Cancer & serious illness
Care for everything the diagnosis touches
Your oncology team treats the disease. We treat the anxiety, the depression, the pain, and the existential weight that come with it, for you and for the people carrying you. Palliative care is not only for the end. It works best when it starts early.
- From diagnosis
- not only at the end of treatment
- Alongside oncology
- coordinated with your existing team
- Caregivers too
- the people caring for you can be seen here
01What palliative care actually is
Not the end of treatment A layer alongside it
Palliative care is specialised support for the symptoms and stress of serious illness, given at the same time as treatment aimed at curing it. The most persistent misunderstanding about it is that accepting palliative care means giving up. It does not, and the evidence points the other way: early palliative care alongside standard oncology care is associated with better quality of life and mood.
Mystic Health was founded by a palliative care physician, which is why this is not a bolt-on service here. The standard of attention that palliative medicine developed for the end of life turns out to be what people want at every hard point in an illness, and we think you deserve it much earlier than it is usually offered.
That includes the people around you. Caregivers carry a documented burden of depression, anxiety, and anticipatory grief, and are the least likely people in the room to seek care for it. They can be seen here in their own right.
Palliative care is specialised support for the symptoms and stress of serious illness, given at the same time as treatment aimed at curing it. The most persistent misunderstanding about it is that accepting palliative care means giving up. It does not, and the evidence points the other way: early palliative care alongside standard oncology care is associated with better quality of life and mood.
Mystic Health was founded by a palliative care physician, which is why this is not a bolt-on service here. The standard of attention that palliative medicine developed for the end of life turns out to be what people want at every hard point in an illness, and we think you deserve it much earlier than it is usually offered.
That includes the people around you. Caregivers carry a documented burden of depression, anxiety, and anticipatory grief, and are the least likely people in the room to seek care for it. They can be seen here in their own right.
02What we offer
The routes open to you, in the order we would suggest them
Which of these is right depends on your history and what you have already tried. That is decided in a consultation with a physician.
- 01Palliative care consultationSymptom management, total pain, and the conversations that are hard to have anywhere else. Comfort, dignity, and quality of life, at any stage.
- 02Psycho-oncology & psychotherapyTherapy for the anxiety, depression, and existential distress that accompany a diagnosis, with clinicians who work in this setting routinely.
- 03Ketamine-assisted psychotherapyFor depression, anxiety, and existential distress in serious illness, where clinically appropriate and coordinated with your oncology team.
- 04Integrative medicineAcupuncture and integrative support for treatment side effects, sleep, and nervous-system regulation, alongside your oncology care.
The level of attention most people only receive at the very end. We think you deserve it much sooner.
03Who this is for
Where this helps, and where it does not
Yes
Often a good fit
- Anxiety or depression tied to a diagnosis, at any stage
- Existential distress, demoralisation, or fear of what is coming
- Pain and symptoms that are not fully controlled by current care
- Caregivers and family carrying anticipatory grief
- Anyone who wants these conversations to happen with someone trained for them
No
Not the right tool
- We do not provide oncology treatment. Your cancer care stays with your oncologist
- We are not a hospice provider, though we work alongside hospice teams
- We do not offer psilocybin. The research in this area is promising and it is not an available treatment
- Emergencies. Acute symptom crises need your oncology team or an emergency department
We work alongside your oncology team, and with your consent we send clinical summaries back to them so nothing gets lost between services.
04Common questions
Does palliative care mean I am giving up?
No. This is the most common misunderstanding and it keeps people from care that would help them. Palliative care is given alongside treatment aimed at curing or controlling the disease, often from the point of diagnosis. Accepting it does not change your treatment plan and it is not a statement about prognosis.
Do you offer psilocybin for existential distress?
No. There is a genuinely promising body of research on psilocybin for depression and existential distress in advanced cancer, and we follow it closely, but it is not an FDA-approved treatment and we do not provide it. Our clinical evidence page includes that research, clearly labelled as investigational.
Can my family be seen too?
Yes. Caregivers carry a well-documented burden of depression, anxiety, and anticipatory grief, and they are consistently the least likely people to seek help for it. They can be seen here in their own right, whether or not you are a patient with us.
Will you talk to my oncologist?
With your consent, yes, and we prefer to. We send clinical summaries to your oncology team so that what happens here is visible to the people managing your treatment. We do not modify your oncology care.