be open over the next couple of weeks. Organizers said tickets will be limited and attendance will be capped at 350 people.