The Integration Session

Psychedelics and psychosis have long been intertwined. Historically, psychedelics were more often called ‘psychotomimetics’ or compounds that temporarily mimic the symptoms of psychosis. But today, rather than modelling psychopathology, psychedelics are more often viewed as therapeutic tools in psychiatry. But this creates a paradox in modern psychedelic science: psychedelics are being studied both as tools to treat certain mental health symptoms (e.g., depression) and also as a model to mimic other mental health symptoms (psychosis)? So, are psychedelic experiences truly comparable to psychosis, or is this an oversimplification? What are the mechanisms that make psychedelics ameliorate certain mental illness symptoms and simulate others? In this episode of The Integration Session Dr. Haley Dourron, postdoctoral researcher at Linköping University in Sweden, shares her qualitative and neurobiological research on the similarities and critical distinctions between psychedelic experiences and psychotic states. Drawing directly from the voices of individuals with lived experience of both, Dr. Dourron’s work challenges long-standing assumptions, raises critical questions about participant exclusion in clinical trials, and informs how we think about risk, safety, and mechanisms in psychedelic science.

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 area. While early evidence shows therapeutic potential for opioid addiction and PTSD in veterans, legitimate concerns remain regarding safety and cardiac risks. So, what does the clinical data really show about ibogaine’s therapeutic benefits and risks?

Our guest in this episode of The Integration Session is Dr. Kirsten Cherian, a neuropsychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford School of Medicine who played a key role in the landmark MISTIC study. Published in Nature Medicine in 2024, this study examined a single-dose magnesium-ibogaine protocol in Special Operations veterans with traumatic brain injury and PTSD.

This conversation explores how magnesium is used to improve the safety profile of ibogaine, what the evidence actually reveals about clinical outcomes, and how the powerful subjective and neural effects of ibogaine may allow for lasting healing.

Dr. Kirsten Cherian is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Stanford School of Medicine, where she practices clinically as a neuropsychologist. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in 2023 with the Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab where she led a study for PI, Nolan Williams, MD, examining the effect of ibogaine on the sequelae of TBI and combat in Special Forces Veterans. In addition to her clinical practice, she is involved in research, including investigations of the use of psychedelics to treat depression and cognitive dysfunction. Research interests include the neurocognitive effects of psychedelics and neuromodulation.

Special thanks to Dr. Randi Brown for her valuable contributions to this discussion and ibogaine research more broadly.

One of the most pressing challenges in psychedelic science is the placebo problem: the intense subjective effects of psychedelics cause functional unblinding and amplify expectancy effects, undermining the integrity of gold-standard randomized controlled trials. In this episode of The Integration Session, we are joined by Dr. Balázs Szigeti, clinical data scientist at the UCSF Translational Psychedelic Research Program and leading voice on the role of placebo in psychedelic science. Drawing from his work on pioneering self-blinding citizen science and landmark studies comparing psilocybin and antidepressants, Balázs provides a critical evidence-based perspective on how placebo (and nocebo) effects shape therapeutic outcomes, why traditional study designs may not be best suited for the study of psychedelics, and the potential of pragmatic, patient-centered approaches.

About Balázs: Balázs studied physics at Imperial College and then earned a PhD in data science from the University of Edinburgh. After graduating, he worked as a biomedical software engineer before starting to research psychedelics. His way into psychedelic research was the invention of 'self-blinding': a novel method to enable self-experimenters to implement their own placebo control without clinical supervision. Using this methodology he led the largest placebo-controlled study on psychedelic microdosing to-date. Since his microdosing study, Balázs has been involved with the analysis of several high-profile psychedelic trials, such as the escitalopram vs. psilocybin and the psilocybin for Parkinson’s disease trial. His interests are centered on how expectancy and placebo effects shape response to psychedelic and other drugs. He is an expert in clinical trial design and analysis. Currently, he is an honorary researcher at Imperial College’s Center for Psychedelic Research and works as a clinical data scientist at UCSF’s Translational Psychedelic Research Program.

