Brain injury survivors use psychedelics to manage symptoms

A new study from the University of Victoria (UVic) has identified a segment of traumatic brain injury survivors who are using psychedelics to self-medicate for cognitive, mood and somatic symptoms such as headaches.

In a first-of-its-kind study, clinical psychology researchers analyzed more than 6,100 responses collected from the global psychedelic survey. Researchers found that nearly 1,200 respondents reported using psychedelics to treat or manage a physical health condition.

Of these, some 208 participants, or 3.4 per cent of the total sample, reported using psychedelics to manage brain injury-related symptoms. 

The paper, Psychedelics for the management of symptoms of traumatic brain injury: Findings from the global psychedelic survey, was published Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, co-authored by UVic clinical psychology professors Jill Robinson and Mauricio Garcia-Barrera.

Some 60 million people worldwide experience traumatic brain injuries (TBI) every year. Garcia-Barrera says there isn't a one-size-fits all treatment for TBI survivors, and he says some are looking for alternative supports, including from psychedelics.

Although research into using psychedelics to manage TBI symptoms remains quite limited, the field is gaining momentum as awareness grows around how widespread brain injury is globally and its impact on the quality of life of those who experience a TBI." 

Mauricio Garcia-Barrera, UVic clinical psychology professor

Baeleigh VanderZwaag, the UVic PhD student who led the study, said there is limited research from human participants when it comes to psychedelics and brain injury, with most research coming from animal models. This is the first time a study has examined traumatic brain injury survivors' self-reported use of psychedelics to treat symptoms.

"I wasn't expecting so many people to be using psychedelics at this point for brain injury-it's really new information," says VanderZwaag. "It was surprising to find that some people globally are experimenting with this, acquiring psychedelics by themselves to see how it works for them."

Researchers found that respondents with TBIs most often used psilocybin every two to five months or every six months to treat their symptoms, using a mix of microdoses and larger doses. Other respondents reported self-medicating with LSD/acid and ketamine.

Not only are people with TBIs experimenting with psychedelics to manage mood, cognitive and somatic symptoms-they are finding relief. When asked to rate how effective their psychedelic use was on their TBI-related symptoms, 90 per cent of the sample self-reported some level of symptom improvement.

A lot of questions remain, however, around the safety and effectiveness of using psychedelics to treat brain injuries. VanderZwaag says more research, including clinical trials, is needed to evaluate the risks and benefits of using psychedelics for TBIs.

Next VanderZwaag and colleagues will analyze new data from the 2025 Global Psychedelic Survey, which was administered in the spring of 2025 and translated into 18 additional languages.