Psilocybin for Trauma-Related Disorders.
Amanda J Khan, Ellen Bradley, Aoife O'Donovan, Joshua Woolley
Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences 2022 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2022_366 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Open-label Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) psilocybin classic psychedelics |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Posttraumtic stress disorder Psychedelics Trauma Treatment |
| Key findings | The authors argue that converging evidence supports further investigation of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy as a novel PTSD treatment. They note no study has yet tested psilocybin or PAP for PTSD, but an open-label study in traumatized AIDS survivors found PAP reduced PTSD symptoms, attachment anxiety, and demoralization, and other PAP trials show preliminary improvements in depression, anxiety, emotional avoidance, and self-compassion. They caution that the literature is small, mechanisms are not well understood, and risks need further study. |
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating, chronic disorder and efficacy rates of current PTSD treatments are underwhelming. There is a critical need for innovative approaches. We provide an overview of trauma and PTSD and cite literature providing converging evidence of the therapeutic potential of psilocybin for PTSD. No study to date has investigated psilocybin or psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) as treatments for PTSD. An open-label study in traumatized AIDS survivors found that PAP reduced PTSD symptoms, attachment anxiety, and demoralization. Several PAP trials show preliminary efficacy in facilitating confronting traumatic memories, decreasing emotional avoidance, depression, anxiety, pessimism, and disconnection from others, and increasing acceptance, self-compassion, and forgiveness of abusers, all of which are relevant to PTSD recovery. There is also early evidence that other classic psychedelics may produce large reductions in PTSD symptoms in combat veterans. However, this body of literature is small, mechanisms are not yet well understood, and the risks of using psychedelic compounds for trauma-related disorders need further study. In sum, evidence supports further investigation of PAP as a radically new approach for treating PTSD.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. General population | 2019 | Integrative review | |
| The pharmacology of psilocybin | 2002 | Review | |
| Serotonin research: contributions to understanding psychoses | 2008 | Review | |
| Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness | 2018 | Review | |
| The abuse potential of medical psilocybin according to the 8 factors of the Controlled Substances Act | 2018 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 41
- The Psychedelic Future of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Current Neuropharmacology January 5, 2024
- Psilocybin facilitates fear extinction in mice by promoting hippocampal neuroplasticity. Chinese medical journal December 20, 2023
- Investigation of self-treatment with lysergic acid diethylamide and psilocybin mushrooms: Findings from the Global Drug Survey 2020 Journal of Psychopharmacology March 6, 2023
- Reconsidering evidence for psychedelic-induced psychosis: an overview of reviews, a systematic review, and meta-analysis of human studies. Molecular Psychiatry March 1, 2025
- Psilocybin Facilitates Fear Extinction: Importance of Dose, Context, and Serotonin Receptors ACS Chemical Neuroscience August 1, 2024
and 36 more in the library
Cites 54
- Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 23, 2012
- Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity Cell Reports June 1, 2018
- Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: six-month follow-up. Psychopharmacology November 8, 2017
- Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: a randomized placebo-controlled trial Psychological Medicine June 15, 2018
- Quality of Acute Psychedelic Experience Predicts Therapeutic Efficacy of Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression Frontiers in Pharmacology January 17, 2018
and 49 more in the library