[Opgelost] Succes rate psilocybin mushroom therapy - anxiety and social phobia

Recent studies suggest that psilocybin – a serotonergic psychedelic – can markedly reduce anxiety symptoms in adults, especially when combined with psychotherapy. In controlled trials of cancer-related anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), single or double doses of psilocybin have produced large, sustained reductions in anxiety scores, often lasting 3–6+ months. For example, in a landmark RCT of psilocybin versus very low-dose placebo in cancer patients with life-threatening illness, high-dose psilocybin produced “large decreases” in both clinician- and self-rated anxiety. At the 6‑month follow-up, about 80% of participants maintained clinically significant improvements in anxiety. Similarly, a 2011 controlled trial by Grob et al. found that two sessions of 0.2 mg/kg psilocybin significantly reduced trait anxiety scores; the decrease was sustained through 6 months and was statistically significant at 1 and 3 months. In all these studies, psilocybin was given in a supervised clinical setting with psychological support (no trial has tested pure drug versus drug-free therapy). Thus, current evidence refers to psilocybin-assisted therapy.

Key findings from clinical research include:

1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) (new trials): In a 2024 Phase 2 trial (PsiGAD1), adults with GAD received a single 25 mg psilocybin dose in a therapeutic setting. By week 11, the psilocybin group’s mean HAM-A anxiety score had fallen by 12.8 points (from 29.5 to 16.8), versus a 3.6‑point drop in the placebo group (p<0.0001). Notably, 44% of psilocybin-treated patients met a “response” threshold (≥50% HAM‑A reduction) and 27% achieved full remission of GAD symptoms – rates roughly 4–5 times higher than psychotherapy-with-placebo. This is the first published trial of psilocybin in primary GAD; its large effect size and high responder rate far exceed typical outcomes of standard anxiolytics.

2. Cancer-related Anxiety/Depression: Multiple RCTs in patients facing terminal cancer or advanced illness show rapid and lasting anxiety relief. For example, Ross et al. (2016) and Griffiths et al. (2016) each found that high-dose psilocybin (22–30 mg/70 kg) produced dramatic, clinically meaningful anxiety reductions within 1 week that persisted 6 months or more. In Griffiths et al.’s RCT (N=51), ~80% of patients continued to show significant anxiety improvements at 6 months. Grob et al. (2011) similarly found sustained trait-anxiety decreases after two psilocybin sessions (0.2 mg/kg) in a small mixed sample (cancer/anxiety).

3. Naturalistic Case Series: Early observational reports echo trial findings. A 2024 Canadian study followed 8 patients who obtained legal psilocybin therapy for life-threatening illness. These patients (majority with anxiety or other distress) reported statistically significant anxiety relief: average GAD-7 scores dropped by over 50% from baseline (p<0.05). All eight showed notable symptom reductions, and overall anxiety/depression ratings fell sharply after treatment. While uncontrolled, such case data reinforce that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy often yields large anxiety reductions.

In contrast, pure psilocybin without therapeutic support has not been formally studied for anxiety disorders. All modern trials use preparatory and integration sessions with trained therapists. This context appears important: animal models show that environmental factors (e.g. chronic stress levels) modulate psilocybin’s long-term anxiolytic effect. In practice, “psilocybin-assisted therapy” is the standard approach. (One review notes that 100% of psilocybin trials included psychotherapy.) Thus, reported outcomes reflect combined treatment.

Meta-analyses and reviews uniformly find large, lasting anxiety improvements with psilocybin. A 2023 systematic review of RCTs concluded that all trials (one–two doses, 14–30 mg doses) showed significant and sustained reductions in anxiety symptoms up to 6 months. Quantitatively, meta-analyses of cancer‑anxiety trials report large effect sizes: for state anxiety, Hedges’ g ≈–1.0 at 2 weeks (psilocybin vs placebo); for trait anxiety, g ≈–0.84 at 6 months. Another meta-analysis (Goldberg et al. 2020) of four studies (N=117) found very large within-group improvements (g≈1.2–1.5) and large placebo-controlled effects (g≈0.8) on anxiety scores. These analyses also note high tolerability: aside from transient increases in blood pressure, psilocybin produced no serious adverse events.

Social Anxiety: Direct evidence of psilocybin for primary social anxiety disorder (SAD) is essentially nonexistent. No published trials have targeted SAD alone. However, psilocybin may still benefit social anxiety via its effects on social cognition. In a healthy volunteer fMRI study, psilocybin (0.215 mg/kg) reduced feelings of social rejection and neural “social pain” responses, hinting at possible utility. In one uncontrolled report, a patient with severe social anxiety experienced marked improvement after psilocybin therapy (though formal measures weren’t reported). Overall, we lack robust SAD-specific data; the existing evidence comes mostly from broader anxiety studies or mechanistic experiments.

Summary of Key Outcomes: Psilocybin-assisted therapy shows remarkable success rates in anxiety reduction. For GAD, a recent RCT reports a 50% response rate in 44% of patients and complete remission in 27% – far higher than typical anxiolytics. In cancer-related anxiety trials, around 80% of subjects maintained clinically significant anxiety relief at 6 months. In uncontrolled settings, most patients similarly experience major anxiety drops (on the order of >50% score reduction) after therapy. Two meta-analyses confirm that psilocybin beats placebo on anxiety (g≈–0.7 to –1.1) with effects lasting months. Figure 1 and Table 1 (below) summarize representative findings.

In conclusion, while still early in clinical development, psilocybin (almost always given with psychotherapy) has consistently produced large, durable anxiety improvements in adults. Notable trials report mean symptom reductions far exceeding placebo, with high percentages of responders and remitters. These effects appear at least comparable to psilocybin’s benefits in depression. More research (especially for social anxiety and head-to-head therapy comparisons) is needed, but current data are very encouraging.

Sources: Peer-reviewed trials, meta-analyses, and reports. (HAM-A=Hamilton Anxiety Scale; STAI=State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; GAD-7=Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale.)

At Triptherapie, we primarily use legal magic truffles (which contain psilocybin) in guided sessions aimed at tackling issues like anxiety, social phobia, and low self-esteem. While we don’t express success rates as strict percentages like in a clinical trial, our internal evaluations and client feedback indicate that the majority of participants — especially those who fully commit to the preparation and integration process — experience substantial improvement in their anxiety symptoms, emotional resilience, and social functioning. We estimate the improvement at around 75% after just 1, 2 or 3 psilocybin sessions/retreats.

For example, a client with severe social phobia reported after her psilocybin session at home that she felt "much freer," more self-confident, and no longer afraid to speak to people. Months later, she was able to engage in social situations more naturally and even felt more secure in conflict situations — something she never thought possible.

Scientific research supports this: studies from Johns Hopkins and Imperial College London show that psilocybin therapy can significantly reduce anxiety and social fears, often after just one to three sessions. The key seems to lie in how psilocybin reduces overactivity in the default mode network (DMN), allowing for a temporary release from self-critical thought loops that are common in social anxiety.

To get started, I recommend you complete our triptherapy intake. This allows us to assess your mental and physical health background and determine the best approach for your situation.