A new study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology suggests that people who had consumed classic psychedelics before experiencing an extreme traumatic event reported lower levels of anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms in the following weeks. The research, conducted among survivors of the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack at the Nova music festival in Israel, provides rare real-world data on how psychedelics might affect the way trauma is encoded in memory. The findings add to a growing body of research on the therapeutic potential of psychedelic substances for trauma-related conditions.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition that can occur after someone experiences or witnesses a terrifying event. People with PTSD may struggle with intrusive memories, emotional numbness, anxiety, and avoidance of reminders of the trauma. While some people recover naturally, others experience symptoms that persist for months or years.
On October 7, 2023, during the early morning hours, militants from Hamas launched a large-scale, coordinated attack on Israel. One of their first targets was the Supernova Sukkot Gathering, a psychedelic trance music festival attended by approximately 3,500 people near the Gaza border. The attack began with a barrage of rockets, followed by an onslaught of armed militants who infiltrated the festival grounds. The massacre resulted in the deaths of 378 individuals, including civilians, security personnel, and the festival’s organizers. Many were shot at close range or killed while hiding. Dozens of attendees were abducted and taken into Gaza, and there were widespread reports of sexual and physical violence.
Some survivors were under the influence of mind-altering substances at the time of the attack, including psychedelic drugs commonly used in recreational settings such as psilocybin (“magic” mushrooms) or LSD. The chaos and horror of the attack, combined with altered mental states, created an unprecedented context in which to study how such substances might shape the formation of traumatic memories.
“My longstanding research in trauma, resilience, and mental health led us to explore the intersection between extreme events and altered states of consciousness,” said study author Zohar Rubinstein of the Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology at Reichman University.
“The tragic attack at the Nova music festival presented a unique and heartbreaking opportunity to examine, in real-world conditions, how the peri-traumatic use of psychedelics might affect the development of anxiety and post-traumatic symptoms. There was very limited empirical data on human psychedelic use during acute trauma, and we felt an urgent need to document and understand these effects to inform both science and clinical practice.”
The researchers began collecting data from October 22 to October 28, 2023—roughly three weeks after the attack, during the acute phase of trauma response. They approached survivors who were staying at a temporary “healing space” designed to provide psychological support. A total of 343 adults (189 women and 154 men) agreed to participate, with ages ranging from 18 to 64. Participants completed anonymous surveys asking about their drug use before and during the festival, as well as their current psychological symptoms.
The researchers asked participants whether they had consumed any of 18 mind-altering substances, including classic psychedelics such as mushrooms, LSD, and mescaline, as well as MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy). Participants also completed two standardized questionnaires: one measuring symptoms of anxiety and another measuring symptoms of acute stress disorder, a condition that can develop shortly after trauma and is often a precursor to PTSD.
Participants were divided into three groups: those who consumed classic psychedelics, those who consumed MDMA, and those who had not consumed any psychedelic substances. The researchers also accounted for whether people had consumed additional recreational substances like alcohol or cannabis.
The researchers found that survivors who were under the influence of classic psychedelics at the time of the attack reported significantly lower levels of anxiety three weeks later, compared to those who had taken MDMA or no psychedelics at all. The average anxiety rating in the classic psychedelic group corresponded to symptoms being present “several days” over the past two weeks, while the other groups reported symptoms occurring “more than half the days.”
This effect remained even after accounting for participants’ gender, age, past psychiatric diagnoses, and whether they had used psychedelics in the previous year. In contrast, there was no significant difference in anxiety levels between the MDMA group and the group that had not consumed psychedelics.
When it came to post-traumatic symptoms, the picture was more nuanced. Overall, the groups did not differ significantly. But when the researchers looked only at people who had not consumed additional substances like alcohol or cannabis, they found that those in the classic psychedelics group again reported lower levels of trauma symptoms. This protective effect was not observed in the MDMA or no-psychedelic groups.
These findings suggest that classic psychedelics may have a unique influence on how traumatic memories are encoded in the brain. Specifically, they appear to blunt the emotional intensity or durability of the trauma memory when consumed just before or during the event. However, this effect seems to be weakened or lost when the psychedelics are taken alongside other substances.
