Reimagining Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies for People Nearing the End of Life
Ira Byock, MD, FAAHPM; Craig D. Blinderman, MD, MA, FAAHPM; Anthony Bossis, PhD; Art of Dying Institute: An Initiative of the NY Open Center
People with advanced medical illness often experience depression, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness and loss of meaning and value of life. Current treatments for depression, anxiety, and existential or spiritual distress often fail to alleviate suffering among people who are seriously ill.
Recently published FDA-approved clinical trials demonstrated the efficacy of a single psilocybin-generated experience in helping individuals with cancer cultivate meaning, existential and spiritual well-being, and develop a greater acceptance of death’s approach.
We will present an overview of relevant scientific findings that offer hope for rapid reductions in depression, anxiety, hopelessness, and demoralization. Mystical experiences induced by psilocybin-assisted therapies represent a novel approach to alleviating suffering and promoting meaning and openness to the mystery of death.
We will invite discussion of future research issues, including the acceptability of psychedelics within black, Asian, and Latino cultures, whether and how psychedelics might enhance meaning-based therapies and opportunities for moving from psychedelic-assisted therapies from research to practice.
