Objectives To assess the feasibility, safety and preliminary efficacy of psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) for demoralisation in terminally ill patients receiving home hospice care. Methods In this open-label pilot trial, 4607 home hospice patients at a large community hospice were screened over 22 months; 66 were approached, 15 enrolled and 10 received psilocybin. Participants completed two...
Psycho-OncologyNovember 1, 2025Marie-Estelle Gaignard, Dominica Martin, Jelena Stanic et al.
Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) are recognized as beneficial in oncology supportive care. While qualitative analyses of mindfulness program experiences exist, this is the first mixed methods study to examine patients' experiences after participating in the online Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery (e-MBCR) program. The SERENITY study was a pilot randomized controlled trial evaluating the...
Background: Cancer poses an existential threat for patients and caregivers. Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) has emerged as a potential tool to meet these existential needs, yet little is known about how patients describe this element of their cancer journey, and how it might be affected by PAT, especially in the group therapy context. Purpose: To explore how patients with cancer and...
Background: Evidence is growing that psychedelic substances have positive effects in the setting of Palliative Care (PC), focusing on special needs in this patient population. After a scoping review of the literature, no published expert recommendations guiding best practice for psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) towards the end of life were identified. Objective: To draw conclusions from...
Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) shows promise for cancer-related depression, yet little research has examined how therapeutic context shapes patient experiences. While set (mindset) and setting (environment) are considered central to psychedelic treatment, empirical evidence on their role in PAT acceptability remains limited. This study explores factors influencing the acceptability of PAT...
Implications for practice Psychedelic-assisted therapy with classical psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD) may be effective for treating anxiety, depression, and possibly existential distress, in people facing a life-threatening disease. Psychedelic-assisted therapy seemed to be well tolerated, with no treatment-emergent serious adverse events reported in the studies included in this review. However,...
Depression, anxiety and existential distress associated with terminal illness have a major impact on quality of life among palliative care patients. Psychedelics are emerging as catalysts for reflective, introspective and sometimes spiritual exploration as part of psychotherapy, with potentially rapid and long-lasting multiple beneficial effects. Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP)...
Abstract Background The present study explored the acceptability of psilocybin‐assisted group therapy from the perspective of patients with cancer and depression who participated in a clinical trial assessing the safety and efficacy of this novel intervention. Methods Guided by the conceptual framework of acceptability, the authors conducted semi‐structured interviews with participants of the...
A renewed interest in the use of psychedelics for treating obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) has emerged in the last 20 years. But pre-clinical and clinical evidence remain scarce, and little is known about the factor determining the magnitude and persistence of the therapeutic effect. We therefore designed a retrospective online survey to explore, in the general population using psychoactive...
This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the benefits and harms of psychedelic/entactogen‐assisted therapy compared to placebo or active comparators (e.g. antidepressants) for treatment of anxiety, depression, and existential distress in adult palliative care.
A scientometric analysis was realized to outline clinical research on psychedelics over the last century. Web of Science Core Collection was searched up to March 18, 2022, for publications on psychedelics. Network analyses and bibliometrics were combined, to identify research themes and trends with Bibliometrix and CiteSpace. The primary aim was to measure research trends evolution over time,...
In addition to physical symptoms and treatment burden, people affected by serious illness experience psychological, social, and spiritual distress. Medical professionals who care for them, including psychiatrists and other mental health clinicians, attend to these multiple dimensions of suffering with the hope and promise of improving patients' quality of life. Yet anxiety, depression,...
Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is a burgeoning treatment with growing interest across a variety of settings and disciplines. Empirical evidence supports PAT as a novel therapeutic approach that provides safe and effective treatment for people suffering from a variety of diagnoses, including treatment-resistant depression, substance use disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Within...
Terreau de la découverte du LSD et de la synthèse de la psilocybine, la Suisse saura-t-elle jouer un rôle dans la redécouverte du potentiel thérapeutique des substances psychédéliques?Réémergence de la médecine psychédélique