Rebuttal to “Questioning the recovery of dissociated traumatic memories under psilocybin”
Stéphanie Knatz Peck, Timothy D Brewerton
Journal of Eating Disorders February 17, 2026 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-026-01532-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2 |
| Population | Research participants in psilocybin treatment |
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Rebuttal Traumatic memories Hypnosis Psychotherapist Psychoanalysis Distress Psychological trauma False memory |
| Key findings | Spontaneously recovered traumatic memories of sexual assaults emerged during psilocybin treatment, and the authors argue for the appropriateness of labeling these as dissociated traumatic memories. |
Abstract
In our original case report we provide detailed accounts of two research participants who reported the emergence of spontaneously recovered, previously forgotten traumatic memories of sexual assaults during psilocybin treatment. In their commentary of this article, Kangaslampi et al. argue that we preemptively label the experiences as dissociated traumatic memories in the absence of corroborating evidence and consideration of alternative explanations. Here we further address potential therapeutic effects associated with the classification of experiences and provide a rebuttal to the authors' criticisms on our chosen nomenclature.