Shows / The Integration Session
The Integration Session
The Integration Session is for staying up-to-date on all things psychedelic science, with the experts themselves. This podcast takes an integrative approach—sharing research findings, their clinical relevance, and reaching towards solutions to key challenges in the field today. Hosted by Dr. Elena Koning, this show is where scientists connect to discuss anything from mechanisms and study design to ethics and policy. If you’re a scientist, trainee, or simply someone who wants to dig deeper, tune…
Episodes
- The Integration Session
Alberta’s Act & Ketamine Therapy, Redefined with Dr. Jennifer Swainson
Alberta is Canada’s first province to regulate psychedelic treatments, but when this change took effect in early 2023, it classified ketamine in the same…
- The Integration Session
DMT-Harmine, Shame & Gaps in Therapist Training with Dr. Helena Aicher
What are the biggest gaps between psychedelic trials and what actually happens in the dosing room? And how might an Ayahuasca-inspired drug formulation affect…
- The Integration Session
Therapeutic Touch with Psychedelics: Two Perspectives with Dr. Rachel Ham
Therapeutic touch is often used in psychedelic therapy, but what ethical guidelines and boundaries should researchers and therapists follow? What can we learn…
- The Integration Session
Key Brain Regions for Psychedelic Drug Action with Dr. Tanner Anderson
Psychedelics are often described as capable of “rewiring the brain,” but this leaves out a more complex and elegant series of mechanisms beneath the cortex…
- The Integration Session
What is Consciousness? A Psychedelic & Panpsychist Perspective with Dr. Adam Barrett
What does it actually mean, physically, for a brain to be conscious, and what can psychedelics teach us about it? Can consciousness extend beyond living…
- The Integration Session
Does Psilocybin Work for OCD? Two Decades of Research Insights with Dr. Francisco Moreno
What can two decades of clinical research teach us about psilocybin's potential for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)? In this episode, we sit down…
- The Integration Session
Research Recap 2: Recent Papers in Psychedelic Science Explained
Want to stay updated on the latest advancements in psychedelic science without reading lengthy scientific papers? Welcome back to Research Recap, where Elena…
- The Integration Session
The Antidistressant Effect: A New Lens on Psychedelics with Danica Johnson
Psychedelic treatments are often celebrated for their antidepressant potential, but emerging research suggests their effects go beyond traditional mood…
- The Integration Session
Do Psychedelics Really Mimic Psychosis? with Dr. Haley Dourron
Psychedelics and psychosis have long been intertwined. Historically, psychedelics were more often called ‘psychotomimetics’ or compounds that temporarily mimic…
- The Integration Session
Magnesium-Ibogaine for Special Operations Veterans with Dr. Kirsten Cherian
One of the most talked-about psychedelics in recent years is ibogaine, especially amidst recent policy shifts that aim to fast-track research progress in this…
- The Integration Session
How Do We Fix The Placebo Problem? With Dr. Balázs Szigeti
One of the most pressing challenges in psychedelic science is the placebo problem: the intense subjective effects of psychedelics cause functional unblinding…
- The Integration Session
Lived Experience Report: Psilocybin-Assisted Cancer Therapy with Diane Gratton
Diane Gratton—a retired nurse, educator, and grandmother—was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer with bone metastases in 2021, with an initial prognosis of…
- The Integration Session
Pop Culture, Film & Religion: Psychedelically Speaking with Nathan Keele-Springer
From the hippie counterculture vibes of the 1960s to the haunting visions of Midsommar, or the optimism of How to Change Your Mind, psychedelics have long…
- The Integration Session
Psychedelic Capitalism: Corporate Capture, Medicalization & Alternative Paths with Kevin Walby & Jamie Brownlee
Although the therapeutic promise of psychedelics is often highlighted, there is a much larger story at play here: one of corporate power, political ideology…
- The Integration Session
Why Community is Essential for Psychedelic Integration with Amy Bartlett
Humans have always needed community to heal, grow, and make meaning in this life - something Indigenous and traditional healing practices have long…
- The Integration Session
Psilocybin for Demoralization Syndrome in Cancer Care with Dr. Carolina Hernandorena
Demoralization syndrome affects a substantial portion of patients with advanced cancer, but how does it differ from depression? How might psilocybin help…
- The Integration Session
Eating Disorders & Drug Use: Real-World Insights with Sarah Rodan
What can we learn from psychedelic use in people with lived experience of eating disorders? As a population with barely any approved medications, surprising…
- The Integration Session
Menstrual Cycles, Menopause & Pregnancy: A Psychedelic Research Gap with Dr. Grace Blest-Hopley
Women’s bodies have long been treated as a ‘variable’ to control for in science, rather than a focus of research inquiry. Psychedelic science is no exception…
