The meeting, organised by PsychedelicsEUROPE and Czech nonprofit PSYRES, attracted policymakers, researchers, advocates, and others to discuss Czechia’s potential to lead the EU in terms of novel mental health treatments. It came just a week or so after it became clear that the Czech Parliament looks set to legalise the medical use of psilocybin.

Much of the morning’s discussion focused on the war in Ukraine and how the Czech Republic might provide support to those suffering from mental health disorders as a result. We heard from representatives from groups like NATO, the Czech Armed Forces, Czech MPs, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Health Edem Adamanov, Oksana Gryshchenko of Heal Ukraine Trauma, and others.

Czech Governmental Envoy for the Reconstruction of Ukraine Tomáš Kopečný said that he visited the Superhumans Center in Vynnyky, a rehabilitation clinic for those who have lost limbs or had other life-altering injuries since the 2022 Russian invasion and war. But now, he says, we must also focus on mending the minds of those victims.

While the country has ambitions to help Ukraine, diplomat Petr Kolář—who has served as Czech ambassador to both Russia and the U.S.—urged attendees to be attentive to the need for Czechia to build resilient mental health internally, too. ‘You must apply your own oxygen mask first’, he said.

Later in the day, Oksana Gryshchenko of Heal Ukraine Trauma said that supporting innovative mental health in Ukraine isn’t necessarily a one-way street, but instead offers opportunities for bi-directional learnings. In her experience, when experts from around the world have visited Ukraine and spoken to local therapists about their patients, “their eyes pop up”, she told the audience, adding that they often learn about new ways of delivering therapies that have helped Ukrainians.

She also reminded the audience that a prerequisite for any psychedelic research and practice in Ukraine is modifying the country’s controlled substances statute, which remains under deliberation.

Speaking on the same panel, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Health Edem Adamanov emphasised that his ministry can do two important things when it comes to novel mental health interventions: ‘make them accessible and allocate resources.’ He shared an example of how his team set out to improve primary care doctors’ understanding of mental health, to improve referrals and so on.