Could Psilocybin Help Treat IBS? A New Study Explores the Possibility

IBS is one of the most common gastrointestinal conditions — yet despite decades of research, we still don’t fully understand what causes it, and effective treatments remain limited. Now, Dr. Erin Mauney is leading a groundbreaking study exploring whether psilocybin, the active compound in psychedelic mushrooms, might help people living with IBS.

Let’s explore why Dr. Mauney believes psilocybin could be helpful, and how this research is taking a fresh approach to a condition that affects millions.

How the Brain and Gut Are Connected

For a long time, science treated the mind and body as separate. But we now know that the two are closely linked. The brain constantly communicates with the rest of the body through nerves, hormones, and chemical signals — and the body talks back in the same way.

This is especially true when it comes to the gut. The enteric nervous system (sometimes called the “second brain”) is the network of nerves that controls digestion. Some experts even argue it should be called the first brain, since it evolved earlier than the one in our heads.

Historically, the brain and gut needed to work closely together to keep us alive, for example, telling us when to eat and preparing the body to digest food. This tight connection helps explain why emotions are often felt in the stomach: nervous butterflies, a sinking feeling, or even gut-wrenching sadness.

So, Where Does IBS Fit In?

In a recent interview with the journal Psychedelics, Dr. Mauney shared that during her gastroenterology training, she “became aware of how common trauma, especially early life trauma, is in the human experience.”

She added, “Although there is more discussion in pediatrics about the cumulative effects of toxic stress over the lifespan, I think overall this is an area that medicine, particularly gastroenterology and obesity medicine, really fails to understand and address meaningfully.”

This realization led her to explore how psychological experiences might influence gut health.

In fact, earlier studies have found links between early-life trauma and IBS. Around one-third of people with IBS also experience anxiety or depression — another clue that the condition may have strong connections between the gut and brain.

A First-of-Its-Kind Study

Dr. Mauney and her team are now leading the first study to explore whether psilocybin, combined with therapy, can ease IBS symptoms. In an interview with the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, she noted that about 60% of people with IBS don’t see much improvement with standard treatments like medication or diet changes.

That’s why the study is focused on people who have already tried many different approaches — including diet, medication, therapy, and mind-body practices — with little success.

Why Psilocybin?

Psilocybine is known to have broad psychological effects — it’s described as acting “transdiagnostically,” meaning it can target mental health traits that appear across various conditions. In her JCG interview, Mauney explained that the compound may help address traits like:

Rigidity: Difficulty with flexibility or adapting to change

Rumination: Getting stuck in cycles of negative thoughts

Anxious self-focus: Overthinking personal issues and losing awareness of the outside world

These patterns are common in many mental health disorders, and often seen in people with IBS, too. Mauney believes that by helping people shift these thought patterns, psilocybin might offer relief.

What About the Gut?

Psilocybine may also directly affect the gut. IBS patients often experience visceral hypersensitivity, when normal movements in the gut (like squeezing or expanding during digestion) cause pain or discomfort.

Animal studies have shown that a type of serotonin receptor in the gut, called 5HT2a, might be involved in this sensitivity. Psilocybin works by activating these same receptors, which suggests it could help reduce gut pain.

Additionally, researchers are looking at psilocybin’s potential to relieve pain more broadly, from migraines en fibromyalgie naar chronic nerve pain. Since pain is a major symptom of IBS, this adds another layer of promise.

There’s also some evidence that psilocybin may reduce inflammation, another factor that could be relevant for IBS.

Put simply: psilocybin might be able to help in multiple ways — by easing psychological distress, reducing pain sensitivity, calming inflammation, and even shifting how patients relate to their symptoms.

How the Study Works

As of late April, the study was halfway through recruiting participants. While Mauney was careful not to draw conclusions yet, she did say that some participants are already noticing benefits.

Here’s how the study is set up: Each participant works with two trained professionals (with backgrounds in psychotherapy or psychiatry). There are two main “dosing” sessions, spaced two weeks apart. During each session, the participant takes psilocybin and listens to a specially selected playlist in a calm setting.

Afterward, the participant and therapists spend 6–8 hours talking about symptoms, past experiences, and anything else that comes up. According to Mauney, the psilocybin acts “as an amplifier of therapeutic processes,” enhancing the effects of traditional talk therapy.

For some participants, this process has helped them face difficult life events, make meaningful changesen zelfs improve relationships — all of which have reduced their IBS symptoms. Others still experience symptoms, but feel less bothered by them.

Expert Opinions

Dr. Ruvini Wijetilaka, an internal medicine physician at Mecca Health who is not involved in the study, shared her thoughts with Medical News Today:

“As a physician, I find this early research into psilocybin-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant IBS intriguing and encouraging,” she said.

“IBS is a complex condition rooted in the brain-gut connection, and traditional treatments don’t always work for everyone. In cases where symptoms persist despite initial interventions, psilocybin may offer a promising alternative for targeting the neurological pathways involved.”

Could Psilocybin Help Treat IBS? A New Study Explores the Possibility: What’s Next?

This is the first study of its kind, and while the early feedback is hopeful, more research is needed before drawing firm conclusions.

Still, the theory behind the treatment makes sense — and the results so far suggest that some people may benefit in powerful ways.

As Mauney puts it, “It might sound a little bit out there to the average gastroenterologist. But I think this is really what’s needed, and what our patients are calling out for. […] A holistic approach to their suffering.”

“While more concrete research is needed on this,” said Dr. Wijetilaka, “the study could mark a meaningful shift in how we approach IBS care and gut health as a whole.”