Academic Background: PhD Candidate
Target Language: She is currently translating and proofreading articles in Turkish, as a native speaker.
Short Bio: Merve Akan has a bachelor degree in chemistry and a master degree in behavioral neuroscience/psychological sciences from Bogazici University, Turkey. After completing her thesis about transdermal ketamine use in depression, she started her PhD about psychopharmacology of psychedelics at the University of Heidelberg. She is highly interested in altered states of consciousness through meditation and natural psychoactive substances like psilocybin or ayahuasca. Psychedelic research inspires her as it combines altered states of consciousness with spirituality and Sufism, and it gives birth to therapeutic benefit for mental disorders. She firmly believes that psychoactive substances release the doors of our earthly perception and reminds us about oneness of all beings.
Why does she support the BTG? She is very happy to contribute to the spread of psychedelic knowledge in her native language, Turkish. In her opinion, it is especially meaningful as Turkey has an ancient historical culture on altered states of consciousness through Sufism. Additionally, she really enjoys being a part of MIND Foundation as a community to gather people from many different countries.
