The Canadian Network for Psychedelic-Assisted Cancer Therapy

The Canadian Network for Psychedelic-Assisted Cancer Therapy Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from The Canadian Network for Psychedelic-Assisted Cancer Therapy, Educational Research Center, Calgary, AB.

CAN-PACT, which stands for the Canadian Network for Psychedelic-Assisted Cancer Therapy, is a national initiative funded by the Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), and Brain Canada.

🎵 Music is more than background in psychedelic therapy. Music is widely used during psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, ...
09/07/2026

🎵 Music is more than background in psychedelic therapy.

Music is widely used during psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, but what role does it actually play in the experience?

This qualitative study explored the music-related experiences of 31 participants taking part in a trial of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety and depression associated with life-threatening illness, similar to CAN PACT. Participants described feeling more intensely connected to music during psilocybin sessions compared with control sessions.

Their experiences suggest music can play several roles:
🎧 GUIDE — Music interacted with participants’ emotions and inner experiences, sometimes helping shape how the psychedelic experience unfolded.
🧠 CONNECT — Music became intertwined with memories, mental imagery, emotions and physical sensations, creating deeply multisensory experiences.
💡 REVEAL — Through these experiences, participants described personal realizations and new ways of understanding themselves and their lives.
🔄 RECONNECT — The role of music didn’t necessarily end when the dosing session did. Encountering the same music afterward could bring back sensations or experiences associated with the psychedelic session and prompt continued reflection and processing.

The findings also highlight an important nuance: music wasn’t always experienced as pleasant or comforting. It could accompany experiences that were revelatory, challenging, fragmenting—or a combination of these. This underscores the importance of thoughtful music selection and therapists who can respond to what is unfolding during the session.

Rather than simply providing a soundtrack, music may be an active component of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy—one that can play a role across preparation, dosing and integration.

📖 Source:
O’Callaghan C, Kallianis V, Ross M. Participants’ Music Experiences Associated With Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy for Depression and Anxiety Related to Life-Threatening Illness. Journal of Music Therapy. 2026;63(2):1–35. https://academic.oup.com/jmt/article/63/2/thag015/8743985?login=false

🍄 The medicine session is just one part of psychedelic-assisted therapy—but it’s often the part people know the least ab...
09/02/2026

🍄 The medicine session is just one part of psychedelic-assisted therapy—but it’s often the part people know the least about. 🍄

During this stage, participants are supported by trained therapists in a carefully prepared, clinically safe environment. The focus isn’t on directing the experience, but on creating the conditions for participants to engage with whatever thoughts, emotions, or memories may arise.

While every person’s experience is unique, the medicine session is intentionally designed to support safety, therapeutic presence, and meaningful exploration.

👉 Watch the full video on YouTube to learn how preparation, the medicine session, and integration work together as part of psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Link in Bio! ☝️

✨ If you found this helpful, consider sharing it to help others better understand the PAT process. ✨

🍄 Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is receiving growing attention—but what does it actually involve? Many people assum...
08/26/2026

🍄 Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is receiving growing attention—but what does it actually involve?

Many people assume it’s simply about the medicine. In reality, the medicine is just one part of a much larger therapeutic process.

👉 In this short clip, we introduce the foundations of PAT and why preparation, the therapeutic setting, and integration all play an essential role.

👉 Watch the full 5-minute video on YouTube to learn how the complete process works—from preparation to integration. Link in Bio! Or:
https://youtu.be/TF6232BCMrQ

✨ If you found this helpful, consider sharing it to help others better understand psychedelic-assisted therapy. ✨

Music is one of the most carefully considered elements of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Rather than creating a playlist ...
08/24/2026

Music is one of the most carefully considered elements of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Rather than creating a playlist based solely on personal favourites, therapists often select music that can support different stages of the therapeutic experience.

Research suggests that music used during dosing sessions often shares several characteristics: it is typically instrumental, flows smoothly from one piece to the next, has a slower tempo, evokes emotion without overwhelming the listener, and may incorporate natural sounds or textures. Together, these qualities can help reduce distractions, encourage inward focus, support emotional exploration, and promote a sense of calm and grounding throughout the session.

It’s also important to remember that there is no single “perfect” playlist. Music should be thoughtfully tailored to the individual, their preferences, and the therapeutic goals of the session.

