LSD-Assisted Psychotherapy in Patients with Terminal Cancer
Stanislav Grof, Louis E. Goodman, William A. Richards, Albert A. Kurland
International Pharmacopsychiatry 1973 DOI: 10.1159/000467984 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 60 |
| Population | Cancer patients |
| Interventions | LSD dipropyltryptamine (DPT) |
| Dose | LSD 200-500 µg per os; DPT 60-105 mg i.m. |
| Topics | LSD Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Terminal cancer Terminal telecommunication Psychotherapist Terminal care |
| Citations | 212 |
| Key findings | The psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy led to significant improvement in emotional and physical distress for most patients, with 29% showing dramatic improvement and 41.9% moderate improvement. |
Abstract
The paper describes the results of a clinical study exploring the potential of a complex psychotherapeutic program utilizing psychedelic compounds to alleviate the emotional and physical suffering of cancer patients. A total of 60 cancer patients participated in this experimental study. In 44 of these patients, LSD (200-500 p%per os) was administered as an adjunct to psychotherapy; in 19 patients, a new psychedelic compound, dipropyltryptamine (DPT) was administered (60-105 mg i.m.). Three of these patients received both LSD and DPT administered on different sessions. The therapeutic results were assessed by means of a rating scale reflecting the degree of the patients’ depression, psychological isolation, anxiety, difficulty in management, fear of death, and pain. The ratings were done by attending physicians, nurses, family members, LSD therapists and cotherapists, and independent raters. In addition, the amount of narcotics required in the management of the patient was measured before and after the psychedelic sessions. Systematic rating was carried out in a group of 31 cancer patients treated by LSD. The comparison of the means of individual ratings from pre- to posttreatment showed significant improvement in all the measured parameters for most of the raters. There was a definite reduction of the narcotic medication; it did not, however, reach the level of statistical significance. The pre- to post-treatment comparison of the global indexes used as gross indicators of the degree of emotional and physical distress, indicated that approximately 29 % of the patients showed dramatic improvement, and another 41.9 % moderate improvement, with 22.6 % essentially unchanged. In 6.4 % of the patients, global indexes showed a decrement in the posttherapy ratings.
In the evidence
This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.
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The psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy led to significant improvement in emotional and physical distress for most patients, with 29% showing dramatic improvement and 41.9% moderate improvement.
Synthesized
Comparable studies
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| Neural correlates of the LSD experience revealed by multimodal neuroimaging. Human participants | 2016 | Experimental study | |
| Crystal structure of an LSD-bound human serotonin receptor | 2017 | Experimental study with structural biology and molecular dynamics simulations | |
| Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: Sensitive Neuronal Units in the Midbrain Raphe Midbrain neurons containing serotonin | 1968 | Experimental study | |
| Connectome-harmonic decomposition of human brain activity reveals dynamical repertoire re-organization under LSD. Human brain | 2017 | Experimental study | |
| Alterations of consciousness and mystical-type experiences after acute LSD in humans Participants in a study on acute LSD effects | 2016 | Experimental study |