Mystical Experience with Cancer Patients: Insights from Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy and Guided Imagery

Abstract

Background: In controlled, clinical studies of the impact of psilocybin on patients with life-threatening cancers, Johns Hopkins and NYU researchers found that the #x201C;intensity of the mystical experience#x201D; induced by psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy was directly correlated with the alleviation of cancer-related mental distress. Objective: The purpose of this article is to explore the proposition that the combination of psychotherapeutic guided imagery and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy could not only alleviate cancer-related psychological distress but also reduce or eliminate physiological tumors. Methods: The literature surrounding #x201C;mystical experience#x201D; is discussed; the modalities of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and guided imagery psychotherapy with cancer patients are compared; and the anecdotal outcomes of cancer remission among private therapy guided imagery patients are presented.