![]() He compares his experience with psilocybin-assisted therapy to taking an antibiotic for strep throat. In the third, he envisioned scaling a mountain, a symbol of overcoming his unhealthy relationship with alcohol. In 2015, Jon Kostas of New York City signed up as one of the first participants after his mother told him about the trial.ĭuring the second session, he saw himself being cut with a sword, which he interpreted as killing his addiction. “It’s really in line with accumulating evidence that psilocybin and other psychedelics that work in a very similar way in the brain can be effective in treating different types of addiction,” said Matthew Johnson, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University, who wasn’t involved in the trial. Bogenschutz and his team specifically set out to test whether or not psilocybin, in addition to sessions of therapy, could cut cravings and help people with alcohol use disorder stay sober.Įarlier research from institutions around the world has indicated that psilocybin has the potential to treat a variety of addiction disorders, including alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder and addiction to smoking. ![]() The new research is part of a global movement exploring whether psychedelic-assisted therapy - including therapy using ketamine and psilocybin, the active component in magic mushrooms - can be a more effective alternative to addiction and mental health treatments. NYU Langone Health led the trial, which began recruiting in 2014, with researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of New Mexico. During sessions, the therapists encouraged participants to lie on a couch wearing eye masks and headphones. At the end of the trial, half of those who received psilocybin had quit drinking altogether, compared to about one-quarter of those who were given the antihistamine. More than 80% of those who were given the psychedelic treatment had drastically reduced their drinking eight months after the study started, compared to just over 50% in the antihistamine control group, according to results published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry. They all also participated in 12 psychotherapy sessions.Īll of the volunteers were averaging seven alcoholic drinks at a time before the trial. ![]() During the eight-month trial, 93 men and women ages 25 to 65 were chosen to receive either two psilocybin doses or antihistamine pills, which the researchers used as a placebo.
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