Tag: psychedelic therapy

EOLPodcast

Ep. 389 Virtual Reality as a Tool for End-of-Life Anxiety and Pain with Gregory Roufa and Lama Karma

kwyattmd

Learn how virtual reality technology can be utilized in a powerful way to ease distress and find meaning for people facing life-limiting illness.

My two guests, Gregory Roufa and Lama Karma, both work for Anuma, a company specializing in developing sacred experiences in virtual reality. Gregory is the co-founder and CEO at Anuma and Karma is an experience designer. They discuss the work Anuma is doing to create VR experiences that can benefit patients facing serious illness, particularly at the end of life, without the use of drugs. Learn more at the website:

www.anuma.com

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • What is Virtual Reality
  • What equipment is used for a VR experience
  • The inspiration behind Anuma
  • What is a “self-transcendent” experience
  • How to use VR in a beneficial rather than a harmful way
  • What to expect from the Clear Light Program
  • Why a transcendent experience can be helpful for anxiety at the end of life
  • Results seen so far from Anuma’s studies
  • How to work with Anuma as a facilitator on pilot projects or as a capital partner
  • How Virtual Reality has similar effects to a medium dose of psychedelic medication (and is legal and available now)

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patron Jean Oswald and also to Madeleine for buying me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 383 The Good News of 2022 with Karen Wyatt

kwyattmd

Learn some of the positive developments around end-of-life issues that took place in 2022.

This is the last episode of 2022 and I’m sharing some of the best “good news” stories I’ve seen this year about progress we’ve made around care at the end of life. Every month I curate end-of-life news stories for my supporters on Patreon and I’ve made note of some encouraging developments that I present to you today. Watch this on YouTube if you’d like to see slides or enjoy listening to the audio. Meanwhile, farewell to 2022 and best wishes for a Happy New Year!

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • The Lancet Commission on the Value of Death calls for a global paradigm shift on death and dying
  • NHPCO works to improve equity in death and dying and decrease racial disparities in care
  • Studies document inequities in end-of-life care
  • Plan to train community workers to do outreach in underserved areas
  • Recognizing the emotional and spiritual aspects of the dying process
  • Federal legislation to create a national strategy on grief and to expand advance care planning
  • Studies on caregiver stress and model for paying family caregivers
  • Best and worst places to die in the US
  • Studies on use of psychedelics to decrease anxiety at end of life
  • Virtual reality similar to psilocybin in reducing anxiety
  • “Death Tech” and media coverage of death both on the rise
  • Human composting now legal in 5 states

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to those who have made a donation through Paypal or bought me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 295 Psilocybin Therapy at End of Life: The Legal Case with Kathryn Tucker, JD

kwyattmd

Learn about the legal effort to make psilocybin available as a transformative therapy at the end of life.

My guest Kathryn Tucker is a Special Counsel at Emerge Law Group where she co-chairs the Psychedelic Practice Group. She is also the Executive Director of the End-of-Life Liberty Project and served two decades as Director of Advocacy and Legal Affairs for Compassion & Choices, working to improve care and expand choice at the end of life. She shares the current legal case she is spearheading to allow terminally ill patients to try psilocybin as a palliative care medication and how psilocybin has already been shown to be hugely beneficial to patients at the end of life. Learn more about her work at:

www.emergelawgroup.com

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • The benefits of psilocybin therapy for palliative care
  • Why terminally ill patients cannot currently access psilocybin therapy
  • What are Right to Try (RTT) laws and how they may apply to psilocybin
  • History behind psilocybin being labeled a Schedule I drug by the DEA
  • Test case that has been filed in court based on Washington state and Federal RTT laws
  • How “friends of the court” can be helpful to this case
  • Why the success of this case could open access for patients in other states
  • Oregon’s Psilocybin Therapy Law and implications for other states

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference!

EOLPodcast

Ep. 273 The Benefits of Psychedelics for End-of-Life Patients with Ira Byock MD

kwyattmd

Learn about new research using psychedelic medications to help patients at the end of life with depression and anxiety.

My guest Dr. Ira Byock is a leading palliative care physician, author and public advocate for improving care through the end of life. In this discussion he shares important information about psychedelic medications and the benefits they offer to patients at the end of life. There is current research available that shows the value of these medications especially for patients with depression, anxiety and loss of meaning who experience a profound reframing of life. Learn more about Dr. Byock’s work at his website:

www.irabyock.org

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Dr. Byock got interested in studying psychedelic medications for palliative and hospice patients
  • What new research is revealing about the benefits of psychedelics for various medical conditions
  • How psychedelics have been shown to be helpful with depression, anxiety and demoralization syndrome
  • The dangers of recreational use of psychedelics vs. controlled therapeutic use
  • What a “psychedelic assisted therapeutic experience” consists of
  • How a psychedelic experience can rewrite the brain’s “default mode network”
  • The need for further research on these medications

Links mentioned in this episode:

  • Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
  • Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
  • Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference!