Reading List · Updated 2026

Veterans and Psychedelics:
the research

The peer-reviewed literature on veterans, service members, and psychedelic-assisted therapies — organized by substance. Every citation links to its DOI.

This is a focused reading list, not an exhaustive bibliography. It covers the studies most often cited by clinicians, researchers, and veterans working through this material. Trials with veteran or military samples are emphasized; foundational depression-and-PTSD studies are included where they shaped the field.

For a synthesis of what the research says (and doesn't) about microdosing specifically, see Microdosing and PTSD. The full microdosing literature lives on /resources. For active recruiting trials, see Active Research.

MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD

MDMA & PTSD

The most-developed clinical pipeline in psychedelic medicine. MAPS' Phase 2 trial in veterans, firefighters, and police officers (Mithoefer 2018) established proof of concept; two Phase 3 trials followed.

  1. Mithoefer, M. C., Wagner, M. T., Mithoefer, A. T., Jerome, L., & Doblin, R. (2011). The safety and efficacy of ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy in subjects with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder: The first randomized controlled pilot study. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 25(4), 439–452. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881110378371
  2. Mithoefer, M. C., Mithoefer, A. T., Feduccia, A. A., Jerome, L., Wagner, M., Wymer, J., Holland, J., Hamilton, S., Yazar-Klosinski, B., Emerson, A., & Doblin, R. (2018). 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder in military veterans, firefighters, and police officers: A randomised, double-blind, dose-response, phase 2 clinical trial. The Lancet Psychiatry, 5(6), 486–497. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30135-4
  3. Mitchell, J. M., Bogenschutz, M., Lilienstein, A., Harrison, C., Kleiman, S., Parker-Guilbert, K., Ot'alora, M., Garas, W., Paleos, C., Gorman, I., Nicholas, C., Mithoefer, M., Carlin, S., Poulter, B., Mithoefer, A., Quevedo, S., Wells, G., Klaire, S. S., van der Kolk, B., … Doblin, R. (2021). MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Nature Medicine, 27(6), 1025–1033. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-021-01336-3
  4. Mitchell, J. M., Ot'alora G., M., van der Kolk, B., Shannon, S., Bogenschutz, M., Gelfand, Y., Paleos, C., Nicholas, C. R., Quevedo, S., Balliett, B., Hamilton, S., Mithoefer, M., Kleiman, S., Parker-Guilbert, K., Tzarfaty, K., Harrison, C., de Boer, A., Doblin, R., & Yazar-Klosinski, B. (2023). MDMA-assisted therapy for moderate to severe PTSD: A randomized, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial. Nature Medicine, 29(10), 2473–2480. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02565-4
Ibogaine & 5-MeO-DMT

Special Operations veterans

A distinct research line focused on Special Operations Forces (SOF) veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and complex PTSD. Most of this work follows veterans who traveled to clinics in Mexico, with prospective and retrospective designs.

  1. Davis, A. K., Averill, L. A., Sepeda, N. D., Barsuglia, J. P., & Amoroso, T. (2020). Psychedelic treatment for trauma-related psychological and cognitive impairment among US Special Operations Forces Veterans. Chronic Stress, 4, 2470547020939564. https://doi.org/10.1177/2470547020939564
  2. Davis, A. K., Xin, Y., Sepeda, N. D., & Averill, L. A. (2023). Open-label study of consecutive ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT assisted-therapy for trauma-exposed male Special Operations Forces Veterans: Prospective data from a clinical program in Mexico. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 49(5), 587–596. https://doi.org/10.1080/00952990.2023.2220874
  3. Armstrong, S. B., Xin, Y., Sepeda, N. D., Polanco, M., Averill, L. A., & Davis, A. K. (2024). Prospective associations of psychedelic treatment for co-occurring alcohol misuse and posttraumatic stress symptoms among United States Special Operations Forces Veterans. Military Psychology, 36(2), 184–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/08995605.2022.2156200
  4. Cherian, K. N., Keynan, J. N., Anker, L., Faerman, A., Brown, R. E., Shamma, A., Keynan, O., Coetzee, J. P., Phillips, J. M., Gross, J. J., Halpern, C. H., & Williams, N. R. (2024). Magnesium–ibogaine therapy in veterans with traumatic brain injuries. Nature Medicine, 30(2), 373–381. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02705-w
  5. Lissemore, J. I., Chaiken, N., Cherian, K. N., Keynan, J. N., Anker, L., Faerman, A., Halpern, C. H., & Williams, N. R. (2025). Magnesium–ibogaine therapy effects on cortical oscillations and neural complexity in veterans with traumatic brain injury. Nature Mental Health, 3, 918–931. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-025-00463-x
Ketamine for PTSD

