Psychedelics, spirituality, and existential distress in patients at the end of life.
Nicole Cornish, Tara Coles, M. Jennifer Cheng, Claudia Ruiz Sotomayor, Aaron Wolfgang, Christopher Spevak
Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine April 1, 2025 DOI: 10.3949/ccjm.92a.24100 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Psychedelic-assisted therapy End-of-life distress |
| Keywords | Psilocybin treatment Psychedelic-assisted care Psychedelic medicine End-of-life care Palliative care Terminal illness support Hospice care Spiritual well-being Existential health Inner peace Spiritual growth Mental health Emotional well-being Anxiety reduction Distress relief Psychological support |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key points | Argues that psychedelic-assisted therapy may help address patients' spiritual and existential suffering at the end of life, and calls for more discussion and research from medical, ethical, and legal perspectives. |
Abstract
Psychedelic-assisted therapy clinical trials conducted over the past decade have prompted increased interest in the use of psychedelics to treat nonphysical suffering, which can include significant spiritual and existential distress at the end of life. The authors explore the role of psychedelics in helping to address patients' spiritual and existential suffering from a medical, ethical, and legal perspective, with the aim of stimulating discussion and research on this timely and clinically promising topic.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on end-of-life distress, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palliative Nursing and Sacred Medicine: A Holistic Stance on Entheogens, Healing, and Spiritual Care. Patients with advanced serious illness | 2019 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Psychedelics and Dying Care: A Historical Look at the Relationship between Psychedelics and Palliative Care. Historical context of dying care | 2019 | Historical analysis | |
| Psychedelic Ethics in Palliative Care. | 2025 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Responding to existential distress at the end of life: Psychedelics and psychedelic experiences and/ as medicine | 2024 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Psychedelics in Palliative Care | 2025 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Ethical issues with psychedelic-assisted treatments in psychiatry: A systematic scoping review Psychological Medicine 2025
- Unfolding States of Mind: A Dissociative-Psychedelic Model of Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in Palliative Care. Healthcare October 27, 2025
- Psychedelic-assisted therapy for death acceptance in terminal illness: A scoping review Journal of Psychedelic Studies April 15, 2026