Treating Eating Disorders with Psychedelics with Dr Adele Lafrance, Dr Megs Spriggs, Dr Carol Kan & Francesca Rose / Women in Psychedelics Series

Currently over 1.6 million people in the UK are estimated to have an eating disorder, and sadly the reality is that this number is in actual fact even greater due to the unspoken nature of the disease. With an unnervingly high mortality rate, and less than half of patients ever recovering, finding treatment that actually works is vital.

Psychedelics are being rebranded in Western medicine - from drugs of recreation, to powerful tools for healing - as their potential use for treating depression and anxiety comes to light. This has raised the question of what role psychedelics may play in treating eating disorders, leading to research which has so far shown promising results.

Do we have an insight into why eating disorders develop in the first place, and might that point towards how psychedelics could provide a solution? What do we know from the research so far? What may have been the impacts of COVID-19 both on research and those struggling with eating disorders? Could psychedelics be the future of eating disorder treatment? 

We are thrilled to announce an incredible line-up for this discussion. This will be a 2 hour event with a Q&A session, giving the opportunity for the audience to ask their own questions. The event will be recorded and ticket purchasers will be sent the recording within a week of the event.

Women in Psychedelics Series is a regular online event that hosts psychedelic women from around the world. Among them are scientists, researchers, psychiatrists, therapists, artists, bodyworkers and healers.

Dr Adele Lafrance

Dr. Adele Lafrance is a clinical psychologist, research scientist, and certified eating disorder specialist and supervisor. She is a leader in the research and practice of psychedelic medicine in the context of eating disorders, with a focus on ayahuasca, MDMA, and psilocybin. Currently, Dr. Lafrance is the clinical investigator and strategy lead for the MAPS-sponsored MDMA-assisted psychotherapy study for eating disorders, and a collaborator on the Imperial College study for psilocybin and anorexia nervosa. She is also co-developer of Emotion-Focused Ketamine-assisted Psychotherapy and Emotion-Focused Family Therapy for Eating Disorders. Dr. Lafrance has a particular interest in mechanisms and models of healing, including spirituality, emotion processing, and the application of psychedelic medicine in the context of couples and family therapy. She has published extensively in the field of emotion and health, including a clinical manual and expert training video published by the American Psychological Association.

Dr Meg Spriggs

Dr. Meg Spriggs completed her PhD in psychology at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her interest in mental health treatment has led her to work for the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London where she is currently investigating psilocybin as an alternative way to treat various mental health disorders. The devastating and sometimes tragic outcomes patients of Anorexia Nervosa face have provided a real drive for Meg to take a leading role in the Centre’s upcoming trial for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy as an alternative method to treat the disease. 

Dr Carol Kan

Dr Kan graduated in medicine from University of Cambridge and Imperial College London. After completing her core psychiatric training at South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, she became a BRC Preparatory Clinical Fellow, Novo Nordisk Clinical Research Fellow and a NIHR Clinical Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. She is now working as a consultant at Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust. Her academic interests include predictive modelling, mood disorders and developing novel treatment for people with eating disorders. 

Francesca Rose

Francesca Rose has battled with eating disorders, acne, POCS, and hormonal issues - challenges many of us face on a daily basis and can be very difficult to know how to overcome. Through many years of healing, including plant medicine, expressive dance, prayer-formance, traditional talk therapy and many more, she has learnt to trust and revere her body, using it as a tool for change, empowerment and liberation. Psilocybin mushrooms have played an important role in helping Francesca untangle certain parts of herself, namely her relationships with food and exercise. Psychedelics have helped Francesca heal from trauma and become more connected, grounded and at peace with herself. She now blogs about her experiences, inspiring people with recipes and stories to gain a healthier relationship with food and their bodies: https://www.francescaeatsroses.com/

If you would like to attend this event but are unable to afford the ticket price, please do get in touch with us directly at mags@psychedelicsociety.org.uk. At the Psychedelic Society, we believe that everyone should be able to access our events regardless of employment or health circumstances, so we will do our best to accommodate where we can

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