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 five years. In this episode, she opens up about her journey with psychedelic therapy: her motivations, fears, how she prepared, her two psilocybin experiences (individual and group), and the profound emotional and existential insights that followed. Diane speaks candidly about the complexities of integration, including the return of depression and the ongoing nature of her healing process. She also offers thoughtful suggestions for clinicians and advice for individuals considering psilocybin-assisted therapy. As a patient partner with The Canadian Network for Psilocybin-Assisted Cancer Therapy (CAN-PACT), Diane is a strong advocate for compassionate, patient-centered cancer care. This conversation serves not only as a reminder of the real-life impacts of psychedelic therapy, but also how much we can learn by listening to those with lived experience.

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 shaped (and been shaped by) popular media. But how do these portrayals reflect and influence cultural narratives around altered states, spirituality, and transformation? And in what ways do they borrow from, distort, or reinvent the language of traditional religion and mysticism?

In this episode of The Integration Session, we are joined by Nathan Keele-Springer, a PhD student in Religious Studies at the University of Ottawa whose research sits at the fascinating intersection of psychedelics, religion, and pop culture. Nathan is the organizer of uOttawa’s “Psychedelically Speaking” speaker series and the university’s annual Conference on Psychedelics and Spirituality. His interests include how psychedelic experiences intersect with mystical traditions, perennial philosophy, not-self transformation (drawing from Buddhist contexts), and the grammar of altered states.

This conversation explores: 1) how psychedelic are interpreted through religious frameworks (and where those tools shine and fall short); 2) the evolving depictions of psychedelics in film, TV, music, and literature; 3) the ways media commodifies, spiritualizes, secularizes, or pathologizes mystical language like “ego death” and encounters with the divine; 4) the tension between individual enlightenment and societal disruption; and 5) why religious studies perspectives remain essential in an increasingly clinical and neuroscientific psychedelic field.

Although the therapeutic promise of psychedelics is often highlighted, there is a much larger story at play here: one of corporate power, political ideology, digital surveillance, and fundamental questions about the limits of Western medicine. In this episode of The Integration Session, we step back from treatment breakthroughs to examine the bigger story: the rapid rise of ‘Psychedelic Capitalism.’

We are joined by Kevin Walby, Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Winnipeg and director of the Centre for Access to Information and Justice, and Jamie Brownlee, Professor of Canadian and International Political Economy at Carleton University. Kevin and Jamie and co-authors of the recent book Psychedelic Capitalism (Fernwood Publishing).

This conversation pulls back the curtain on how billions in private capital, aggressive patenting, and corporate interests are reshaping the psychedelic landscape. We discuss the risks of corporate capture, whether the Western medical model is truly suited for substances with deep spiritual and community-based dimensions, as well as some uncomfortable intersections, including links with far-right movements, digital surveillance, and the hyper-individualistic wellness industry.

Importantly, this discussion doesn’t stop at critique. Kevin and Jamie share more hopeful, just alternatives and explore how psychedelics could be used responsibly as tools for social change.

Humans have always needed community to heal, grow, and make meaning in this life - something Indigenous and traditional healing practices have long incorporated alongside psychedelic medicine. Yet Western cultures, steeped in individualism, seem to be only recently rediscovering the importance of community. So, what should the true role of community be in psychedelic integration? More broadly, how does one effectively build community?

In this episode of The Integration Session, we are joined by Amy Bartlett, a PhD candidate at the University of Ottawa whose research examines how community shapes psychedelic integration, spirituality, and healing. With nearly two decades of experience in law, social justice, and international work, Amy Bridges theory and practice: she co-coordinates the Ottawa Psychedelic Education Network (OPEN), facilitates bi-weekly community integration circles, and hosts the podcast My Psychedelic Roots, where diverse voices share how psychedelics have shaped their sense of self and world.

