Psilocybin’s role in easing fear, grief and anxiety during life’s hardest moments
Healing Advocacy Fund (HAF) is committed to making safe, responsible psychedelic therapy possible for everyone who can benefit. For people trapped in cycles of anxiety, depression, or trauma, this care can offer a chance to address root causes and regain a sense of agency in their lives.
Psychedelic therapy can also offer profound support to people facing serious illness or nearing end of life. Palliative care is an approach to treating serious illness that centers quality of life for both patients and their families, patients who often experience severe distress, anxiety, and depression. There is now strong evidence that psilocybin is safe and effective for palliative care patients, and that it can provide psychological, social, and spiritual benefits that help ease the distress that can accompany serious and life-limiting conditions.
Serving these clients and patients is a priority for many in the psychedelic and mental health communities, including Healing Advocacy Fund. Colorado’s program already includes a pathway for safe psilocybin therapy in people’s homes when clients are in hospice, receiving palliative care, homebound, or living with a disability. HAF is currently engaging with the Oregon psilocybin therapy community to explore potential at-home use parameters as part of future program improvements.
Please keep reading below for an interview with Anne Hamilton, whose organization The Survivorship Collective is connecting the cancer community to safe, legal, psychedelic-assisted therapies in Oregon. And check out our In the News section for a Lucid News interview with attorney Kathryn Tucker, who’s been dedicated to the fight for end-of-life access to psychedelic care for many years.
While federal FDA approvals for psychedelics may be on the horizon, they will still take years to fully roll out and likely serve only a narrow patient population without additional advocacy. HAF’s mission is ensuring that tens of thousands of people can access regulated, facilitated care now, while laying the foundation to advocate for broader therapeutic access that complements and strengthens the FDA pathway in the future.
Thank you for being a part of that mission, today and for years to come.
Taylor West
Executive Director
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Survivorship Collective: Patient-Centered Psychedelic Support for the Cancer Community
Anne Hamilton is the founder and executive director of The Survivorship Collective, the first non-profit connecting the cancer community to safe, legal, psychedelic-assisted therapies. After surviving advanced-stage cancer as a young adult, Anne became an advocate for better mental and spiritual care for cancer patients, survivors, and their loved ones.
Can you share a bit about your personal journey and what led you to found the Survivorship Collective?
I was raised Catholic, so I grew up with a deep respect for ritual and mystery, even if most of it was mediated through institutions. I went on to study at Notre Dame, Stanford and Yale Law School, clerked for a federal judge on the Ninth Circuit, and then became both an attorney and a filmmaker. At 35, I was diagnosed with Stage 3C breast cancer, and while I got through surgery, chemo, and radiation, I discovered that surviving was only the beginning. The grief and dissociation that followed were profound, and psilocybin, in a safe and supported context, helped me reconnect to meaning, belonging, and even joy. I founded the Survivorship Collective with other cancer patients so that others facing life-threatening illness could have access to that same kind of structured, legal, community-based support.
Why and how are psychedelics important to the wellbeing of people with life-threatening illnesses?
We work only with psilocybin, a classic, natural psychedelic, and we see it as a powerful tool for people facing serious illness. A life-threatening diagnosis strips life down to the essentials and often brings up grief, fear, and unfinished emotional business that talk therapy and anti-depressant medication cannot always reach. Psilocybin has an unusual capacity to open people to profound grief in a way that is tolerable and ultimately healing, helping them integrate what has happened and reconnect to life, relationships, and purpose.
Can you talk about how and why the Survivorship Collective combines innovation (such as psychedelics) with safety, evidence-based practice, and client support?
Everyone we work with has had a diagnosis of a life-threatening illness, and some are in or have been in palliative care, so safety is non-negotiable. We operate within state-regulated psilocybin service frameworks, require two doctor sign-offs for participation in many cases, use detailed safety plans and informed consent, and often have medical and psychological professionals on site during sessions. Our programs follow a structured four-phase model of screening, preparation, facilitated psilocybin session and integration, and we weave in trauma informed care, music, and community so that innovation sits firmly on an evidence based and ethically grounded foundation.
What have you heard from survivors or family members about the difference your programs are making in their lives?
