Name

Amanda Feilding

Born

1943

Occupation

Drug policy reformer and neuroscience researcher

Major contributions to psychedelic space

  • Founded the Beckley Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to global drug policy reform and psychedelic research
  • Initiated several innovative research projects, including the world’s first psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression study
  • Collaborated with scientists through Beckley’s Scientific Programme, investigating psychedelics such as Ayahuasca, LSD, DMT, and psilocybin
  • Has co-authored over 80 research papers

Career highlights

Feilding has initiated, directed, and supported scientific research into psychoactive substances since the late 1990s. As executive director of the Beckley Foundation, Feilding’s global collaborations with scientists have resulted in groundbreaking research, such as the first report on the resting-state effects of intravenous DMT in humans and research into treatment-resistant depression that informed the FDA’s decision to designate psilocybin as a breakthrough therapy.

Feilding is also interested in the relationship between consciousness and cerebral circulation. She is an advocate for trepanation, a controversial and poorly understood procedure that involves drilling a hole in the skull. In addition to her support for psychedelic research, Feilding has funded and co-authored studies that examine trepanation for medical reasons.