Facing Mortality Together: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Analysis of Group Psilocybin Therapy Among Older Long-Term AIDS Survivor Gay Men
Palliative Medicine Reports January 1, 2026 Hannah Whitmore, Maria Mangini, Heather Leutwyler et al.
Group psilocybin-assisted therapy may help older long-term AIDS survivor gay men accept death, dying, and impermanence, as well as their illness and complex emotions. This secondary qualitative analysis of interviews from six participants found three major themes: acceptance of death, acceptance of illness, and embracing complex emotions. The findings suggest that the therapy fosters death acceptance by helping participants accept their illness and engage with the full range of emotions that arise when facing mortality. Further studies are needed to validate these results, which highlight the importance of focusing on death acceptance in psychedelic research with seriously ill populations.