Following ground-breaking research, conducted notably in collaboration with the Imperial College, with the first fMRI studies of psilocybin, LSD and DMT, and the first clinical study on psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression, I have for the past years been laying the groundwork for an exciting new range of collaborations with leading research institutes around the world, largely focusing on LSD, a compound I consider the ‘Queen of psychedelics’. 

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As part of this new programme, we will examine the mechanisms underlying the LSD-induced mystical experience using the latest neuroimaging technology. This work will shed some important light on the mysterious relationship between the mystical experience and the long-term positive therapeutic outcomes of psychedelic-assisted therapy that our previous research has observed. I will also be testing a hypothesis that I was introduced to in 1966 and that revolutionised my life, linking changes in consciousness induced by psychedelics to their effects on cerebral circulation. Given the critical impact of vascular dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), this exploratory work will go hand in hand with my clinical research exploring the potential benefits of LSD microdosing in patients with AD.

It is an incredibly exciting time to be involved in psychedelic science, as decades of patient toil and cultivation finally see the field begin to bear fruit, and I am confident that the Beckley Foundation will continue to play a leading role in this area over the coming years.

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- Amanda Feilding