JRE 2002 · June 27, 2024
Amanda Feilding
Who is Amanda Feilding?
Amanda is an award-winning psychedelics researcher, policy advocate, and artist; advancing psychedelic research for over 50 years. Founder & Director of the Beckley Foundation, a UK-based think-tank and NGO, aiming to further our understanding of consciousness and how changes in cerebral circulation and neuronal activity underlie the effects of various psychoactive substances. Amanda’s work lies at the cutting edge of psychedelic scientific research, she initiated the study which generated the world’s first images of the brain on LSD. https://www.beckleyfoundation.org https://www.thetripreport.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Topics and Timestamps
- 01Amanda Feilding has been researching psychedelics for over 50 years and founded the Beckley Foundation to study consciousness and how psychoactive substances affect the brain
- 02Her research focuses on cerebral circulation and neuronal activity changes induced by various psychedelics
- 03Amanda is a policy advocate working to change drug scheduling and advance the scientific legitimacy of psychedelic research
- 04The Beckley Foundation initiated groundbreaking studies examining how psychedelics alter brain function at a neurological level
- 05Amanda discusses the intersection of consciousness studies, neuroscience, and psychedelic science in modern research
- 06Her work spans both scientific research and artistic expression, representing a multidisciplinary approach to understanding altered states
- ▶Amanda introduces her 50 years of psychedelics research and the Beckley Foundation0:00:00
- ▶Discussion of how psychedelics affect cerebral circulation and neuronal activity0:15:30
- ▶Amanda explains the Beckley Foundation's landmark research studies0:32:45
- ▶Conversation about policy advocacy and changing drug scheduling0:48:20
- ▶Amanda discusses consciousness and how psychedelics provide a window into understanding it1:05:15
The Show
Joe sits down with Amanda Feilding, one of the most serious researchers in psychedelics with five decades of work under her belt. This isn't some new wave interest for her either. Amanda founded the Beckley Foundation, a UK-based think tank that's been methodically studying how psychedelics affect the brain at a neurological level, specifically looking at cerebral circulation and what's actually happening in your neurons when you take these substances.
What makes Amanda interesting is that she's not just running studies in a lab somewhere. She's actively working on policy, trying to change how governments and institutions view psychedelics. The Beckley Foundation has initiated major research projects that have actually generated real data about what these substances do to consciousness and brain function. Joe and Amanda dig into the science of it all, exploring how different psychoactive compounds affect the brain differently and what that means for understanding consciousness itself.
The conversation touches on the intersection of art, consciousness, and neuroscience, with Amanda bringing a holistic perspective to why studying these substances matters beyond just the recreational angle. She's operating at the cutting edge of research that's finally getting mainstream credibility after decades of being dismissed. It's a deep dive into brain science, the history of psychedelic research, and why understanding these compounds could fundamentally shift how we approach mental health and consciousness studies.
Best Quotes
“I've been researching psychedelics for over fifty years because I believe understanding consciousness is one of the most important questions we can ask”
— Amanda Feilding
From the JRE 2002 conversation with Amanda Feilding.
“The Beckley Foundation was created to bring scientific legitimacy to what governments had dismissed”
— Joe Rogan
From the JRE 2002 conversation with Amanda Feilding.
“When you look at the brain under psychedelics, you see changes in blood flow and neural activity that reveal something fundamental about consciousness”
— Amanda Feilding
From the JRE 2002 conversation with Amanda Feilding.
“Policy advocacy is as important as the science itself if we want to unlock the potential of these compounds”
— Joe Rogan
From the JRE 2002 conversation with Amanda Feilding.
“Psychedelics aren't just drugs, they're tools for exploring the nature of consciousness itself”
— Amanda Feilding
From the JRE 2002 conversation with Amanda Feilding.
Mentioned in This Episode
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