What is ‘death anxiety’?

The term death anxiety describes the severe and obsessive distress that terminally ill patients and others can experience.One research team wrote that it can “rob individuals with terminal illness of the capacity to enjoy what remains of their life.”  [21] It’s essential that our culture change our approach to death and dying.

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How does psychedelic therapy work?​​

Interestingly, there are many theories about how exactly psychedelic therapy helps treat various mental health conditions. One of the most prominent theories argues that it increases the brain’s neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. In other words, psychedelic therapy can help the brain generate new brain cells and form new pathways.

 

For those approaching death, psychedelic therapy can help them approach both life and death with wonder. Some report an appreciation for the gifts they’ve experienced while alive. Many report a deep sense of love and connection. Others feel a desire to pass on wisdom.  Each of these indeed can replace fear and anxiety with meaning and love.

Research teams  around the world, including those in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Brazil and Sweden, have described these benefits. While research continues to define the precise mechanism of action, one indisputable fact exists: psychedelic therapy is effective.

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What psychedelics are being used in the research?

Ketamine and psilocybin are being used in the seven projects funded by HHCM. Ketamine is currently approved for use in the U.S. in anesthesia, but it's increasingly being used in psychedelic-assisted therapy as well. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers pharmaceutical grade psilocybin to be an investigational drug that is used in research studies to evaluate its efficacy under FDA and Drug Enforcement Agency rules.  

 

Is psychedelic therapy effective for those grieving a recent or impending loss of a loved one?

Research suggests that they can be very effective in treating prolonged grief disorder. In fact, the University of Virginia School of Medicine is currently conducting research with psilocybin to treat prolonged grief disorder.​

 

What is the legal status of psychedelics?

Psilocybin and other psychedelics like LSD and MDMA are federally classified as Schedule 1 drugs, making them illegal for use except under very strict research conditions.  However, some cities like Oakland and Denver have decriminalized their use.

 

Ketamine is classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as a Schedule III non-narcotic substance under the Controlled Substances Act.  It may be administered by licensed professionals for the treatment of certain conditions.

 

Is HHCM funding psychedelic research for other conditions?  

 

Walking Each Other Home is HHCM’s second grant funding round.  Previous grants funded research into psychedelic therapy for trauma and common mental health conditions experienced by the LGBTQ+ community.

 

Why did previous research stop?

In 1969, on the heels of the social upheaval that characterized the 1960s, President Nixon announced that his administration would launch a ‘war on drugs.’ The Controlled Substances Act was signed into law in June 1971 and classified drugs into categories by the risk the government believed they posed. As part of the sweeping nature of the law, psychedelics were placed on “Schedule 1” – a list of drugs that were claimed to have “no medical use” and a “high potential for addiction.” This classification demonized them and halted promising, ongoing research documenting their therapeutic value.  

 

Psychiatrist Sidney Cohen, MD, and psychologist Betty Eisner, Ph.D., collaborated on some of the early LSD research. Meanwhile, Alcoholics Anonymous founder Bill Wilson and his close associate Tom Powers believed that psychedelics like LSD could create profound spiritual experiences that could lead to lasting sobriety. In fact, recent research shows that Wilson’s support was well-placed.

 

The story of the halted research and the researchers behind it is described in the documentary series “How to Change Your Mind”, based on the book of the same name by Michael Pollan. 

 

Is it possible that psychedelic therapy can go badly?  Can someone have a so-called ‘bad trip’?

Psychedelic therapy is safe and effective when used appropriately as part of a therapeutic plan. People who report having negative experiences, often referred to colloquially as “bad trips,” often have used psychedelics outside therapeutic environments and without the support needed.  For example, using psychedelics at a crowded, loud concert, while driving or while engaging in a vigorous activity will have a vastly different experience than someone who undergoes psychedelic therapy in a controlled environment with professional support.

 

In addition, those who consume psychedelics recreationally may not know the dose or purity of the hallucinogen they ingest.  In therapeutic settings, pharmaceutical grade psychedelics and carefully controlled doses are used.

 

What plans does HHCM have for future research funding?

We aim to fill research gaps. We will continue to explore where gaps exist so that we may contribute to the science around psychedelic therapy.