The Brain on Psychedelics: Mapping the Science of Consciousness

Episode 287

Robin Carhart-Harris, Ph.D.

In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin speaks with Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris at the inaugural Eudaimonia summit in West Palm Beach. As the founder of the world's first Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London and now the Ralph Metzner Distinguished Professor at UCSF, Dr. Carhart-Harris shares his research on how psychedelics affect the brain's default mode network. He explains the key differences between psychedelic therapy and traditional psychiatric medications, discusses his current studies examining the role of set and setting, and explores the unique properties of 5-MeO-DMT. The conversation weaves between detailed neuroscience, the challenges of integrating psychedelics into healthcare, and personal reflections on his 20-year commitment to advancing psychedelic research.

Prof Carhart-Harris holds the Ralph Metzner Distinguished Professorship in Neurology and Psychiatry at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where he founded the Carhart-Harris Lab in 2023. His groundbreaking research includes human neuroimaging studies with LSD, psilocybin, MDMA, and DMT, along with clinical trials of psilocybin therapy for various disorders. He founded the world's first Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London in 2019. Named in TIME magazine's '100 Next' in 2021 and Vox Magazine's 'Future 50' in 2023, his current research at UCSF focuses on understanding the mechanisms of psychedelics and psychedelic therapy.