Education / Research

Can Psychedelics Help With PTSD? What the Studies Say

Last reviewed

PTSD is one of the conditions people most often ask about, and the research is earlier than the headlines suggest. The best-studied psychedelic for PTSD is MDMA, which is not a mushroom. For psilocybin, the evidence so far is a small pilot.

This page goes through what has been published, what is still being tested, and what that means. Every study links to its source so you can read it yourself.

What the studies found

Small or open-label trials

Veterans: a small open-label pilot

Twelve US military veterans with severe, treatment-resistant PTSD finished an open-label pilot of two supported psilocybin sessions. A month after the second session, clinician-rated PTSD symptoms had dropped by an average of 27.5 points, and nine of the twelve met the criteria for both response and remission. No serious adverse events occurred. Headache, anxiety, and dizziness were the common non-serious effects, and the authors report no increase in suicidal thoughts or behavior.

Worth knowing

Twelve people, no control group, and one month of follow-up. Of 668 people who completed an online screener, only 13 enrolled, so this is a very carefully selected group, and about a quarter reported some passive suicidal thoughts at the one-month check, though the authors report no increase over the trial. Open-label pilots tend to show bigger effects than controlled trials.

Randomized trials

MDMA-assisted therapy: a phase 3 trial, and a rejection

In a randomized, double-blind phase 3 trial, 90 people with severe PTSD received therapy with either MDMA or an inactive placebo, alongside preparation and integration sessions. The MDMA group had a significantly larger drop in PTSD symptoms. The authors report that MDMA did not cause adverse events related to abuse potential, suicidality, or heart-rhythm changes, although events of interest involving suicidality were recorded in both groups.

Worth knowing

This was MDMA, not psilocybin or mushrooms, so it does not show the same result for them. Blinding was hard, and the authors say expectation may have played a role. The US FDA declined to approve MDMA-assisted therapy in August 2024 and asked for another phase 3 trial, citing insufficient data and problems with how the trials were run.

Trials underway

PTSD with alcohol use disorder

A registered randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial is testing psilocybin with psychological support in veterans and first responders who have both PTSD and alcohol use disorder, with about 40 people planned.

Worth knowing

No published results found.

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06853912 →

What about microdosing for PTSD?

We have not found a controlled study of microdosing for PTSD. What exists is personal accounts, which are worth listening to but cannot tell us what caused what. Our page on what the microdosing studies found covers the controlled research that does exist, which was mostly in healthy volunteers or people who chose to microdose.

What to keep in mind

Everyone in these studies was screened by clinicians, prepared, and supported by trained therapists through each session. For people living with trauma, that support is a large part of what is being tested, and a difficult experience without it can be harder, not easier.

The MDMA trials also show how hard this research is. The FDA decision rested partly on how the trials were run, which is a reminder that exciting early results need careful, independent confirmation.

If you live with PTSD

This page describes research. It is not medical advice, and it is not a substitute for care. Effective treatments for PTSD exist, and a doctor or therapist can help you find one. Please do not stop or change a prescription on your own.

If you are thinking about harming yourself or are in crisis, call or text 988 in the US to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, any time.

Veterans can reach the Veterans Crisis Line by calling 988 and pressing 1.

Keep reading

This page is for adults 21 and older. It summarizes published research for education only. It is not medical or legal advice, and it makes no claim that any product sold by Luna treats, cures, prevents, or helps any condition. Laws about these mushrooms vary by place, and you are responsible for knowing yours.

Research moves quickly. We last checked this page against its sources on , and we will correct it if we get something wrong.