In this episode of Where Are We Heading?

We walk with Tara Austin, co-founder of PAR – Psilocybin Access Rights, to explore the science, stigma and political barriers surrounding psilocybin. Tara shares why she believes legal access to psilocybin-assisted therapy is not just a medical issue, but a human one - especially for people living with depression, PTSD and end-of-life distress. A grounded and thought-provoking conversation on healing, policy and hope.

We walk and talk about:

• Why psilocybin is still a Schedule 1 substance in the UK despite growing medical evidence

• The science behind psilocybin therapy and how it works in the brain

• Breakthrough results in treating depression, trauma and PTSD

• Why policy change matters — and what stands in the way

• Harm reduction, set & setting, and why context is everything

• Shifting from fear and stigma to education and compassion

• The global movement toward psychedelic reform - and where the UK sits now

This episode explores not just the politics of psychedelics, but the human stories behind them - people searching for hope when nothing else has worked.

🔑 Key Takeaways / Themes

• Psilocybin shows strong clinical potential for treatment-resistant depression, PTSD and end-of-life anxiety

• Current drug scheduling laws block research access and patient treatment

• Rescheduling (not legalising) psilocybin would allow regulated medical use

• Psychedelics aren’t risk-free — set and setting make all the difference

• The campaign for access is science-led and compassion-driven

• Healing shouldn’t be limited by outdated policy and stigma

  
  

Guest Bio – Tara Austin (PAR)

Tara Austin is a behavioural scientist, activist, and co-founder of PAR – Psilocybin Access Rights, the UK’s grassroots campaign calling for psilocybin to be rescheduled so it can be prescribed for therapeutic use. PAR has mobilised thousands of citizens, delivered 89,000 campaign leaflets, run the UK’s first psychedelic billboard campaign, and taken psilocybin reform to Parliament.

Tara is also a Partner at Ogilvy Consulting, working at the intersection of behavioural science, psychology and systems change. She co-hosts Nudgestock, the world’s largest festival of behavioural science and creativity.

🔗 PAR links:
Instagram: @‌par.global
Website: www.par.global

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