Episode 13 Dying with Dignity: Psychedelics, End-of-Life Care & The Need for Connection with Cheryl Adcox

"Dying with Dignity: Psychedelics, End-of-Life Care & The Need for Connection with Cheryl Adcox" Description: In this heart-opening episode, Dr. Howard Lipp and Ena Vie are joined by Cheryl Adcox—a nurse, hospice practitioner, and death doula—to explore the deeply personal and systemic aspects of death and dying. Together, they delve into how psychedelics can offer healing, connection, and insight during the end-of-life process. Cheryl shares her journey through oncology and hospice work, the moral dilemmas she faced in the medical system, and how plant medicine radically transformed her capacity to be present with suffering and offer true compassionate care. This conversation touches on death with dignity, our culture’s avoidance of dying, the impact of dementia and Alzheimer’s, the broken medical system, and the urgent need for human connection and community care as we age. The episode closes with a beautiful poem by John O'Donohue and an invitation to begin new conversations around death, life, and love. Topics Covered: Cheryl’s path from oncology nurse to death doula Why the medical system fails the dying How psychedelics support emotional and spiritual healing End-of-life decision-making and the illusion of free will Death with dignity, legal and ethical dilemmas The power of presence, breath, and connection Multi-generational care circles and community-based support Personal stories of aging, Alzheimer’s, and spiritual insight The importance of talking about death before it’s too late Guest Bio: Cheryl Adcox is a nurse and end-of-life doula who has devoted her life to helping people die with dignity. With years of experience in oncology and hospice, she brings both medical expertise and deep emotional insight to her work. Her journey with psychedelics has profoundly shaped how she accompanies others at the threshold of death.

Resources Mentioned: John O'Donohue’s poem: “Beannacht”

https://tiipc.com – The Integration Institute of Psychedelics and Consciousness