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UVA School of Medicine researchers will examine whether psilocybin can help people who are experiencing persistent, intense grief, also known as prolonged grief disorder.

Backed by a $895,866 grant from the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation, this clinical trial will enroll 20 participants with prolonged grief disorder, which affects approximately 10 percent of people in mourning following the loss of a loved one. 

Treatments now available for persistent grief disorder are not consistently effective, and this clinical trial will be among the first to examine psilocybin, found in “magic mushrooms,” as a potential therapy for long-lasting grief.

“Psilocybin might be able to facilitate meaningful shifts in perception, emotional processing, and cognitive flexibility, factors that may help individuals integrate their loss and begin to heal,” says Kim Penberthy, PhD, a clinical psychologist with UVA’s Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS) in the Department of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences, who will lead the trial. “By examining both subjective experiences and measurable brain changes, this research seeks to better understand psilocybin’s therapeutic potential.”

After careful psychological preparation, trial participants will receive a single 25-mg dose of psilocybin with guided support from a mental health professional. The trial will measure changes in the severity of participants’ grief symptoms following their psilocybin session. Each participant also will undergo functional brain imaging to determine the effect on brain activity, specifically emotion regulation. 

Penberthy and her team expect to begin enrolling participants in August. For more information about the clinical trial, please visit the Division of Perceptual Studies’ Altered States of Consciousness web page or email uvagrieftrial@uvahealth.org. 

About the Division of Perceptual Studies

Established in 1967 under the leadership of Dr. Ian Stevenson, DOPS stands as the most productive university-based research group in the world dedicated to exploring phenomena that challenge conventional scientific paradigms concerning human consciousness. At the core of DOPS’s research mission lies the commitment to rigorous evaluation of empirical evidence surrounding exceptional human experiences and capacities, including utilization of a state-of-the-art neuroimaging lab. DOPS extends its focus beyond fundamental empirical research and explores the profound implications of such research for scientific theory and society at large. By actively sharing insights and findings, DOPS strives to contribute meaningfully to the understanding of consciousness, bridging the gap between scientific inquiry and public awareness. 

For more information, visit https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/.