Mystical Experience with Cancer Patients: Insights from Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy and Guided Imagery
Jerry B. Brown, Julie M. Brown
Global Journal of Medical Research July 31, 2021 DOI: 10.34257/gjmravol21is3pg1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism Psilocybin Mystical experience Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Psychotherapist Guided imagery Distress Mental image Modalities Patient experience Trance |
| Key findings | Combining guided imagery with psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy may reduce or eliminate physiological tumors in cancer patients. |
Abstract
Background: In controlled, clinical studies of the impact of psilocybin on patients with life-threatening cancers, Johns Hopkins and NYU researchers found that the “intensity of the mystical experience” induced by psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy was directly correlated with the alleviation of cancer-related mental distress.
Objective: The purpose of this article is to explore the proposition that the combination of psychotherapeutic guided imagery and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy could not only alleviate cancer-related psychological distress but also reduce or eliminate physiological tumors.
Methods: The literature surrounding “mystical experience” is discussed; the modalities of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and guided imagery psychotherapy with cancer patients are compared; and the anecdotal outcomes of cancer remission among private therapy guided imagery patients are presented.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on psilocybin and psychedelic-assisted therapy, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Paradigm Shift in Psychiatric Research and Development | 2018 | Review | |
| Novel psychopharmacological therapies for psychiatric disorders: psilocybin and MDMA. | 2016 | Review | |
| Systematized Review of Psychotherapeutic Components of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy | 2021 | Systematized review | |
| The Emerging Field of Psychedelic Psychotherapy. | 2022 | Review | |
| Experience of Music Used With Psychedelic Therapy: A Rapid Review and Implications Participants in psychedelic therapy research aged 18–69 with varied backgrounds | 2020 | Rapid review | n = 180 |