Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy in Palliative Care
Stephen Ross, Anthony P. Bossis
Oxford University Press eBooks December 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1093/med/9780197583838.003.0042 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy |
| Topics | Psilocybin End-of-life distress Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Psychotherapist Palliative care Distress Existentialism Psychological intervention |
| Key findings | Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy may offer a paradigm shift to improve existential, psychosocial, and spiritual well-being in palliative care patients. |
Abstract
Abstract Following a decades-long hiatus and building on an innovative research model first developed from the 1960s to 1970s utilizing psychedelic therapeutics to alleviate the marked psychic distress in end-of-life cancer patients, major academic centers are resuming contemporary clinical research into the safety and efficacy of psilocybin and other serotonergic psychedelics delivered in conjunction with psychotherapeutic platforms to treat psychiatric and existential distress associated with terminal medical illnesses. While there have been significant advances in the treatment of medical and pain symptomatology in palliative care, there remains a paucity of efficacious psychopharmacologic and psychotherapeutic interventions to alleviate the psychiatric and existential anguish—notably depression, anxiety, and demoralization—often present at the end of life. Relevant to end-of-life therapeutics, the World Health Organization and the Institute of Medicine have identified treating spiritual and existential distress as essential to improving the emotional well-being and quality of life in patients with advanced or terminal illnesses. This chapter covers topics related to psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in palliative care: history, anthropology, ethnobotany, neuropharmacology, safety, efficacy data from first and second waves of psychedelic research, putative mechanisms of action, and future directions. Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy offers a potential paradigm shift to improve the existential, psychosocial, and spiritual well-being of patients in palliative care settings.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on psilocybin for end-of-life distress, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in the Context of Serious Illness. Palliative care clinicians and patients | 2022 | Review | |
| The Potential of Psychedelics for End of Life and Palliative Care. Patients with life-threatening diagnoses | 2022 | Review | |
| Psilocybin in Palliative Care: An Update. Palliative care patients | 2023 | Review | |
| Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for existential distress: practical considerations for therapeutic application—a review | 2024 | Narrative review | |
| Psychedelics for the treatment of end-of-life distress in patients with a life-threatening disease. Patients with life-threatening disease and end-of-life distress | 2025 | Review |