Navigating Psilocybin Therapy for PTSD: Current Evidence and the Future of the Practice

Those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can feel like they’re pushing a heavy boulder up a steep mountain, only to have it roll back down before reaching the top every time.

Nightmares, flashbacks, and panic attacks may haunt those who have seen or experienced a traumatic event, shell-shocking them into intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings that linger long after the event has ended.

It can be difficult for people with PTSD to hold down a job, maintain relationships, make decisions, or even enjoy life.

It can feel like there is no escape — where avoiding emotional experiences seems like the only option.

In this article, we’ll explore how psychedelic therapy for PTSD works as well as the benefits of psilocybin for PTSD treatment. 

Can Psilocybin Therapy Treat PTSD?

Yes, emerging evidence has shown that psilocybin can be effective in treating PTSD.

Research indicates that psilocybin can:

• Alter functional connectivity by re-structuring pathways associated with depression
• Alleviate PTSD symptoms by suppressing the amygdala’s fearful response and promoting nerve growth through hippocampal neural connectivity 
• Decrease avoidance behavior and improve mindfulness-related capacities 

Alongside sessions of trauma-informed care, psilocybin administration may help those with PTSD handle challenging emotions and address the traumas that they have experienced by finding new perspectives on unhelpful or negative thoughts.

Clinical Cognitive Training is leading the way for Oregon in psilocybin treatment for PTSD. We provide in-depth psilocybin facilitator training through a hybrid program where you can become certified to support individuals through trauma-informed care.

Contact us to learn more about how you can become part of the revolution — the emerging space of psychedelics, helping to heal in a clinically focused, culturally respectful, and ethically responsible way.

How Does Psilocybin Therapy Treat PTSD?

Both psilocybin and psilocin are found in certain types of mushrooms, often referred to as “magic mushrooms”. In the human body, psilocybin converts into psilocin, which is responsible for the hallucinogenic effects associated with magic mushrooms.

Eating mushrooms that contain psilocybin can have a variety of effects, ranging from euphoria to hallucinations.

Studies show that psilocybin can boost connectivity between areas of the brain, altering the way neurons bind together and helping people with depression or PTSD break out of rigid, negative patterns of thinking.

Brain imaging studies have shown that psilocybin can induce changes in a network of cells and induce a state of plasticity, making it easier for people to rewire neuronal circuits and learn new things.

Psychedelic experiences can be especially effective for clients suffering from PTSD, as they may be more likely to embrace new connections and ways of thinking during their treatment.

Who Should Seek Psychedelic Therapy for PTSD?

When people cannot find relief from their PTSD symptoms even after trying other treatments such as antidepressants or talk therapy, it may be beneficial to seek psychedelic therapy.

What Are the Potential Benefits of Psilocybin Treatment for PTSD?

There are many potential benefits of psilocybin, including how quickly the benefits may start to kick in.

One study compared psilocybin with the use of escitalopram, an antidepressant or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) commonly prescribed for those with PTSD. The findings indicated that the psychedelic compound’s treatment effect tended to be faster and more pronounced than that of the SSRI. 

Enhanced Emotional Processing

Psilocybin can help people with PTSD access and process deeply ingrained emotions and traumatic memories and may facilitate a more profound understanding and integration of their experiences.

Research indicates that psilocybin for PTSD treatment may enhance emotional processing by:

• Reducing negative affect and increasing positive affect
• Raising resting state functional connectivity across brain networks
• Increasing the top-down control of emotional processes
• Increasing neural response to conflicting emotional information in decision-making circuits

Psilocybin may help with reprocessing trauma and perceiving experiences in more detail, lessening the associated psychological distress and associated triggers that are often accompanied by PTSD. 

Reduced Depression and Anxiety 

Feelings of anxiety and depression are often experienced by PTSD sufferers.

With growing research on mushrooms for anxiety and depression on the rise, many people experiencing PTSD symptoms are searching for natural, therapeutic paths to recovery and wellness.

On a cellular level, psilocybin can provide the ability to regrow and remodel connections in the brain.

Studies have found that psilocin may trigger intracellular 5HT2a receptor activation which increases branching of cortical neurons, expands the number of synapses, and creates a greater quantity of spines on dendrites. Thus, offering a rapid and sustained solution to the decreased dendritic spine density that is often associated with depression.

