Can Psychedelics Help Us Face Our Fear of Death? ☼
Dec 29, 2021
‘Even before COVID-19, many boomers found what our society offers the elderly—profligate prescription of pharmaceutical drugs, medical procedures that extend life without quality of life, and the isolation of long-term care facilities—to be profoundly unappealing...Are psychedelics the answer?’
Read the full DoubleBlind article on ‘an emerging “death positive” movement, reflecting a growing willingness to approach our transitioning with eyes wide open, as a destined milestone in the cycle of life.
''Hospice care and death doulas champion the idea that passing can be planned for and honored with dignity, surrounded by loved ones and imbued with meaning. And it may not be long before a psychedelic experience will be included in the preparations leading up to our final days.
In more progressive Canada, however, a small group of terminal cancer patients, supported by TheraPsil, a non-profit advocacy group, recently prevailed over the health ministry to authorize their treatment with psilocybin. This past August, 52-year-old Thomas Hartle, the first Canadian to receive the therapy, described its immediate effects:
“To experience the lack of anxiety I have had this week is beyond words. It’s amazing. I have no idea how long this particular benefit will last, but so long as it’s here, it’s really, really amazing and good.”
Back in the US, with MDMA and psilocybin both recognized by the FDA as breakthrough therapies (for treatment-resistant PTSD and depression, respectively), the rescheduling of these drugs for medical use is looking more feasible by the day. And soon, a passport may not be necessary for a guided therapeutic trip.
The recent opening of ketamine clinics in Canada and the US is laying the groundwork for psychedelic clinics. Only time will tell whether “curiosity about death” will be an acceptable rationale for doctors to prescribe psychedelics “off-label,” meaning for conditions the FDA has not explicitly designated.
But with cosmic serendipity, baby boomers might just be poised to become the first generation of Americans that will be able to integrate a psychedelic experience as a prelude to the end of their lives.'
Art by @dadushin
