Australian-first psychedelic-assisted therapy trial for terminally ill patients shows improved quality of life

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Accepting your life is ending when you have a terminal illness is one of the most difficult human experiences. But a small clinical trial at St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne appears to have successfully used psychedelics to alleviate severe feelings of fear and loss.

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00:00Facing the image of her late husband in the clinic that helped him face his death.

00:07He felt that the program softened the edges of his edges.

00:12Gripped with terror about dying, Michael Quinn was a shell of himself after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

00:19His wife Pat says that all changed when he saw a newspaper call out for a clinical trial.

00:24What they did for Michael I think was outstanding, the difference that it made and the difference that it made for me.

00:31Australian researchers studied the combination of psychotherapy and synthetic psilocybin,

00:37a compound found in magic mushrooms, for 35 people with terminal illness.

00:42It's a small pool of patients but the results are promising.

00:45We saw big reductions in psychological distress, but not only that, we also saw increases and improvement in quality of life

00:53and also spiritual wellbeing as well.

00:56Participants were given two doses, some of which were placebos, preceded and followed by psychotherapy sessions.

01:02After the trial, death for many came to be experienced as totally natural, something that could be embraced as a part of life.

01:11For decades, research into the therapeutic use of psychedelics has been shunned by mainstream academics

01:16and ignored by pharmaceutical companies who don't stand to make much profit from established treatments.

01:22Independent experts have told the ABC, while these results are promising, more work needs to be done on the topic.

01:28Pat Quinn says her husband hoped the trial would ultimately help others as well.

01:33It meant a lot to him and he meant a lot to me.

01:35A peaceful perspective for some dealing with their own mortality.

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