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Patient overcomes childhood trauma through psilocybin therapy, easing her anxiety and fear of death

B.C. health researchers harness the ‘magic’ of psychedelic mushrooms

After beating cancer, Mona Strelaeff suffered from crippling depression and anxiety rooted in childhood trauma and a fear of death. She tried several anti-depressants with extreme side effects before receiving approval for psilocybin-assisted therapy. The experience allowed her to come to terms with childhood demons. “When [the doctor] gave me the treatment and I came out of it in a place of peace,” she said. “My anxiety was basically gone. And to this day I still feel at peace. I’m not afraid of death.”

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Tryp Therapeutics (TRYP) aims to use psychedelics in eating disorder treatment

Dr. Jennifer Miller | Principal Investigator, Tryp Therapeutics

Tryp Therapeutics Inc. (TRYP), is conducting a phase 2 clinical trial that will investigate psilocybin’s effect on hypothalamic obesity conditions. Principal Investigator Dr. Jennifer Miller is confident that psilocybin therapy will reduce appetite drive, food-related anxiety, compulsive eating, and impulsive eating by rewiring neural pathways to alleviate the underlying psychiatric issues. She is hopeful that psilocybin could treat millions of patients with a wide range of previously untreatable, chronic conditions.

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Diamond Therapeutics begins study on very low doses of psilocybin

Diamond Therapeutics contracts BioPharma Services for Phase 1 clinical trial

While there have been few studies on microdosing psilocybin, Diamond Therapeutics Inc.’s preclinical research suggests that very low, non-hallucinogenic doses of psilocybin have potential for treating disorders like anxiety and depression. Diamond is now partnering with BioPharma Services Inc. to expand on this research in a new phase 1 clinical trial, which will explore a range of very low doses of psilocybin.

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Cybin targets general and social anxiety with new proprietary pyschedelic molecule

Cybin Selects Anxiety Disorder Indications for Proprietary Psychedelic Molecule CYB004

Cybin Inc. (CYBN) announced that their new psychedelic molecule called CYB004 will target social anxiety disorder (SAD) and general anxiety disorder (GAD). Cybin’s Chief Clinical Officer says that anxiety disorders have increased three-fold during the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing the global market size to an estimated US$1.15B for SAD and US$2.99B for GAD. Cybin hopes to tap into this market, as many patients do not respond well to current anxiety medications such as SSRIs and SNRIs.

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Cybin aims to treat COVID-related distress in frontline healthcare workers using new psychotherapy model

Cybin Launches EMBARK and Co-Sponsors First Clinical Trial to Treat Frontline Clinicians Experiencing COVID-Related Burnout and Distress with Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy

A new University of Washington study co-sponsored by Cybin aims to treat COVID-related depression, anxiety, burnout and post-traumatic stress in frontline healthcare workers using psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. The study will test Cybin’s new transdiagnostic psychotherapy model called EMBARK, which is “aimed at delivering best-practice, supportive healing in conjunction with psychedelic therapeutics”. Cybin CEO Doug Drysdale says he considers it an honour to support the frontline workers who made great sacrifices for the public throughout the pandemic.

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Why access to psilocybin therapy is still limited despite proven effectiveness

Why Is Ottawa Stalling Proven Magic Mushroom Therapy for the Dying?

After two psilocybin-assisted therapy sessions, a terminal cancer patient, Thomas Hartle, says that “ I can’t emphasize enough how much of my life it has given back. Even months later, it’s much easier for me to be able to clear my head of those useless, anxious thoughts.” While many patients like Hartle are having great success with psilocybin therapy, Canada’s bureaucratic application process is limiting the number of patients who can access it, with 119 exemption applications awaiting review. In order to administer psilocybin therapy effectively, it is crucial that medical professionals experience the drug for themselves, yet only 19 medical professionals have been granted access to it. CEO of TheraPsil, Spencer Hawkswell, says Health Canada is pushing for clinical trials before granting more exemptions, but these trials are incredibly labour-intensive, have strict criteria, and cost millions. Dr. Pam Kryskow of the Canadian Psychedelic Association is advocating to include psychedelic therapy as a palliative care option under Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying legislation, which would allow terminal patients access to psilocybin without going through the slow application process. Krysow believes “that given their safety profile, given their efficacy, given how cheap they are… at this point it’s unethical to not be doing this.”

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New York bill would create a psychedelics research institute to study psilocybin treatment for substance use disorder and depression.

New York Bill Would Create State-Sponsored Psychedelics Research Institute

A new bill proposed in New York would create a psychedelic research institute to study the effect of psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, and ibogaine on conditions including addictive disorders, depression, PTSD, and end-of-life anxiety. The bill is sponsored by Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D), who believes that “psychedelics provide a host of benefits without the same risk of overdose or dependency that other medications may provide”. The legislature suggests that “psilocybin is a breakthrough therapy for severe depression and nicotine addiction” and may also provide treatment for methamphetamine or opioid addiction.

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Can psychedelics bring out trauma from the unconscious mind?

What psychedelics taught me about healing trauma

The psychedelic treatment revolution is shifting the model of psychiatry away from daily medication for mental health treatment, according to psychiatrist Dr. Craig Heacock. Heacock believes that mental health issues like depression, anxiety, addiction, and PTSD “are more often than not tied to a deep, and largely untouchable, river of trauma that lies beneath our reach in the unconscious mind”. Psilocybin therapy is proving to be an effective treatment option because it brings deeply repressed trauma to the surface so that patients can “begin to rework and reframe their experience without fear”.

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Helping 92% of cancer patients

Cancer patients in drug therapy experience

If cancer patients have the right to end their suffering through assisted suicide, shouldn’t they have the right to end their suffering through psilocybin therapy?

In a Johns Hopkins study, 92% of cancer patients saw significant reductions in depression and anxiety 5 weeks after a single high dose of psilocybin. After 6 months, 78% still had significant reductions in symptoms.

Many of the 51 participants described a sense of infinite love, peace, and oneness, and several were able to come to conquer their fear of death.

“It was so powerful and so profound that it just took my breath away… I feel like it changed my life”, said one participant, Anthony Head.