Women with anorexia experienced a resurfacing of previously blocked traumatic memories during psilocybin-assisted therapy, leading to remission of their eating disorder symptoms, according to a new study published in the Journal of Eating Disorders.
Dried psilocybin mushrooms.
The pilot study involved 10 women diagnosed with anorexia nervosa or in partial remission. Each received a 25-mg dose of COMP360, a synthetic formulation of psilocybin, along with psychological support and integration therapy sessions. Researchers from the University of California, the Medical University of South Carolina, and King’s College London conducted the study to assess the safety and early therapeutic potential of psilocybin treatment for anorexia.
Two participants reported the emergence of previously dissociated memories of sexual trauma during the therapy. Processing these memories with professional support appeared to result in meaningful psychological breakthroughs. Both individuals achieved clinically significant weight gain and remission of their anorexia-related symptoms, as measured by the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q), within three months of treatment.
The findings suggest that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy may help individuals not only manage eating disorders but also process unresolved trauma, particularly in cases involving dissociative amnesia. While the results are limited to a small sample, researchers say the outcomes warrant further investigation into psilocybin’s role in treating both anorexia and trauma-related conditions like PTSD.
“Psylocibin therapy may hold promise not only in the treatment of eating disorders but also trauma-related disorders, including PTSD and dissociative amnesia”, concludes the study.
