Want to Try Psychedelics in a Clinical Setting? 97 Trials Now Recruiting Volunteers

Want to participate in psychedelic clinical trials to help researchers better understand the therapeutic benefits of medicines like psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, ibogaine, mescaline, and 5-MeO-DMT? It may be easier than you think. 

Psychedelic clinical trials are the gateway to getting new therapies on the market. They help researchers obtain valuable information about the safety, efficacy, and therapeutic dose of experimental medical drugs. Drug regulators, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada, use clinical trial data when determining whether to approve a treatment for a specific indication.  

For decades, psychedelics were banned from clinical study because they were deemed too risky. But thanks to the efforts of advocates such as the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, the death grip drug regulators have held on psychedelics is loosening. Dozens of psychedelic medicines are in different phases of development. And many are currently recruiting for volunteers to help them study the effects of psychedelics.

All human clinical trials involving drug products conducted within the United States, and many in other countries, are registered at clinicaltrials.gov. You can look up current, former, and future trials by searching a specific medical condition, disease, or drug name. The site provides details such as locations where research will be conducted and much of your time will be required. 

If you meet all the criteria and apply, you will have to go through additional psychological and physiological screenings. After doing so, there are no guarantees you’ll be accepted into the study. And if you are, there is no guarantee you’ll get the psychedelic treatment being studied as some studies compare the active drug with a placebo. 

Still interested in volunteering to help researchers advance therapies through psychedelic clinical trials? Here’s a list of clinical trials currently recruiting participants:

