OPEN FOUNDATION News & BLOGs

Brendan Borrell’s recently published New York Times article, The Psychedelic Evangelist, about Johns Hopkins University’s late pioneering researcher Roland Griffiths, joins a series of blog posts, news articles, and academic papers discussing problematic aspects of psychedelic science. Some of these concern personal misconduct, but others are rooted much deeper. Psychedelics bring together human psychology and chemical compounds, science, metaphysics, and cultures. They are explored by pharmacologists and philosophers, anthropologists and psychiatrists, all trying to study what’s in a psychedelic, each with their own vocabulary and worldview. Some of the problems that arise from psychedelic research represent old schisms between the sciences and the humanities and questions about knowledge as a whole. Here too, psychedelics seem to have a revealing effect, exposing our own thinking mechanisms.

Are you ready to flip the script of reality and dive deep into a world that is purely mental and not so much physical? Meet the founder of Essentia Foundation, PhD. Bernardo Kastrup. Blending neuroscience and philosophy, his captivating ideas are embedded in the concept of analytical idealism. Brace yourself for a mind-bending journey beyond the confines of conventional thought. Join Bernado for his upcoming call at OPEN Foundation! The next lines aim to give you a general understanding of his ideas about the reality of the mind and eventually bridge analytical idealism with psychedelic experiences.

Many Psychonauts and plenty of anecdotes describe that altered states of consciousness – induced by psychedelics, such as psilocybin (the active component of magic mushroom), LSD or 5-meo DMT – can foster an intimate, novel and magical sexual experience. But is there also evidence for positive effects on sexual functioning that outlast the drug experience and carry over into the sober, everyday life?

A European consortium of 19 partners has been awarded over €6.5M by the EU to study psilocybin to treat psychological distress in people with progressive incurable illnesses. This is the first time the EU has funded a multi-site clinical study into psychedelic-assisted therapy. 

The OPEN Foundation is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated 6th edition of the Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research – Europe’s leading academic gathering dedicated to advancing psychedelic research and therapies. At ICPR 2024, we aim to bridge and connect these disciplines, and to facilitate an important dialogue between the diverse academic fields and researchers involved in advancing psychedelic research and therapies.

Kuipers: “The program is targeted at the development of new medications, will be used to set up an overarching partnership and will primarily be focused on carrying out clinical research.”

OPEN director Joost Breeksema reflects on the recent passing of Roland Griffiths

South America, a vast continent brimming with diverse ecosystems, cultures, and histories, holds a rich tapestry of traditions deeply interwoven with the use of psychedelic substances. From the high-altitude terrains of the Andes to the dense Amazon rainforests, indigenous communities have, for centuries, turned to plants and fungi as gateways to spiritual realms and therapeutic healing. These aren’t just substances; they are sacred tools, integral to ceremonies, rites of passage, and communal bonding.

The Mystical Entropy workshop consisted of a three-day event with various academics and scholars from around the world. They sought answers to the calling question of whether we can use the concept of ‘entropy’ to characterise key ideas from mystical traditions, and how this would facilitate scientific research into mystical practices and experiences.