Psilocybin and the amygdala
Psilocybin is known for its therapeutic effects in people with depression and various anxiety disorders such as social anxiety and PTSD. Researchers believe this is because the substance helps to restore emotional responsiveness in the brain. The amygdala plays a role in this. The amygdala is a part of our brain that helps process emotional responses, including fear. Researchers have discovered that psilocybin increases activity in the right amygdala. This would mean that psilocybin temporarily makes individuals more sensitive to fears and positive emotions. In theory, experiencing fears more intensely is not helpful for individuals with anxiety disorders, but due to the way psilocybin works, the brain can find itself in a state of contentment. Because of this state of contentment, the heightened emotional experience can bring about greater emotional acceptance. Once people with anxiety disorders feel more content when experiencing mild anxiety, the anxiety can decrease to such an extent that extreme symptoms do not occur. The increase in emotional responsiveness can also lead to experiencing both the negative and positive elements of life.
Psilocybin for anxiety according to research
A great deal of research is currently being conducted into the effects of psilocybin on various anxiety disorders. Generally speaking, the success rates of psychedelic therapy are estimated at 70%, depending on the therapy, the substance and the severity of the symptoms. Below we provide a few examples for which the results are already known.
Social anxiety
There is evidence to suggest that psilocybin can have empathogenic and prosocial effects. In the event that social anxiety is caused by low self-esteem, psilocybin can make social interactions easier through greater self-acceptance and a lower degree of self-awareness.
PTSD
There is evidence that psilocybin promotes the growth of new neurons and synapses in the hippocampus, a brain region involved in forming memories. The increased neuroplasticity may help to reduce anxiety symptoms.
Existential dread
Due to the spiritual experiences, psilocybin can reduce existential anxiety symptoms and end-of-life anxiety. Psilocybin reduced patient-rated depressed mood, anxiety and fear of death. It also increased quality of life, meaning in life and optimism.
Sometimes more anxiety after a bad trip
Following some psilocybin trips, a small proportion of users experience more anxiety than before using psilocybin. These increased anxiety symptoms after a trip can have multiple causes. Individuals who report having had a bad trip often indicate over time that they nevertheless learned from the bad trip and that it was a difficult lesson. A small proportion are left with anxiety for several weeks to months afterwards.
Preventing a bad trip is important and the key points are fairly well known. Ensuring a safe environment with supervision already drastically reduces the chance of a bad trip. Furthermore, research shows that lowering glutamate in the hippocampus and increasing GABA reduces the chance of a bad trip even further. Good preparation is therefore important. Read more about bad trips and how GABA can help via the button below.
Alternatives that work better for anxiety disorders
Although the chance of negative after-effects during a psilocybin session with preparation and guidance is low, it can happen that anxiety symptoms may increase. We note that only a few clients per year experience an increase in anxiety symptoms rather than the intended improvement following a psilocybin session. This is mainly the case in individuals diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder. A few individuals with long Covid indicated that they had more anxiety than before the session. Although psilocybin can be beneficial for most people with these conditions, it is advisable to bear in mind that deterioration can sometimes also occur.
In our opinion, for the group of people with generalised anxiety disorder and severe PTSD symptoms, it is wise to consider whether an alternative is available. One of the alternatives we offer is an MDMA session. According to research, MDMA therapy for PTSD has proven to be very successful, with a success rate of around 70%. As an additional benefit, almost no side effects or extra anxiety symptoms are reported after the MDMA sessions. MDMA therapy therefore feels like a safer choice when dealing with severe anxiety symptoms. More information about MDMA as therapy:
Our advice and second opinion
At Triptherapie, we have already helped more than 2,000 people with various complaints such as depression, addiction and various anxiety disorders. We ask every client to complete the intake form so that we can screen for contra-indications. If we detect contra-indications, such as the use of medication or psychological conditions that are incompatible with psychedelics, we point this out. This is because it regularly happens that a psychedelic session would be irresponsible.
In the case of complex applications, we are sometimes unable to make a proper assessment of the safety of a session and we ask the client to contact their own doctor/psychiatrist. It is also advisable to request a second opinion from your own care specialist in the event of extremities. Would you like to have a psychedelic session with us? Then fill in the intake without obligation.