Psilocybin

• Psilocybin for Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder: a Feasibility Study, Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark
• Psilocybin Therapy for Depression and Anxiety in Parkinson's Disease, San Francisco, California
• Psilocybin-assisted CBT for Depression
• Psilocybin Therapy for Depression in Bipolar II Disorder, San Francisco, California 
• Psilocybin for Psychological and Existential Distress in Palliative Care, 
• Psilocybin-Enhanced Psychotherapy for Methamphetamine Use Disorder, New Haven, Connecticut
• Frontline Clinician Psilocybin Study, Seattle, Washington
• Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
• Safety and Efficacy of Psilocybin for Body Dysmorphic Disorder, New York, New York
• The Safety and Efficacy of Psilocybin in Patients With Treatment-resistant Depression and Chronic Suicidal Ideation, Baltimore, Maryland
• Psilocybin-facilitated Treatment for Chronic Pain
• Psilocybin-assisted Therapy for Phantom Limb Pain, San Diego, California
• Exploratory Study of Low Dose Psilocybin
• Repeat Dosing of Psilocybin in Migraine Headache, West Haven, Connecticut
• Pilot Study of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Demoralization in Patients Receiving Hospice Care, Danvers Massachusetts
• Study of Psilocybin Enhanced Group Psychotherapy in Patients With Cancer, Salt Lake City, Utah
• Evaluating the Feasibility, Safety and Efficacy of Psychotherapy Assisted Psilocybin for Treatment of Severe OCD
• Northwest Therapies Trauma Psilocybin Study Compassionate Use Study, Bozeman, Montana
• The Effect of Psilocybin on MDD Symptom Severity and Synaptic Density, Stockholm Sweden
• Psilocybin in Depression Resistant to Standard Treatments, London, UK
• Evaluation of Psilocybin (TRP-8802) in the Treatment of Binge Eating Disorder, Gainesville, Florida
• Palliadelic Treatment to Reduce Psychological Distress in Persons With Inoperable Pancreatobiliary Cancer
• Open-label Study to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of TRP-8802 With Psychotherapy in Adult Participants With Fibromyalgia, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Assessing the Efficacy of Micro-dosed Psilocybinon Reducing Anxiety & Depression Levels in Adults, Kingston, Jamaica
• Role of the Serotonin 5-HT2A Receptor in Mescaline-induced Altered States of Consciousness, Basel, Switzerland 
• Personality and Drug Use (PDU)
• Effects of SERT Inhibition on the Subjective Response to LSD in Healthy Subjects, Basel, Switzerland
• An Open Label Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Psilocybin in Participants with Treatment Resistant Depression, Baltimore, Maryland
• The Safety and Efficacy of Psilocybin in Participants with Type 2 Bipolar Disorder (BP-II_ Depression, Baltimore, Maryland
• Efficacy and Safety of Psilocybin in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression, Berlin, Germany; Mannheim, Germany
• Long-term Follow Up Study to COMP001 and COMP 003 Trials, La Jolla, California; San Diego, California; Atlanta, Georgia; Houston, Texas; Klecany, Czechia; Dublin, Ireland; Groningen, Netherlands; London, U.K. 
• A Study of Psilocybin for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), San Francisco; New Haven, Connecticut; Lauderhill, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; Baltimore, Maryland; New York, New York; Madison, Wisconsin
• Efficacy of Psilocybin in OCD: a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study,  New Haven, Connecticut
• Safety and Efficacy of Psilocybin for Body Dysmorphic Disorder, New York
• Effects of Psilocybin in Anorexia Nervosa, Baltimore, Maryland
• Psilocybin for Depression in People with Mild Cognitive Impairment or Early Alzheimer’s Disease, Baltimore, Maryland
• Psilocybin as a Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa: A Pilot Study, London, U.K.
• Evaluation of Psilocybin in Anorexia Nervosa: Safety and Efficacy, La Jolla, California
• Clinical and Mechanistic Effects of Psilocybin in Alcohol Addicted Patients, Zürich, Switzerland
• Prophylactic Effects of Psilocybin on Chronic Cluster Headache, Copenhagen, Denmark [status unknown]
• Psilocybin Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder With Co-occurring Alcohol Use Disorder, Baltimore, Maryland
• Effects of Psilocybin in Concussion Headache, West Haven, Connecticut
• Psilocybin-facilitated Treatment for Cocaine Use, Birmingham, Alabama
• Psilocybin-facilitated Smoking Cessation Treatment: A Pilot Study, Baltimore, Maryland
• Pilot RECAP Study in Healthy Normal Volunteers, Madison, Wisconsin
• Adjunctive Effects of Psilocybin and Buprenorphine, Madison, Wisconsin
• Clinical, Neurocognitive, and Emotional Effects of Psilocybin in Depressed Patients – Proof of Concept, Zürich, Switzerland
• Visual Surround Suppression and Perceptual Expectation Under Psilocybin, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Efficacy and Safety of Psilocybin in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression, Berlin, Germany; Mannheim, Germany
• Phase 1b Study in Patients With Short-Lasting Unilateral Neuralgiform Headache Attacks (SUNHA), London, U.K.
• Comparative Acute Effects of LSD, Psilocybin and Mescaline, Basel, Switzerland
• The Neurobiological Effect of 5-HT2AR Modulation, Copenhagen, Denmark
• SRC Inhibition as a Potential Target for Parkinson’s Disease Psychosis, London, U.K.; Camberwell, U.K. [status unknown]
• The Canadian Underage Substance Use Prevention Trial, Kelowna, British Columbia; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Toronto, Ontario; Montreal, Quebec

LSD

• Effects of LSD on Neuroplasticity in Healthy Subjects, Fribourg, Switzerland
• Effects of SERT Inhibition on the Subjective Response to LSD in Healthy Subjects, Basel Switzerland
• Effects of MDMA Co-administration on the Response to LSD in Healthy Subjects, Basel, Switzerland
• LSD Base and LSD Tartrate Bioequivalence and Bioavailability in Healthy Subjects
• LSD Therapy for Persons Suffering From Major Depression, Stadt, Switzerland
• Comparative Acute Effects of LSD, Psilocybin and Mescaline, Basel, Switzerland
• Role of the Serotonin 5-HT2A Receptor in Mescaline-induced Altered States of Consciousness, Basel, Switzerland
• Personality and Drug Use (PDU)
• Effects of MDMA Co-administration on the Response to LSD in Healthy Subjects, Basel, Switzerland
• Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) as Treatment for Cluster Headache, Basel, Switzerland
• LSD Therapy for Persons Suffering From Major Depression, Basel, Switzerland