- The Integration Session
Psychedelic Justice, Reciprocity & Chacruna’s Vision with Dr. Bia Labate
Join Dr. Bia Labate, anthropologist, activist, and Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, in this live interview brought…
- The Integration Session
Canada vs. US Landscapes & The Future of Psychotherapy with Dr. Jérémie Richard
From Johns Hopkins to Ottawa, Dr. Jérémie Richard is a clinical psychologist with unique binational experience in the field of psychedelic science. Now an…
- The Integration Session
Trauma, Mass Violence & Psychedelic Experiences with Guy Simon
Psychedelics are increasingly recognized as an approach to help heal trauma – but without the proper support, the same experience that enables healing could…
- The Integration Session
Psychedelics, Cultural Healing, and Advocacy with Podcaster Osheen Dayal
How does one pivot from running a successful construction business in India to becoming a leading voice in psychedelic advocacy and mental health in Canada? In…
- The Integration Session
2025 Highlights in Psychedelic Science with CPHR Director Dr. Claudio Soares
2025 was a pivotal year for psychedelic research at the Centre for Psychedelics Health & Research (CPHR) and across Canada. In this year-end finale of The…
- The Integration Session
Chronic Pain & Psychedelics: A Women-First Approach with Dr. Sinziana Pop
Chronic pain impacts over 1.5 billion people worldwide, with the majority of affected individuals being women. As conventional treatments don’t always help…
- The Integration Session
Hypnosis, Trauma & Tips for Psychedelic Guides with Denise Rue
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to sit with someone having one of the most profound experiences of their life? In this deeply candid conversation…
- The Integration Session
The Economics of Psychedelics with Dr. Elliot Marseille
Which psychedelic therapy is the most cost-effective? How can we determine the value of a psychedelic treatment? In this episode of The Integration Session, we…
- The Integration Session
Salvation or Sin? The Ethics of Psychedelic Spirituality
Can psychedelic experiences be considered ‘authentic’ spirituality? How can these substances foster spiritual healing, and what ethical principles must guide…
- The Integration Session
How Psychedelics Shape Human Evolution with Dr. Michael Winkelman
For thousands of years, humans have used psychedelics, but how have these substances influenced our evolutionary path? Does the Stoned Ape Theory hold true?…
- The Integration Session
Research Recap: Recent Papers in Psychedelic Science Explained
Want to stay updated on the latest advancements in psychedelic science without reading lengthy scientific papers? Welcome to the first Research Recap, where…
- The Integration Session
What Makes a Great Psychedelic Guide? with Dr. Mark Haden
What makes an exceptional psychedelic guide? Should access to psychedelics be as straightforward as obtaining a driver’s license? And what do over 100 studies…
- The Integration Session
What is Inner Healing Intelligence?
What if healing isn’t just something that happens inside us—but also something that lives in our relationships with the land, the sky, and the more-than-human…
- The Integration Session
Experiential Training & The Road to Psychedelic Drug Policy Reform in Canada
There’s an ongoing legal fight for access to psychedelics in Canada, including as part of experiential training for psychedelic therapists. But, is it really…
- The Integration Session
Context Matters: The Consensus on Reporting Setting In Psychedelic Trials with Dr. Chloe Pronovost-Morgan
What kind of setting is optimal for psychedelic experiences? In research, many contextual factors are underreported, inconsistently reported, or treated like a…
- The Integration Session
How MDMA Can Help Couples Heal Together with Dr. Anne Wagner
Have you ever wondered what happens when psychedelics—specifically MDMA, the substance often associated with rave culture—meets couples therapy? The…
- The Integration Session
Does Microdosing Psilocybin Work for Depression?
Microdosing—commonly defined as the regular consumption of small, unimpairing amounts of psychedelics—is a controversial topic in the psychedelic space…
- The Integration Session
How to Set Up a Psychedelic Research Study
What makes a great psychedelic study design? As we saw last year with the US FDA rejection of MDMA, it might not be the ‘gold-standard’ randomized controlled…
- The Integration Session
The Untold History of Psychedelic Medicine with Dr. Erika Dyck
What if the future of psychedelic medicine lies in stories that are largely forgotten in society today? Long before psychedelic therapy became a billion-dollar…
- The Integration Session
Inside CAN-PACT: Transforming Cancer Care with Psychedelics
Something big is happening: Canadian researchers have recently secured $5M in funding to advance cancer care with psychedelics. In this episode of The…
The Integration SessionPsychedelic Science in 2025: Where We Are & Where We’re Going
The story of psychedelic science is not like any other field of research. From ancient rituals to the war on drugs to modern clinical trials, psychedelic…