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“Magic mushrooms” are making a comeback. Scientific research on psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound in certain mushrooms, is advancing, pioneered by the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research. Past studies have proved that even a small dose of the drug can heal depression and even addiction.

Now there’s a local study designed to see if one dose can alleviate depression in people with less than two years to live.

“The study is looking at if patients that are demoralized from having [cancer, Parkinson’s, Lou Gehrig’s disease, etc.] and facing death, could psilocybin be effective?” said Dr. Manish Agrawal, the study’s principal investigator.

“A treatment like this, which is quite different than traditional antidepressants or talk therapy, can really help people have a different perspective on their disease and allow them to live more fully while they’re alive.”

A unique clinic

Called the “pragmatic trial of psilocybin therapy in palliative care,” the study is based in a new clinic in Rockville, Maryland. Located in the Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center, the Sunstone Therapies clinic opened in November 2020. It’s the country’s first purposebuilt space dedicated to psychedelic research in a medical setting.

Agrawal, a practicing oncologist for 20 years, realized that traditional medicine often overlooked the psychological toll of cancer. When he read the results of a Johns Hopkins study that found psilocybin could lessen depression, the Maryland physician wanted to learn more. After he trained at the California Institute of Integrated Studies, Agrawal co-founded Sunstone Therapies.

“I became interested in this because I…wasn’t finding good options for my patients and was needing to look at other things — because what I knew about wasn’t effective,” Agrawal said.

“I’m excited to know that there are new possibilities. The data is promising. Lots of studies have been done, and more studies are ongoing in the U.S., Europe and Australia.”

What the study entails

Once enrolled, patients will visit Sunstone Therapies’ clinic up to 10 times in two to four months, depending on the patient. They’ll attend screening sessions first. Then they will meet with the clinic’s licensed therapists several times, both before and after the psylocibin treatment. The therapy model used throughout the study is called Meaning and Purpose Therapy.

During a psilocybin therapy session, a doctor will administer an oral dose of the compound in a private room at the center. Participants are then accompanied until the effects of the drug wear off in six to eight hours.

The study is “blind,” meaning the patient won’t know if they were randomly placed in a group that received psilocybin or ketamine. However, after the study is over, patients may have the option to try the psilocybin. There is no charge for participants.

Agrawal’s study is sponsored by UCLA’s Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation. In conjunction with the University of California San Francisco, this multi-center study has sites throughout California. Sunstone Therapies in Maryland is the only East Coast site.

“This is the first large multi-center study looking at this, so I’m excited about representing the East Coast,” Agrawal said.

Sunstone Therapies is located on the third floor of the Aquilino Cancer Center, which is part of the larger Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center campus. Parking is free for study participants.

For more information, call (301) 750-3401 or visit sunstonetherapies.com.