Psilocybin Research: A Comprehensive Overview
An animated video overview of current psilocybin research, covering clinical outcomes, mystical-type experiences, safety considerations, microdosing models, species identification, and emerging therapeutic applications. Based on 8 peer-reviewed studies sourced from Google Scholar.
Source Research Papers
Citations in APA 7 format. All studies were sourced from peer-reviewed journals via Google Scholar.
de la Salle, S., Kettner, H., Thibault LΓΒ©vesque, J., Garel, N., Dames, S., Patchett-Marble, R., Rej, S., Gloeckler, S., Erritzoe, D., Carhart-Harris, R., & Greenway, K. T. (2024). Longitudinal experiences of Canadians receiving compassionate access to psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. Scientific Reports, 14, 15353. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-66817-0
Barrett, F. S., Johnson, M. W., & Griffiths, R. R. (2017). Neuroticism is associated with challenging experiences with psilocybin mushrooms. Personality and Individual Differences, 117, 155Γ’β¬β160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.06.004
Crowe, M., Manuel, J., Carlyle, D., & Lacey, C. (2023). Experiences of psilocybin treatment for clinical conditions: A qualitative meta-synthesis. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 32(4), 1025Γ’β¬β1037. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13127
Bradshaw, A. J., Backman, T. A., RamΓΒrez-Cruz, V., Forrister, D. L., Winter, J. M., GuzmΓΒ‘n-DΓΒ‘valos, L., GuzmΓΒ‘n-DΓΒ‘valos, L., Furci, G., Stamets, P., & Dentinger, B. T. M. (2022). DNA authentication and chemical analysis of Psilocybe mushrooms reveal widespread misdeterminations in fungaria and inconsistencies in metabolites. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 88(24), e01498-22. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.01498-22
Kurzbaum, E., PΓ‘lenΓΔek, T., Sharchaton, A., Azerrad, S., & Dekel, Y. (2025). Exploring Psilocybe cubensis strains: Cultivation techniques, psychoactive compounds, genetics and research gaps. Journal of Fungi, 11(2), Article 99. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11020099
Chopra, H., Furnish, T., Verduzco-Gutierrez, M., Jevotovsky, D. S., & Castellanos, J. (2024). Long-COVID symptoms improved after MDMA and psilocybin therapy: A case report. Clinical Case Reports, 12, e8791. https://doi.org/10.1002/ccr3.8791
Cohen, J., Sulimani, L., Procaccia, S., Lerenthal, Y., Milay, L., Taran, I., Shapira, A., & Meiri, D. (2025). Comprehensive analysis of 42 psilocybin-producing fungal strains reveals metabolite diversity and species-specific clusters. Scientific Reports, 15(1), Article 13822. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-97710-z
Morton, E., Sakai, K., Ashtari, A., Pleet, M., Michalak, E. E., & Woolley, J. (2022). Risks and benefits of psilocybin use in people with bipolar disorder: An international web-based survey on experiences of 'magic mushroom' consumption. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 37(1), 49Γ’β¬β60. https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811221131997
James, E., Robertshaw, T. L., Hoskins, M., & Sessa, B. (2020). Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, 35(5), e2742. https://doi.org/10.1002/hup.2742
Hughes, J., Stuart-Bennett, J., Dunning, M., & Farrimond, H. (2025). Towards a dynamic processual model of psychedelic microdosing. International Journal of Drug Policy, 136, 104691. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104691
Carbonaro, T. M., Bradstreet, M. P., Barrett, F. S., MacLean, K. A., Jesse, R., Johnson, M. W., & Griffiths, R. R. (2016). Survey study of challenging experiences after ingesting psilocybin mushrooms: Acute and enduring positive and negative consequences. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 30(12), 1268Γ’β¬β1278. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881116662634
Nicholas, C. R., Henriquez, K. M., Gassman, M. C., Cooper, K. M., Muller, D., Hetzel, S., Brown, R. T., Cozzi, N. V., Thomas, C., & Hutson, P. R. (2018). High dose psilocybin is associated with positive subjective effects in healthy volunteers. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 32(7), 770Γ’β¬β778. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881118780713
Lowe, H., Toyang, N., Steele, B., Valentine, H., Grant, J., Ali, A., Ngwa, W., & Gordon, L. (2021). The therapeutic potential of psilocybin. Molecules, 26(10), 2948. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26102948
COMPASS Pathways, Ltd. (2019). Clinical Protocol COMP 001: The Safety and Efficacy of Psilocybin in Participants with Treatment-Resistant Depression (P-TRD) [Clinical trial protocol]. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03775200.
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Roseman, L., Bolstridge, M., Demetriou, L., Pannekoek, J. N., Wall, M. B., Tanner, M., Kaelen, M., McGonigle, J., Murphy, K., Leech, R., Curran, H. V., & Nutt, D. J. (2017). Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression: fMRI-measured brain mechanisms. Scientific Reports, 7, 13187. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-13282-7
Shao, L. X., Liao, C., Bhatt, D. L., & Bhatt, D. (2021). Psilocybin induces rapid and persistent growth of dendritic spines in frontal cortex in vivo. Neuron, 109(16), 2535Γ’β¬β2544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2021.06.008
Davis, A. K., Barrett, F. S., May, D. G., Cosimano, M. P., Sepeda, N. D., Johnson, M. W., Finan, P. H., & Griffiths, R. R. (2021). Effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy on major depressive disorder: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 78(5), 481Γ’β¬β489. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.3285
Carhart-Harris, R., Giribaldi, B., Watts, R., Baker-Jones, M., Murphy-Beiner, A., Murphy, R., Martell, J., Blemings, A., Erritzoe, D., & Nutt, D. J. (2021). Trial of psilocybin versus escitalopram for depression. New England Journal of Medicine, 384(15), 1402Γ’β¬β1411. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2032994
Passie, T., Seifert, J., Schneider, U., & Emrich, H. M. (2002). The pharmacology of psilocybin. Addiction Biology, 7(4), 357Γ’β¬β364. https://doi.org/10.1080/1355621021000005937
Griffiths, R. R., Richards, W. A., McCann, U., & Jesse, R. (2006). Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance. Psychopharmacology, 187(3), 268Γ’β¬β292. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5