Clinical Services
Psychedelic-assisted therapies, including psilocybin-assisted therapy, are still under research and not yet available for clinical use. We are planning for clinical implementation of these therapies at Dana-Farber as regulations allow, so that we remain a leader in delivering cutting-edge care to provide our patients with the best quality of life possible. In the meantime, we are committed to using our research, in particular the experiences of patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers with psychedelic-assisted therapies, to inform our clinical program design and implementation.
As regulations allow, and our team and capacities grow, we plan to offer the following clinical services integrated into the Department of Psychosocial Oncology & Palliative Care:
Psychedelic-assisted therapies, including psilocybin-assisted therapy, are still under research and not yet available for clinical use. We are planning for clinical implementation of these therapies at Dana-Farber as regulations allow, so that we remain a leader in delivering cutting-edge care to provide our patients with the best quality of life possible. In the meantime, we are committed to using our research, in particular the experiences of patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers with psychedelic-assisted therapies, to inform our clinical program design and implementation.
As regulations allow, and our team and capacities grow, we plan to offer the following clinical services integrated into the Department of Psychosocial Oncology & Palliative Care:
- Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for psycho-existential distress in patients with cancer (under development, see below)
- MDMA-assisted therapy for psycho-existential distress in patients with cancer
- Psilocybin-assisted therapy for psycho-existential distress in patients with cancer
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for patients with cancer
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Ketamine, originally developed as an anesthetic, has a long record of safe use in sub-anesthetic doses for management of pain in patients with serious medical illness, and is readily available for clinical use. There is a substantial body of evidence for the use of ketamine in the treatment of refractory depression, leading to FDA-approval of intranasal esketamine for treatment-resistant depression. At sub-anesthetic doses, ketamine is capable of inducing a non-ordinary state of consciousness that is also being studied in the psychedelic-assisted therapies framework. There is a growing body of evidence for KAP’s effective use in treating a variety of mental health disorders. Our team is developing a first-of-its-kind ketamine-assisted psychotherapy clinical service in which patients will receive IV ketamine infusions alongside psychotherapeutic support from clinicians trained in psychedelic-assisted therapies. |
Artist: Taehyoung Jeon
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This program is currently under development and not yet available to patients at Dana-Farber. Patients are advised to speak with their healthcare providers to learn more about currently available options in the community.
