Moderating factors in psilocybin-assisted treatment affecting mood and personality: A naturalistic, open-label investigation

Abstract Rationale Psychedelic-assisted therapy is increasingly applied within mental health treatment.

Objectives: This study focused on factors moderating changes in the acute and long-term effects of an individual psilocybin-assisted program on depression, anxiety, PTSD and personality structures by including demographic factors, subjective experience and degree of mystical type experiences during the dosing, as well as emotional breakthrough and personal growth after the program.

Methods: At baseline, 1 week and 3 months after the psilocybin program participants completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and NEO Five-Factor Inventory-3 (NEO-FFI-3). In addition, after the dosing the Mystical Experiences Questionnaire (MEQ-30), Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) and Emotional Breakthrough Inventory (EBI) were administered. Moderation effects were established using linear mixed-model analysis.

Results: A single high dose of psilocybin in combination with therapy was found to lower symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD and neuroticism over a period of 3-months. Scores on openness and conscientiousness increased after the treatment only. Participants reported mystical type experiences, emotional breakthrough and personal growth. These subjective experiences together with demographic factors were moderating the observed positive changes.

Conclusions: Findings indicate that individual psilocybin-assisted therapy has the potential for beneficial effects on mood and personality characteristics. Moreover, the study highlights the importance of subjective experiences and demographic factors in moderating this effect. This study adds to the ongoing research on psilocybin-assisted therapy by investigating contributing factors for optimizing this evolving type of therapy.