
Ratio presents
The event will be held in English
Uprooting Stress With Psychedelics
Stress and anxiety disorders such as depression, panic disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are relatively common and can be devastatingly destructive for both individuals and society as a whole. These complex disorders can arise from genetic predisposition or traumatic life events such as starvation or war. Research in the last twenty years has also started to focus more on how stress disorders pass through generations within families. Well established scientific literature has found links between the ways in which stressed parents behave negatively toward their children and influence whether children will develop depression or anxiety of their own. Newer studies are also demonstrating that these traits can pass between generations through the germline, and that major stressors suffered as an adult can impact the actual molecular makeup of both eggs and sperm which can cause disorders to develop in later generations. The first half of this talk will focus on the current state of scientific knowledge in this relatively new field.
In an attempt to treat these widespread stress and anxiety disorders, scientists are exploring new approaches outside of conventional drugs or therapies that are ineffective in a large percentage of patients. The second half of this lecture will focus on the current wave of research aiming the historically controversial class of psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in addressing these problems. We will provide a brief history of the use of these substances and the impacts they have had on the cultures that have used them. In addition, we will discuss how these drugs are currently making a revolutionary impact on Western medicine through their profound effectiveness in treating stress and anxiety disorders. Through their gradual acceptance and integration into mainstream medicine, these drugs could have a profound impact on relieving the pain and suffering of millions.
About the speakers:
Greg Dunn has a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania where he studied the transgenerational epigenetic consequences of parental diet during pregnancy on future generations. He is now a full time artist focusing on the brain and mind and works out of Philadelphia, USA.
Chris Morgan has a PhD in pharmacology from the University of Pennsylvania where he wrote his dissertation on the transgenerational epigenetic effects of stress on offspring. He is currently continuing this work in the laboratory of Dr. Tracy Bale at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, USA where he is attempting to determine the molecular changes that occur in sperm as a result of stress.
Free entry
Monday at 8 PM – 11 PM
Event website
Location
Club Terminal 1