What the research shows, and where it stops
Every claim on this page links to its primary source, and every source is shown next to its limitation. Trial results describe what happened for a specific group of people in a specific setting. They are not a promise about what will happen for you.
You will not find cure language here. You will not find guarantees. If a study is small, early, or still enrolling, that is stated plainly rather than buried. This is the same standard I hold to in a consultation: real evidence, stated honestly, next to what it does not yet tell us.
Cancer diagnoses and end-of-life anxiety
A single high-dose, closely supervised psilocybin session produced large decreases in depression and anxiety among patients with a life-threatening cancer diagnosis, with effects that were sustained for many participants at six-month follow-up.
Limitation: Small single-site sample, all participants had a cancer diagnosis, dosing occurred in a controlled clinical setting with trained monitors present, and results do not generalize to unsupervised or recreational use.
A single guided psilocybin dose was associated with rapid and sustained relief from anxiety and depression in patients with advanced cancer.
Limitation: Small trial population limited to patients with advanced cancer, conducted under close clinical supervision, and not a study of psilocybin's safety alongside every medication or diagnosis.
Treatment-resistant depression
A single 25mg dose of COMP360 psilocybin, given with psychological support, was associated with a significantly greater reduction in depression scores at three weeks compared to 1mg and 10mg control doses, in adults with treatment-resistant depression.
Limitation: Benefit diminished over time for many participants by week twelve, some participants reported serious adverse events including suicidal ideation during the trial period, and the study population had already failed multiple standard antidepressant treatments, so results may not generalize to first-time treatment or to people on other concurrent medications.
In COMPASS Pathways' second Phase 3 trial, a single 25mg dose of COMP360 psilocybin, given with psychological support, produced significant reduction in depressive symptoms for adults with treatment-resistant depression. Reported topline data showed the effect was sustained through 26 weeks of follow-up, a notably longer durability window than most prior psilocybin trials have reported.
Limitation: This is sponsor-reported topline trial data from a single-dose protocol administered inside a controlled clinical trial with structured psychological support, not the independent facilitation model used in Oregon's licensed program. The study population was adults who had already failed multiple standard treatments, individual results vary widely, and durability figures describe trial averages, not a guarantee for any one person. The therapy is not yet FDA approved.
Veterans and PTSD
In a pilot study of veterans with severe PTSD, a notable majority of participants, roughly three in four, no longer met diagnostic criteria for PTSD after psilocybin-assisted treatment. Researchers described the result as one of the most substantial symptom reductions seen in this population to date.
Limitation: This was a small pilot study in a specific, self-selected population of veterans with severe PTSD, not a large randomized trial, and public reporting to date describes topline findings rather than full peer-reviewed replication. Individual results vary, trauma-informed facilitation and screening were part of the study protocol, and this finding does not indicate psilocybin resolves PTSD for everyone or without risk.
The VA has launched the PIVOT trial at VA Portland to study psilocybin-assisted therapy for veterans with treatment-resistant depression. The trial is enrolling and evaluating feasibility and safety within a federal research protocol; it represents a significant step toward government-backed research into psilocybin for this population.
Limitation: This trial is ongoing and has not yet reported outcome results. There is nothing here to cite as evidence of effectiveness at this time, only that a legitimate federal trial exists and is underway. Enrollment is limited by trial-specific exclusion criteria and waitlists, and any future results will apply to a defined VA research population, not automatically to private facilitation settings.
Oregon's regulated program
Real-world data from Oregon's licensed psilocybin service centers describes client demographics, concurrent psychiatric medication use, and reported outcomes during the early years of the state's regulated program.
Limitation: Naturalistic, non-randomized design with a self-selected population and no control group, so findings describe what happened, not proof that psilocybin caused any particular outcome.