This discussion covers why community may not just be helpful - but essential - for deep, lasting psychedelic integration; the urgent need to center lived experience in research and policy; practical lessons from years of real-world facilitation; and how storytelling and witnessing serve as powerful, legitimate tools of evidence in a field often dominated by metrics.

More About Amy: Amy Bartlett is a curiosity enthusiast on the cusp of completing her PhD at the University of Ottawa. Her research explores the role that community and connection with others play in psychedelic integration, spirituality and healing. Bridging the realms of theory and practice, Amy also helps coordinate the Ottawa Psychedelic Education Network (OPEN) where she has been running community integration circles for several years, and hosts the My Psychedelic Roots podcast. She has a law degree from Queen's University as well as her Masters of Law from Dalhousie, and before returning to school for her PhD in 2020, Amy worked for over 15 years in human rights and social justice causes in Canada and around the world. You can find more information on her work and current research at https://www.psychedelication.com/

Demoralization syndrome affects a substantial portion of patients with advanced cancer, but how does it differ from depression? How might psilocybin help patients find relief and peace while facing their own mortality?

In this episode, Dr. Carolina Hernandorena, psychiatrist and PhD candidate in neuroscience at Queen’s University, shares her journey from psychiatric training in Argentina to psychedelic research in Canada.

She differentiates demoralization from other mental health constructs, and provides insight on the rationale and protocol design for her Health Canada-approved, open-label pilot trial: “Safety and Efficacy of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy for Demoralization Syndrome in Patients Diagnosed With Advanced Stage Cancer.”

More broadly, Dr. Hernandorena outlines regulatory and logistical challenges of her research, and offers evidence-informed perspectives on the future of using psychedelics to address existential distress in advanced illness.

What can we learn from psychedelic use in people with lived experience of eating disorders? As a population with barely any approved medications, surprising self-reports reveal that cannabis and psychedelics may offer high rates of real-world symptom relief. In this episode of The Integration Session, we are joined by Sarah Rodan, a postdoctoral research associate at the InsideOut Institute in Sydney, Australia and coordinator of a groundbreaking clinical trial of psilocybin for treatment-resistant anorexia nervosa in collaboration with Imperial College London. Sarah shares key findings from her 2025 JAMA Network Open survey on prescription and non-prescription drug use among people with self-reported eating disorders, plus broader insights on the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids and psychedelics for eating disorders. This episode is a timely exploration of lived experiences, risk-benefit realities, and the urgent need for better treatment options in an understudied area of psychedelic science.

Join Dr. Bia Labate, anthropologist, activist, and Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, in this live interview brought to you by the Queen’s University Psychedelic Society Speaker Series. With over 30 years of global experience in psychedelic traditions, Dr. Labate shares the motivations behind her lifelong commitment to plant medicines and social justice. She explores psychedelics through an anthropological lens, the founding and mission of the Chacruna Institute, and its programs advancing reciprocity, cultural understanding, and legitimacy for sacred plants. Dr. Labate critiques the commercialization of psychedelics, power imbalances between Western science and Indigenous knowledge, and epistemic injustices in psychedelic research. She addresses global drug policy, recent decriminalization progress, and the essential role of social sciences in fostering ethical, relational, and holistic approaches to psychedelic healing.

Chacruna Institute: https://chacruna.net/

Dr. Bia Labate (Beatriz Caiuby Labate) is an anthropologist, educator, author, speaker, and activist, committed to the protection of sacred plants while amplifying the voices of marginalized communities in the psychedelic science field. As a queer Brazilian anthropologist based in San Francisco, she has been profoundly influenced by her experiences with ayahuasca since 1996. Dr. Labate has a Ph.D. in social anthropology from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil. Her work focuses on plant medicines, drug policy, shamanism, ritual, religion, and social justice. She is the Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and serves as a Senior Advisor for Culture and Strategy at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Additionally, she is a Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and acts as advisor for around 15 organizations, among them the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition, Soltara Healing Center, Sacred Plant Alliance and the Alaska Entheogenic Awareness Council. Dr. Labate is also a co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP) in Brazil and the editor of its site. She has authored, co-authored, and co-edited 28 books, three special-edition journals, and numerous peer-reviewed and online publications.

