Kingston researchers are leading Canada’s first Health Canada–approved clinical trial testing at-home psilocybin microdosing for anxiety.
The study, led by Dr. Claudio Soares, a professor at the Queen’s Department of Psychiatry and director of the Centre for Psychedelic Health and Research at Providence Care, investigates whether very low doses of psilocybin—an active compound in so-called “magic mushrooms”—can safely reduce symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder without inducing the hallucinogenic “trip” associated with higher doses.
“It started with an advisory council at Queen’s in 2022 to look at psychedelic science broadly—not just clinical trials, but also policy and cultural issues in psychedelics,” Soares said in an interview with The Journal. “That group evolved into a clinical trial team, and from there we opened the Centre for Psychedelics Health and Research at Providence Care, sponsored by Queen’s University.”
While most psychedelic research focuses on “macrodoses,” or high doses that induce altered states of consciousness, Soares said the team wanted to explore the subtler effects of psilocybin. “High doses may not be suitable for people who don’t want an intense psychedelic experience,” he explained. “Microdosing might be beneficial without those effects.”
Soares identified two schools of thought in psychedelic science: one that considers the psychedelic experience itself as central to psychological healing, and another that views psychedelics as pharmacological agents acting on serotonin receptors, similar to antidepressants, but potentially with greater effects on neuroplasticity.
“Psychedelics like psilocybin and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) work on the same receptors as some antidepressants,” Soares said. “They might make the brain more flexible, able to form new connections and reprocess trauma or anxiety. The question is whether these benefits can occur at lower doses.”
The trial’s microdosing protocol uses less than 10 per cent of a typical psychedelic dose: enough to stimulate neural pathways without triggering hallucinations. Participants take their doses at home.
Although previous psychedelic studies he focused on depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Soares said anxiety remains understudied despite its prevalence.
“Anxiety is a major source of impairment, yet it hasn’t been studied as extensively,” he said. “One of psilocybin’s strengths may be improving cognitive flexibility—helping people break out of automatic, ruminative thought patterns that cause anxiety.”
By targeting these mechanisms, the team hopes psilocybin could be a new treatment option for people who don’t benefit from existing therapies.
“30 to 40 per cent of patients don’t respond to antidepressants, anxiolytics, or psychotherapy,” Soares said. “If microdosing [psilocybin] proves effective with fewer side effects, it could become another tool in our toolbox to help anxiety.”
He acknowledged that skepticism remains, given the lack of regulated data on recreational use. “Many people who microdose psilocybin recreationally report feeling calmer or more focused, but those experiences are inconsistent,” he said.
The purpose of the study, he added, is to test psilocybin in a controlled clinical setting to determine its safety and real therapeutic potential.
“Our goal is to study psychedelics across disciplines and conditions,” Soares said. “By conducting clinical trials, we hope to bring these treatments into mainstream medicine.”
TagsKHSC, Mental health, psychedelics
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you he any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.
Previous Next