We hear from survivors who say they finally felt safe in their bodies again or were able to have a deep, cleansing cry for everything they have been carrying. One young woman with a baby at home told us that the experience gave her the strength to live with metastatic breast cancer, which is an extraordinary thing to hear. Families tell us they see their loved ones come home more present, open, and emotionally available, which often shifts the whole household.
One of your core areas is “wrap-around support.” What does that look like in practice in the context of psychedelic-assisted therapy?
For us, wrap-around support means no one just “drops in” for a session and then returns to their life alone. Participants receive medical and psychological screening, group preparation, a facilitated psilocybin session at a licensed service center and three full weeks of remote group integration followed by ongoing monthly circles, along with creative and resilience building practices. Psilocybin may open the door to healing, but it is the ongoing community, conversation, and support that help people actually walk through it and sustain the changes in daily life.
EVENTS
December 5th Webinar: Understanding Therapeutic Change in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (The EPPC Model)
Despite growing interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy, the mechanisms underlying therapeutic change remain an active area of investigation. This December 5th webinar at 9 am Pacific Time introduces the EPPC model—a framework grounded in psychological flexibility theory and supported by emerging neuroscience—that identifies four core processes of change in psychedelic experiences: Embodiment, Perspective, Purpose, and Connection.
Brian Pilecki, PhD and Temple Morris, LCSW-C will define each of these four processes and describe how different types of psychedelic experiences map onto them. For each process, they will examine how acute psychedelic experiences can catalyze longer-term therapeutic
benefits and psychological growth.
The presentation will also demonstrate how the EPPC model can inform clinical practice in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Pilecki and Morris will discuss practical applications for both preparation and integration sessions, offering therapists a structured framework to help clients maximize therapeutic outcomes. By understanding these underlying mechanisms, clinicians can more effectively guide patients through psychedelic experiences and support meaningful, lasting change.
> Register for the webinar
December 2nd Film Screening: Last Journey
If you are in Colorado, don’t miss this special screening of Last Journey—a powerful new documentary exploring psychedelics, end-of-life care, and what it means to die well.
On December 2nd at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder, the film’s creators will host an intimate screening and Q&A that delves into the growing movement to integrate psychedelic-assisted therapy into palliative and hospice care. Last Journey follows individuals, families, and care providers as they navigate the emotional, spiritual, and psychological terrain of dying—and highlights the profound ways that psilocybin-supported experiences can reduce fear, ease suffering, and bring a sense of peace and meaning at the end of life.
Colorado’s state-regulated program already allows psilocybin services for people receiving palliative care or in hospice, making the state one of the first in the nation to explicitly recognize the unique needs of end-of-life clients.
If your work touches palliative care, hospice, mental health, or psychedelic therapy or if you simply want to understand more about this emerging work, you may be interested in this event. Heather Lee, a certified psychedelic-assisted psychotherapist featured in the film, will join viewers afterwards for a Q & A session.
> Reserve your ticket
UPDATES
Colorado: Up to Date Numbers on Natural Medicine Program Licensing
View HAF's Healing Center Directory for a list of licensed healing centers in Colorado. You can also search for facilitators using DORA's licensee lookup tool.
Oregon: Up to Date Numbers on Psilocybin Services Program Licensing
View the Oregon Psilocybin Services Data Dashboard to see the most up-to-date numbers.
New Mexico Psilocybin Advisory Board Officially Appointed
Although the names have not yet been announced, the New Mexico Department of Health has officially appointed the members of the state’s new Psilocybin Advisory Board. That Board will convene its first public meeting on December 5 at 9 AM Mountain Time. (The meeting will be held virtually and can be registered for online.)
This marks New Mexico's first major step toward building a supervised and safe framework for psilocybin-assisted therapy in the state. Over the coming two years, the Advisory Board will be responsible for making recommendations to the state Department of Health on topics including:
Licensure and oversight of therapy clinics and facilitators
Training and credentialing requirements
Safety, ethical standards, and patient protection
Integration pathways with existing healthcare systems, including Medicaid and private insurance
HAF extends congratulations to the board appointees and our deep gratitude for their willingness to help shape a program grounded in the quality and compassionate care that New Mexicans need and deserve.
