There appears to be a growing disconnection between humans and their natural environments which has been linked to poor mental health and ecological destruction. Research shows that psychedelic usage is associated with enduring increases in nature connectedness.
What makes psychedelics such as psilocybin promising agents for enhancing nature connectedness, and what are the potential implications of this at a time of growing mental health and ecological crises?
Nature connectedness, or relatedness, can be considered a measure of one’s self-identification with nature, and it is associated with a broad range of measures linked to psychological well-being, while also being a strong psychological predictor of pro-environmental behaviour. What overlap is there between how psychedelics and contact with nature can confer benefits to our mental well-being? And how can we maximise this synergy between nature and psychedelics to improve mental health?
In a time of disconnect, alienation and ecological destruction, Dr Gandy will answer all these questions, focusing on how consciousness change can enable greater connection to our world, and the implications for the health of humanity and the planet as a whole.
Dr Sam Gandy is working at the cutting edge of psychedelic research, combining his two passions: a love of the natural world and a strong interest in psychedelics. Sam has a PhD in ecological science from the University of Aberdeen and an MRes in entomology from Imperial College London, where he is currently working as a collaborator for the Centre for Psychedelic Research.
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