“Survivors who consumed classic psychedelics—such as psilocybin, LSD, mescaline, or 2C-B—reported significantly lower levels of anxiety and post-traumatic symptoms three weeks after the attack, compared to those who did not use psychedelics or who used other substances like MDMA, cannabis, or alcohol,” Rubinstein told PsyPost. “This effect remained strong even after controlling for age, gender, psychiatric history, and previous psychedelic use.”
“We were surprised by the magnitude and consistency of the effect: classic psychedelics, but not MDMA, were associated with reduced anxiety and post-traumatic symptoms, especially among those who did not consume additional substances like alcohol or cannabis. We expected some protective effect based on prior animal studies, but seeing it so clearly in a real-life mass trauma was unexpected.”
“However, these results do not mean psychedelics are a recommended or safe treatment for trauma outside controlled settings,” Rubinstein noted. “Psychedelic use still carries psychological and legal risks and should not be undertaken without proper supervision and research guidance.”
But why might classic psychedelics be protective? One possible explanation relates to how different substances affect the brain. Classic psychedelics act strongly on serotonin receptors, particularly the 5-HT2A receptor, which plays a role in memory consolidation and emotional processing. By altering the way sensory and emotional information is processed during trauma, these substances may reduce the severity of later psychological responses.
In contrast, MDMA has a different pharmacological profile, affecting not only serotonin but also dopamine and norepinephrine. While MDMA is known for its prosocial and euphoric effects, it may not engage the same neural systems involved in memory encoding in the same way that classic psychedelics do.
The researchers also considered that the use of other substances like cannabis or alcohol may interfere with the potential benefits of psychedelics. These substances can impair memory and emotional regulation, possibly counteracting the protective effects of psychedelics.
Despite the compelling findings, the authors acknowledge several limitations. First, the study relied entirely on self-report data, and there were no objective measures of psychological symptoms or drug concentrations. The specific doses and purity of the substances consumed were also unknown, which makes it difficult to draw strong conclusions about the pharmacological effects.
“These results do not establish causality; they only indicate a strong association in these particular circumstances,” Rubinstein said.
Second, since psychedelics are illegal in Israel, participants may have underreported their use, potentially skewing the results. There may also have been selection bias, as individuals who had more traumatic or negative experiences might have chosen not to participate in the study.
Third, the study only looked at symptoms three weeks after the trauma. It remains unknown whether the effects observed here will persist or whether new symptoms might emerge over time. Longer follow-up periods are needed to understand how psychedelic use affects the development or prevention of PTSD in the long run.
Finally, while the findings suggest a possible protective effect of psychedelics on trauma-related symptoms, the researchers caution against interpreting this as an endorsement for unsupervised use. Psychedelics can produce intense and sometimes destabilizing experiences, especially in uncontrolled settings.
“One of the most overlooked aspects in discussions of psychedelics for trauma is the importance of ‘set and setting,’” Rubinstein explained. “Safe and effective therapeutic use of psychedelics generally requires a carefully controlled environment, guided by trained professionals or, in some traditions, shamans. Our findings are based on substances consumed in the unpredictable and often unsafe environment of a music festival during a traumatic event, not in a therapeutic context. This means that no clinical recommendations or therapeutic conclusions should be drawn from experiences that occurred in such uncontrolled, non-clinical settings.”
The authors hope that future research will build on these findings to better understand the brain mechanisms that underlie trauma and resilience.
“We aim to understand better how psychedelics may affect trauma memory formation and resilience,” Rubinstein said. “We hope to inform future controlled studies that could clarify mechanisms and potentially lead to safe, evidence-based interventions for trauma and anxiety. Ultimately, we want to bridge the gap between neuroscience, clinical psychology, and real-world emergency contexts.”
“This study offers a rare glimpse into the real-world intersection of trauma and psychedelics, outside the lab, in the midst of a national tragedy. I am deeply grateful to the survivors who were willing to share their experiences, and I stress that this research should not be interpreted as an endorsement for unsupervised psychedelic use. More research, careful dialogue, and clinical caution are necessary as this field continues to evolve.”
The study, “Peri-traumatic consumption of classic psychedelics is associated with lower anxiety and post-traumatic responses 3 weeks after exposure,” was authored by Einat Karp Barnir, Zohar Rubinstein , Rany Abend, Shaul Lev-Ran, Lia Naor, and Mario Mikulincer.
