Can Psychedelic Drugs Help You Flourish?

Four multicoloured images of the brain, in green, purple and yellow

Event schedule details

Sunday 16 June

16.30-17.25

Event location details

The Lydia and Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre, Victoria and Albert Museum

Explore the use of magic mushrooms, LSD and other psychoactive compounds in mental health treatment, creative problem-solving, and personal wellbeing.

Psychedelic drugs hold promise for mental health treatment, showing benefits for treating depression and tackling addiction, as well as improving sexual satisfaction.

Beyond healthcare, psychedelics such as magic mushrooms, LSD and other psychoactive compounds have been linked to enhanced creativity and problem-solving, as well as stimulating insightfulness and self-exploration.Together this is making psychedelic research a field with wide-reaching relevance and fascination.

Learn from researchers at Imperial College London, which has been active in this field for nearly two decades, at this year's Great Exhibition Road Festival. As well as exploring the latest findings from trials exploring psychedelics, hear personal stories of emotional, psychological, and even spiritual experiences from individuals who have gone through research trials into these potential treatments.

Visitor information

Talks and discussions are intended for an adult audience and are most suitable for ages 14+.

This event is part of the Flourishing Futures talk series, shown at location number 5 on the Festival Map.  The talk has some advance tickets released to visitors but there will also be drop-in spaces on the day.

If you have an advance ticket, please arrive at the venue 10 minutes before the start time. Your ticket gives you priority access, however, as this is a free event we overbook to help ensure a full event and your space may be reallocated. Early arrival reduces this risk.

The event has step-free access and a hearing loop system.

Register now for this talk

To attend the Festival, please make sure to register for free. Registering is the only way to receive the latest Festival updates, a first look at the programme, and opportunities to book free tickets for popular events.

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Event categories

  • Adults
  • Talks and tours
Four multicoloured images of the brain, in green, purple and yellow