🎵 What qualities do you think would help create a supportive playlist for a psychedelic therapy session?

📚️ Sources
Barrett FS, Robbins H, Smooke D, Brown JL, Griffiths RR. Qualitative and quantitative features of music reported to support peak mystical experiences during psychedelic therapy sessions. Frontiers in Psychology. 2022;13:873455. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.873455

Strickland JC, Garcia-Romeu A, Johnson MW. Set and Setting: A Randomized Study of Different Musical Genres in Supporting Psychedelic Therapy. ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science. 2021;4(2):472–478. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsptsci.0c00187

🍄 Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is receiving growing attention—but what does it actually involve? Many people assum...
08/19/2026

🍄 Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is receiving growing attention—but what does it actually involve?

Many people assume it’s simply about the medicine. In reality, the medicine is just one part of a much larger therapeutic process.

👉 In this short clip, we introduce the foundations of PAT and why preparation, the therapeutic setting, and integration all play an essential role.

👉 Watch the full video on YouTube to learn how the complete process works—from preparation to integration. Link in Bio! Or:
https://youtu.be/TF6232BCMrQ

✨ If you found this helpful, consider sharing it to help others better understand psychedelic-assisted therapy. ✨

🌿 PACT-FACTS: “M**A Is Just for Raves” M**A is often dismissed as a “party drug” tied only to raves and festivals — but ...
08/14/2026

🌿 PACT-FACTS: “M**A Is Just for Raves”

M**A is often dismissed as a “party drug” tied only to raves and festivals — but research shows this stereotype doesn’t reflect how or why many people actually use it.

✨ What the research shows:
People report using M**A in a range of settings, including private and intentional environments — not only nightlife scenes. Motivations vary widely. While some seek energy or euphoria, others describe intentions related to emotional reflection, connection, or self-insight, which are linked to different experiences and outcomes.

🧠 Intentions (“Mindset”) matters.
Individuals who approached M**A use with reflective or mixed intentions were more likely to report longer-term social and emotional benefits, such as improved empathy and relationships, compared to those using it purely for stimulation.

⚠️ This is not an endorsement of use.
M**A is a controlled substance and is not legal for general use. Legal M**A use occurs only within approved clinical trials or regulated medical pathways, where screening, professional supervision, and safety protocols are in place.

✨ Bottom line:
M**A is not “just for raves,” but it is also not risk-free or appropriate for everyone. Understanding context (“setting”), intention (“set”), and — critically — legal and professional oversight is essential for informed, harm-reduction-focused conversations.

📖 Source:
Móró, L., Simonsson, O., & Hendricks, P. S. (2024). Motivations for M**A use and associations with long-term social and emotional outcomes. Scientific Reports, 14, 1355.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-51355-6

✨ Follow Along for More PACT-FACTS!

What concerns healthcare providers about psychedelic-assisted therapy? As interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT)...
08/12/2026

What concerns healthcare providers about psychedelic-assisted therapy?

As interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) continues to grow, many healthcare providers recognize its potential while also identifying important challenges that need to be addressed before broader clinical implementation.

In this qualitative study, providers highlighted five key areas of concern:

👉 Safety & potential risks – Developing clear screening criteria, standardized treatment protocols, and evidence-based safety guidelines can help clinicians identify appropriate candidates and manage potential risks.

👉 Need for more clinical evidence – Continued high-quality clinical trials across different patient populations and conditions are needed to strengthen the evidence base and guide best practices.

👉 Regulatory uncertainty – Clear, evidence-informed policies and substance-specific clinical guidelines can help providers understand when and how psychedelic-assisted therapies may be appropriately integrated into care.

👉 Infrastructure & resource limitations – Delivering PAT requires more than the medicine itself. Providers emphasized the need for dedicated clinical spaces, adequate staffing, sufficient funding, and time for preparation and integration sessions.

👉 Provider education & training – Interdisciplinary education and competency-based training can help healthcare providers better understand psychedelic therapies, their risks and benefits, patient selection, and the importance of preparation and integration.

Together, these findings suggest that the future of psychedelic-assisted therapy depends not only on continued research, but also on thoughtful implementation. Addressing these challenges may help support the safe, ethical, and evidence-informed integration of PAT into healthcare.