From Johns Hopkins to Ottawa, Dr. Jérémie Richard is a clinical psychologist with unique binational experience in the field of psychedelic science. Now an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa and director of the Clinical & Applied Psychedelic Science Lab, Dr. Richard joins host Dr. Elena Koning to trace his career path and share his most personally impactful and ongoing work in psychedelic psychotherapy. The conversation explores the differences in Canada-US regulatory landscapes, their impact on research and access, and psychedelics’ potential for transdiagnostic care. Looking forward, Dr. Richard offers a visionary take on how emerging perspectives on mental illness may outgrow current DSM categories, and what psychotherapy could become in 25 years - including whether (and how) psychedelics will reshape it.

Dr. Jérémie Richard is an Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa. He is a clinical psychologist in Quebec and Ontario whose work is helping chart new paths in mental health, addiction, and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy research. As an emerging scholar, Dr. Richard is exploring the psychological, biological, and sociocultural dimensions of mental health, investigating how difficulties with depression, anxiety, addiction, and developmental vulnerabilities influence people’s lived experience and their response to mental health treatments. He is the director of the Clinical & Applied Psychedelic Science Lab (CAPS Lab) at the University of Ottawa, where he investigates how the use of psychedelics in naturalistic or clinical settings can influence mental health, physical health, and quality of life, with a commitment to rigorous science and the provision of compassionate care. With an expanding portfolio of over 40 peer-reviewed publications and in his role as core faculty in the Psychedelics and Consciousness Studies Program at the University of Ottawa, Dr. Jérémie Richard is emerging as a leading voice in bridging traditional psychotherapy with innovative therapeutic approaches.

Psychedelics are increasingly recognized as an approach to help heal trauma – but without the proper support, the same experience that enables healing could lead to re-traumatization. How does this work and what should psychedelic therapists do about it? Guy Simon is a clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and PhD candidate experienced in trauma-informed psychedelic therapy. Guy’s recent work touches on both the protective and destabilizing effects of psychedelics in several trauma contexts, including childhood abuse and mass violence events. For example, he interviewed survivors of the 2023 Nova Festival Attacks about their psychedelic experiences during the attacks, and the implications for psychedelic therapy. In this episode of The Integration Session, Guy describes his research findings, trauma-informed tools for clinicians, and advice for anyone considering psychedelic medicine for their trauma. 

Guy Simon is a clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and PhD candidate in medical anthropology. His research explores trauma, healing, and altered states of consciousness, with a focus on the phenomenology of psychedelic experiences. He leads qualitative and ethnographic investigations into how users, therapists, and underground practitioners conceptualize the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, particularly in the context of trauma and integration.  Guy is the founder and clinical director of Impulse, an integrative clinic, and serves as Chair of the Clinical Advisory Committee of SafeHeart. This nonprofit organization supports survivors of collective trauma through psychedelic-informed care. His work bridges clinical practice with anthropological theory, emphasizing the role of set, setting, and cultural context.  Guy teaches and lectures internationally on psychedelic integration, trauma-informed therapy, and epistemologies of healing. He is currently based in the Netherlands, expanding his research and collaborations across European academic and therapeutic communities.

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 this episode of The Integration Session, host Elena is joined by Osheen Dayal–a University of British Columbia Psychology alumna, former co-president of the Women Empowerment Club, and current Master’s student in Counselling Psychology at Adler University. As the YouTube Committee Lead and Podcast Host at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) Canada, Osheen is at the heart of psychedelic science communication, advocacy, and story-telling. 

Together, Elena and Osheen discuss Osheen’s unique journey to psychedelic therapy training, her perspectives on cultural healing, spirituality, social justice and equity, as well as shared interests in science communication across the psychedelic field.

