Screening and Supporting Spiritual Concerns in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy with Palliative Care Populations: A Narrative Review Pre-Registration
Open Science Framework July 17, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.17605/osf.io/rxp24 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Narrative review Qualitative |
|---|---|
| Population | Patients with serious or life-threatening illnesses experiencing depression, anxiety, existential distress or demoralization |
| Topics | End-of-life distress Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Narrative review Spirituality Palliative care Psychological intervention Inclusion mineral Distress Life review Alternative medicine Psychotherapist Systematic review Medline Pain medicine Disease Clinical psychology Primary care Empirical research Qualitative research Clinical trial |
| Key findings | The review aims to determine the extent to which spiritual, existential, religious, and theological components are a focus of screening and treatment protocols in psychedelic-assisted therapies for seriously ill individuals. |
Abstract
Objective: The objective of this narrative review is to understand what forms of spirituality screening and spiritual support are available to individuals with serious or life-threating illness involved in psychedelic-assisted therapies.
Introduction: In addition to physical pain related to disease and treatment processes, people encountering serious illness frequently experience psychological and spiritual distress that manifests in such conditions as depression, anxiety, and demoralization. Psychedelic substances are currently being investigated to treat these conditions, but current literature is unclear regarding the degree to which spiritual, existential, religious, and theological components are a significant focus of screening and treatment protocols. Inclusion criteria: This review will include published studies and unpublished or ongoing clinical trials involving patients with serious or life-threatening illnesses experiencing depression, anxiety, existential distress or demoralization. Primary interventions involving psychedelic substances (such as psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, and ketamine) will be considered. Primary qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, and case studies published after 1994 will be included, but follow-up studies and review articles will not.
Methods: The narrative review will be conducted using an empirical integrative orientation. Research databases will be searched, including Embase, PubMed, PsycInfo, and CINAHL. Additionally Clinicaltrials.gov will be searched to gather information on ongoing and unpublished clinical trials. Articles will be loaded into Covidence to screen for duplicate articles, adherence to inclusion/exclusion criteria, and relevance. Included articles and studies will undergo full text review, and analysed and synthesized using a pre-determined extraction table. Results will report findings including themes and observations of study reports.
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 |