ALPS Speak | Podcast on Psychedelic Science

Gianluca A. Florineth is a researcher at the University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy in Bern and the UPK Basel.
His work explores how psychological support shapes the effects of psychedelics in the treatment of depression. Combining clinical science with a human understanding of therapy, he studies what happens when modern neuroscience meets the ancient idea of transformation through consciousness.
In his recent study Association Between Psychological Therapy Quantity and Depressive Symptom Reduction in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy, he analyzed data from 12 clinical trials using psilocybin or LSD for depression.
The key finding: the more time patients spent preparing before the psychedelic session, the stronger their improvement in mood.
Integration afterwards mattered less than expected — raising new questions about how we design and deliver psychedelic treatments.
In this episode, we explore with him:
– The role of "therapy before the trip": why preparation hours seem to predict outcomes more than integration, and whether psychedelics amplify an existing psychological framework rather than create insight from scratch– Between molecule and meaning: how neurochemistry, relationship, mindset, and therapeutic structure interact — and how the molecule may become a catalyst for psychotherapy itself– Beyond numbers — quality vs. quantity of therapy: how future research could integrate alliance, empathy, and depth without losing rigor, and whether AI-assisted transcript coding or physiological markers (HRV synchrony) could help– Clinical translation and ethics: what minimal therapeutic "dose" — in hours, content, or preparation type — should be non-negotiable for ethical and effective PAT delivery across clinics and countries– Looking ahead: what the next generation of trials should prioritize — longer follow-ups, diverse populations, multimodal biomarkers, therapist training — and whether PAT will push psychiatry to re-humanize itself, or to biologize consciousness even further
A conversation on what actually heals in psychedelic therapy — the molecule, the method, or the meaning around it.

Guest: Jonas T. T. Schlomberg, PhD researcher at the University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich (UZH)
Jonas T. T. Schlomberg is a researcher at the University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich (UZH). His work explores the intersection between psychedelics, meditation, and consciousness, combining qualitative and computational methods. Trained in neuroscience and phenomenology, he investigates how altered states — whether induced by substances or by contemplative practice — can illuminate the workings of the mind and the nature of experience itself.
In his recent study A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Psychedelic-Augmented Meditation Experiences, he and his colleagues compared experiences of DMT or harmine with meditation under placebo within a structured mindfulness retreat — using natural language processing alongside manual qualitative analysis.

In this episode, we explore with him:
– Two paths to the same mountain: the phenomenological overlap between psychedelic and meditative states, and what their similarities (and differences) tell us about consciousness itself– Language as a bridge to the ineffable: how NLP and AI tools can help science approach experiences that have traditionally been called mystical or inexpressible– Trust and surrender: why meditation tends to evoke "safety" and "calm" while psychedelics evoke "overwhelm" and "insight" — and what this polarity reveals about transformation– From phenomenology to mechanism: the neurobiological and cognitive processes — predictive processing, self-modeling, top-down/bottom-up dynamics — that might underlie this overlap– The ethics and future of integration: how to combine psychedelics with contemplative frameworks in ways that remain rigorous, culturally sensitive, and ethically grounded. Could future retreats see neuroscientists, monks, and psychotherapists co-creating shared protocols?
A conversation between neuroscience, phenomenology, and contemplative practice — on what altered states can teach us about the mind, and about being human

Invité: Dr Vincent Liaudat, musicien, psychiatre et psychothérapeute.
Vincent Liaudat est psychiatre et psychothérapeute suisse, spécialisé dans les états modifiés de conscience et la médecine psychédélique.
Multi-instrumentiste et compositeur, il crée aussi des expériences de musique immersive où neurosciences, art sonore et méditation se rencontrent. À travers ses concerts hypnotiques, il explore la vibration comme langage du vivant, invitant chacun à traverser les couches de la conscience et à retrouver une connexion sensible entre corps, espace et silence.
Dans cet épisode, nous explorons avec lui :
– Le passage du cabinet psychiatrique à l'espace sonore, et ce que le son ouvre comme voie de soin– Le cadre d'une pratique à la croisée de la science et du ressenti : protocoles, préparation, intégration– Ce que la recherche récente nous dit de la vibration — des canaux mécano-sensibles (PIEZO1, PIEZO2) aux travaux de Kyoto sur l'effet des ondes sonores sur l'activité cellulaire– La frontière entre le poétique, le plausible et le démontré, quand on dit que "le corps entend plus qu'on ne le pense"– Comment tenir la rigueur scientifique face à un mot aussi galvaudé que "vibration"– La spécificité des thérapies assistées par psychédéliques, le rôle de la musique pendant et après l'expérience, et ce que dit de nous ce retour massif vers l'intériorité
Une conversation entre psychiatrie, physique et art sonore — pour interroger ce que signifie, aujourd'hui, se soigner par l'écoute.

InvitéeBettina Ferdmann, co-fondatrice de la Fondation Conscience et Santé Mentale.
Coach, entrepreneure et écrivaine, Bettina Ferdmann est l'une des pionnières de la RSE en Suisse. Elle a passé sa carrière à relier sens, impact et transformation — aussi bien individuelle qu'organisationnelle. Elle met aujourd'hui cette expérience au service d'un projet visionnaire : la Fondation Conscience et Santé Mentale, dédiée à favoriser l'accès aux thérapies assistées par psychédéliques en Suisse.
Dans cet épisode, nous explorons avec elle :
– Le fil qui relie la responsabilité d'une entreprise envers la société et celle d'un individu face à sa propre santé mentale– Une médecine de la relation, où médecins, chercheurs et patients co-créent les soins– Le dialogue entre science et sagesses — hypnose, respiration, méditation, rituels traditionnels– L'éthique d'un soin élargi, fondé sur l'empowerment et la dignité– Sa vision d'un projet pionnier qui veut transformer notre rapport collectif à la conscience, au-delà des institutions
Une conversation à la croisée de la transformation intérieure et de la transformation sociale.

What actually happens to the self under psychedelics?
In this episode, linguist and cognitive scientist PD. Dr. Kurt Stocker introduces a new framework for understanding psychedelic experience—beyond “mystical” or “spiritual” labels.
Drawing on placebo-controlled studies with LSD and DMT, he explores how experiences of ego dissolution, transcendence, and interconnectedness are structured, described, and interpreted. We dive into the role of language, the difference between immanent and transcendent states, and a key question: even at the edge of self-loss, is something still there to tell the story?
A precise, science-driven look at how psychedelics reshape consciousness and the self—and how we make sense of it.