Magic mushroom compound could ease chronic PTSD in new trial
NCT ID NCT06386003
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a single dose of psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) combined with intensive therapy can help people with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Fifteen adults with moderate to severe PTSD will receive the treatment over a week. The goal is to see if the approach is safe, tolerable, and reduces PTSD symptoms.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- psilocybin
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new treatment option for people with chronic PTSD who haven't responded to standard therapies.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-phase trial with only 15 people, so results may not apply to everyone. It's also open-label, meaning both participants and researchers know the treatment, which can bias results.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 15 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jun 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-5th edition (DSM-5) criteria for current PTSD with a duration of 6 months or longer assessed by study psychiatrist; 2. Have a Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) score of 50 or higher, indicating moderate to severe PTSD symptoms; 3. Are willing to refrain from taking any psychiatric medications during the study period. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Are pregnant or nursing, or are women of child bearing potential who are not practicing an effective means of birth control; 2. Have a history of or a current primary diagnosis of psychotic disorder, schizophrenia, delusional disorder, borderline personality disorder, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder or, dissociative identity disorder; 3. Have evidence or history of coronary artery disease or cerebral or peripheral vascular disease, hepatic disease with abnormal liver enzymes, or any other medical disorder judged by the investigator to significantly increase the risk of psilocybin administration; 4. Have hypertension using the standard criteria of the American Heart Association (values of 140/90 or higher assessed on three separate occasions; 5. History of seizure disorder; 6. Uncontrolled insulin-dependent diabetes; 7. Recent stroke, intracranial or subarachnoid hemorrhage (\< 1 year from signing of informed consent form \[ICF\]), recent myocardial infarction (\< 1 year from signing of ICF), clinically significant arrhythmia (\< 1 year from signing of ICF); 8. Have liver disease with the exception of asymptomatic subjects with Hepatitis C who have previously undergone evaluation and successful treatment; 9. Lifetime history of substance-induced psychosis; 10. Lifetime history of substance use disorder with a hallucinogen; 11. History of alcohol use disorder in the past 3 months.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto
RECRUITINGToronto, Ontario, M5S 1A1, Canada
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- Can MDMA plus therapy help veterans fight both PTSD and alcohol addiction?
- Can a personalized mix of nerve stimulation and therapy rewire the brain for better mental health?