MDMA

• Food Effects on Bioavailability of MDMA in Healthy Volunteers Knoxville, Tennessee
• Effects of MDMA Co-administration on the Response to LSD in Healthy Subjects, Basel, Switzerland
• Stanford Reward Circuits of the Brain Study – MDMA, Palo Alto, California
• A Treatment Development Study of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD, Ontario, Canada
• MDMA in Subjects With Moderate Hepatic Impairment and Subjects With Normal Hepatic Function, Knoxville, Tennessee
• The Effects of MDMA on Prefrontal and Amygdala Activation in PTSD., New Haven, Connecticut
• Social Anxiety MDMA-Assisted Therapy Investigation
• Postpartum MDMA Co-occurring PTSD and OUD
• Psychological Effects of Methylenedioxymethamphetamine(MDMA) When Administered to Healthy Volunteers (MT-2)
• Study of Safety and Effects of MDMA-assisted Therapy for Treatment of PTSD
• Study of Feasibility and Safety of MDMA-Assisted Group Therapy for the Treatment of PTSD in Veterans
• MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy in Veterans With Combat-Related, Refractory PTSD, Loma Linda, California
• A Multi-Site Study of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for Eating Disorders
• A Multi-Site Phase 3 Study of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD, Los Angeles, California; San Francisco, California; Boulder, Colorado; Fort Collins, Colorado; New Orleans, Louisiana; Boston, Massachusetts; New York, New York; Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; Madison, Wisconsin; Vancouver, British Columbia; Tel HaShomer, Israel; 
• Study Comparing Two Versus Three Active MDMA-assisted Sessions in U.S. Military Veterans With Chronic PTSD, Bronx, New York
• Drug Effects on Interpersonal Interaction, Chicago, Illinois
• Personality and Drug Use (PDU)
• Open Label Multi-Site Study of Safety and Effects of MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy for Treatment of PTSD With Optional fMRI Sub-Study, Kraj Czechia; Hamburg, Germany; Berlin, Germany; Limburg, Netherlands; Noord Holand, Netherlands; Moss, Norway; Lisbon, Portugal; Cardiff, U.K.; London, U.K.
• Effects of MDMA Co-administration on the Response to LSD in Healthy Subjects, Basel, Switzerland
• The Effects of MDMA on Prefrontal and Amygdala Activation in PTSD., Los Angeles, California; San Francisco, California; Boulder, Colorado; Fort Collins, Colorado; New Orleans, Louisiana; Boston, Massachusetts; New York, New York; Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; Madison, Wisconsin; Vancouver, British Columbia; Be’er Ya’aqov, Israel; Tel HaShomer, Israel
• Circulating Oxytocin Changes in Response to the Oxytocin System Stimulator MDMA in Patients With Diabetes Insipidus and Healthy Controls, Basel, Switzerland

Ibogaine

• Ibogaine in the Treatment of Alcoholism: a Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Escalating-dose, Phase 2 Trial, São Paulo, Brazil
• A Study of Oral Ibogaine in Opioid Withdrawal, Manchester, UK
• Personality and Drug Use (PDU)
• Preliminary Efficacy and Safety of Ibogaine in the Treatment of Methadone Detoxification, Tarragona, Spain
• Comparative Acute Effects of LSD, Psilocybin and Mescaline, Basel, Switzerland
• The Norwegian Addiction, Pain and Trauma Study, Lørenskog, Norway; Oslo, Norway

Mescaline

• Role of the Serotonin 5-HT2A Receptor in Mescaline-induced Altered States of Consciousness, Basel, Switzerland
• Personality and Drug Use (PDU)
• Comparative Acute Effects of LSD, Psilocybin and Mescaline, Basel, Switzerland

5-MeO-DMT

• Single Ascending Dose Study With 5-MeO-DMT in Healthy Subjects, London, UK
• Personality and Drug Use (PDU)

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was updated on February 11, 2022 to reflect trials currently recruiting participants.