While the adoption of psilocybin-assisted therapy for existential distress offers promising support for patients with life-threatening illnesses, implementing this intervention into palliative care settings presents significant real-world challenges. To examine palliative care stakeholders' knowledge and attitudes regarding psilocybin-assisted therapy, and i...
Wood-lover paralysis is a rare complication of mushroom ingestion. The clinical spectrum is poorly characterized and published cases remain limited. We describe three patients who developed acute muscle weakness following ingestion of mushrooms in Victoria, Australia. Written informed consent was obtained from these patients for publication of this case seri...
The PEARL-C1 trial is a phase II open-label trial. Participants will receive a single high-dose (25 mg) of psilocybin in the context of Psilocybin-assisted Existential, Attachment and RelationaL (PEARL) therapy. Caregivers of patients with advanced cancer often experience high levels of distress but there is currently little evidence-based guidance on how to...
This phase II trial studies whether psilocybin with psychotherapy is safe and if it works for improving chronic pain in cancer patients who require opioids to manage their pain. Psilocybin is taken from the mushroom Psilocybe mexicana. Psilocybin acts on the brain to cause hallucinations (sights, sounds, smells, tastes, or touches that a person believes to b...
The PEARL Pilot is a phase II open-label trial. Participants will receive a single high-dose (25 mg) of psilocybin in the context of Psilocybin-assisted Existential, Attachment and RelationaL (PEARL) therapy. Individuals with advanced cancer often experience high levels of distress due to physical suffering, difficult treatment decisions, social isolation, a...
This scoping review aims to comprehensively map and synthesize the breadth of evidence from original research on the relationship between psilocybin and health, spanning clinical trials, epidemiological surveys, mechanistic experiments, and cross-sectional attitudinal studies. The review uses 145 references and builds its evidence map from 216 original studi...
Background/Objectives: Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) is a promising intervention to alleviate existential distress among patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care. However, evidence on how to integrate PAT into routine oncology and palliative care services remains scarce. This study aimed to examine real-world PAT implementation, identify f...
Abstract Background and Aims Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) is a novel, transdiagnostic treatment in which the 5-HT2A receptor agonist psilocybin is combined with psychotherapy. Studies to date have evaluated PAP's effects on depression, substance use, and end-of-life adjustment. Relatively less attention has been given to its effects on anxiety sym...
Psychological distress, such as anxiety and depression, is common among people with cancer and is often worsened by existential worries about mortality, loss of meaning, and decreased quality of life. Standard treatments, including medication and psychotherapy, often offer limited or short-term relief, highlighting the need for new, integrative psychosocial ...
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether psilocybin therapy can effectively treat depression and psychological distress in adult patients with COPD, ALS, MS, or APD who have at least 6 months life expectancy. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Can psilocybin therapy safely reduce depressive symptoms compared to low-dose control? * Will...
The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the ability to recruit and retain participants, and to successfully conduct a psilocybin-based protocol, for a study of the treatment of distress related to stage IV or inoperable gastrointestinal cancers. Secondary objectives include pre/post, and longitudinal measurement of distress in intervention partici...
Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) has demonstrated substantial efficacy across a range of mental disorders. However, heterogeneity between patients confers differential responsiveness. This systematic review aims to explore factors which may predict therapeutic responses to PAT. A systematic search was performed from inception through to March 2024 and stud...
Background: Terminally ill patients often experience significant psychosocial distress having depressed mood, death anxiety, pain, and an overall poor quality of life. Recent evidence from pilot studies suggests that serotonergic hallucinogens including lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin produce significant and sustained reductions of depressive...
BACKGROUND: Major depression is a prevalent condition among patients with life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer, and recent findings suggest that psilocybin may hold promising treatment potential. Contemporary trials of psilocybin generally employ a model that includes psychotherapeutic support consisting of preparation and integration sessions surround...
Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic, has gained attention as a potential treatment for various psychiatric conditions. In this review, the authors summarize current clinical evidence related to psilocybin’s efficacy, safety, and mechanisms of action across psychiatric disorders. Findings from early-phase and small-scale clinical trials suggest rapid but v...
Background/Objectives: Psilocybin has re-emerged as a promising intervention for neuropsychiatric disorders including major depressive disorder, treatment-resistant depression, anxiety associated with life-threatening illness, obsessive compulsive disorder, and substance use disorders. However, conventional randomized controlled trials (RCTs)-the current gol...
Depression and psychological distress are highly prevalent among patients with cancer and are associated with impaired quality of life, reduced treatment adherence, and poorer clinical outcomes. Standard pharmacological and psychosocial interventions often demonstrate limited efficacy or delayed onset of action in oncological and palliative settings. Psilocy...
Demoralization syndrome is frequently present in palliative care and oncology patients. In particular, up to a third of patients diagnosed with cancer will experience demoralization due to their illness. The relevance of demoralization syndrome in oncology is tied to this syndrome's association with other mental health ailments such as depression, anxiety, s...
Meaning is a primary existential concern in those with advanced illnesses and functions as an important coping mechanism. Loss of meaning contributes to existential distress, and, in particular, may manifest as demoralization, a syndrome of poor coping that is associated with negative outcomes. Psychedelics are unique psychoactive compounds that, among other...