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 Integration Session, host Dr. Elena Koning sits down with CPHR Director Dr. Claudio Soares for a reflective conversation on progress, breakthroughs, and the road ahead. 

Dr. Soares shares his professional journey in psychiatry, the evolution of CPHR into one of Canada’s leading multidisciplinary hubs for psychedelic science, education, and clinical innovation, and the centre’s key milestones to date. Major highlights include the launch of the first Health Canada-approved Phase 2 clinical trial of at-home, low-dose (non-hallucinogenic) psilocybin for generalized anxiety disorder, and a Phase 2, multi-center clinical trial of a rapid-acting DMT formulation (VLS-01 Buccal Film) for treatment-resistant depression. 

Looking to 2026, Dr. Soares shares CPHR’s exciting plans, including expanded research priorities, enhanced knowledge translation efforts, and strengthened national and international partnerships to responsibly advance psychedelic medicine. 

Dr. Claudio Soares is a physician, researcher, and educator with over 25 years of experience in mental health and women’s health. He is a Professor of Psychiatry at Queen’s University and Director of the Centre for Psychedelics Health and Research, leading innovative clinical research and knowledge dissemination initiatives. He also serves as Regional Clinical Co-Lead for Mental Health and Addictions at Ontario Health East and is President of The Menopause Society, a global organization dedicated to advancing women’s health at midlife and beyond. His expertise spans mood disorders, reproductive psychiatry, menopause, clinical trials, mobile health technologies, psychedelics research, and health innovation.

Chronic pain impacts over 1.5 billion people worldwide, with the majority of affected individuals being women. As conventional treatments don’t always help, there’s an emerging interest in the potential of psychedelic therapies. In this episode of The Integration Session, we explore the current state of the science on psychedelics as an approach to alleviating pain and improving quality of life in women with chronic pain. Dr. Sinziana Pop from the Francis Crick Institute shares her diverse expertise on the topic, future research plans, and why it’s so crucial to take a women-centered approach to psychedelic chronic pain research. This is an especially important topic for psychedelic scientists considering that, in existing clinical trials, most participants are males and sex is not often accounted for in analyses. Dr. Sinziana Pop is a neuroscientist with over a decade of experience researching brain function and evolution. In recent years, her focus has shifted from curiosity-driven "blue sky" neuroscience to exploring unconventional approaches for treating chronic pain in women. Recognizing that individual experiences are central to effective treatment, she is now pursuing psychedelic research, with the aim of designing clinical trials informed by women with lived experience of chronic pain.

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, psychedelic therapist Denise Rue brings a wealth of experience to our discussion about facilitating psychedelic therapy. We discuss her journey to the field, the nuances of guiding individuals through psychedelic therapy, the surprising ways clinical hypnosis and psychedelics intersect, comparisons between group retreats and 1:1 therapy, advice for aspiring therapists (e.g., informed consent, boundaries, harm reduction), the role of poetry in psychedelic therapy, and questions that every prospective client should ask before trusting someone with their psychedelic experience. 

Denise Rue, MA, MFA, MSW, is a licensed Clinical Social Worker, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Psychedelic-Assisted Therapist, and founder of the New Jersey Psychedelic Therapy Association. From 2019-2022 Denise worked as a retreat leader and lead therapist at a legal psilocybin retreat center in Jamaica, and continues to lead retreats in Portugal, Mexico, and Colorado.  Denise has had the privilege of facilitating over 1,750 psilocybin sessions, and as many group integration sessions. She has a profound respect for the healing potential of this medicine, as well as a deep sense of the responsibility practitioners hold in shepherding people on their journeys. Denise has a private psychotherapy practice in New Jersey, specializing in individuals with complex trauma, especially adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. She utilizes a variety of modalities in her work, including ketamine-assisted therapy, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), somatic therapy and clinical hypnosis. Denise will soon be launching her psychedelic education, integration, and harm reduction business, Interweave Healing, with her colleague, Jessalyn Maguire, LSW. 

