Could magic mushrooms help reduce fear of death in nursing homes? –

One expert said psychedelic drugs, such as those found in magic mushrooms, could “revolution” in home treatment if given to people at the end of their lives.

Dr. They can reduce fear of death, said David Luke, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Greenwich and an authority on the science of such drugs.

“I think there’s a good case for psychedelics in palliative care,” he said at the Cheltenham Science Festival.

Psilocybin, the compound found in magic mushrooms, shows promise in studies to reduce depression.

People who consume it also report being “open-minded” and experiencing a sense of meaning that leads some to believe in an afterlife.

Dr. Saying that people who are given a psychedelic at the end of their life can experience a “revelation,” Luke says, “It’s usually about their own sense of existence, they see something that has their fear of death lessened, and it happens. most of the time maybe death isn’t the end or something like that.”

In a US study that tested psilocybin in 29 cancer patients, most of whom were in the advanced stages of the disease, up to 80 percent of them had significant reductions in depression and anxiety after six months.

According to the researchers, psilocybin reduced cancer-related moodiness, such as loss of purpose, hope, and purpose.

Despite the illness, people felt more satisfied with their lives and reported that they were doing better.

Psilocybin, the compound found in magic mushrooms, shows promise in studies to reduce depression. It can also reduce cancer-related moodiness and feelings of loss of meaning, the researchers say.

Dr. Luke said there is anecdotal evidence that people can live longer after taking psychedelics. “People have less depression, less anxiety, less fear of death, so they feel like they can cope better.” open to their deaths.’

Dr. Luke said psychedelics should be licensed as a treatment first, and then there would be “good reasons” to use them in people in palliative care and to study their use in nursing homes.

“You will need a team of experts, you need people trained to guide people through psychedelic experiences, but there is already training and I think people and therapists who are already in palliative care would be very suitable for Dat.

“But you don’t need special facilities.

“You just need a quiet room with some kind of supportive environment: some ambient lighting and maybe a landscape.”

“It could revolutionize nursing homes, which have been in a terrible state in recent years,” he said.

In a US study that tested psilocybin in 29 cancer patients, most of whom were at an advanced stage of the disease, up to 80% of them had a significant reduction in depression and anxiety (STOC) after six months.

Nursing homes across the UK care for around 200,000 people a year with life-limiting and fatal conditions.

Commenting on the comments at the Cheltenham Science Festival, Professor Allan Young, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London, said: “Preliminary evidence suggests that psychedelics may be useful in palliative care.

“Psykedelics can help people process, understand, and re-evaluate past life experiences to reach a state of acceptance and better prepare for death.

“Psykedelics are different from other treatments, but as with other treatments, extensive studies are needed to fully gauge their benefits and harms.