0269 - Johno (Robert Johnston) on Psilocybin, Heidegger and being-toward-death
From Design Talk (dot IE) by Allen Higgins
February 12, 2026 · 1h 25m · Season 13 · Episode 269
About this episode
The episode discusses the use of psilocybin in treating death anxiety and its philosophical implications through Heidegger's concepts.
Psilocybin, Heidegger and being-toward-death Between 2020 and 2023 psychologist Marg Ross and psychiatrist Justin Dwyer, together with collaborators, ran the largest Australian randomised control of psychedelic assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of extreme death anxiety in terminally ill patients using psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) (Ross et al, 2025). Over the past 15 months I have contributed to the analysis and reporting of qualitative interview data collected by these researchers before and after treatment. The therapy has been shown to be remarkably effective with 21 out of 28 patients who completed the full trial reporting sustained relief. Whereas before the treatment the patients had found themselves 'stuck' in an oppressive lingering present, after treatment they are able to 'step back into' a life that is in some ways fuller even than before the diagnosis (Dwyer et al, 2026). In this reading group/seminar I will briefly present Heidegger's account in Division II of Being and Time of being-toward-death and its role in prompting a more authentic human existence and richer lived temporality. I will point out its striking similarity…
People in this episode
Host: Allen Higgins
Guest: Johno Robert B. Johnston
Topics covered
- psilocybin
- Heidegger
- death anxiety
- psychedelic therapy
- qualitative analysis
- authentic existence
Keywords
- psilocybin
- Heidegger
- death anxiety
- psychedelic therapy
- qualitative research
- authenticity
- mental health
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Australian randomised control of psychedelic assisted psychotherapy
Books & works: Being and Time
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