Research has shown that psilocybin can provide a rapid reduction in depressive symptoms as early as one day to one week after one dose, compared to traditional treatments with daily dosing of antidepressant drugs that generally require at least two weeks to take effect.

Increased Trust in the Therapeutic Process

Many PTSD sufferers having been involved in psychiatric care for a long time with multiple unsuccessful treatments can develop a lack of trust in both the mental healthcare system and treatment providers.

One study’s findings strongly suggest that the psychedelic experience directly enhances therapeutic alliance — a relationship between a therapist or facilitator and a client that is based on trust, respect, and a feeling of safety.

The use of psilocybin can strengthen emotional empathy as well as feelings of connectedness, trust, and openness. It can reduce neurological responses to social exclusion, which may cause stronger emotional breakthroughs in the first psilocybin session and establish better alliances before the second session. 

Altered Perspective 

Psilocybin use can lead to profound personal insights that can lead to shifts in perspective, helping those with PTSD view their trauma from a different angle.

This new perspective can be instrumental in reducing the emotional charge of traumatic memories and may encourage sustained positive changes such as:

• Increased self-compassion
• Purpose in life
• Connectedness with oneself, others, and the world

In one cohort study, participants were surveyed on personal meaning and spiritual significance after their psilocybin experience was administered under supportive conditions. 

Findings indicate that 67% of the participants rated their psychedelic experience as the most meaningful and spiritually significant event of their lives. Fourteen months after their experiences, about two-thirds of the participants still felt a persisting increased sense of well-being and life satisfaction.

Decreased Avoidance Behaviors 

A common symptom of PTSD is avoidance — any action designed to prevent an uncomfortable situation or emotion from occurring.

Although it is a common reaction to trauma, avoidance can become problematic when it’s a person’s primary coping strategy as it can greatly contribute to the development and continuation of PTSD.

Psilocybin-assisted therapy might help individuals confront and engage with these cues in a safe and controlled manner.

Research shows that psychedelic therapy may help to effectively facilitate engagement with traumatic memories by supporting fear extinction, and may promote:

• Motivation for acceptance
• Avoidance-free exposure
• Revision of avoidance-related beliefs

Improved Sleep

Insomnia and nightmares can contribute to diminished sleep quality and quantity for those suffering from PTSD.

Psilocybin may improve sleep for some.

The 5-HT2A receptor regulates mood and sleep. When psilocybin interacts with this neural serotonin receptor, it can induce a state of calmness, which can improve sleep quality.

The use of psilocybin can create a sharpened state of mindfulness and awareness that can promote relaxation and mental clarity, allowing for faster sleep initiation, longer sleep duration, and more deep sleep.

What Are the Potential Risks of Psilocybin Treatment for PTSD?

While psilocybin therapy is generally considered safe when administered under professional supervision, potential risks include:

• Temporary anxiety or discomfort during the experience
• Potential for exacerbation of certain mental health conditions
• Difficulty integrating the experience without proper support

The risk of negative experiences can be mitigated by choosing a center that prioritizes safety, consent, and knowledge for its clients.

Cognitive Clinical Training provides its facilitators with an in-depth and diverse educational toolkit designed to promote the safety, ethics, and responsibility of the psilocybin facilitator, including staying within the scope of practice.

Our Portland, Oregon psychedelic facilitator training program includes units covering:

• Trauma-informed care
• Vocabulary of psychedelics
• Historical and cultural significance of psychedelics
• Cultural and societal equity with psilocybin use
• Psilocybin pharmacology
• Neuroscience & current research
• Psilocybin dosing & delivery options
• Oregon's legal framework, regulations to the facilitator's scope of practice
• Administration
• Integration
• Group facilitation
• Managing the psilocybin client experience, including identifying and appropriately managing a negative experience

Cognitive Clinical Training: How You Can Change the Lives of PTSD Survivors as a Psychedelic Therapist

If you’re looking to make an impact by helping to support individuals who have experienced trauma, Cognitive Clinical Training offers the unique opportunity, education, and training for you to become a certified and licensed Oregon psilocybin services provider.

Facilitation of psilocybin for PTSD treatment is more than just assisting a good trip — it’s a life-changing role that embodies connection, cultivates cultural humility, and empowers others to heal by creating long-lasting and significant change.

Be the difference and learn more about our psychedelic facilitator training program.

Our advisors can talk with you about our application, answer any questions, and schedule a tour so you can see if becoming a psilocybin facilitator might be right for you.