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 discuss the crucial economic landscape of psychedelic therapies with Dr. Elliot Marseille, a health economist and founding director of the Collaborative for the Economics of Psychedelics at UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco. As a leading expert and author of several recent scientific publications on the topic, we explore the economic viability of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression, the economic potential of group therapy models for conflict zones and low-income countries, and the crucial study design approaches to enhance affordability, feasibility, and regulatory impact.

For thousands of years, humans have used psychedelics, but how have these substances influenced our evolutionary path? Does the Stoned Ape Theory hold true? And might psychedelics offer solutions to humanity’s greatest challenges, such as political division, war, and climate change? In this episode of The Integration Session, we are joined by Dr. Michael Winkelman, author of The Handbook for Entheogenic Healing and a recent article in the Journal of Psychedelic Studies, “Psychedelics and the Future Evolution of Humanity.” We explore how psychedelics have shaped human development and their potential to guide our future. From enhancing brain plasticity to promoting ultrasociality that could reduce conflict, could psychedelics be a key to addressing today’s most urgent global issues?
Michael J. Winkelman, Ph.D. (University of California-Irvine), M.P.H. (University of Arizona) is retired from the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University where he served as the Head of Sociocultural Anthropology; Director of the Ethnographic Field School in Ensenada, BC, Mexico; and Director of the M.P.H. in Community Health. Winkelman served as President of the Anthropology of Consciousness section of the American Anthropological Association, as was the founding President of its Anthropology of Religion Section. Winkelman has engaged in cross-cultural and interdisciplinary research on shamanism, psychedelics, and the alteration of consciousness for 40 years. His books on shamanism (Shamans, Priests and Witches [1992] and Shamanism: A Biopsychosocial Paradigm of Consciousness and Healing [2nd ed., 2010] use cross-cultural and evolutionary methods to examine these ancient spiritual and ritual healing capacities. He is the co-editor of Psychedelic Medicine (2 volumes, 2007), Advances in Psychedelic Medicine (2019) and a Frontiers in Psychology special issue on Psychedelic Sociality, and editor of a special issue of the Journal of Psychedelic Studies on Psychedelics in History and World Religions. He recently edited the Handbook of Entheogenic Healing (Brill, 2025). He served as an expert witness for Santo Daime in their defense against the US Department of Justice in 2009.

Want to stay updated on the latest advancements in psychedelic science without reading lengthy scientific papers? Welcome to the first Research Recap, where Elena breaks down three recent studies in psychedelic science, in a digestible format. In this episode, we touch on the potential of psilocybin therapy for mood symptoms in Parkinson’s disease, psychedelic use in eating disorder populations, and how psilocybin could extend cellular lifespan. Elena provides a clear breakdown of what the researchers did, why it matters, and the critical details often missed by mainstream media. Research Recap is perfect for curious minds and cuts through the academic jargon to expand your knowledge of psychedelic science. 

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 necessary to have a psychedelic experience in order to be a good psychedelic therapist? What is going on with Health Canada’s confusing response to the issue and where is psychedelic drug policy headed?

In this episode, we are joined by two leading voices in the national conversation: John Gilchrist, Director of Communications at TheraPsil, and Eugene Oscapella, lawyer, professor, and long-time drug policy reform advocate at the University of Ottawa. Together, they help us unpack the recent federal court ruling against Health Canada, the debate over experiential training for psychedelic therapists, and the parallels—and differences—between psychedelic policy today and cannabis reform in the past. Tune in to gain insight into the legal and political forces shaping Canada’s path towards evidence-based psychedelic care, and what a more compassionate, responsible regulatory framework might look like moving forward. 

