Sam Gandy

Imperial College London | Imperial · Centre for Psychedelic Research

1) Background: There appears to be a growing disconnection between humans and their natural environments which has been linked to poor mental health and ecological destruction. Previous research suggests that individual levels of nature relatedness can be increased through the use of classical psychedelic compounds, although a causal link between p...

Therapeutic psychedelic administration and contact with nature have been associated with the same psychological mechanisms: decreased rumination and negative affect, enhanced psychological connectedness and mindfulness-related capacities, and heightened states of awe and transcendent experiences, all processes linked to improvements in mental healt...

Biodiversity is declining in the UK, which is considered one of the most nature-depleted parts of the world. The reestablishment of the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) has been posited as an effective means of facilitating a restoration of biodiversity in Britain, and following successful trials, nationwide reintroduction is being considered. This l...

Creativity, that is the creation of ideas or objects considered both novel and valuable, is among the most important and highly valued of human traits, and a fundamental aspect of the sciences. Dreams and hypnagogic states have been highly influential in promoting scientific creativity and insight, contributing to some important scientific breakthr...

This commentary offers stories of hope and regeneration in the face of the interconnected crises we face. Those of us in the health sector have the opportunity to undo the false separation that has arisen between the care we offer ourselves and the care we offer our natural spaces. Access to a healthy environment offers myriad health benefits and h...

The authors would like to make the following corrections to this published paper [...]

Indigenous Amazonian shamanic ayahuasca practice is embedded in a nature-based context and is employed as an ecological mediating agent and in collective environmental decision-making processes by some of the groups that use it. Phenomenologically, the ayahuasca experience is often rich in nature-based themes and content, and its usage has been ass...

Ayahuasca is a psychedelic plant brew originating from the Amazon rainforest. It is formed from two basic components, the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and a plant containing the potent psychedelic dimethyltryptamine (DMT), usually Psychotria viridis. Here we review the history of ayahuasca and describe recent work on its pharmacology, phenomenological...

1. Native wild flowering plants provide important season-round nectar and pollen resources for flower-visiting insects, but many are unappreciated or even disliked by members of the public; for example ivy (Hedera spp.), dandelion (Taraxacum officinale agg.) and bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.). 2. This antipathy has received little research attent...

Objective: To explore the perceived influence of psychedelic experiences on participants' relationship with the natural world. Method: A total of 272 participants reporting previous use of psychedelics completed free-text response requests via an online survey. Thematic analysis was used to explore group participant responses. Results: Participants...

An out of body experience (OBE) happens when an individual experiences the world from a location seemingly outside of their physical body. They occur in around 10% of the population, yet little research has explored the psychological aftereffects of OBEs, or their transformative potential. This study is an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IP...

Abstract Background: Past research reports a positive relationship between experience with classic serotonergic psychedelics and nature relatedness (NR). However, these studies typically do not distinguish between different psychedelic compounds, which have a unique psychopharmacology and may be used in specific contexts and with different intent...

Rationale A general feeling of disconnection has been associated with mental and emotional suffering. Improvements to a sense of connectedness to self, others and the wider world have been reported by participants in clinical trials of psychedelic therapy. Such accounts have led us to a definition of the psychological construct of ‘connectedness’ a...

Mystical experiences are often described as being among the most profound and meaningful events of a person’s life. Their occurrence, while a normal but uncommon phenomenon, is reliably occasioned by psychedelic substances under the appropriate conditions, although care is needed around the context of usage to help ensure safe and beneficial experi...

An Independent Journal Documenting Historical Data Pertaining To The Occurrence And Use Of the Neurotropic Species of Fungi. Featuring Ergot Fungi Claviceps purpurea, Fungi in Alchemy, The Muiscas of Colombia, the SomaCompendium, and much more. DELUXE EDITION https://mapscontent.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/pdfs/ethnomycologicaljournals-X-1.pdf

These are the blurbs for vol. X. They are also included in the front of the book as well as the back cover.

We are in the midst of a psychedelic research renaissance. With research examining the efficacy of psychedelics as a treatment for a range of mental health indications still in its early stages, there is an increasing body of research to show that careful use of psychedelics can yield a variety of benefits in “healthy normals” and so lead to “the be...

Ayahuasca is a psychedelic decoction originating from Amazonia. The ayahuasca-induced introspective experience has been shown to have potential benefits in the treatment of several pathologies, to protect mental health and to improve neuropsychological functions and creativity, and boost mindfulness. The underlying psychological processes related t...

There is a notable lack of effective treatments and therapies available for the treatment of existential anxiety. There are, however, a number of avenues worthy of more attention, all experiential or using insights gained from experiences. Such experiences include near-death experiences (NDEs), out-of-body experiences (OBEs) and those yielded by cl...

We think that the development of a psychometric instrument is never complete and that it is always subject to review, and this should apply to any other scientific instrument or technique.

Objective: In the present study we explored the psychometric properties of three widely used questionnaires to assess the subjective effects of hallucinogens: the Hallucinogen Rating Scale (HRS), the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ), and the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI). Methods: These three questionnaires were administered...

In this field experiment, we test and support the hypothesis that exploitative competition between bees can influence several aspects of their foraging behaviour. Three treatments of lavender patches were set out: bumble bees excluded, honey bees excluded, control. Bumble bees are known to handle lavender flowers more rapidly than honey bees, partl...

In this study we show that disparities in the foraging efficiency between bee species have community-level consequences. Our previous research found the ratio of bumble bees to honey bee foragers was consistently ten to one on lavender flowers. Morphological analysis indicated that bumble bees had relatively long tongues, which enable more effici...