We Out Here Festival 2025 - Psychedelics and Connectedness

By Plinio Ferreira

For the 3rd year in a row, the Drug Science team was invited to host a discussion around psychedelics at We Out Here Festival, which is held in Wimborne St Giles, Dorset.

It was a beautiful and warm morning on the Friday the 15th as we gathered a bit earlier to the start of our talk for a meet and greet with all the panellists. Although we had a 10:00am start, the seats were completely full. The title of the talk was was: "Psychedelics and Connectedness - explore the therapeutic role of psychedelics as tools for connection to self, others and the world".

The panel was moderated by Plinio Ferreira (Senior Researcher - Drug Science) and composed by Michelle Baker Jones (Psychedelic Therapist - King's College London), Anya Oleksiuk (Founder & Co-director of PsyAware), Akua Ofosuhene (Ceremony guide and Founder of African Spiritual Practices Events) and Ros Watts (Psychedelic therapist and Connectedness Researcher).

After a short introduction on the theme we quickly opened for questions from the audience. Due to a diverse range of specialties from the speakers, the questions were answered with different perspectives.

The discussion was brilliantly moderated by Plinio Ferreira, a pharmacologist and Senior Researcher at Drug Science, who brings a unique dual perspective from his work on medical psychedelics and his frontline role as a drug and alcohol worker in an East London homeless day centre.

Our panel featured leading voices from across the field:

Michelle Baker Jones and Rosalind Watts each have extensive experience as therapists on UK-based psychedelic clinical trials. Both served as lead therapists on the Imperial College London trials investigating psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression, which were led by our Founder, Prof. David Nutt. Michelle continues her vital work in research and is currently working on DMT-assisted therapy trials for depression at King’s College London. Ros now focuses on integrating psychedelic experiences into daily life, exploring our connection with nature through her ACER framework (Accept, Connect, Embody, Restore) and her work on tree archetypes.

Akua Ofosuhene is a psychedelic guide working in Ghana, where she runs retreats and offers one-to-one sessions. Drawing from her own personal healing journey with psychedelics, she specialises in supporting individuals who have left high-demand organisations, coercive religions, and prison systems.

Anya Oleksiuk is a documentary filmmaker, educator, and co-founder of PsyAware, where she helps shape organisational strategy and support systems with a powerful emphasis on ethics and community involvement.

The conversation was wonderfully interactive and broad, making the hour feel far too short. We touched on a multitude of themes, including:

• The promising, yet complex, role of psychedelics in treating mental illness.

  
  

• The paramount importance of set and setting in facilitating a safe and meaningful psychedelic experience.

  
  

• How ancient ritual practices are being translated into modern clinical research.

  
  

• The opportunities and challenges presented by the increasing medicalisation of psychedelics.

  
  

The questions from the audience were incredibly insightful, and we were unfortunately left with several hands still raised when the clock ran out—a sure sign of a compelling discussion!

A heartfelt thank you to our brilliant panelists and to everyone who attended and contributed. We can’t wait to do it all again in 2026