Dr James Fadiman wasn’t always a psychonaut — the term for someone who uses mind-altering substances to explore human consciousness. Back in 1961, as a straight-laced PhD candidate who wouldn’t even drink coffee, he visited a friend studying in Paris. Here, he would try psilocybin, the psychoactive chemical compound found in magic mushrooms, for the first time — a moment that would upturn the trajectory of his life and work. Over the next few decades, he became one of the giants of the field of psychedelics. If you have ever heard of the term microdose, it’s likely because of him.
Psychedelics such as psilocybin and LSD are among the most researched emerging compounds in psychiatric treatment. While pharmacologically distinct, these substances are increasingly associated with processes linked to enhanced neuroplasticity. For illnesses like depression and PTSD, where rigid patterns of thought and behaviour often dominate, this temporary increase in plasticity can help the brain become more malleable and less constrained by past trauma or entrenched mental states.
