Amsterdam Psychedelic Research Association - APRA

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Amsterdam
Amsterdam Psychedelic Research Association - APRA

APRA is an interdisciplinary, academic association based in Amsterdam, focusing on substances and pra

The creation of the Amsterdam Psychedelics Research Association was prompted by several factors, such as:

- The recognition of the research and therapeutic value of psychedelic substances, for which scientific evidence is now abundant.
- The existence of a scientifically unjustified academic stigma associated with this field.
- The non-existence of research efforts in this direction in any Ams

terdam institutions. Therefore, APRA was formed to fill in this niche, with the stated purposes of informing students, promoting research, and more generally reducing academic stigma towards psychedelics. In practice, we aim to:

- Provide information to students and researchers about developments in academic research on psychedelics through lectures, journal clubs, seminars.
- Diminish unscientific stigma within academia and help normalize the status of education and research in this field.
- Promote the start of a concerted, interdisciplinary research effort in this direction within the Amsterdam institutions. APRA does not encourage illegal drug use outside controlled research and medical contexts, and promotes all available harm-reduction strategies. University students, researchers or faculty based at Amsterdam institutions, that are interested in actively collaborating are particularly encouraged to become members and contact us at:

[email protected]

We encourage students and researchers from other cities and countries to start similar initiatives, and get in touch with us, to move together towards a collaborative network of psychedelic research associations.

16/05/2026

// LINE-UP REVEAL //
The full music line-up for "APRA presents: Dissolution" is here!

We are beyond excited to be joined by several local highly talented and highly vibrational DJs .lotte and .agosti, who will help co-create this shared experiment at De Fik Garden, with a sonic psychedelic journey from the sun-filled dusk until the deep hours of the night 🌀

The programme will also include some APRA insiders, with Breton (Hapiru) starting us off with live electronics, our chair Kenan (Scarab Gun) following with a set of tripped-out dub and board member Philip (ICU) creating a wormhole on the secret stage 🔮

Expect deep and transcendent sounds, peaktime expansion and total ego dissolution 🧠

Tickets available now via link in bio and our website 🎟️

For APRA members and our friends in the psychedelic research space: you have received your invitation with discount code. If you have not received your code yet, send us a DM ✉️

PS we aren't finished yet: more info following soon about the art programme and marketplace. Stay tuned! 🍄

26/04/2026

☀️ As the days get longer and summer draws closer, we’re excited to share a special deviation from our usual events!

✨ On June 26th at De Fik Garden, we’ll celebrate the end of the academic year with the first-ever APRA party: Dissolution.

💡We invite you to an integrated and interdisciplinary experience of consciousness research. What would happen if we dissolved the boundaries between music, dance, scientific exploration, art, and shared experience? The aim of this event is to explore this question by creating a shared space of music, movement, and community. Participants (N=400) can expect diverse auditory and visual stimuli, curated art installations, and plenty of room to dance, explore, and connect.

🪩 More details, including the lineup and full program, will be announced soon!

👉 Tickets available via link in bio

20/04/2026

Thank you all for joining our Bicycle Day event yesterday! On this day, we celebrated the history of the very first intentional L*D trip on April 19th, 1943 by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann. 🚲

Board members Kenan & Emily discussed the history behind the accidental discovery of L*D, its profound effects on science and culture, and specifically how it influenced the Dutch counterculture during the 1960s, including controversial figures such as trepanation-enthusiast Bart Huges. 🌄

Following this discussion, there was an L*D-themed sharing circle where there was space to share what fascinates us all about L*D and its effects on the human brain and psyche. We are grateful to everyone who shared their insights.

Interested in events where psychedelics meet science and social connection? Consider APRA membership.

👉 More info via link in bio

31/03/2026

🌀Join APRA, in collaboration with the Amsterdam Psychedelic Integration Circle, on April 19 for a special Bicycle Day community meetup!

🚲 Bicycle Day marks the first intentional L*D experience by Albert Hofmann on April 19, 1943, followed by his now famous bicycle ride through Basel. Since then, the day has become a moment to reflect on the cultural, scientific, and personal significance of psychedelics, and in particular of L*D.

✨The afternoon will involve a few parts: We’ll meet at 14.00 at Common Ground in Oost for a short introduction to Bicycle Day as well as to L*D advocates and researchers Amanda Feilding and Bart Huges. Following this, we’ll be guided through an L*D-themed sharing circle. Finally, we’ll take a symbolic bike ride together to Zorgvlied Cemetery to visit the grave of Bart Huges.

👉 Link in bio for more info and the full timetable for the afternoon

😊 New to APRA? Don’t be shy! This is a great opportunity to get to know us and what we do. Whether you’re a long-time member or simply curious, everyone is welcome!

13/03/2026

📰 Join us for another Journal Club! For this edition, we’re going to explore how psilocybin may affect brain function through serotonin signaling, anti-inflammatory mechanisms, and enhanced neuroplasticity, and what this could mean for treating depression and anxiety, through discussion of the paper “Mushrooms, Microdosing, and Mental Illness: The Effect of Psilocybin on Neurotransmitters, Neuroinflammation, and Neuroplasticity” by Daniel A Kinderlehrer (2025).

