Psychedelic-assisted Therapy as a Promising Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is common and often disabling, with many patients not helped by current treatments. Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), using agents like psilocybin in a psychotherapeutic setting, has shown promise for certain psychiatric and chronic pain conditions. This editorial argues that PAT may also benefit IBS, based on three lines of evidence: psychological mechanisms from historic psychedelic studies for chronic pain, central nervous system effects like modulation of the default mode network and neuroplasticity, and the neurointestinal pathophysiology of IBS that PAT could modify. The authors suggest PAT is worthy of study as a new therapy for IBS and other disorders of gut-brain interaction, potentially moving beyond mind-body dualism.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is prevalent and can be disabling. Many patients remain symptomatic despite behavioral and medical therapies. Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), in which serotonergic agents like psilocybin are administered in a psychotherapeutic context, has shown promise for refractory psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Emerging evidence suggests PAT may also be beneficial for chronic pain conditions, including fibromyalgia, low back pain, and migraines. IBS is highly comorbid with depression, anxiety, and other chronic pain disorders, suggesting shared cognitive and neurological roots and potentially shared therapeutic targets. In this editorial, we discuss 3 lines of evidence for PAT as a treatment for IBS, under the overarching themes of (1) psychological mechanisms (the findings from historic studies of psychedelics for chronic pain and the elements of psychobiological dysfunction targeted by PAT), (2) central nervous system mechanisms (default mode network modulation and induction of neuroplasticity), and (3) the neurointestinal pathophysiology of IBS that may be modified by PAT. We argue that this evidence suggests PAT is worthy of study as a new therapy for IBS, and potentially for other disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI). Successful application of PAT to gastrointestinal disease would represent a major step beyond mind-body dualism, with potential implications for other functional somatic disorders.