Why does modern cancer care excel at extending survival while often struggling to address the existential suffering that defines so much of the cancer experience?

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Manish Agrawal, founder and CEO of Sunstone Therapies, the world's most active psychedelic research site. Before founding Sunstone in 2020, Dr. Agrawal spent nearly two decades as a practicing oncologist and holds advanced degrees in medicine, philosophy, clinical research, and bioethics.

Dr. Agrawal explores how modern medicine has been optimized to measure quantifiable outcomes—tumor size, survival rates, lab values—while systematically overlooking the psychological and existential dimensions of illness. He discusses why psychedelics represent a fundamentally different kind of medicine, one that addresses love, meaning, connection, and our relationship with mortality.

We examine critical open questions facing the field: which patients benefit from which psychedelic compounds, whether lower doses might produce more sustainable benefits, and how to provide safe access as these treatments move toward FDA approval. Despite overseeing several hundred psychedelic treatments, Dr. Agrawal demonstrates remarkable humility, acknowledging that he sometimes knows less now than when he started.

This podcast is brought to you by Healing Cancer Journeys, a non-profit organization providing education and community for people exploring psychedelic medicines in their cancer journeys. Visit us at www.healingcancerjourneys.org or follow us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Substack where our handle is 'healingcancerjourneys'.

Best-selling author Matt Zemon explores why cancer patients can access experimental cancer treatments but not psilocybin—despite research showing it's safer and more effective for depression and distress than many standard treatments. If we already accept the risks of radiation and chemo, why do we deny access to medicines that could ease the psychological suffering of cancer? This conversation examines the moral right to try and what it means for people living with cancer.

In this episode, I read my essay describing my experience with psychedelic medicines in my cancer journey. Let's journey together.