According to the results of a new clinical trial, psilocybin holds promise as a tool for reshaping personality traits in people battling alcohol addiction.
Dried psilocybin mushrooms.
Researchers from New York University, the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and Arizona State University conducted a randomized controlled trial to explore the effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) on personality dimensions in individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD).
The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, involved 84 adults diagnosed with AUD. Participants were randomized to receive two sessions of either psilocybin or an active placebo (diphenhydramine), alongside 12 weekly psychotherapy sessions and a 24-week follow-up period. Changes in personality were measured using the revised NEO Personality Inventory, and alcohol consumption was tracked via a timeline followback method.
“Relative to the placebo group, the psilocybin group showed significant reductions in neuroticism and increases in extraversion and openness”, states the study. “Secondary analyses showed that reductions in neuroticism were driven by decreases in the facets depression, impulsiveness, and vulnerability; increases in openness were driven by increases in the facets openness toward feelings and fantasy.”
Researchers found that across all participants, “decreases in impulsiveness were associated with lower posttreatment alcohol consumption, and an exploratory analysis revealed that these associations were strongest among psilocybin-treated participants who continued moderate- or high-risk drinking prior to the first medication session.”
Researchers conclude by stating that “PAT elicited durable shifts in personality, suggesting normalization of abnormal personality trait expression in AUD. Further study is needed to clarify whether PAT exerts its beneficial effects by reducing impulsiveness or whether impulsive individuals inherently respond better to PAT.”
