A deep dive into Life & Death
Dr. Charfen offers psychedelic journeying and training with the legal use of ketamine during the death doula retreats she co-facilitates. These unique experiences provide a profound opportunity to explore our relationship with life, death, nature, joy, grief, and the Great Mystery.
Inspired by her terminal patients, Dr. Charfen embraced the research supporting psychedelic therapy as a tool to ease significant fear and anxiety at the end of life.
Why combine death doula training and psychedelics?
Supported by Research
Psychedelics as a tool to support death anxiety is not a new concept as research dates back to the 1950s. However, it was not until 2016 that the Western medical system took notice, when two groundbreaking, randomized double-blind trials at world-renowned institutions (NYU and Johns Hopkins) demonstrated long-term, significant decreases in death anxiety and increases in quality of life.
An Emerging Field in EOL Care
While psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD remain federally illegal in most states, legal ketamine is gaining traction in palliative care, showing benefits for those facing end-of-life anxiety, fear, and grief.
Ketamine is a Legal Psychedelic
Ketamine, widely used safely for over 50 years in medical settings, is now being used at lower doses to create psychedelic experiences. It works quickly and has a short effect, making it ideal for deep, transformative sessions in group settings, with fast recovery compared to classic psychedelics.
Death Doula Professional & Personal Growth
A death doula supports the dying and their loved ones by offering education and guidance on end-of-life options, including psychedelics. Understanding how psychedelics may help or harm, depending on a person’s condition, is essential for effective care.
The skills needed for sitting with the dying are similar to those used in psychedelic journeying. This training offers an experiential opportunity to understand what patients may face. For doulas interested in psychedelic sitting, this process can be profoundly transformative.
After spending several intense days nestled safely together to explore our losses, loves, joys and grief, the group is primed for a psychedelic journey that can potentially deepen and expand our own personal growth in unexpected and ineffable possibilities.