Ketamine

Ketamine is the one compound in this list that's already FDA-approved for clinical use (off-label for PTSD, on-label for treatment-resistant depression). The evidence is mixed but the body of work in veteran and active-duty samples is the most mature outside MDMA.

  1. Feder, A., Parides, M. K., Murrough, J. W., Perez, A. M., Morgan, J. E., Saxena, S., Kirkwood, K., aan het Rot, M., Lapidus, K. A. B., Wan, L.-B., Iosifescu, D., & Charney, D. S. (2014). Efficacy of intravenous ketamine for treatment of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 71(6), 681–688. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.62
  2. Albott, C. S., Lim, K. O., Forbes, M. K., Erbes, C., Tye, S. J., Grabowski, J. G., Thuras, P., Batres-y-Carr, T. M., Wels, J., & Shiroma, P. R. (2018). Efficacy, safety, and durability of repeated ketamine infusions for comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder and treatment-resistant depression. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 79(3), 17m11634. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.17m11634
  3. Feder, A., Costi, S., Rutter, S. B., Collins, A. B., Govindarajulu, U., Jha, M. K., Horn, S. R., Kautz, M., Corniquel, M., Collins, K. A., Bevilacqua, L., Glasgow, A. M., Brallier, J., Pietrzak, R. H., Murrough, J. W., & Charney, D. S. (2021). A randomized controlled trial of repeated ketamine administration for chronic posttraumatic stress disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 178(2), 193–202. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20050596
  4. Abdallah, C. G., Roache, J. D., Gueorguieva, R., Averill, L. A., Young-McCaughan, S., Shiroma, P. R., Purohit, P., Brundige, A., Murff, W., Ahn, K.-H., Sherif, M. A., Baltutis, E. J., Ranganathan, M., D'Souza, D., Martini, B., Southwick, S. M., Petrakis, I. L., Burson, R. R., Guthmiller, K. B., … Krystal, J. H. (2022). Dose-related effects of ketamine for antidepressant-resistant symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in veterans and active duty military: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled multi-center clinical trial. Neuropsychopharmacology, 47(8), 1574–1581. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-022-01266-9
Psilocybin

Psilocybin for depression

No published Phase 3 veteran-specific psilocybin trial exists yet; the foundational evidence comes from major depression and treatment-resistant depression studies. The VA's own psilocybin trials at multiple medical centers are underway but not yet published. The three studies below shaped the modern psilocybin pipeline.

  1. Davis, A. K., Barrett, F. S., May, D. G., Cosimano, M. P., Sepeda, N. D., Johnson, M. W., Finan, P. H., & Griffiths, R. R. (2021). Effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy on major depressive disorder: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 78(5), 481–489. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.3285
  2. Carhart-Harris, R., Giribaldi, B., Watts, R., Baker-Jones, M., Murphy-Beiner, A., Murphy, R., Martell, J., Blemings, A., Erritzoe, D., & Nutt, D. J. (2021). Trial of psilocybin versus escitalopram for depression. The New England Journal of Medicine, 384(15), 1402–1411. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2032994
  3. Goodwin, G. M., Aaronson, S. T., Alvarez, O., Arden, P. C., Baker, A., Bennett, J. C., Bird, C., Blom, R. E., Brennan, C., Brusch, D., Burke, L., Campbell-Coker, K., Carhart-Harris, R., Cattell, J., Daniel, A., DeBattista, C., Dunlop, B. W., Eisen, K., Feifel, D., … Malievskaia, E. (2022). Single-dose psilocybin for a treatment-resistant episode of major depression. The New England Journal of Medicine, 387(18), 1637–1648. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2206443
Ayahuasca

Ayahuasca

The veteran-specific ayahuasca literature is small. The most rigorous published study to date is a mixed-methods case series; larger trials are in progress.

