Psilocybin and depression: what does the research say?

There has been a great deal of attention for psilocybin and depression in recent years. Universities around the world are studying the effects, and the first results are promising. But what do we actually know, what does it mean for you, and what can you and cannot you expect from it?

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring compound in certain mushrooms and truffles. After you take it, your body converts it into psilocin, which temporarily affects how your brain works. The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) describes psilocybin as non-addictive, with a relatively low risk profile. We work with psilocybin truffles, which are legally available in the Netherlands.

Research from Johns Hopkins University and Imperial College London, among others, points to possible positive effects of psilocybin on depression, anxiety and breaking through entrenched patterns of thinking. In controlled studies, participants often report more emotional openness, new perspectives and a reduction in symptoms, sometimes after one or a few sessions.

At the same time it is worth staying level-headed: many studies are still relatively small and the research is very much in development. Results from studies are no guarantee of an individual result.

Researchers think psilocybin temporarily makes the connections between brain regions more flexible. In depression, someone is often stuck in rigid, negative patterns of thinking. The experience can open a kind of window in which new perspectives and emotions become accessible, and in which, with the right guidance, you can look at yourself and your situation differently.

That guidance and the processing afterwards are crucial. Without good integration, insights fade quickly; there is more about that in Integration after a psilocybin ceremony.

At Mental Health Temple we offer professionally guided psilocybin ceremonies, not medical treatment. Our guidance sits alongside existing care, not in place of it. Are you on medication such as antidepressants, or under treatment? Then always discuss taking part with your doctor or your practitioner first, and raise it at the intake.

You can take part from the age of 18 and everyone is screened beforehand. A ceremony is not suitable with, for instance, psychosis in your history, during pregnancy, or with certain medication. During the intake, which is in English, we look carefully at what is responsible.

Would you like to know whether a ceremony could be something for you? Read how a day runs in What to expect from a psilocybin ceremony, or get in touch for a conversation with no obligation.

Read also:

• What to expect from a psilocybin ceremony
• Truffle ceremony in the Netherlands: how a psilocybin ceremony works