Abstract

I would like to present in the multilingual introductory talk the prospects of Psychedelic assisted Psychotherapy and the potential challenges it might face in the “MENA” region. The talk would cover the definition of the term “Psychedelic” in Arabic and the current terms used by physicians and pharmacists when describing the classical psychedelic compounds or its effects on human beings. I would like to explore the importance of language, cultural elements and heritage and its role in understanding the concept of “psychedelic” outside the sole Eurocentric understanding of it. Also giving the possibility of finding intersectional points and shared heritage in understanding these kinds of phenomenological experiences under psychedelics that could benefit the design of future therapeutic settings for different populations from diverse backgrounds from the MENA region.

I would like to explore and invite fellow Arabic speaking researchers to engage in the discussion in an interdisciplinary approach. The aim would be to address the challenges we might have on a legal and a regulatory level when it comes to the use of psychedelic compounds in the medical field and how to establish a constructive evidence based dialogue between researchers, patient groups, stakeholders and official bodies in the region. The dialogue is based on it being from Arabic speakers to Arabic speakers but also is open to dialogue with the rest of our fellow researchers all over the world.

In the meantime many people from the MENA region are living in Germany especially refugees who suffered from war and displacement, many people in this population group suffer from PTSD, depression and other forms of mental health issues that me and other fellow researchers see that Psychedelic research could open up the potential to help them when other forms of therapy has been insufficient for them, after conducting robust studies and clinical trials. However in the MENA region such therapies will not be available without addressing the stigma, the fears of harmful or unknown effects on the long run and the skepticism from the side of drug regulatory bodies, religious authorities and the security apparatus. In the end I remain positive that this call would raise the interest of different actors from different sides and countries to engage in an evidence based discussion on the future of Psychedelic compounds in the medical field in the MENA region and other parts of the world.