  1. Weiss, B., Dinh-Williams, L. A. L., Beller, N., Raugh, I. M., Strauss, G. P., & Campbell, W. K. (2023). Ayahuasca in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: Mixed-methods case series evaluation in military combat veterans. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 16(Suppl. 1), S718–S722. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001625
Reviews & Perspectives

Reviews

For a synthesis across compounds — and a clinical framing of how psychedelics fit (or don't fit) into existing PTSD care — start here.

  1. Krediet, E., Bostoen, T., Breeksema, J., van Schagen, A., Passie, T., & Vermetten, E. (2020). Reviewing the potential of psychedelics for the treatment of PTSD. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 23(6), 385–400. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijnp/pyaa018
Common questions

Frequently asked

Short answers to the questions veterans ask most often when first reading research on psychedelics. Each answer points back to the citations above where relevant.

What psychedelics are being researched for veterans with PTSD?

The peer-reviewed work captured on this page covers six compounds in or adjacent to veteran populations: MDMA (the most-studied for PTSD specifically), ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT (primarily in Special Operations veterans), ketamine (the most clinically available right now), psilocybin (primarily depression studies that often include veteran subgroups), and ayahuasca (limited but published combat-veteran data). Microdosed LSD — what the Microdosing Vets study is focused on — does not yet have published combat-veteran research, which is part of why the study exists.

Is MDMA-assisted therapy approved for veterans?

Not as of mid-2026. The Mitchell et al. (2021, 2023) phase 3 trials in Nature Medicine are the strongest evidence base, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved MDMA-assisted therapy. Access today comes through clinical trials (often FDA-sanctioned expanded access for veterans), out-of-country clinical programs, or — for some veterans — the limited VA pilot work. None of that is the same as approval.

Can active-duty service members participate in psychedelic clinical trials?

Eligibility depends on the trial. Many U.S.-based psychedelic trials exclude active-duty service members because of Department of Defense policy on substance use. Veterans who have separated are usually eligible if they meet the other criteria. The Abdallah et al. (2022) ketamine trial is a notable exception that included active-duty military. Always check the trial's specific eligibility — listed on ClinicalTrials.gov — before assuming.

Is the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) studying psychedelic therapies?

Yes — and the scope has expanded substantially since 2024. The VA has funded internal research on MDMA-assisted therapy and psilocybin for PTSD, and publishes an evolving overview at ptsd.va.gov. VA-funded research does not mean VA-approved treatment — there is a real gap between what's being studied and what a veteran can access through VA care today.

What's the difference between psychedelic-assisted therapy and microdosing?

Psychedelic-assisted therapy uses a full perceptual-altering dose alongside structured psychotherapy sessions — that's what all the trials linked on this page study. Microdosing uses sub-perceptual doses (roughly one-tenth of a full dose) taken on a recurring schedule, typically without therapy sessions, often outside any clinical structure. The two are studied separately and the evidence bases don't transfer between them. Microdosing research — including the qualitative work the Microdosing Vets study is doing — is a much smaller and less developed literature.

Where can I find currently recruiting trials for veterans?

Start with the studies-recruiting section on our resources page. The most current single source is a ClinicalTrials.gov filtered search for recruiting PTSD trials involving psychedelics — that updates as new studies open.

If you've microdosed for PTSD, your experience belongs in the record.

Our study is the first to look qualitatively at how combat veterans actually use microdosing in daily life. Five-minute eligibility screening, run by a fellow combat veteran.

Take the 5‑Min Screening → Back to Resources