Psychedelic-assisted therapy is changing what’s possible for people living with trauma. Slana follows the research and advocates for access in Northern Ireland.
Our purpose
Trauma doesn’t simply fade. It lives in the body, in families, in whole communities. Understanding what actually helps means looking at the evidence honestly and including the people it affects most.
Slana exists to bring dignity, good science and real support to people living with trauma.
Evidence, with context
The research is promising and still evolving. We present the findings alongside their limitations, because that’s the only way to read them honestly.
Nature Medicine · 90 participants
Participants who received MDMA alongside therapy showed a greater reduction in PTSD symptoms than those who received placebo with the same therapy.
The primary endpoint was two months after the last experimental session. Limited diversity and difficulty masking treatment assignment are real weaknesses.
New England Journal of Medicine · 59 participants
A six-week head-to-head compared psilocybin with the antidepressant escitalopram, with psychological support in both groups. On the primary outcome, no statistically significant difference was found.
Some secondary measures favoured psilocybin, but they were not adjusted for multiple comparisons.
Journal of Psychopharmacology · 51 participants
Comparing higher and very low doses of psilocybin, this study found reductions in depression and anxiety among people with life-threatening cancer, with benefits still present at six months.
This was a small, specific group. By long-term follow-up, both groups had received the higher dose, limiting a controlled comparison.
Look at the number of participants, their circumstances and who was excluded. Fifty people is not everyone.
Check the treatment, support and comparison group. Laboratory or animal findings cannot establish a clinical benefit in people. A study in rats is a study in rats.
Consider side effects, follow-up length, bias and whether results have been independently replicated. One study is a start, not a verdict.
Benefits and risks
Psilocybin can cause fear, confusion, nausea and changes in blood pressure or heart rate. Some mental health conditions raise the risks significantly. These are not substances to take casually.
If you're considering treatment, talk to your doctor.
Read the NCCIH overview of benefits and risks
Care in community
Trauma here is not abstract. It’s generational, it’s local, and the people who live with it deserve a say in what care looks like.
Slana connects emerging research with the priorities of communities in Northern Ireland — because healing that ignores its context isn’t healing.
Share your perspectiveWatch
An introduction to Slana, the research we follow, and what it means for Northern Ireland.
00:00Slana. Psychological trauma has powerful new treatments.
00:07Trauma doesn't simply fade. It lives on in the body, in families, and in whole communities. In places that have known conflict, like Northern Ireland, its imprint can last for generations, keeping people trapped in cycles of fear, hypervigilance, and pain.
00:31Entheogenic medicines, such as psilocybin and MDMA, work at the deepest level of the brain. Under professional guidance, they can release emotional trauma that has been locked in place for years or decades, and dissolve the conditioned responses that keep people stuck.
00:53The science is remarkable. In a phase-three trial published in Nature Medicine, MDMA-assisted therapy brought significant relief to people with severe PTSD. Studies at Johns Hopkins, Imperial College London, and Yale show that a single dose of psilocybin can lift depression for weeks, and spur the growth of neural connections lost to depression itself.
01:22The world is taking notice. The FDA has granted psilocybin Breakthrough Therapy status. Australia now allows psychiatrists to prescribe MDMA and psilocybin. And nearly a hundred cities have moved to decriminalise these medicines.
01:43These lands used entheogenic plant medicines for thousands of years. Modern research is confirming what ancient cultures knew: these substances can catalyse profound healing. And when even one or two people in a community begin to heal, the effects ripple outward, through families, relationships, and communities. That is a path towards peace.
02:14It's time to bring these medicines, safely and legally, to the places that need them most, guided by trained professionals. Learn more, explore the research, and join us at slana dot org. Slana: healing trauma at its roots.
Keep exploring
Studies, reporting and organisations working on psychedelic-assisted therapy, trauma care and community wellbeing. We read these; you might want to as well. Open a topic to browse.
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Get in touch
Whether it’s a question about the research, a collaboration idea, or a perspective from your own community — say hello.
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