The journal club discussion will take place in CREA on Thursday, March 19th at 19.30. Following the discussion, we’ll meet downstairs in the CREA cafe. Can’t make it to the journal club? You’re still very welcome to join afterwards for drinks!

❓ Why attend a Journal Club?
During Journal Clubs we discuss scientific publications related to psychedelics, dissect their contents and have an in-depth discussion about the methodology and implications of the research. Not only is it very insightful (and fun!) to do this in group form; it also helps improve your literacy of scientific publications. All levels of knowledge are welcome. You do not need to be an expert in the topics that are discussed – “no stupid questions” is the motto!

✔ APRA membership is required to attend Journal Clubs. Attendance for members is free, but please register using the link in bio so we know you’re coming! Not a member yet, but curious to attend? Send us a message.

09/02/2026

Are you passionate about supporting our mission of providing high-quality education about psychedelic science and fostering a thriving APRA community? Looking to take on a more active role in shaping the future of the organization? Apply to join the board!

🌀You might be a great fit if you:

- Have an interest in psychedelic research
- Know the APRA community
- Are enthusiastic, reliable, and reasonably organized
- Want to actively help move ideas into action
- Willing to commit to the position for at least a year
- Based in Amsterdam (or in the Netherlands)

🌀What you’ll do:

- Attend board meetings and organizational meetings, contributing to discussion and decision making
- Work with volunteers to plan and execute APRA activities and initiatives
- Engage with member community, ensuring member needs are met
- Help keep APRA organized, active, and moving forward
- Take minutes, manage notes and email inbox (secretary specific)

🌀Reasons to Join:

- Work with a passionate and interdisciplinary board and team of volunteers
- Opportunity to shape the future of APRA
- Free APRA membership
- A small stipend + travel compensation (if applicable)

If you’re interested, please fill out the application form (linked in bio) by February 23. Interested in getting more involved in APRA, but not ready to join the board? We would also be happy to hear from you, please send a message! ✨😊

30/10/2025

🍄 Time for another APRA community meetup! Since we are currently in the prime time of mushroom season, this edition is themed *magical mushrooms*! Show us your fungal fashion flair by joining in your favorite mushroom-themed outfits and accessories.

🍻 Wednesday, November 12th from 19.30 we’ll gather at CREA café (Nieuwe Achtergracht 170) for a casual evening of conversation and connection with like-minded people interested in psychedelics and their applications in science and therapy.

🌀 New to APRA? Don’t be shy! This is the perfect opportunity to get to know us and what we do. Whether you’re a long-time member or simply curious, everyone is welcome!

We’re looking forward to seeing you again (or meeting you for the first time) 😊

05/10/2025

📰 Join us for another Journal Club! For this edition, APRA members Philip Nijman and Emanuele de Gasperis will be presenting the paper “The psychoplastogen tabernanthalog induces neuroplasticity without proximate immediate early gene activation” by Aarrestad et al. (2025) published in Nature Neuroscience.

The journal club discussion will take place in CREA on Wednesday, October 15th at 19.00. Following the discussion, at 20.30 we’ll have a community meetup downstairs in the CREA cafe starting! Can’t make it to the journal club? You’re still very welcome to join afterwards for drinks!

❓ Why attend a Journal Club?
During Journal Clubs we discuss scientific publications related to psychedelics, dissect their contents and have an in-depth discussion about the methodology and implications of the research. Not only is it very insightful (and fun!) to do this in group form; it also helps improve your literacy of scientific publications. All levels of knowledge are welcome. You do not need to be an expert in the topics that are discussed – “no stupid questions” is the motto!

✔ APRA membership is required to attend Journal Clubs. Attendance for members is free, but please register using the link in bio so we know you’re coming! Not a member yet, but curious to attend? Send us a message.

14/09/2025

🧠 We are excited to announce Charlotte Martial, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Liège (Belgium) will be joining us for a lecture on the neuroscience of near-death experiences.

🌀 Near-death experiences (NDEs) are episodes of disconnected consciousness characterized by distinctive mystical features that arise in life-threatening situations. An increasing body of research investigates whether drug-induced experiences can serve as experimental models for NDEs. In this talk, neuroscientist Charlotte Martial (PhD) will present recent findings spanning large-scale semantic analyses, placebo-controlled studies administering psychedelics to healthy volunteers, and within-subject surveys of individuals who have experienced both an NDE and a psychedelic state.

🔬 These complementary approaches reveal substantial overlaps in phenomenology, impact, and underlying neurophysiological mechanisms, while also highlighting distinctions between NDEs and drug-induced states. Together, these findings suggest that psychedelic states may provide valuable experimental models for advancing our understanding of the fascinating phenomenon of NDEs.

👉 More info and registration via link in bio

20/08/2025

🌞 As the sunny summer days grow shorter, join us to welcome the new academic year with a community meetup!

🍻 We will gather at CREA cafe *Thursday, September 4th from 19.30* for a casual evening of conversation and connection with like-minded people interested in psychedelics and their applications in science and therapy.

🌀 New to APRA? Don’t be shy! This is the perfect opportunity to get to know us and what we do. Whether you’re a long-time member or simply curious, everyone is welcome!

We’re looking forward to seeing you again (or meeting you for the first time) 😊

Adres

Louwesweg 1
Amsterdam
1066 EA

Website

https://apra.science/

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