The people turning to psychedelics on their deathbeds

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “I considered that whole class of drugs as not just unhelpful, but as something that ruins people’s lives.” In 2016, Hartle was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. I’ve interviewed patients who have used psychedelics and what I hear from them is that it allowed them to talk about scary things Dr Anthony Back, director of palliative care at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance These developments have been welcomed by medical professionals like Dr Anthony Back, the director of palliative care at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and a professor of medicine at the University of Washington. “I’ve now interviewed a bunch of patients who have used psychedelics, both in studies and underground, and what I hear from them is that it allowed them to talk about scary things,” he says. “We’ve been doing that for a long time, because those are the sorts of tools we have, but what that also does is blunt your ability to live fully and be present.” Hoping to open conversations about the best ways to improve end-of-life care, Dr Ungerleider founded the non-profit End Well in 2017.