Santiago Psychedelic Research Symposium 2025

The Santiago Psychedelic Research Symposium, organized by the Intangible Realities Lab (IRL) at the Research Centre on Intelligent Technologies (CiTIUS), took place on Tuesday, May 20, at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Santiago de Compostela from 16:00 to 19:00. This event brought together international experts for scientific and interdisciplinary exploration of psychedelics, examining how these substances are reshaping our understanding of health, consciousness, and human experience, with particular emphasis on their therapeutic, cognitive, and social potential.

The symposium opened with a presentation by Professor Pedro Teixeira from the University of Lisbon on psychedelics and public health. Teixeira, a specialist in behavioural sciences, presented emerging evidence suggesting that psychedelics, even outside clinical contexts, can foster sustained improvements in lifestyle behaviours such as diet, exercise, sleep, and meditation. His talk addressed the growing field of research connecting psychedelics with broader wellness outcomes beyond traditional therapeutic applications.

Dr. Débora González from Universidad Isabel I and FSJD followed with clinical research findings on ayahuasca-assisted therapy for bereavement. Her pioneering study examined the effectiveness of this approach for individuals experiencing severe grief, demonstrating superior outcomes in grief symptoms, quality of life, and post-traumatic growth compared to conventional approaches. The final speaker was Dr. Chris Timmermann from University College London, a leading researcher in psychedelic neuroscience. His lecture explored how DMT and 5-MeO-DMT deconstruct our sense of self, time, and space, enabling powerful transformative experiences, while also discussing findings that reveal deep similarities with advanced meditative states. The session concluded with an open roundtable discussion moderated by CiTIUS affiliated researcher David Glowacki, offering attendees the opportunity to engage directly with the speakers.