Massachusetts-based non-profit Healing Hearts and Changing Minds (HHCM) just awarded over US$566,000 worth of grants to support psychedelic-assisted therapies in end-of-life care.
The grants are intended to promote well-being during life’s final stages by combining the therapeutic usage of substances like psilocybin and ketamine with psychotherapy and spiritual support. Designated as the “Walking Each Other Home” fund, the initiative distributed the funding across seven projects throughout the United States and in Ukraine.
End of Life Psychedelic Care in Oregon received US$75,025 to launch a pilot program offering home-based ketamine therapy. Furthermore, Mayo Clinic obtained US$82,405 to conduct a clinical trial on psilocybin-assisted therapy for brain tumour patients dealing with existential distress. Additionally, Colorado’s Psychedelic Research and Training Institute (PRATI) and Pravan Foundation secured US$75,000 to train 20 hospice workers, palliative providers and doulas in psychedelic-assisted therapy for existential distress.
Red Willow Hospice in Taos, New Mexico, received US$100,000 to train its staff and deliver ketamine-assisted psychotherapy to terminally ill patients in rural communities.
Heal Ukraine Trauma, operating from Massachusetts and Ukraine, secured US$46,130 to expand group ketamine therapy training specifically for war-affected veterans and their families.
Moreover, the University of Washington in Seattle obtained US$100,000 to pilot a group psilocybin therapy program aimed at relieving cancer-related anxiety and depression through a multi-day retreat format.
Finally, the Institute for Rural Psychedelic Care in California received US$87,700 to integrate ketamine-assisted psychotherapy with so-called “narrative medicine.” This includes legacy-building projects through recorded interviews and media creation for rural patients nearing the end of their lives.
Read more: New Jersey hops on the medical psilocybin therapy train
Non-profit inspired by founder’s psilocybin experience
The organization’s creator, Robert Ansin, founded the non-profit after having an experience with psilocybin he felt was extremely profound. The money provided through these grants primarily comes from his personal wealth attained through successful real estate and entrepreneurial ventures.
“Taken together, these seven projects reflect the heart of HHCM’s trust-based philanthropic model: listening closely to community needs, supporting locally rooted organizations, and strengthening the ecosystem of psychedelic-assisted care,” Ansin said in a news release.
HHCM focuses on ethical psychedelic healing initiatives, particularly for end-of-life care, and draws inspiration from community input.
Despite controversy, psilocybin and ketamine have emerged as increasingly popular investigational therapies for end-of-life anxiety due to compelling clinical evidence and growing acceptance in palliative care.
Pioneering trials at Johns Hopkins University and NYU Langone in 2016 demonstrated that a single dose of psilocybin combined with psychotherapy produced rapid, substantial, and often sustained reductions in anxiety, depression and existential distress among patients with life-threatening cancer. These benefits persisted for six months or longer in 60 to 80 per cent of participants, with some follow-ups showing effects lasting for years.
Despite the enthusiasm, psilocybin remains an illegal Schedule I drug in the United States and is the subject of ongoing ethical debates. Ketamine, unlike psilocybin, is a legally approved prescription medication in the U.S. It may be used off-label by licensed clinicians, including in palliative and end-of-life care under current medical regulations.
Read more: ‘Psychedelic’ tarantula added to Fauna & Flora’s endangered species list
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