photo: Freepik
What Is Palliative Care?
Palliative care focuses on supporting people living with terminal or advanced illnesses. Its main goal is not to cure the disease, but to reduce suffering and maintain the highest possible quality of life. A palliative care team often includes doctors, nurses, psychologists, psychiatrists, physiotherapists, volunteers and sometimes spiritual caregivers. Together, they help patients manage pain, ease anxiety, reduce breathlessness and provide emotional and spiritual comfort during the final stage of life.
Palliative care also supports families—helping them understand the patient’s condition, cope with fear, and prepare for the difficult process of saying goodbye. According to international statistics, home palliative care typically lasts around three months, although access varies by region and healthcare system.
Psilocybin in Palliative Treatment
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychoactive compound found in psilocybin mushrooms, often called magic mushrooms. For thousands of years, this substance played a role in spiritual rituals, healing ceremonies and cultural traditions among ancient civilizations such as the Aztec and Maya. Today, modern neuroscience is investigating psilocybin’s potential to ease emotional distress, support spiritual well-being and help patients process fear related to death and illness.
Researchers note that psilocybin increases neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to form new neural connections. This process may help patients break out of rigid patterns of fear, catastrophic thinking and existential anxiety. Although SSRIs are commonly used in palliative psychiatry, psilocybin appears to work differently: one or two guided sessions may produce meaningful improvements in mood, emotional openness and acceptance.
You can read more about the therapeutic potential here: Psychedelics in the Treatment of Depression.
History of Psychedelic Research in Palliative Medicine
Although many modern studies began only recently, the use of psychedelic substances to ease emotional suffering has been documented for centuries. The discovery of LSD in the 1950s sparked a wave of scientific interest. Developed by Sandoz Laboratories, LSD was initially explored as a potential treatment for various psychiatric and respiratory disorders. Its effects fascinated both physicians and writers—most notably Aldous Huxley, who famously described using LSD during his wife’s terminal illness and later during his own final moments.
During that era, psychiatrists such as Humphry Osmond explored psychedelics as tools for psychological insight and emotional relief. However, political pressure in the 1970s ended most research programs, pushing the topic underground for decades.
The early 21st century brought a cautious but significant revival. Scientists at leading institutions began re-examining psilocybin as a possible treatment for existential distress, depression, anxiety and chronic pain in patients facing life-threatening diagnoses. In 2018, a member of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine stated publicly that “it is time to revisit the legitimate therapeutic use of psychedelics,” helping reopen the door to high-quality clinical studies.
Psycho-Emotional Pain and the Concept of Total Pain
The term total pain, introduced by hospice pioneer Dame Cicely Saunders, describes suffering that includes:
- physical pain,
- emotional distress,
- social isolation,
- spiritual or existential fear.
Palliative care aims to address all of these dimensions—not only the physical symptoms.
Treating Chronic Pain With Psilocybin
Psilocybin may help relieve chronic pain by influencing serotonin 5-HT2A receptors and promoting neuroplastic changes. Early research from 2018, including work by neurologist Dr. Thomas Flagan, suggests that psychedelic compounds may reduce inflammation and modulate pain perception.
There is also growing interest in whether psilocybin could support recovery after brain injuries by stimulating hippocampal neurogenesis. Some preliminary studies suggest that a single moderate dose—or even structured microdosing protocols—might reduce chronic pain symptoms, although much more research is needed.
Use of Psilocybin in Palliative Care
Why might psilocybin support end-of-life care? Based on clinical studies, psilocybin appears to help patients shift perspective, soften rigid emotional patterns and reduce the intensity of existential fear. Patients often report:
- a sense of emotional release,
- increased acceptance,
- greater connection with loved ones,
- reduced fear of death,
- a sense of spiritual meaning or inner peace.
In a study led by Dr. Gabrelle Agin-Liebes, 70–100% of participants reported meaningful positive changes. Anxiety and depression decreased in 60–80% of patients, and improvements lasted up to 6.5 months after a single guided psilocybin session.
Summary
Psilocybin shows encouraging potential for reducing existential suffering, emotional distress and chronic pain in palliative care. It may help patients reframe fearful thoughts, enhance psychological flexibility and improve their overall quality of life during the final stage of illness. However, psilocybin remains illegal in Poland and many other countries.
In regions such as the United States and Australia, psychedelic-assisted therapy is slowly becoming available under strict medical supervision. Meanwhile, research centers worldwide continue studying psilocybin’s therapeutic applications with promising results. Many experts hope it will eventually achieve a legal status similar to medical cannabis—supported by strong scientific evidence and used responsibly to help patients.
For a deeper understanding, watch the documentary series Netflix: “How to Change Your Mind”. It explores real patient stories and the potential of psychedelic therapy in modern medicine. More scientific sources can be found here.
The content on the psychodelicroom.pl website is educational and research-based. It does not encourage the use of psychoactive substances. Using psilocybin mushrooms is illegal in many countries, including Poland. We strongly advise against cultivating mushrooms from growkits where it is prohibited by law. Growkits purchased from us should be disposed of within 72 hours.
Sources:
https://psychedelic.support/resources/psychedelics-for-palliative-care-or-life-threatening-illness/
