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 in for engaging discussions about psychedelics and their promising future in healthcare and beyond.

The Integration Session is a science podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 33 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts The Integration Session, a science show with 33 episodes published.

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  The Integration Session

  Research Recap 2: Recent Papers in Psychedelic Science Explained

  Aug 5, 202629 min

  Want to stay updated on the latest advancements in psychedelic science without reading lengthy scientific papers? Welcome back to Research Recap, where Elena breaks down three recent studies in psychedelic science, in a digestible format. This episode covers a phase IIa trial of short-acting intravenous DMT for depression, a multimodal neuroimaging study of a first psilocybin experience, and an international mega-analysis that informs our understanding of how psychedelics alter brain function. Elena provides a clear breakdown of what the researchers did, why it matters, and the critical details often missed by mainstream media.

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  The Integration Session

  The Antidistressant Effect: A New Lens on Psychedelics with Danica Johnson

  Jul 23, 202632 min

  Psychedelic treatments are often celebrated for their antidepressant potential, but emerging research suggests their effects go beyond traditional mood improvement. These compounds appear to work on multiple levels, prompting researchers to propose a more accurate term: “anti distressant .” But what exactly does “antidistressant” mean, and how might it better reflect the broad effects of psychedelics? What does this new lens mean for both research and clinical care? In this episode, we’re joined by Danica Johnson, PhD candidate at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Medical Science and researcher at the Depression Centre Clinical Research Unit at Toronto Western Hospital. Co-supervised by Drs. Joshua Rosenblat and Roger McIntyre, Danica’s work sits at the forefront of psychedelic science. She breaks down what the term “antidistressant” really means and why it may be more accurate and useful than “antidepressant” when describing psychedelic treatment effects. We also discuss the multidimensional ways that psilocybin works, new findings about cognitive outcomes, ketamine’s real-world effectiveness in patients with comorbid PTSD, and the exciting research on the horizon in Toronto and beyond. More About Danica: Danica Johnson is a PhD Candidate at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Medical Science. She is co-supervised by Drs. Joshua Rosenblat and Roger McIntyre at the Depression Centre Clinical Research Unit at Toronto Western Hospital - University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto, Canada. Her research explores the effects of psychedelic compounds, particularly psilocybin and ketamine, on cognitive functioning in treatment-resistant unipolar and bipolar depression. She also investigates how trauma and psychiatric comorbidities influence treatment outcomes in these populations. Danica’s work has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Canada Graduate Research Scholarship (CGRS-D), highlighting the quality and impact of her work in the realm of psychedelic research.

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  The Integration Session

  Do Psychedelics Really Mimic Psychosis? with Dr. Haley Dourron

  Jul 9, 202632 min

  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.

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  The Integration Session

  Magnesium-Ibogaine for Special Operations Veterans with Dr. Kirsten Cherian

  Jun 25, 202646 min

  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.

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  The Integration Session

  How Do We Fix The Placebo Problem? With Dr. Balázs Szigeti

  Jun 11, 202645 min

  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.

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