Psilocybin: a single dose relieves Existential Distress in cancer patients

Location: 2015 Meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Date: 10 December 2015
Synopsis: Dr. Roland Griffiths (Johns Hopkins) presented some pre-publication results of a study that utilized psilocybin to reduce the anxiety and depression that frequently accompanies patients with a life threatening cancer diagnosis. Patients receiving relatively high doses of psilocybin sufficient to induce changes in perception and to frequent a mystical experience reported significantly decreased levels of anxiety and depression compared with patients that received a low dose of the drug. The positive effects on mood were still present in those patients at a 6 month follow-up. Both Johns Hopkins and NYU have recently completed studies with cancer patients given therapeutic doses of psilocybin although there were nuances that made each study unique.  My best guess is their research may be published in early 2016.  It is my hope they will both be published at the same time, separately but in the same journal/issue for maximum public/media impact.

The following is from the meeting abstract found in Neuropsychopharmacology (2015) 40, S1–S105:

Methods: The study used a randomized, double-blind, cross-over design to investigate the acute and sustained effects of a very low psilocybin dose (1 or 3 mg/70 kg) vs. a moderate-high dose (22 or 30 mg/70 kg). Instructions to participants and staff minimized expectancy effects. 51 patients with a life-threatening cancer diagnosis who had symptoms of anxiety or depression received a low or high dose of psilocybin in counterbalanced order with about 5 weeks between sessions and a final follow up at 6 months. For this preliminary analysis, results between the low (n=25) and high (n=26) dose groups on the first session were compared. Enduring effects were assessed at a 6 month follow-up.
Results: On session days, the high dose group showed substantially greater effects including perceptual changes, mystical-type subjective experiences, and labile mood. At the 5-week follow-up the high dose group showed significantly lower anxiety (STAI Trait Anxiety, HAM-A) and depression (BDI, HAM-D) compared to the low dose group (effect size mean and range 0.98, 0.60-1.30). The participants attributed significantly greater positive changes in attitudes about life/self, positive social effects, and positive behavior changes to the experience, and a higher percentage reported the experience to be among the 5 most personally meaningful of their lives (54% vs. 16%). Total mystical experience scores at the end of the session showed significant negative correlations with the above measures of anxiety and depression at 5 weeks. Partial correlation analysis showed this relationship remained significant after controlling for ratings of intensity of drug effect. The decreases in anxiety and depression were sustained at 6 month follow-up.
Conclusions: A single moderate-high dose of psilocybin, when administered under supportive conditions to carefully screened and prepared participants, can produce substantial and enduring decreases in anxiety and depression in patients with a life-threatening cancer diagnosis.

My assessment: Psilocybin is non-addicting with less toxicity than caffeine. There are no currently available medications that improve cancer patient's mental health this significantly and it only has to be taken once or twice with the proper Set and Setting. Cancer patients with a life threatening diagnosis often experience a profound Existential Distress as do those with PTSD so it is reasonable to expect psilocybin given in a therapeutic dose in a supportive environment will provide a similar benefit to those with PTSD.

DoD and/or VA researchers, the science is there, it just needs to be followed.  Those with PTSD need your help and courage.

A New Understanding: The Science of Psilocybin in an excellent 1 hour documentary that profiles two cancer patients, both now deceased, who had experienced profound benefit from participating in the psilocybin trials being conducted at Johns Hopkins, UCLA and NYU. A panel discussion following the screening of the documentary 'A New Understanding: The Science of Psilocybin' is 1.5 hours long and features many of the researchers producing this life altering knowledge. During the panel discussion, it was mentioned that an application for compassionate use was submitted to the FDA for cancer patient to be allowed access to psilocybin but they were doubtful it would be passed.

“Man is not destroyed by suffering. He is destroyed by suffering without meaning.” Victor Frankl