Eugene Oscapella completed undergraduate studies in economics at the University of Toronto in 1974 and received his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Ottawa in 1977. He obtained his Master of Laws degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1979. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1980. Mr. Oscapella was associated with the Law Reform Commission of Canada for over 14 years and was the first chairman of that body's Drug Policy Group. Mr. Oscapella was a founding member of the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy, an independent organization created in 1993 to examine Canada’s drug laws and policies. For several years he sat on the policy committee of the Canadian Criminal Justice Association and later sat on the steering and policy committees of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, formed in 2011. He has appeared many times before Canadian parliamentary committees on drug policy issues, including the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs and the House of Commons Special Committee on the Non-medical Use of Drugs. He has lectured on drug policy issues in the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa for over a quarter century and has also lectured and been published widely in Canada and abroad about drug policy issues. In April 2011, he received the Kaiser Foundation National Award for Excellence in Public Policy for his drug policy reform work.

John Gilchrist is an ardent supporter of drug policy reform and believes the growing acceptance of psychedelics and psychedelic therapy marks a paradigm shift in the treatment of mental health. John was aware of the healing powers of psilocybin and other psychedelics but was truly blown away by a personal story from a patient in 2021. Since then, John has been focused on doing whatever possible to support the legalization of psychedelic therapy and to help change public perception towards it. He is honoured and privileged to support TheraPsil’s patients alongside such a professional and dedicated team.

What kind of setting is optimal for psychedelic experiences? In research, many contextual factors are underreported, inconsistently reported, or treated like a black box, making it near impossible to answer this question. Thankfully, a recent paper published in Nature Medicine has brought together international experts to advise on how best to solve the issue. 

In this episode of The Integration Session, we’re joined by the paper’s first author Dr. Chloé Pronovost-Morgan who was involved in a global Delphi study to establish the first-ever standardized guidelines for reporting setting in psychedelic trials. Her team talked to 89 experts from 17 countries to come up with a set of 30 important variables, including ones that you probably haven’t even thought about. We discuss why context in psychedelic trials matters, the implications for drug regulation, and how you can use these guidelines to change the way you study and think about psychedelics. 

Chloé Pronovost-Morgan is a first-year psychiatry resident with a strong interest in extra-pharmacological determinants of therapeutic outcomes. She holds an MD from McGill University and an MSc in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience from Maastricht University. As part of her master’s, she launched The Delphi Study on Setting at Imperial College London’s Centre for Psychedelic Research, under the supervision of Dr. Leor Roseman and Dr. Kyle Greenway – an international expert consensus project that led to the development of the ReSPCT guidelines for reporting setting variables in psychedelic clinical trials. Now back in her hometown of Montreal, she hopes to pursue a career as a clinician-scientist in psychiatry.

Microdosing—commonly defined as the regular consumption of small, unimpairing amounts of psychedelics—is a controversial topic in the psychedelic space. Anecdotal reports claim substantial benefits for mood and creativity, but many scientists are skeptical with mixed findings in the research. So, what’s the truth behind microdosing? To help answer this question, Dr. Rotem Retranker conducted the first double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized controlled trial on microdosing psilocybin for depression. In this episode of The Integration Session, I ask Rotem about his findings, the potential mechanisms underlying microdosing, different study designs to help determine safety and effectiveness, and his opinion about the future of microdosing psilocybin for mental health. Tune in for this discussion that covers topics on the cutting edge of psychedelic microdosing work. 

About Dr. Rotem Petranker: Rotem obtained his BSc from the University of Toronto, his Master's from York University, and his PhD from McMaster University. He is the director of the Canadian Centre for Psychedelic Science and co-founder of the Psychedelic Studies Research Program at the University of Toronto. Rotem's research interests are in areas related to sustained attention, emotional regulation, creativity, and their potential relationship with psychedelics. Rotem is dedicated to promoting open science principles in general, and particularly so in the fledgling field of psychedelics. He is clinically interested in the application of psychedelics to treat certain mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, and OCD. Rotem recently completed the world's first clinical trial on the effects of microdosing psilocybin on symptoms of depression and is excited to further explicate the mechanisms of action behind psychedelics.

