Past Programs
Drug Use and Abuse - 2003
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Psychedelics on the Mind - Part 2 (Ayahuasca of the Amazon)
09/11/2003
A decade ago, respected scientist and psychology professor Benny Shanon embarked on what was to become a personal and professional odyssey into the depths of the Upper Amazon. Ayahuasca ("Vine of the Dead Spirits") is a psychoactive brew consumed by the communities of the region, as part of their ceremonial traditions. They describe the brew as a 'teacher', and the visions it evokes are powerfully surreal. Westerners are now jumping on the Ayahuasca bandwagon too. This week Shanon joins Natasha Mitchell to share part of his extraordinary tale...of personal experimentation and beyond, committed to the record in his new book, Antipodes of the Mind.
Psychedelics on the Mind - Part 1 (Interview with John Horgan)
02/11/2003
The psychedelic experience was championed by the West's self-discovery movement of the 1960's and 70's, and embraced by indigenous peoples for millenia. But today it lives on in the labs of a group of mavericks of the mind. Scientific interest in human consciousness has spurred a recent revival in psychedelic drug research, and the debate over the therapeutic potential of these psychoactive brews. This week, In the first of two programs on psychedelic self-experimenters, science journalist John Horgan, author of Rational Mysticism: Dispatches from the Border Between Science and Spirituality, joins Natasha Mitchell in conversation.
Teenage Brains on Nicotine
26/10/2003
Smoking is an critical public health issue for young Australians. Gruesome TV ads of tar-lined lungs have hammered home the physical toll of lighting up, but what's going on in the brains of teenage smokers? New evidence from neuroscience suggests they're more likely to become addicted to nicotine than adults who take up the habit. Sue Clark reports on the latest brain research, and the implications for anti-smoking campaigns that target teenagers.
Mental Health Behind Bars
05/10/2003
A new groundbreaking study of the mental health of NSW prison inmates paints a very bleak picture indeed. But what comes first, the mental illness or the crime? This week on All in the Mind - what's happening in the minds of people behind bars and how are their mental health needs being met?
Addiction - What if It's Genetic? (PART 2 of 2)
20/07/2003
Join Natasha Mitchell at the International Genetics Congress with a panel of special guests Jay Hirsh (University of Virginia), Wayne Hall (University of Queensland), Les Twentyman (Open Family Australia), Loane Skene (University of Melbourne), and Jayashri Kulkarni (Alfred Hospital) to debate the ethics and the science of addiction. Now that we've mapped the complete human genome, what secrets might it hold about why we humans love our drugs so much? Are some of us born to become addicted? And if there was a genetic test available, or a vaccine against addiction - would you consider having it? The discussion continues this week, with the broadcast of the second half of the forum.
Addiction - What if It's Genetic? (Part 1 of 2)
13/07/2003
Join Natasha Mitchell at the International Genetics Congress with a panel of special guests Jay Hirsh (University of Virginia), Wayne Hall (University of Queensland), Les Twentyman (Open Family Australia), Loane Skene (University of Melbourne), and Jayashri Kulkarni (Alfred Hospital) to debate the ethics and the science of addiction. Now that we've mapped the complete human genome, what secrets might it hold about why we humans love our drugs so much? Are some of us born to become addicted? And if there was a genetic test available, or vaccine against addiction - would you consider having it, or giving it to your kids?
