Psychedelic-assisted therapies for existential and spiritual suffering in palliative care.
Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Lucas Oliveira Maia
Progress in Brain Research 2025 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2025.07.002 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | End-of-life distress Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | End-of-life care Existential suffering Palliative care Psychedelics Serious illness Spiritual suffering |
| Key findings | Psychedelic-assisted therapies, especially with psilocybin, are emerging as promising interventions that may alleviate existential and spiritual distress in palliative care patients. |
Abstract
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 disruptions in meaning, connection, and dignity experienced by patients. Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies (PAT), notably those using psilocybin, have re-emerged as promising interventions capable of eliciting transformative experiences that may alleviate existential and spiritual distress. This chapter explores the potential role of PAT in PC, beginning with a historical and conceptual overview of PC and an analysis of existential and spiritual suffering in this context. It then reviews scientific evidence on the therapeutic applications of classical psychedelics, with a focus on existential and spiritual suffering. Practical, clinical, ethical, and legal considerations for the integration of PAT into PC are discussed, including the challenges of implementation and the need for spiritually and existentially informed treatment models. The chapter concludes by reinforcing the urgency of innovative and compassionate responses to existential suffering and highlighting PAT as an emerging pathway toward improving the quality of life-and death-of individuals with serious illnesses.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on 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 | |
| Psychedelic medicines for end-of-life care: Pipeline clinical trial review 2022. People with terminal illnesses experiencing depression, anxiety, or existential distress | 2023 | Scoping review | n = 25 |
| Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for existential distress: practical considerations for therapeutic application—a review | 2024 | Narrative review |
Citations in the library
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and 28 more in the library