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 industry, it was a radical experiment on the Canadian prairies. Long before LSD grabbed headlines, Indigenous communities were practicing plant-based healing grounded in connection and spiritual ceremony. And well before clinical trials standardized “set and setting,” it was lived wisdom passed through generations.

In this episode of The Integration Session, I’m joined by Dr. Erika Dyck—Professor and Canada Research Chair in the History of Health & Social Justice—to explore the surprising, complex, and often overlooked history of psychedelic medicine. We trace the early origins of psychedelic therapy, the rise and fall (and rise again) of psychedelic psychiatry, and what we can learn from this important history so we don’t repeat its mistakes.

Erika Dyck is a professor and a Canada Research Chair in the History of Health & Social Justice at the University of Saskatchewan. She is the author or co-author of several books, including Psychedelic Psychiatry (2008); Managing Madness (2017); The Acid Room (2022); and Psychedelics: A Visual Odyssey (2024). She is the co-editor of Women & Psychedelics (2024) and Expanding Mindscapes (2023). She is currently the President of the Alcohol and Drugs History Society. Currently she is working with First Nations communities in Canada on preserving the history of the Native American Church and its associated ceremonies involving peyote.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not reflect legal or medical advice.

Something big is happening: Canadian researchers have recently secured $5M in funding to advance cancer care with psychedelics. In this episode of The Integration Session, Dr. Ron Shore and Dr. Harriet Richardson provide an inside perspective on CAN-PACT—a national collaborative that’s aiming to transform mental health support in cancer care with high-quality research, clinician training, and policy development. We discuss how psychedelics can help people with cancer, CAN-PACT’s research plans for the next 5-10 years, and when we can expect psychedelic therapy to become more widely available. Tune in for this hopeful and evidence-based look at how psychedelic science could transform cancer care in Canada. 

Dr. Harriet Richardson is an epidemiologist who received her PhD in Epidemiology & Biostatistics from McGill University in 2003 where she studied the natural history of human papillomavirus infections and cervical neoplasia. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences, at Queen’s University where she teaches in the graduate programs and is the current Graduate Coordinator. She is also a Senior Investigator at the Canadian Cancer Trials Group and currently oversees the Breast Cancer Prevention portfolio and the Supportive Care Committee. Her research interests include cancer prevention, cancer symptom management and the use of etiological and prognostic biomarkers in population‐based studies. 

Dr. Ronald (Ron) Shore is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University and the (Interim) Assistant Scientific Director of the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Research in Kingston, Ontario. Ron is the founder of Kingston's Street Health Centre, a community health centre for people facing multiple barriers to health including complex addiction, mental health, trauma and homelessness. He has thirty-five years experience in addictions and mental health. Ron's PhD is specific to the clinical application of psilocybin, he is faculty in the Michener Insititute's Foundations of Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy program, an investigator and clinical trial therapist in psychedelic trials, the co-Principal Investigator of the Canadian Network for Psilocybin-assisted Cancer Therapy (CAN-PACT) and a consultant advisor to the Centre for Psychedelics Health and Research at Providence Care.

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 science has undergone a significant evolution and we are constantly making new discoveries that change not only our understanding of these mysterious substances but also how we think about the human mind and consciousness itself. So how long until these therapies are accessible to all? If that is even what we want, then what science will get us there? In this episode of The Integration Session, psychedelic scientist and knowledge translator Dr. Elena Koning brings you up to speed by providing an overview of the history of psychedelic research, current evidence, and the critical questions that remain unanswered in the field today. 

This podcast is an initiative of the Centre for Psychedelic Health & Research (CPHR), a multi-disciplinary hub and catalyst for psychedelic research, innovation and knowledge translation. CPHR is located in Kingston, ON, Canada, and is supported by the Ontario Brain Institute (OBI), the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND), and Providence Care Hospital. 

Disclaimer: This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not reflect legal or medical advice.