📖 Source:
Schuman HDM, Mina R, Barkova S, Nguyen T, Deleemans JM, Carlson LE. Healthcare Providers’ Perspectives on Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies Across Clinical Contexts: “I Can Offer Medical Assistance in Dying, but I Can’t Prescribe Psychedelics.” 2026;15:1-17. https://doi.org/10.1177/27536130261459354

🍄 Psychedelics can be used in different contexts, and those contexts can shape the goals, support, and overall experienc...
08/10/2026

🍄 Psychedelics can be used in different contexts, and those contexts can shape the goals, support, and overall experience.

👉 Clinical psychedelic-assisted therapy is conducted within a healthcare or research setting and is designed with participant safety and therapeutic outcomes in mind. It typically includes medical screening, preparation, support from trained professionals during the dosing session, and follow-up integration to help participants process and apply their experience.

👉 Recreational use, on the other hand, is generally self-directed and may occur in a wide range of settings with different motivations, levels of preparation, and types of support.

Understanding these differences is important when interpreting research findings and discussing the potential role of psychedelics in healthcare. While the same substance may be involved, the surrounding context—including preparation, safety measures, therapeutic support, and integration—is an essential part of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT).

📩 Want more evidence-based resources and updates on psychedelic-assisted cancer therapy? Subscribe to the CAN-PACT newsletter to stay informed about the latest research, network initiatives, educational resources, and upcoming opportunities.

🤔 When does healthy skepticism become a barrier to innovation? For this edition of Publication Discussions, we explore a...
08/03/2026

🤔 When does healthy skepticism become a barrier to innovation?

For this edition of Publication Discussions, we explore a study examining how Canadian healthcare providers view psychedelic-assisted therapies across clinical settings, including oncology and palliative care.

Rather than finding providers who were either “for” or “against” psychedelic-assisted therapies, the researchers found a much more nuanced picture. Most participants expressed cautious optimism—recognizing the therapeutic potential while also raising important questions about safety, evidence, regulation, training, and implementation.

The study also highlights that integrating a new therapy into healthcare depends on much more than clinical evidence alone. Healthcare providers identified practical barriers such as limited clinical guidelines, funding, infrastructure, education, trained providers and regulatory uncertainty, all of which influence whether innovative treatments can become part of routine care.

For CAN-PACT, these findings reinforce that advancing psychedelic-assisted cancer care is about more than generating evidence. It also requires supporting healthcare providers and policymakers with the education, clinical guidance, and systems needed to deliver these therapies safely, ethically, and responsibly.

💬 Final slide question: When does healthy skepticism become a barrier to innovation?

📚 Source: Schuman HDM, Mina R, Barkova S, Nguyen T, Deleemans JM, Carlson LE. Healthcare Providers’ Perspectives on Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies Across Clinical Contexts: “I Can Offer Medical Assistance in Dying, but I Can’t Prescribe Psychedelics”. Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health. 2026;15. https://doi.org/10.1177/27536130261459354

🎼 🍄 Music is more than just background sound during psychedelic-assisted therapy—it is considered an important part of t...
07/30/2026

🎼 🍄 Music is more than just background sound during psychedelic-assisted therapy—it is considered an important part of the therapeutic experience.

Research suggests that carefully curated playlists can help support different stages of a dosing session by encouraging relaxation, emotional processing, and inward reflection. While there is no single “perfect” playlist, certain genres are commonly incorporated into psychedelic therapy because of their calming, immersive, and emotionally supportive qualities.

The genres featured here have all been used in research or clinical practice to help create a supportive therapeutic environment. Ultimately, the best playlist is one that is thoughtfully curated to meet the individual’s needs, preferences, and the goals of the session.

🎵 What kind of music would you choose to help you feel calm, present, and supported?

References
Strickland JC, Garcia-Romeu A, Johnson MW. Set and Setting: A Randomized Study of Different Musical Genres in Supporting Psychedelic Therapy. ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science. 2021;4(2):472–478. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsptsci.0c00187

Barrett FS, Robbins H, Smooke D, Brown JL, Griffiths RR. Qualitative and quantitative features of music reported to support peak mystical experiences during psychedelic therapy sessions. Frontiers in Psychology. 2022;13:873455. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.873455

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