Psychedelics at End of Life - Trauma-informed practice? - Dr Tim Read and Jeannet Weurman.

This talk was given to the Trauma-Informed Palliative Care Project on 9 September, 2025.

Dr Tim Read talked us through some of the history of a step-by-step discovery of how psychedelics can help people in distress at end-of-life. He outlined the essentials of psychedelic therapy as it is practiced now, which can result in deep experiences, carefully witnessed and supported by trained therapists, and bring about a reduction in anxiety and depression and an enhanced sense of wellbeing and quality of life.

Tim noted the deep resonance facing life-threatening illness and end-of life can have with issues that activate previous unresolved trauma of a similar resonance. This and going through the related medical journey can have a profoundly negative impact on someone’s mental state. One of the main benefits of psychedelic therapy, is that it can shift someone to a more positive state.

Tim feels optimistic about further development of this speciality. A number of countries now offer carefully controlled special-access, compassionate-use psychedelic therapy, based on clinical need. It would not be difficult to offer this in the NHS. A large study of use of psychedelics at end-of-life is currently being undertaken in Europe. https://palliativeprojects.eu/psypal/

Jeannet Weurman followed on from Tim with some reflections on the close alignment of psychedelic therapy and trauma-informed working, and how the learnings from psychedelic therapy can inform our practice now. The findings of psychedelic therapy support Cicely Saunders' emphasis on the importance of the psycho-spiritual dimensions of palliative care. Once lawful, it could be one treatment option offered at stage 3 of David Feldman’s step-wise psycho-social model of trauma-informed practice.

She concluded with some reflections on the need for ‘listening systems’ for us to be able to be deeply present for those we support as they face illness and death. Too often psycho-spiritual care is side-lined or restricted to certain roles. Psychedelic therapy teaches us the urgent need to rebalance the dimensions of allopathic medicine and Asklepian healing in our systems of care.

Dr Tim Read is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist and author based in London. After degrees in neuroscience and medicine, he was consultant liaison psychiatrist at the Royal London Hospital for 20 years also heading the crisis intervention service and developing psychological treatments for psychiatric emergencies. He held posts of Clinical Director and Director of Training. He is a Fellow of the RCPsych and a member of the Institute of Group Analysis.

Tim was drawn to psychiatry by the work of C.G.Jung and has completed trainings in psychoanalytic psychotherapy (IGA) and transpersonal psychology with Stanislav Grof (GTT). He has been a certified facilitator of holotropic breathwork since 2007. Tim is extensively involved in training and supervision of psychedelic assisted therapy, and with Maria Papaspyrou is co-facilitating the Depth Relational Process, Institute of Psychedelic Therapy, 2 year training. They are currently interviewing for their next student intake and applications are still open. https://instituteofpsychedelictherapy...

Jeannet Weurman is a retired social worker. She trained with Stan Grof in Holotropic Breathwork facilitation and completed the two-year psychedelic assisted therapy training with the Institute of Psychedelic Therapy. Jeannet was a volunteer guide on the Imperial College trial for use of psychedelics in treatment of OCD, and worked as a palliative care social worker at Arthur Rank Hospice in Cambridge.

Trauma-Informed Palliative Care Project is a community of practice for people interested in developing trauma-informed working in hospice and palliative care through networking, mutual sharing and support, and promoting research to establish a firm evidence base to underpin the work. To find out more, go to our landing page at https://trauma-informed-palliative-ca... .