Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
May 19, 2026
Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Lucas Oliveira Maia, Everson Meireles et al.
This study examines psychedelic integration among Brazilian users by validating a Brazilian Portuguese version of the Psychedelic Integration Scales (PIS), developed through translation and cultural adaptation to ensure relevance and applicability within the Brazilian sociocultural context. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1379 participants recruited online. Confirmatory Factor...
Journal of Religion and Health
March 31, 2026
Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Everson Meireles, Eliza Mara Das Chagas Paiva et al.
Mystical experiences are commonly described in the context of psychedelic use and other forms of expanded states of consciousness. Although the Mystical Orientation Scale Revised (MOSR) has been used in international studies, no Brazilian Portuguese version had been tested to date. This exploratory study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and examine the psychometric properties of the MOSR...
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
March 27, 2026
Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Geovanna Maria Isidoro, Cremilson de Paula Silva
CONTEXT: People living with serious illness frequently experience intense existential suffering related to awareness of finitude. Psychedelic-assisted therapies have been associated with reductions in death anxiety and existential distress, yet the experiential processes underlying transformations in the relationship with finitude remain insufficiently understood. OBJECTIVES: To synthesize...
Journal of holistic nursing : official journal of the American Holistic Nurses' Association
September 3, 2025
Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Felipe Teixeira, Lucas Oliveira Maia
Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) has shown promising results in alleviating psychological and existential suffering among individuals with serious illnesses. In parallel, nursing offers a robust theoretical framework to guide therapeutic communication in this context. This article explores the application of Peplau's Theory of Interpersonal Relations (PTIR) as a foundation for holistic...
Revista Cacto - Ciência Arte Comunicação em Transdisciplinaridade Online
April 3, 2025
Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia
Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) has gained recognition as an innovative intervention in hospice and palliative care, demonstrating potential in mitigating the psychological, spiritual, and existential distress experienced by patients with serious illnesses. This article explores the role of PAT within these care settings, emphasizing its influence on various dimensions of human suffering, as...
Progress in Palliative Care
April 1, 2025
Jaime Andrés Vinasco Barco, Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia
This article discusses the neologism ‘palliadelic’ to designate the use of psychedelics in palliative care (PC) settings. Combining the concepts of ‘palliative’ and ‘psychedelic’, the term aims to describe interventions that use psychedelic substances to alleviate the psychological, spiritual, and existential suffering of patients with serious or incurable illnesses, or at the end of life....
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 10, 2025
Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Lucas Oliveira Maia, Everson Meireles et al.
8 citations
This study is a survey-type, cross-sectional study conducted in Brazil (n = 517), with online data collection taking place from April to June 2022. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the death anxiety in users and non-users of psychedelics. To this end, we also assessed the validity and reliability of the Death Anxiety Scale in Brazil. The following instruments were used for data...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
2025
Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Lucas Oliveira Maia, Everson Meireles et al.
3 citations
This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) in a Brazilian sample. We analyzed spiritual well-being, defined as existential well-being (EWB) and religious well-being (RWB), among individuals with varying religious and spiritual experiences, both users and non-users of psychedelics. The online cross-sectional survey was conducted in Brazil, from...
Progress in Brain Research
2025
Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Lucas Oliveira Maia
Existential and spiritual suffering are frequently reported by individuals facing serious illnesses, particularly at the end of life, and are associated with diminished quality of life, increased psychological distress, and requests for hastened death. While Palliative Care (PC) aims to provide holistic support, existing therapeutic options often fail to adequately address the profound...
J Holist Nurs
May 29, 2024
Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Lucas Oliveira Maia, Pamela G. Reed
3 citations
Exploring Psychedelics for Alleviating Existential and Spiritual Suffering in People With Serious Illnesses: Links to the Theory of Self-Transcendence.
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
February 11, 2022
Lucas Oliveira Maia, Yvan Beaussant, Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia
59 citations
ContextPeople affected by serious illness usually experience suffering in its various dimensions, not only in the physical but also in the psychosocial and spiritual aspects. The interest in psychedelic-assisted therapies as a potential new therapeutic modality has increased since evidence suggests a significant impact of their use on the outcomes of patients with serious illness.ObjectivesTo...