Psilocybin-assisted Group Therapy for Demoralization in Long-term AIDS Survivors

Psilocybin-assisted Group Therapy for Demoralization in Long-term AIDS Survivors

The purpose of this study is to determine whether psilocybin-assisted group psychotherapy is a safe and feasible treatment for demoralization in long-term AIDS survivors (LTAS).

This study is an open-label mixed-methods pilot study of an individual oral psilocybin drug session combined with ten sessions of an evidence-based, manualized brief group psychotherapy for existential distress in palliative care patients.

Inclusion Criterion:

• Older individuals who are long-term AIDS survivors and suffer from moderate-to-severe demoralization.

Exclusion Criteria:

• A physical, neurological or cognitive condition that makes participating in the study unsafe or unfeasible.
• Regular psychotropic medication use.
• Personal or family history of serious mental illness.
• Severe depression requiring immediate standard-of-care treatment.
• Exclusion by the clinical judgment of the study investigators.