José Carlos Bouso is a psychologist and doctor in Pharmacology, working as the scientific director of the ICEERS foundation (International Center for Ethnobotanical Educational Research and Services), where he coordinates scientific research about psychedelic substances. He also serves as an advisor and collaborator with Clínica Synaptica. Dr. José Carlos is also the author of various scientific publications and studies on ayahuasca, cannabis and MDMA.
Dr. José Carlos collaborated in this interview as part of a training proposal on ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, held in Barcelona from June 3 to 7, 2024.
In this dialogue, he shares his perspective on the regulation of psychedelic substances and related sociopolitical issues. He reflects on what he considers “probably the most fruitful era in psychiatry” during the 1950s and 1960s and expresses optimism for the future of the psychedelic therapy, despite some challenges, namely related with the pharmaceutical industry.
José Carlos also shares his passion for schizophrenia research, a condition he believes could benefit significantly from psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
Despite acknowledging the difficulties of the process, Dr. José Carlos Bouso remains very positive about the future of psychedelics and their integration into modern medicine, saying that we might be “living in the most exciting moment in the history of psychedelics”.
