Psychedelic Retreats for End-of-Life Distress

Psilocybin Therapy for End-of-Life Anxiety and Depression

By MycoMeditations

You’ve probably already heard about the healing potential of psychedelic-assisted therapy for mental health, but modern research into compounds like psilocybin and MDMA doesn’t just focus on depression, anxiety or PTSD. Some of the most profound results for psychedelic medicines come from addressing the spiritual wellbeing of those suffering from end-of-life distress.

At MycoMeditations, we employ many of the insights gleaned in the last 20 years of medical research to provide compassionate, therapeutic psilocybin retreats for those suffering from end-of-life anxiety and distress. These retreats are not just intended for sufferers themselves, but for spouses, friends, and family members too. Together, loved ones can offer support during the most emotionally and spiritually trying ordeal a person can experience, as well as process their own feelings about the impending loss of someone important to them through psilocybin-assisted therapy.

What is End-of-Life Distress?

Death is frightening. Fear of death is perfectly natural. Whether or not you hold spiritual or religious beliefs about the soul or an afterlife, it is normal to feel significant unease and anxiety at even the thought of death and dying. Most of us do our best in daily life not to contemplate our own mortality.

A terminal diagnosis makes this impossible. Cancer patients or sufferers from other terminal conditions who are told their lives will end and that their time is now limited report intense feelings of terror, dread, grief, and overwhelming anxiety, not just for themselves, but their families, friends, and loved ones. The reality of their impending death becomes all-encompassing, compounding the tragedy of a terminal diagnosis by robbing individuals and families of their quality of life, bringing on intense bouts of anxiety and depression during the time they have left together. These overwhelming emotions are referred to collectively as end-of-life-distress.

Origins of Modern Psychedelic Research & Laws

Much of the modern psychedelic research and legal action around psilocybin for end-of-life distress stems from the work of Dr. Roland Griffiths at the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelics and Consciousness Research. Prompted by the positive results of a 2006 investigation into the effects of psilocybin-induced in healthy subjects, Griffiths and his team continued and intensified their investigations into psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy from spiritual experiences, to mental health issues such as addiction, depression, and end-of-life distress for cancer patients.

Treatment for end-of-life distress has played a significant role in the current psychedelic renaissance outside of academia. In early 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns, the Canadian government made history by granting compassionate access to psilocybin for four patients who were suffering from terminal illnesses. While still strictly controlled and limited, access has since been expanded to several hundred patients, including non-terminal patients, being treated with both psilocybin and MDMA under Health Canada’s Special Access Program where approvals are granted access to psychedelic substances and permitted to undergo psilocybin or MDMA-assisted therapy  by the government ministry on a case-by-case basis.

Prominent lawsuits in both the US and Canada have sought to force the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Government of Canada, respectively, into allowing increased access to psilocybin for terminal patients.

Dr. Sunil Aggarwal of Seattle has spent the past four years attempting to force the DEA to allow terminal cancer patients access to psilocybin mushrooms under provisions of the 2016 RIght-to-Try Act. After a lengthy process, the suit is currently set to be argued this summer.

The Conversation Around Death: Palliative Care & Death Doulas

Psilocybin research is only one facet of how our societal conversation around death is changing. While still a taboo subject, death and dying are now more open to discussion. Most of the more institutionally-ingrained taboos that dictate the “right” or “wrong” ways to deal with death and beliefs in life after death are gradually fading away, leaving us with questions about how to process our emotions.

Counseling and psychotherapy can focus specifically on death, terminal diagnoses, and family coping, all of which reflect a broader cultural movement towards embracing and understanding the end-of-life process with greater openness and compassion. A key component in this change is the rise of death doulas, who offer non-medical support and guidance to individuals and their families as they navigate the final stages of life.

Death doulas share one important commonality with psychedelic retreats for end-of-life distress in that they emphasize emotional, spiritual, and practical care. They work to demystify death, encouraging open conversations about mortality and aiding in the fulfillment of the dying person's wishes. Again, much like psychedelic retreats for end-of-life distress, this shift represents a move away from the often sterile and impersonal experience of death in hospitals to a more personalized and dignified process that honors the individual's life and preferences.

How Psilocybin Helps the Terminally Ill With Spiritual Distress

Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer. This isn’t just a statement, it is both the title and conclusion of a 2016 paper by Griffiths and fellow psychedelic researcher Matthew Johnson, among others.

The researchers stated that, “Cancer patients often develop chronic, clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety. Previous studies suggest that psilocybin may decrease depression and anxiety in cancer patients. The effects of psilocybin were studied in 51 cancer patients with life-threatening diagnoses and symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.”

