Then (1963), Moksha: Letters of Huxley & Osmond
LSD Assisted Dying: Huxley's Death
Huxley requested LSD for his death from laryngeal cancer, and Laura administered it as he lost consciousness. His death was described by attending nurses as unusually serene. He had long argued that psychedelics could ease the transition of death.
confirmed
Psilocybin for end-of-life anxiety is now the most replicated finding in psychedelic medicine. A 2016 double-blind study at Johns Hopkins (Griffiths et al.) found that a single psilocybin session reduced end-of-life anxiety and depression in cancer patients with effects persisting six months. A 2016 NYU study produced similar results. A 2023 meta-analysis confirmed the effect size. As of 2025, a psilocybin developer is running Phase 3 trials for psilocybin in treatment-resistant depression, and LSD-assisted therapy for anxiety is in Phase 2 at several European sites. Huxley's intuition has become a robust clinical program.
Sources
- Griffiths et al., J. Psychopharmacol. (2016)
- Ross et al., J. Psychopharmacol. (2016)
- Huxley, personal request to Laura Huxley (November 1963)