Psilocybin-assisted Therapy: Patient Experiences
Episode Notes & Resources
Welcome to the second episode in our series on the potential of psilocybin-assisted therapy to help us live as well as possible with metastatic breast cancer.
In this episode, we talk to two women with breast cancer who had legal access to psilocybin-assisted therapy. Journalist and writer Erica Rex participated in a clinical trial at Johns Hopkins after being diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Mari Singfield, a young Canadian woman living with MBC, gained access through an exemption to Section 56(1) of the Canadian Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, a process facilitated by the organization, TheraPsil.
Both women shared with us the process that they went through to gain legal access to psilocybin-assisted therapy, what the treatment was actually like for them, and what, if anything, changed in their lives afterward.
The experiences of other cancer patients with psilocybin-assisted therapy
Videos:
Clark Martin, Ph.D., speaks on how his psilocybin-assisted therapy through a clinical trial at Johns Hopkins helped him to cope with his cancer diagnosis
Estalyn Walcoff speaks about her psilocybin-assisted therapy through NYU after being diagnosed with an untreatable lymphoma
Tony Head was living with metastatic prostate cancer when he participated in Johns Hopkins clinical trial on psilocybin-assisted therapy
Annie Levy, Ph.D., speaks on her participation in the UCLA-Harbor clinical trial on psilocybin-assisted therapy after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer
Thomas Hartle, a metastatic cancer patient after his legal access to psilocybin: “Having cancer feels like being dragged behind a horse…it’s out of your control. Maybe this [experience after psilocybin assisted therapy] would be a little closer to riding the horse as opposed to being dragged by it. You know, we’re still on the horse. We’re still going places, but it’s not as out of control”
“I feel like death doesn’t frighten me”. Psychedelics help a cancer patient overcome anxiety (60 minutes) Kerry Pappas, stage 4 lung cancer patient, talked about her psilocybin-assisted therapy experience at Johns Hopkins
to see more videos, please see Heffter Research Institute’s video page
Popular press articles:
One man’s psychedelic journey to confront his (metastatic) cancer (WebMD)
Mona Strelaeff, 67, used PSP to deal with lasting depression after a breast cancer diagnosis.
Academic articles:
Malone TC., Mennenga SE., Guss J, et al. (2018) Individual Experiences in Four Cancer Patients Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy. Frontiers in Pharmacology. Vol 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2018.00256
Belser AB, Agin-Liebes G, Swift TC, et al. (2017) Patient Experiences of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Journal of Humanistic Psychology. 2017;57(4):354-388. doi:10.1177/0022167817706884
Legal access for advanced cancer patients in Canada through the Special Access Program is facilitated by the organization TheraPsil.
Frequently asked questions
Support for current legal battle
Current & upcoming cancer-related clinical trials on psilocybin-assisted therapy
Study of Psilocybin Enhanced Group Psychotherapy in Patients With Cancer (HOPE)
Pragmatic Trial of Psilocybin Therapy in Palliative Care (PT2PC) (Not yet recruiting as of June 2022)
Psilocybin Therapy in Advanced Cancer (Not yet recruiting as of June 2022)
The Safety and Efficacy of Psilocybin in Cancer Patients With Major Depressive Disorder (Active but no longer recruiting)
Psilocybin for Psychological and Existential Distress in Palliative Care (Canada)
Meet the Guests of this Episode
Growing up in a small farming community in rural Missouri, Stephanie Lynn Graff, MD, FACP was the first in her family to attend college. Because she was drawn to science from a young age, she enrolled in a 6-year medical program right out of high school. As she progressed from medical school to residency to a fellowship, she was fascinated by every aspect of the science of oncology—including cell biology and pharmacology.
Dr. Stephanie Graff is the Director of Breast Oncology at Lifespan Cancer Institute at the Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Dr. Graff serves as co-lead of the Breast Cancer Translational Research Disease Working Group at Brown University and is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Warren-Alpert School of Medicine. Prior to joining the team at Lifespan/Brown, she was Director of both the Breast Program and Clinical Research at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at HCA Midwest, as well as Associate Director of the Breast Cancer Research Program at Sarah Cannon Research Institute and National Breast Lead for the Sarah Cannon Cancer Network’s clinical programs. In addition, Dr. Graff serves as a medical advisor to the Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research.
Dr. Graff is board certified in Medical Oncology, Hematology, and Internal Medicine; and completed a breast oncology sub-fellowship at the University of Kansas. Dr. Graff has broad experience as a Principal Investigator on numerous clinical trials across all phases of drug development, in addition to work in translational research, genomics, and gender bias. In addition to scientific publications, she is an award-winning writer, social media influencer, and sought-after public speaker. Dr. Graff has received the Frist Humanitarian Award for her work in the community and the Benjamin L. Sapers Memorial Award for her “passion for pedagogy, academic rigor, empathy and humanism, with profound feeling for the person as patient.” Dr. Graff currently serves on the American Cancer Society Rhode Island Leadership Council and actively volunteers in the American Society of Clinical Oncology, where she is a 2020 graduate of the prestigious ASCO Leadership Development Program, and now serves on the Joint Certifications Committee and Women In Oncology Work Group. Ultimately, Dr. Graff is passionate about connecting with her patients to provide personalized, comprehensive oncology care, advancing breast cancer research, and breast cancer prevention.