Psychedelics as nature connection catalysts – Dr Sam Gandy

From our Masterclass Archive. Stefan speaks to Dr. Sam Gandy.
There appears to be a growing disconnection between humans and their natural environments which has been linked to poor mental health and environmental destruction.

A growing body of evidence shows that psychedelic usage is associated with enduring increases in nature relatedness, or connectedness, post experience, with this encompassing an awareness of being part of a wider web of life that makes up the natural world.
How might this occur, and what are the potential implications of this at a time of growing mental health and ecological crises?
What overlap is there between how psychedelics and contact with nature affect our mental state, and how can we maximise this synergy between nature and psychedelics to improve mental health?

Sam is a PhD ecologist and independent researcher. He has varied experience of working within the psychedelic field, including as a past scientific assistant to the director of the Beckley Foundation and as a research assistant and ecopsychology coordinator with the Synthesis Institute. His work has also involved science communication, including a past role as a senior science writer for Wavepaths, and giving talks in association with Seed Talks. A lifelong nature lover, he has a research interest in the capacity of psychedelics to influence human relationships with nature, and is a collaborator with the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London. His main work focus is within the ecological field, working as Innovation Team Leader with environmental consultancy Ecosulis.

Please note the masterclass MP4 video file may take some time to download due to its size