Dr Jason Konner - Psychedelic Oncology and the Future of Cancer Care

Psychedelics and oncology intersect through Dr Jason Konner's shift from longtime clinical practice to working full-time on psychedelic oncology. Konner describes career burnout from sustained exposure to death, constant emotional load, and limited support for clinicians, then traces a turning point to a yoga class moment that led him to an ayahuasca retreat. After a week with ayahuasca, followed by later work with mushrooms, he reports reduced fear of death and improved ability to stay present, compassionate, and emotionally stable with patients facing advanced disease. The conversation critiques the oncology system for insufficient training and relational support for both oncologists and caregivers, and it questions approaches like reflexively prescribing SSRIs when existential suffering is central. Konner also shares a case suggesting immune changes after shamanic work, argues for new research paradigms that respect retreat and ceremonial context, and highlights an early project, Psychedelic Oncology, aimed at making clinicians more psychedelic-literate so patients can access new care options.