Psilocybin for PTSD with Stacey Armstrong, PhD

In this episode of the Psychedelic Medicine Podcast, Stacey Armstrong, PhD joins to discuss the latest research on psilocybin treatments for PTSD. Dr. Armstrong is Associate Director and Senior Researcher at The Ohio State University's Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education, and a clinical psychologist with advanced training in treating PTSD in veterans. She is the first author on a recent pilot study of psilocybin-assisted therapy for veterans with severe, treatment-resistant PTSD.

In this conversation, Dr. Armstrong discusses her team's pilot study of psilocybin-assisted therapy for veterans with severe, treatment-resistant PTSD, explaining why this population urgently needs new treatment options and how trauma, repeated exposure, military culture, and difficulties with reintegration may contribute to the severity and persistence of PTSD among veterans. Dr. Armstrong emphasizes that the potential benefits of psilocybin cannot be separated from the therapeutic context, including extensive preparation, trust-building, supportive care during dosing, and integration focused on psychological flexibility and personal values. The conversation explores how psilocybin may create a window for new ways of thinking and behaving, why preparation itself appeared to contribute to symptom improvement, and what larger, controlled and more diverse studies will need to investigate before psilocybin-assisted therapy can become a more established treatment for PTSD.

In this episode, you'll hear:

Why veterans with PTSD may experience particularly severe, chronic, and treatment-resistant symptoms How trauma, military culture, and difficulties transitioning back to civilian life can complicate PTSD treatment The preliminary findings from Dr. Armstrong's pilot study of psilocybin-assisted therapy in 12 veterans How the study used four extended preparation sessions and two ascending-dose psilocybin sessions to build trust and gradually introduce participants to the psychedelic experience How acceptance and commitment therapy themes, psychological flexibility, and values informed the preparation and integration process What future research should investigate, including larger controlled trials, longer-term outcomes, more diverse participants, and the potential therapeutic effects of preparation alone

Quotes:

"[Dr. Morski] What do you think the mechanism of action of why psilocybin might be effective in treating PTSD?

[Dr. Armstrong] That's a great question