Psychonauts Episode 3 - Shellshocked - a podcast by Science writer Leonie Joubert trips into the real of psychedelic psychiatry, as hallucinogenic mushrooms go on trial in South Africa

A traumatic event can be like an emotional sledgehammer to the brain, rewiring your nervous system, so it’s always revving in the red. It could leave you permanently edgy, your startle response on a tripwire. You’ll be quick to rage. You might struggle to concentrate or sleep. You’ll become listless and depressed. You might have flashbacks, or suppress those fossil-like memories. You might sink into the bottle, cut yourself off from others, or worse. But early efforts to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with psychedelics suggests that hallucinogenic mushrooms and MDMA - Ecstasy, on the street - might be able to rewire the brain back into a healthier, calmer state.

Further episodes of The Psychonauts

Further podcasts by Science writer Leonie Joubert trips into the real of psychedelic psychiatry, as hallucinogenic mushrooms go on trial in South Africa

Website of Science writer Leonie Joubert trips into the real of psychedelic psychiatry, as hallucinogenic mushrooms go on trial in South Africa