Psychedelics and Mental Health: Rose Cartwright meets Sara Tai

One to One

In recent years there’s been a renaissance of interest in psychedelics in the West, on a scale not seen since the first wave of medical research in the 1950s and 60s. Drugs like DMT, ketamine and psilocybin (the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms), are now being researched as medications to take alongside therapy for the treatment of various mental health problems. Across this series of interviews, Rose Cartwright explores so-called ‘psychedelic assisted psychotherapy’. What is it? And can it help tackle our mental health crisis?

Her guest today is Dr Sara Tai, professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Manchester, who is currently leading research into psychedelic therapy. How might psychedelic therapy help people to become unstuck? How do the potential rewards weigh up against the risks? And what is the likelihood of these psychedelic treatments becoming legalised for medical use within the UK?

Producer: Becky Ripley