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The Wall Street Journal spotlights the growing field of integration therapy—and features Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research Director Dr. Janis Phelps discussing why the work that happens after a psychedelic experience is just as important as the experience itself.
Silicon Valley's embrace of psychedelic exploration has created demand for a new professional specialty: integration therapists who help tech workers process their experiences with ayahuasca, psilocybin, and other substances.
A recent Wall Street Journal feature profiles practitioners like psychologist Denise Renye, a Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research graduate, who helps tech employees make sense of revelations from psychedelic journeys—addressing a crucial gap in psychedelic care. Without proper integration, the potential benefits of psychedelic experiences may remain unrealized.
As Dr. Janis Phelps, Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research founder and director, explains through one client's story: "He said he realized maybe this is what life is all about. It's being able to sit with the awfulness of life without complaining about it." This insight, from a tech worker who initially felt disappointed by his ayahuasca experience, demonstrates why integration work is essential to psychedelic healing.
CIIS' Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research has been training professionals for this work since 2015 offering the first university-affiliated certificate training in the country. The program's comprehensive curriculum covers both the administration of psychedelic medicine and the critical integration phase, teaching practitioners how to help clients contextualize and apply their insights.
The growing interest from Silicon Valley reflects broader cultural shifts and demonstrates the real-world demand for Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research-trained professionals across diverse sectors.
Read the full story: So You Took Ayahuasca. The Therapist Will See You Now. - The Wall Street Journal, June 2, 2025
As psychedelic use expands beyond clinical settings, CIIS' Dr. Janis Phelps and Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research graduates emphasize why rigorous training and ethical practices matter—wherever psychedelics are administered.
Multiple major news outlets covered CIIS’ new Bachelor of Science in Psychedelic Studies and the University’s tradition of excellence in consciousness research.
The San Francisco Chronicle explores the importance and benefits of colleges and universities with downtown campuses in San Francisco
