EPISODE 13 - Margaret Ross
“This is the most promising research in Psychiatry in decades…”
Dr Margaret Ross - Clinical Psychologist
I recently spoke to Dr Maragaret Ross, a Senior Clinical Psychologist at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne. We spoke about her upcoming trial. For a long time, there has not been an antipodean star on the psychedelic research map, but the commencement of this study (and the resounding wave of public support it has generated) bode very well for the future of psychedelic research in Australia. As you will hear, Margaret attended a lecture on psychedelics and felt a visceral sense of responsibility to use her expertise and connections to help bring the psychedelic renaissance back to Australia. She did what many do not - she turned an intention into action and actually answered the call to adventure. I hope you enjoy this conversation
We Discuss;
What brought psychedelics to Maragaret’s attention and how she professionally connected with Martin Williams
The relative dearth of research support in Australia, even after a decade of advocacy through the work of PRISM
Entheogenesis Australis and their liaison with researchers based in the Northern Hemisphere
Previous research into the use of Psilocybin in a Palliative Care context
‘Death transcendence’ as a key feature of the potential efficacy of psychedelics in the treatment of the ‘existential ache’ experienced by Palliative patients
The protocol for the St Vincent’s study
How psilocybin assisted therapy could help to positively modulate the experience of pain in dying patients and make them less reliant on high dose opioids
How palliative sedation impacts the clinical team and family around the dying person
How the Australian Media and Public have reacted positively to the study
The heavy reliance on philanthropic donations in the psychedelic research space
The culture of a ‘community of care’ in Palliative medicine and how she has worked to make a protocol that was viable
The difficulty in ‘coming out of the psychedelic closet’ as a health professional and running the risk of professional suicide
The recent awarding of breakthrough status to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy
Ways that people can support Australian studies through the St Vincent’s Foundation, Mind Medicine Australia and PRISM
The likely length of the St Vincent’s study - and how Lasagna’s law might mean completion is a long way off
The studies’ thorough and conservative screening process which helps to mitigate adverse events and the extensive exclusion criterion that apply when working with a palliative population
Early integration in palliative care
Image credit - The Age
Dr Margaret Ross
Clinical Psychologist
Dr Margaret Ross is a Senior Clinical Psychologist specialising in Palliative Care and Psycho-social Cancer Care at St Vincent’s hospital in Melbourne.
She is the Chief Principal Investigator for the Australian Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy study. This groundbreaking study seeks to investigate the potential utility of this novel modality in the treatment of depression and anxiety in palliative patients. You can find out more about this research (along with Dr Ross’s other areas of research here