Andhow do we build the infrastructure for safe, legal, affordable accessto psychedelic medicines for people living with cancer?

Inthis episode, we speak with Dr. Linda Carlson, professor ofpsychosocial oncology and co-principal investigator of the CanadianNetwork for Psychedelic-Assisted Cancer Therapy (CAN-PACT), Canada's$5 million initiative building research infrastructure forpsychedelic-assisted cancer therapy. Linda explores what hersystematic review of research actually shows: promising signals butalso knowledge gaps. We discuss why healthcare providers seepotential but identify concerns about psychedelic medicines, and why"demoralization syndrome" may better capture cancer'spsychological impact than depression or anxiety.

Lindadescribes CAN-PACT's approach: building networks with patients asfull partners, identifying top research priorities through consensus,and training therapists in public cancer centers for equitableaccess.

How do you choose which psychedelic medicine is right for your cancer journey when you're navigating legal restrictions, confusing terminology, and your own intuition about what feels safe?

In this episode, Dan speaks with Angela Amirault, founder of Altered Healing and a psychedelic-assisted therapist practicing in Nova Scotia. Angela holds a BA in Psychology, a Graduate Diploma in Counseling and Psychotherapy, and advanced credentialing in mindfulness-based psychedelic therapy from the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness. She has guided over 500 medicine sessions with cannabis, ketamine, and psilocybin, and was the first practitioner in the United States to legally offer retreats combining cannabis and psilocybin.

Angela and Dan explore how to navigate the landscape of psychedelic medicines for cancer patients. They discuss the distinct qualities of cannabis (embodied, gentle, holding), ketamine (disconnective, observational, brief), and psilocybin (expansive, ancient, transcendent), and why Angela asks clients "what do you feel called to?" rather than prescribing specific substances. The conversation covers practical protocol details—preparation sessions, medicine experiences, and integration support—and addresses the challenging reality that legal access often determines options before personal preference can. Angela emphasizes finding guides who can create genuine safety, explains how different medicines help with the bodily alienation cancer creates, and shares why self-compassion emerges as the common thread across all psychedelic experiences for cancer patients.

Healing Cancer Journeys is a non-profit organization providing education and community for people exploring psychedelic medicines in their cancer journeys. Learn more at www.healingcancerjourneys.org and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Substack where our handle is 'healingcancerjourneys'.

What if the tumor trying to kill you could actually heal you? And what if the boring policy details around psychedelic access matter more than the mystical experiences themselves?

In this episode, we speak with Ashley Lukens, cancer thriver and co-founder of Clarity Project, Hawaii's leading psychedelic advocacy organization. Ashley holds a PhD in Political Science and has spent over two decades advancing environmental justice, food sovereignty, and now psychedelic medicine access. After receiving a premonitory vision during an ayahuasca ceremony just ten days before her stage II brain cancer diagnosis in 2017, Ashley has integrated psychedelic medicines into her healing journey alongside conventional treatment.

Ashley shares her radical reframing of cancer through the mantra "I heal my tumor and my tumor heals me"—a perspective most cancer patients struggle to imagine. We explore how psychedelic medicines helped her work with the nine key factors in Radical Remission, particularly around trusting intuition, finding purpose, and becoming CEO of her own cancer care. We also dig into the unglamorous but critical nuts and bolts of psychedelic access: cost structures, insurance coverage, banking regulations, and implementation frameworks that determine whether cancer patients can actually access these medicines or just read about them in headlines.

This podcast is brought to you by Healing Cancer Journeys, a non-profit organization providing education and community for people exploring psychedelic medicines in their cancer journeys. You can find us online at www.healingcancerjourneys.org or follow us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Substack where our handle is 'healingcancerjourneys'.