Psilocybin Therapy for Psychological Distress in Palliative Care Patients
PsyPal is the first ever European grant to fund clinical research into psychedelic-assisted therapy. The trial will investigate whether psilocybin therapy can help ease psychological and existential distress in patients suffering from one of four different progressive diseases: the lung condition chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as MND), and atypical Parkinson’s disease (APD).
Project Objectives
To examine the safety and effect of a cutting-edge, patient-centred, open and standardised psilocybin therapy addressing psychological distress of palliative care patients, while not interfering with other interventions targeting the somatic disease.
To assess the cost-effectiveness of psilocybin therapy for psychological distress in palliative care patients, taking into account the impact on health outcomes and societal costs for patients, their loved ones and family caregivers, and professional care providers.
To pave the way towards ethical and cost-effective deployment of such a new line of care for patients in European palliative care service providers, based on a sustainable, multi-disciplinary ecosystem of key European stakeholders jointly contributing to the medical use of psychedelic research and innovation.
To explore a model for continued care that reaches beyond the clinical trial and allows patients and carers to build self-sustaining supportive communities and have access to tailored psychedelic aftercare.
To improve understanding of biological and psychological mechanisms of psilocybin therapy and analyse potential biomarkers to identify responders and enable personalised interventions.
To evaluate the impact of psilocybin therapy also on family, loved ones and healthcare providers.
Collaborative and interdisciplinary consortium
This pioneering approach results in not just a clinical trial, but an interdisciplinary partnership consisting of 19 collaborating European organisations from 9 different countries. The consortium brings together a wide variety of specialists, including psychiatrists, palliative care physicians, psychologists, and experts in psilocybin therapy, alongside researchers focusing on spiritual care and representatives from religious institutions.
In addition, the PsyPal consortium will be also actively engaging with PAREA (the Psychedelic Access and Research Europe Alliance).
The Partners
News & Events
PsyPal project and HOPE Summit: advancing ethical frameworks in psychedelic therapies
The PsyPal project was recently highlighted at the Hopkins-Oxford Psychedelic Ethics (HOPE) Summit in Washington, D.C. PAREA was representing the
Job Opportunity
Come work with us as a post-doc for spiritual care and psychedelic treatment! Location: University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Apply
PsyPal Clinical Trial – Connecting the Dots
General Assembly meeting, June 4th & 5th 2024 Haarlem, the Netherlands On June 4th and 5th 2024, partners in the
