After giving people LSD and psilocybin, Robin Carhart-Harris is convinced of psychedelic therapy's potential – but he daren't get too excited about it

“I have conviction in psychedelics as tools to fundamentally understand the mind and the brain” Liz Hingley

ONE of the last times I saw Robin Carhart-Harris, I was absolutely off my head on MDMA. On a Monday morning. He knew, because he was the one who gave it to me. He scanned my brain, put me through some psychological tests, and talked to me for what felt like hours about how I was feeling. I remember him being calming and patient. Then again, I was on drugs.

Today I’m completely straight, but he is still calming and patient. It’s a character trait that must come in …