By Rob Gibson
A B.C. based not-for-profit coalition of healthcare professionals, patients, and advocates have launched a program to use psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy to help terminally-ill patients.
TheraPsil, a BC-based non-profit has launched a program to help terminally-ill British Columbians access medically-supervised, psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy.
"[The] therapy, that although proven to be effective in reducing severe emotional distress, is currently illegal in Canada", says TheraPsil founder, Dr. Bruce Tobin.
“Canadians with a terminal diagnosis, experiencing psychological end-of-life distress, deserve the right to try new therapies that can improve their quality of life and death. When a safe and effective therapy involves a prohibited substance, we help patients exercise their rights - to align with science and support those in need,” Dr. Tobin.
TheraPsil’s Program will begin with supporting terminally-ill Canadians that meet TheraPsil’s initial inclusion criteria and qualifications, and will expand to include:
- Compassionate Access: Establishing safe, and legal access to psychedelic-assisted therapy for those in medical need.
- Public Education: Increasing awareness of the merits and limitations of psychedelic-assisted therapy.
- Professional Training: Developing safe, simple and effective protocols for credentialed health professionals to deliver psilocybin-assisted therapy, in collaboration with other active organizations.
- Research: Facilitating research and evaluation in collaboration with Canadian and international partners.
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