RESOURCES
HAF Continuing Education Directory on Psilocybin Therapy
Healing Advocacy Fund has launched a National Psilocybin Continuing Education (CE/CME) Directory, now live on our website. This resource is designed for clinicians, therapists, and healing practitioners seeking professional and educational opportunities in psilocybin‑assisted therapy. The directory features a community‑submitted list of Continuing Education/Continuing Medical Education courses that support safe, evidence‑informed practice.
We encourage you to explore available training—and if you know of a course that isn’t yet listed, please submit it using our online form. Together, this national directory helps strengthen practitioner readiness, foster best practices and expand responsible access to psychedelic healing.
> Visit our directory page to learn more
HAF Continuing Education Directory on Psilocybin Therapy
At Healing Advocacy Fund, we believe it’s essential to safety and continued improvement to talk openly about adverse events and ongoing challenges that may arise following a psilocybin session. That’s why we advocated for mandated reporting of adverse events that happen during and after a facilitated psilocybin session, reporting which has been adopted by the Oregon Health Authority. (See the latest numbers on their Safety Dashboard.)
While many people experience positive and meaningful outcomes from psilocybin therapy, a very small number of people may face challenging or difficult experiences afterwards. Julian Evans from the Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project recently documented one such case from a client in Oregon. Healing Advocacy Fund staff appreciate this client sharing their experience so others can learn and so state programs can continue improving safety and support.
HAF remains committed to advocating for policy changes that increase client safety and ensure transparency on both the benefits and potential risks of psilocybin therapy. We encourage all prospective clients and their families to read our Oregon and Colorado Psilocybin Client Guides to better understand what to expect, and to make informed choices about the benefits and risks of psilocybin therapy.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with challenges following a psychedelic experience, we encourage you to reach out for support to a healthcare professional or to organizations like the Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project. Clients, facilitators and others may also report adverse events or experiences to Oregon Health and Science University’s OPEN Adverse Effects Portal.
IN THE NEWS
New Documentary Explores Use of Psychedelics to Treat Combat Veterans with PTSD
PBS News
For many veterans, the battle doesn’t end when they come home. The invisible wounds of combat, like PTSD, can leave some feeling withdrawn or isolated. A new documentary, “In Waves and War,” follows a group of former Navy SEALs as they find healing through an unconventional tool: guided psychedelic therapy. Ali Rogin speaks with the film’s director and one of the Navy SEALs featured for more. (Editor’s note: Film is now available to stream on Netflix.)
> View the full story
The Attorney Leading the Fight to Bring Psychedelics to the Dying
Lucid News
Kathryn Tucker, the nation’s leading end-of-life rights attorney, keeps a figurine of a distraught jester on her desk. Each time a federal agency finds a way to stall her pursuit of bringing psychedelics to the dying, she turns its face of theatrical despair toward whoever she’s speaking to. The gesture is both comic and tragic—the humor of a woman who has spent nearly forty years negotiating with bureaucracy. In her world, delay is never neutral. It is measured in suffering.
“The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) obstructs and delays,” she said. “But my clients don’t have the luxury of time.”
> Read the full story
Can Magic Mushrooms Help People With Cancer? Patients Still Needed To Find Out
Colorado Times Recorder
Can psilocybin help people with advanced cancer who are coping with anxiety, depression, fear of death, and loss of hope? That’s the key question that a large national clinical trial aims to answer.
> Read the full story
The Healing Capital of the U.S.
Santa Fe Magazine
Psychedelics aren’t for everyone, and therapeutically, they need to be done very carefully. And these feelings, these journeys, this awareness, it’s not just limited to psychedelics. Some people get them in extreme sports when they get in the zone. Some people get them in near-death experiences. People get them in spontaneous mystical experiences. Some people get them in medical crises. The veil is there, and the ability to see a larger consciousness permeates throughout every culture. The phenomenology of it is undeniable.
> Read the full story
Boulder's First Psilocybin Healing Centers Open Their Doors
Boulder Reporting Lab
“Nobody’s coming to a healing center to do an imperceptible dose of mushrooms. People are coming for big experiences, to have the doors of their mind kicked open.”
That’s how Teresa Crossland, a psychotherapist and co-owner of Happy Rebel Healing, characterizes what her clients are looking for: “To be held safely” while they explore parts of themselves long closed off.
> Read the full story