Ben Sessa
Psychiatrist and Psychedelic Researcher
UK psychiatrist and author who has championed MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD and alcohol use disorder, conducting some of the earliest clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted treatment in Britain.
Biography
Ben Sessa is a UK-based consultant psychiatrist and one of the most prominent advocates for psychedelic-assisted therapy in Britain. He trained at Bristol University and has worked extensively with MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder, conducting some of the first formal psychedelic clinical trials in the UK through the Bristol Imperial MDMA for Alcoholism (BIMA) study.
Sessa is the author of several books including The Psychedelic Renaissance (2012, updated 2017), which provided one of the most comprehensive early accounts of the modern psychedelic research movement for a general audience. He has been a consistent and outspoken advocate for the therapeutic potential of MDMA, psilocybin, and other substances at a time when British medical culture remained skeptical.
He has worked in addiction psychiatry for many years, giving him particular insight into how MDMA-assisted therapy may address the trauma and emotional avoidance underlying addiction. His public profile includes appearances on BBC, extensive writing, and international conference keynotes.
Why They Matter to the LearnShrooms Community
Sessa has been the most visible UK clinical voice for psychedelic-assisted therapy, helping establish the field within British psychiatry and authoring the foundational popular text of the psychedelic renaissance for a UK audience.
