Colorado Researchers Are Testing Psilocybin Therapy for Advanced Cancer Distress. Here’s What We Know so Far

At Rose NeuroSpa, we spend a lot of time tracking what’s next in brain-based care. Not because every new idea is ready for prime time, but because research is how tomorrow’s options get built responsibly.

That’s why a major New York and Colorado-based clinical trial caught our attention this year: researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and partners at New York University are studying whether psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy can help people with advanced cancer who are experiencing significant anxiety, depression, fear of death, and loss of hope.

Let’s be clear up front: this is a study, not a proven standard treatment. Psilocybin is not FDA-approved as a medical therapy for this purpose. The point of the trial is to find out, carefully and scientifically, whether it is safe and whether it meaningfully helps.

Still, it’s hard not to feel optimistic when Colorado is helping lead rigorous, patient-centered research in a space that has needed better answers for a long time.

What problem the study is trying to solve

Advanced cancer can come with a heavy psychological burden. Even when medical teams are doing everything possible for the body, many patients continue to struggle with profound distress. According to the trial’s framing, this distress can include clinically significant anxiety, depression, and existential suffering, such as fear of death and loss of meaning or hope.

UCHealth’s overview puts it plainly: some people do not respond well to traditional approaches, and the limits of current tools become more obvious when someone is dealing with serious illness and reduced physical capacity.

What the Colorado-based study is testing and how it’s designed

This is not a “take mushrooms and see what happens” situation.

The National Cancer Institute describes it as a phase IIb trial studying the safety and effectiveness of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for psychiatric and existential distress in advanced cancer.

The CU Anschutz public study listing adds key design details:

• About 200 participants across two locations
  
• A randomized, double-blind controlled phase followed by an optional open-label phase
  
• Participants receive one dose of either synthetic psilocybin (25 mg) or an active placebo of niacin (100 mg), alongside the same structured talk therapy
  

That “active placebo” detail matters. Niacin can cause noticeable physical sensations, which helps keep the study fair by making it harder for participants to guess which group they’re in.

What participation looks like in real life

UCHealth describes the care model in a way that feels very intentional:

• Three preparatory therapy sessions before the dosing day
  
• A closely supervised eight-hour dosing session in a quiet, comfortable setting, with eye shades and music, and two therapists present the entire time
  
• Multiple follow-up integration sessions, which the study team describes as a crucial part of the process
  

The NCI eligibility section also highlights how carefully participants are screened, including functional status requirements and a threshold for clinically significant anxiety.

Why we’re optimistic, even while it’s still “just a study”

At Rose NeuroSpa, we like hope that’s built on structure.

This trial is hopeful because it is:

• NCI-funded and designed to answer real clinical questions, not just generate buzz
  
• Focused on a population with urgent needs, where better mental health support can meaningfully change day-to-day life
  
• Being led in part from Colorado, through CU Anschutz and UCHealth’s clinical research environment
  

We also think it models something important for patients and families: the idea that mental health care is part of whole-person care, especially in serious illness.

Psilocybin for Cancer-Related Mental Health Issues: What We Know so Far

If you’re hearing about psychedelic therapy and wondering whether it’s “real,” this is the healthiest lens we know:

• Clinical trials are where real answers come from.
  
• This trial is experimental, carefully controlled, and not the same thing as general access services.
  
• If results are positive, it could help shape safer, clearer pathways in the future.
  

Colorado is not just watching this field evolve. We’re helping test it the right way.

If you’re interested in trying psychedelic therapy for yourself, get in touch! Our center will provide a safe, regulated space where meaningful transformation can unfold — a meeting point between evidence-based care and the enduring wisdom of ancestral traditions that have long understood psilocybin as a tool for healing and spiritual renewal.