http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2008/07/five_minutes_with_ps.htmlFive minutes with psychedelics researcher Bill Richards:
Psychologist Bill Richards studies the medical potential of the hallucinogenic drug psilocybin, the active ingredient in 'magic mushrooms'.
He's part of the research team at the respected Johns Hopkins Medical School who are studying whether psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy can help people with cancer cope with the psychological impact of their condition.
The project is a hot topic at the moment, partly because the research team are looking for volunteers with a diagnosis of cancer to take part in the pioneering study, and also because several of their recent findings have made headlines.
These have included the widely-reported results from their recent studies where participants reported that some of the psilocybin experiences remained deeply and personally meaningful, even after a year.
Bill has been a clinical psychedelics researcher since the 1960s and so has a wealth of experience with these curious compounds, and he's also kindly agreed to talk to Mind Hacks about the current pioneering research project.
