Psilocybin Treatment as an Adjunct to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders: Therapeutic Rationale & Considerations for Protocol Development.

Summary

Psilocybin treatment is proposed as a promising adjunct to cognitive-behavioral therapy for eating disorders, potentially improving patient engagement and clinical outcomes. This narrative review consolidates theoretical evidence for combining psilocybin with CBT-ED and outlines considerations for future research on its feasibility, safety, and efficacy. The findings aim to enhance treatment approaches for eating disorders and support the broader application of psychedelics in psychotherapy.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Eating disorders (EDs) remain challenging to treat, with high dropout and low remission rates in cognitive-behavioral therapy for EDs (CBT-ED). Psilocybin treatment (PT) demonstrates therapeutic potential to enhance CBT-ED by exerting several neurobiological, psychological, and experiential effects (e.g., antidepressant, neuroplasticity, emotional openness) that are hypothesized to increase psychotherapeutic engagement, reduce dropout, and improve clinical outcomes. This narrative review provides the first consolidation of theoretical evidence for PT/CBT-ED, proposes considerations for a concurrent intervention protocol, and presents clinical and research considerations to empirically test its feasibility, safety, and efficacy. This line of inquiry is expected to advance the development of approaches that improve ED treatment outcomes and, more broadly, advance the study of psychedelics as tools to enhance evidence-based psychotherapy models.

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