Graham has been interested in the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs since the late nineties. This naturally evolved from his early interest in the interpretation of dreams, hypnosis and psychoanalysis.
He qualified as a doctor in 2003 from the University of Birmingham and trained in psychiatry from 2006. In 2012, he was awarded an MSc in Neuroscience with distinction from Kings College London and focussed on the role of inflammation in the aetiology of depression. He worked as an NHS inpatient consultant psychiatrist from 2012 at Mill View Hospital in Hove and trained with Imperial College London in February 2018 to work as an assistant guide for the Psilodep2 trial.
In March 2019, he helped set up the Brighton Psychedelic Integration Circle with wonderful colleagues and was instrumental in organising educational events at Brighton & Sussex Medical School later that year. In 2020, he decided to leave the NHS after 17 years to devote himself full-time to psychedelic therapy research. He accepted a position as Director of Clinical Psychiatry with Small Pharma Ltd andas the Study Psychiatrist for a trial investigating dimethyltryptamine (DMT) as a treatment for depression.
Graham has long been fascinated by the relationship between biology/matter and subjective conscious experience. He was drawn to psychiatry, neuroscience and psychoanalysis in his attempt to get a better understanding of the nature of things. For him, psychedelic therapy marries all these elements together and provides a rich space for further exploration. He is honoured to play his part on the advisory board for the Institute of Psychedelic Therapy and is looking forward to sharing learning with others as chair of the ‘Journal Club’ meetings for the institute.