In Memoriam: Kay Parley, RPN

(Registered Psychiatric Nurse, Canada)

Mar 19, 1923 - May 22, 2025

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Canadian Psychedelic Nursing Pioneer, who worked with Humphrey Osmond, treating patients with LSD in the 1950's and 1960’s. 

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Kay Parley, a Canadian nurse who “sat LSD” with patients at Weyburn Hospital in Saskatchewan, Canada, died at 102 years of age after a brief illness.  She described her experiences in a paper in the American Journal of Nursing in 1964 entitled Supporting the Patient on LSD Day and later described her own challenges with mental illness in her memoir (published at age 93) Inside the Mental. She was the subject of an interview with OPENurses in February 2024 that is being turned into a brief documentary. You can read more about Kay here and make a donation help to bring this project to fruition.