Reviewed by Heard & Believed · Updated 2026-07-28
A small number of research centers, including one in Maryland and one in New Mexico, are now running supervised studies of guided psilocybin sessions for PTSD connected specifically to sexual assault. Here is what these early studies involve, and what they do not mean for you yet.
Figures reflect published details from a Maryland-based SUN004 study and a University of New Mexico Group Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy study, both active in 2026.
Standard first-line treatments for PTSD, including prolonged exposure, cognitive processing therapy, and EMDR, help a great many survivors, but they do not work equally well for everyone, and commonly prescribed medications leave plenty of people with only partial relief. Sexual assault ranks among the top drivers of PTSD specifically for women, and researchers behind these new studies point to national survey data showing that more than four in ten women in the United States report having experienced some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime.
That combination, a common and often severe trauma paired with treatments that do not reach everyone, is part of why a small number of research teams have started carefully testing whether a guided psilocybin session, given under close clinical supervision, might offer another option for people who have not found relief through existing approaches.
One open-label study based at a Maryland research center enrolls women survivors of sexual assault and structures treatment around three preparation sessions, a single supervised dosing session, and three integration sessions afterward, with optional monthly group check-ins available for up to a year. The study was designed around what its team calls shared decision-making, letting each participant weigh in on details like therapist gender and room setup rather than having those choices made for them.
A separate study out of a New Mexico university health center is testing a group format instead, where participants take a measured psilocybin dose alongside others while two licensed clinicians and two trained peer facilitators, themselves people with related lived experience, guide the session together. That study currently focuses on veterans and first responders and plans to expand enrollment to civilian women survivors of sexual violence later this year.
In 2026, two federal health agencies announced a partnership to collaborate on the clinical development of psychedelic-assisted treatments, following an earlier executive order aimed at speeding up research access to these therapies. That federal shift has trickled down to state legislatures too. Lawmakers in at least one state have proposed a dedicated multimillion-dollar research grant for psychedelic-assisted therapy, with the proposed bill specifically naming veterans, first responders, and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault as intended populations.
None of this means the research is finished or the treatment is broadly available. It means a topic that was on the far margins of trauma research a few years ago is now attracting serious institutional funding and attention.
These studies are research, not a treatment you can walk in and request. Participation happens only through formal enrollment in an approved clinical trial, with careful screening, medical supervision, and legal protections built in. Using psilocybin outside of a setting like this carries real legal and safety risk and is not the same as the tightly controlled protocol researchers are studying.
If PTSD connected to sexual assault is part of your life right now, the evidence-based options already available, including prolonged exposure, cognitive processing therapy, and EMDR, remain the first and most accessible place to start. A trauma-informed therapist can also help you understand whether a research study like this one is even recruiting in your area, and whether it might be a fit down the line.
This is a fast-moving and closely watched area of trauma research. Here is what is actually established so far.
This is supportive information, not legal or medical advice. If you need someone now, the RAINN hotline is 800-656-4673 — free and confidential, 24/7.
No. It exists only within formal research studies with strict screening, medical supervision, and legal protections in place.
Not exclusively. At least one study is enrolling civilian women survivors of sexual assault now, and another plans to expand to civilian survivors later in 2026.
No. Unsupervised use carries real legal and safety risk and is not comparable to a supervised clinical protocol with medical screening and support built in.
A trauma-informed provider can help you look into current studies, or you can search a public clinical trials registry directly.
Share only what feels okay. We’ll gently connect you with confidential support — no pressure, no cost.
Someone caring will reach out within a day. If you need to talk now, RAINN is here 24/7 at 800-656-4673.