Psilocybin studies link treatment to lasting shifts in values and fear of death

A single dose of psilocybin can lead to lasting shifts in a person’s life values, such as an increased appreciation for life and greater self-acceptance. Studies have shown that psilocybin, the active ingredient in so-called “magic mushrooms,” can help patients face their fear of death, while other studies found psychedelics relieved depression, anxiety, and helplessness in cancer patients, who reported that they still felt those benefits more than four years after a single treatment.

Researchers have conducted early clinical trials to test whether this chemical can help treat mental health conditions. Some trials have explored its use for major depressive disorder, anxiety associated with advanced cancers, and alcohol use disorder. Early trial results indicate that the drug might facilitate changes in beliefs and subjective well-being.

An academic team conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in eighty-nine healthy adult participants who had no current or past psychiatric disorders. Each participant was assigned to receive either twenty-five milligrams of psilocybin, ten milligrams of psilocybin, or an inactive placebo, and the study drug was given in identical capsules to prevent participants from knowing which dose they received.

Participants took the capsules in a controlled, supervised clinical setting. A trained therapist and a chaperone monitored each person for several hours while the drug took effect, and the team evaluated the volunteers at day eight and day eighty-five after the dosing session.

The study results revealed that psilocybin did not alter basic personality traits or psychiatric symptoms in this specific group. The researchers did observe distinct shifts in personal values among those who received either dose of the active drug compared to the placebo group. Participants reported an increased appreciation for life and higher levels of self-acceptance. They also demonstrated a stronger quest for meaning and an elevated concern for others.

These lasting changes appear to be driven by specific acute effects of the drug, particularly feelings of profound unity and euphoria. People who report feelings of spiritual connection or a sense of ego dissolution often show the greatest long-term psychological changes.

A terminal diagnosis often comes with the anticipation of pain, suffering, financial strain, and their own death. In a 2022 study of more than 3,000 adults, researchers found that taking the drug in a therapeutic setting made participants less scared to die, much like a near-death experience can ease the fear of death.

In clinical trials in very ill patients, participants received the intervention in three phases: preparation therapy, an eight-hour dosing session, and an integration session. During the eight-hour dosing session, patients lay on a couch in a quiet, comfortable room, wearing eye shades and listening to an agreed-upon playlist of music, while two therapists sat close by, mostly silent except for periodic check-ins and in case the patient needed assistance.

Some older patients might experience an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, while others have experienced anxiety and paranoia. Significant barriers remain, including federal classification of psychedelics as a Schedule I drug, though some states have decriminalized them for therapeutic use.