The conclusion was that, “High-dose psilocybin produced large decreases in clinician- and self-rated measures of depressed mood and anxiety, along with increases in quality of life, life meaning, and optimism, and decreases in death anxiety. At 6-month follow-up, these changes were sustained, with about 80% of participants continuing to show clinically significant decreases in depressed mood and anxiety. Participants attributed improvements in attitudes about life/self, mood, relationships, and spirituality to the high-dose experience, with >80% endorsing moderately or greater increased well-being/life satisfaction. Community observer ratings showed corresponding changes. Mystical-type psilocybin experience on session day mediated the effect of psilocybin dose on therapeutic outcomes.”

More Media Coverage & How to Change Your Mind

Author and journalist Michael Pollan interviewed Griffiths, along with psilocybin clinical trial patients suffering from terminal diagnoses in his 2018 book, How to Change Your Mind, considered by many to be a catalyst in the cultural shift toward embracing psychedelic therapies.

“One of the things the psilocybin research is doing is helping open that conversation — to make people more comfortable talking about it, to get patients to actually deal with it,” said Pollan regarding his reporting on psilocybin for end-of-life-distress in an interview with Time. “Oncologists don’t do a very good job of that, and we have very little for the treatment of the psychology of people who are dying. So a drug that takes you into these spiritual realms where you can begin to think it through seems to me an enormous gift.”

Psychedelic Retreats for End of Life Distress

MycoMeditations offers therapeutic psilocybin retreats for those suffering from end-of-life anxiety, along with their loved ones, to help process psychological distress during the most emotionally and spiritually challenging experience a person can endure.

What Our Guests Say

“Grace was diagnosed with Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer in January of 2017,” says Richard, a widower and past MycoMeditations guest. “In 2021, we identified MycoMeditations as a promising venue to experience high intensity psychedelics in a safe, professional, and well supported environment. The two of us attended a retreat in late October/early November of 2021. Grace’s endurance was waning, and we felt this was likely the last time she would be able to undertake such a long journey.”

“Immediately on arrival Grace felt confident in the team and their approach. She did not speak a lot about her experiences in her journeys, indicating that they were profound, but hard to articulate. This was consistent with her introspective, reflective approach to life. However, she repeatedly expressed how valuable the retreat had been. I, on the other hand, had three profound spiritual/mystical experiences. The first two of an ecstatic nature, and the third dark, confronting the depth of loss and despair that I had to date avoided while focusing on supporting Grace. On our return, we continued to identify insights derived from our journeys. Grace felt that somehow she knew what to expect. Of course, that state of certainty fluctuated over her remaining time.”

Grace passed away surrounded by her husband, a close friend, and her home care team, in early 2023.

“Early one morning she smiled, held hands with Beth, kissed me, and closed her eyes.” Richard tells us. “The palliative care nurse indicated she was likely not going to awaken, and she passed very peacefully within a few hours. Beth and I both had a sense of peace and having been present for a profound sacred moment, and had a sense of relief.”

While I clearly miss her, I both felt her presence and felt very content and blessed with having been a part of what was the best example of a “good death” that I have ever imagined. For a few months I wondered if I was in denial, and that I might be blindsided by grief. But I felt very ready to move forward, taking the step of retiring in June and registering for a second MycoMeditations retreat in September of 2023. I wanted to either reveal any hidden issues that I might need to address, or confirm that I was ready to move on with my life. The psilocybin therapy retreat both supported Grace in being fully ready, welcoming her death when it came, but made it possible for me to be fully present, open, and focused throughout the process.

Since the loss of his wife, Richard has continued to communicate with the team from MycoMeditations as he integrates these experiences and processes his emotions. We’re honored to be of service.

Discover Transformative End-of-Life Distress Retreats at MycoMeditations

A terminal diagnosis does not have to be the end of all hope. While there is no right or wrong way to feel about or process one’s impending death, a sense of peace and a personal insight is possible.

MycoMeditations therapists are trained to manage all ranges of emotion when guiding guests through challenging experiences. By holding a grounded, calm presence, our team can best assist you in navigating these profoundly powerful sessions.

We also know that individuals, particularly those suffering from deep, spiritual and existential distress, must integrate psychedelic experiences within a framework of understanding that resonates with their own personal beliefs about self, spirituality, and religion. Our facilitators are well grounded in major religions, mythology, philosophical schools of thought, and metaphysics in order to meet guests at their level, in whatever way this presents.

Contact us if you feel a MycoMeditations retreat may be helpful for you or your loved ones. Our compassionate, experienced intake team is happy to answer any of your questions.