In October 2018, psilocybin was designated a “breakthrough therapy” by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment-resistant depression. It is currently undergoing clinical testing for eventual legal use for this condition. Major research institutes, including Johns Hopkins University, New York University, Harbor-UCLA School of Medicine, and the Heffter Research Institute, among others, have also conducted rigorous studies of classic hallucinogens, like psilocybin and LSD, for end of life depression and anxiety. In a major study by researchers at New York University, 29 patients with life-threatening cancer were given a single moderate dose of psilocybin with psychotherapy. Patients reported an immediate reduction in anxiety and depression, and 60-80% of patients reported sustained improvement at 6 months. At follow-up, 70% of patients reported the psilocybin session was among the top five most personally meaningful experiences of their lives.

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Johns Hopkins School of Medicine conducted a similar study, administering 51 patients a single high dose psilocybin session with therapeutic support. Patients again reported large and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety, as well as increased optimism, death acceptance, and life meaning. Researchers link these therapeutic improvements to the mystical-type experience that psilocybin can produce. In interviews with study participants, patients shared experiences of coming to new understandings of death and dying, a sense of interconnectedness or unity with all things, and reconnecting with a sense of aliveness and belonging. The most common adverse effects reported in these studies were headache, nausea, transient anxiety, and elevated blood pressure and heart rate. All adverse effects were described as tolerable and no signs of serious harm or addiction were observed.

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Psilocybin is under clinical investigation for its efficacy in treating depression, treatment-resistant depression, end of life distress, obsessive compulsive disorder, cluster headaches, and various addictions. Anecdotal evidence suggests psilocybin may be useful for a range of chronic mental health and physical health conditions, at both macro and micro doses, but much research remains to be done to definitively speak to its full range of potential applications. At An Enduring Love, we believe psilocybin has potential to be useful for people who are in patterns of stuckness, depression, disconnection, or spiritually in search for something greater.