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Science and Research

What the research says.

This work is grounded in ceremonial tradition and backed by a growing body of clinical research. Below, studies organized by the outcomes people most often come here seeking.

Essential study links Latest publications Research by outcome News
01 · Essential study links
OHSU & OPEN Study · JAMA Network Open · Aug 2026

Safety and mental health outcomes of Oregon state-regulated psilocybin services

Korthuis PT, et al. Oregon Health & Science University Read the study →

The first multisite study of Oregon's legal psilocybin program, and the largest study of psychedelics outside clinical trials. 346 clients working with licensed facilitators at 24 Oregon service centers reported their outcomes at one week, one month and three months.

91.5%felt they benefited at one month
64.9%ranked it among the 10 most meaningful experiences of their life

At three months, participants reported fewer moderate-to-severe symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD. Amy is an official facilitator in the OPEN Study.

02 · Latest publications

New in 2026

Depression
Rucker JJ, et al. · Nature Medicine · Aug 2026 Psilocybin-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant depression in a public healthcare setting (PsiDeR) The first publicly funded UK trial. In 60 people with treatment-resistant depression, a single 25 mg dose outperformed placebo inside the NHS. Read → Mertens LJ, et al. · JAMA Psychiatry · May 2026 Efficacy and safety of psilocybin in treatment-resistant major depression (EPISODE) A triple-blinded, active placebo-controlled phase 2b trial testing two 25 mg doses given with psychotherapy, six weeks apart. Read → Jungwirth J, et al. · The Lancet Regional Health · Jun 2026 Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression in routine clinical practice One of the first real-world studies outside a trial setting, showing meaningful improvement in complex, hard-to-treat depression. Read → Compass Pathways · 2026 COMP360 psilocybin meets primary endpoint in a second phase 3 trial Both phase 3 trials of COMP360 in treatment-resistant depression reported significant improvement, with no new safety concerns. Read →
03 · Research by outcome

The evidence, by what people come here seeking

01

Depression and anxiety

Across multiple controlled clinical trials, psilocybin given in a structured setting with psychological support has produced rapid reductions in depressive symptoms for people with major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression, with benefits often emerging within days and lasting for months. In a head-to-head trial against the antidepressant escitalopram, several measures favored psilocybin. Careful screening, preparation, and post-session integration are consistent features of the research protocols that produced these results, which is exactly the structure this practice is built on.

1Davis AK, et al. "Psilocybin-assisted therapy for major depressive disorder." JAMA Psychiatry, 2021 2Raison CL, et al. "Single-dose psilocybin for major depressive disorder." JAMA, 2023 3Goodwin GM, et al. "Single-dose psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression." New England Journal of Medicine, 2022 4Carhart-Harris R, et al. "Psilocybin versus escitalopram for depression." New England Journal of Medicine, 2021 5Gukasyan N, et al. "Efficacy and safety of psilocybin-assisted treatment for major depressive disorder: Prospective 12-month follow-up." Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2022 6Carhart-Harris RL, et al. "Six-month follow-up in treatment-resistant depression." Psychopharmacology, 2018 7Haikazian S, et al. "Systematic review and meta-analysis of psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression." Psychiatry Research, 2023 8Li LJ, et al. "Systematic review of randomized trials in major depressive disorder." 2024 9Aghajanian S, et al. "Updated meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials." 2024/2025 10Griffiths RR, et al. "Psilocybin for depression and anxiety in people with life-threatening cancer." Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2016
02

Smoking cessation

A randomized trial from Johns Hopkins compared a single high dose of psilocybin paired with cognitive behavioral therapy against the nicotine patch, both alongside the same CBT program, in adults who had made a median of six previous quit attempts. Participants who received psilocybin had more than six times greater odds of staying smoke-free six months later. These results build on earlier work from the same research group showing similarly high abstinence rates.

03

Alcohol use and recovery

A double-blind randomized clinical trial from NYU and academic partners found that two sessions of high-dose psilocybin, alongside 12 weeks of psychotherapy, significantly reduced heavy drinking days in adults with alcohol use disorder compared to an active placebo. More than 80 percent of participants who received psilocybin showed drastically reduced drinking eight months after the study began. Across trials, a deeper, more meaningful experience during the session was linked to greater therapeutic change, a reminder of why preparation and integration are treated as integral to the work.

04

Substance use disorders

Beyond alcohol and nicotine, psilocybin is being studied for other substance use disorders. A JAMA Network Open study examined psilocybin in the treatment of cocaine use disorder, extending a growing body of research into whether the same mechanisms that help with alcohol and tobacco dependence reach other substances. Larger trials are now underway.

05

Chronic pain management

Clinical research suggests psilocybin may have a role in treating primary headache disorders, including cluster headache, migraine, and short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks. In a study of chronic cluster headache, a moderate dose of psilocybin given three times reduced attack frequency, with effects tied to measurable changes in brain connectivity. A follow-up study found a psilocybin pulse regimen cut cluster attack frequency by roughly 50 percent, with effects sustained over eight weeks. Trials in migraine prevention are also reporting reductions in attack frequency.

06

End of life distress and existential anxiety

Some of the earliest and most influential modern psilocybin research focused specifically on end of life distress. A landmark randomized, double-blind, crossover trial from Johns Hopkins gave 51 patients with life-threatening cancer diagnoses either a very low or a high dose of psilocybin, five weeks apart. High-dose psilocybin produced large decreases in clinician- and self-rated depression and anxiety, alongside increases in quality of life, meaning, and optimism, and decreases in death anxiety. At six-month follow-up, roughly 80 percent of participants continued to show clinically significant improvement, and 70 percent rated the experience among the top five most personally meaningful of their entire lives. This body of work forms the clinical foundation for the end of life care offered through this practice.

07

PTSD, veterans and first responders

The first US clinical trial of psilocybin-assisted therapy in veterans with severe, treatment-resistant PTSD found that symptoms dropped substantially, with 75 percent of participants in remission one month after the study ended, no longer meeting diagnostic criteria for PTSD. The protocol was safe, with no serious adverse events and no increase in suicidal thinking or behavior. A larger controlled trial is now being pursued, the VA has launched its own psilocybin trial, PIVOT, for veterans with treatment-resistant depression with and without PTSD, and Oregon Health & Science University is leading clinical work on psilocybin through the VA Portland Health Care System.

04 · News

Latest news & research

Regulatory & policy
Real-world study of Oregon's nonmedical psilocybin program shows promise NPR · Aug 19, 2026
Balancing safety and access in Oregon's psilocybin services ScienceDirect · Jun 13, 2026
Inaugural year of regulated psilocybin services in Oregon: safety, motivations, and utilization Frontiers in Psychiatry · May 13, 2026
Ethical complexities and best practices in informed consent processes for psilocybin services Springer · Apr 28, 2026
Clinical research & emerging science
A woman with Alzheimer's spoke in full sentences after taking psilocybin Vice · Jun 21, 2026
UNM researchers to study the use of psilocybin in group therapy treatment for PTSD UNM Health Sciences · Jun 15, 2026
Tripping into old age: can psychedelics protect the aging brain? UC Berkeley · Jun 8, 2026
Former athletes use magic mushrooms to help treat traumatic brain injuries ABC News · Jun 8, 2026
Plasticity study launches to explore psilocybin and healthy aging UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics · Jun 8, 2026
Long-term efficacy of psilocybin in treatment-resistant depression Karger · May 27, 2026
UC Berkeley psychedelics survey results UC Berkeley · May 11, 2026
Psilocybin in the treatment of cocaine use disorder JAMA Network Open · May 6, 2026

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