Anxiety related to life-threatening illness is a common problem that current treatments only partially address. In a pilot clinical trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for this condition, participants described key therapeutic experiences: processing trauma and grief, having mystical and existential experiences, engaging more fully with the present moment with less physiological arousal, and facing fears about illness and death. Outcomes included better ability to cope with their illness, reduced psychological symptoms, improved vitality and quality of life, and greater emotional resilience even after medical relapse. The findings suggest that MDMA-assisted therapy may help people reconnect to life and build emotional resources for dealing with existential distress.
A strong theoretical foundation for analytical psychology to engage with psychedelic therapy can be built using tools already present in Jungian thought. The paper offers a brief history of psychedelic therapy and Jungian psychology, focusing on three analysts, and outlines Stanislav Grof's work with LSD therapy as a basis for dialogue with Jungian concepts. Alchemical concepts and language from analytical psychology—prima materia, Mercurius, the vessel, and subtle body—are applied to understand psychedelic experience, alongside individuals' accounts of their LSD sessions. The author then discusses implications of this dialogue and potential future directions.