Older Adults & Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy

As a longtime psychotherapist and specialist in the field of aging, it has been exciting to follow the groundbreaking research being conducted by institutions such as the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research and the NYU Center for Psychedelic Medicine at the NYU Langone Department of Psychiatry. Many more studies are being conducted and research published throughout the USA, Canada, and Great Britain about the positive results experienced by patients in these studies.

One article, among so many, about the Johns Hopkins research is entitled “Hallucinogenic Drug Psilocybin Eases Existential Anxiety in People With Life-Threatening Cancer“. “In a small double-blind study, Johns Hopkins researchers report that a substantial majority of people suffering cancer-related anxiety or depression found considerable relief for up to six months from a single large dose of psilocybin — the active compound in hallucinogenic “magic mushrooms.” 

In another article, again among so many, is from the biannual print magazine and media company Double Blind which covers the expansion of psychedelics around the globe. The article is entitled “Can Psychedelics Help Us Face Our Fear of Death?”“After coming to a halt in the late 1970s, the study of psychedelic therapy for end-of-life anxiety was eventually resumed by investigators at UCLA, NYU, and Johns Hopkins, among others, and continues to this day. … Even without a fatal illness, every one of us has a terminal diagnosis—death—and anxiety over its inevitability is the ultimate existential crisis. Whether we approach our inevitable demise with fear and angst, spiritual reverence, or simply a healthy curiosity, there is strong evidence that psychedelic therapy can help us reach that milestone with equanimity and grace.”  

A few months ago, I was interviewed by the website Psychedelic Support for an article entitled “Older Adults and Psychedelics“. Psychedelic Support is the leading online education and therapeutic platform in the psychedelic space advocating for mental health and well-being worldwide. “How can psychedelics play a role in healing for older adults? Guided and supported psychedelic experiences, with integration, typically create a fluid environment. In this environment individuals are able to soften their ego defenses or “armoring.” They are able to take a look at life experiences, challenges, and/or fears that they have compartmentalized or closed away over the years. We all have those experiences. With the help of a compassionate and competent psychotherapist and guide, many individuals are able to explore parts of themselves and their lives. They begin to develop new, wider perspectives that often include forgiveness of self and forgiveness of others. In older life, a healing process called “Life Review” naturally occurs when encouraged. This process can be greatly facilitated by psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.”

To summarize, in our midlife and older years, there are many daunting challenges and rich opportunities that arise. We can dive in and explore our inner selves, make changes, and move forward in more balance, or we can lock up, try to resist parts of ourselves, and be in despair. It’s not black and white. But it is this profoundly important, I believe. Accessing altered states – through a variety of paths e.g. meditation, breathwork, vision quests, prayer, fasting, music, art, yoga, dance, and/or, for the right people, psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy – can unlock our hearts and minds and lead to great peace and creativity.