Ben Sessa

As a dedicated professional in the field of psychiatry with a keen interest in psychedelic research, I am equipped with the expertise and experience to make meaningful contributions to the field. With a compassionate and patient-centered approach, I am committed to improving mental health outcomes. Explore my profile to learn more about my work and contributions.

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For over 15 years I have been at the forefront of psychedelic and cannabis research and clinical medicine in the UK through my past affiliations with Imperial College London. I qualified as a medical doctor from UCL in 1997 and went on to specialise in psychiatry. For 25 years I have worked as a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist with young people and adult patients in the field of addictions and trauma-related psychiatry.

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I started studying psychedelics as a junior doctor and have taken part in research projects at Bristol University, Cardiff University and Imperial College London with LSD, psilocybin, DMT, ketamine and MDMA – receiving and/or administering all of these compounds in legal research settings.

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I was one of the first doctors to develop the field of contemporary psychedelic research in the UK, and was the former co-founder, former CEO, and subsequently the former Head of Psychedelic Medicine at Awakn Life Sciences, a Bio-Tech company carrying out psychedelic research into addictions. Awakn opened four clinical centres in the U.K. and Europe, providing psychedelic psychotherapy with ketamine, for a wide range of psychiatric indications, as well as an extensive R&D psychedelic research program.

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I was one of the first Medical Cannabis psychiatric prescribers in the UK, and have worked with Drug Science's Project Twenty-21, and several of the UK's leading medical cannabis companies.

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I am a trained MDMA, ketamine and psilocybin therapist, and have led research into MDMA-assisted therapy for Alcohol Use Disorder.  

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I am one of the co-founders and past president of the Breaking Convention conference.

 

I am published widely in the academic and medical press, have written several dozen peer-reviewed academic papers and published original research. I am the author of several books, including The Psychedelic Renaissance (2012/2017), the novel ‘To Fathom Hell or Soar Angelic’ (2015) and Altered States (2021). And I have co-written, edited or provided published endorsements for many other books on the subject of psychedelic research.

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I am not currently providing any direct medical services. Rather, I am spending this year focusing on family and friends, personal development, creative activities, and developing one of the world’s first international psychedelic consultancy agencies – Consulting Agency for Psychedelic Services (CAPS) – providing support to individuals, teams, clinics and investors wishing to get started in the field of clinical psychedelics.

 

I live and work in Bristol, UK - thus the picture of our beautiful city's Victorian suspension bridge!