When trauma and psychedelics meet: new Reichman University study finds reduced anxiety and PTSD among Nova festival survivors

A groundbreaking new study conducted by researchers from Reichman University and other Israeli  institutions explored the psychological aftermath of the deadly terrorist attack at the Nova Festival in southern Israel. The attack, which took place on October 7, 2023, claimed the lives of nearly 400 people and left hundreds more physically and psychologically wounded. Three weeks after the massacre, the researchers administered in-person psychological questionnaires to 343 survivors aged 18–64, examining the participants’ mental state, the psychoactive substances they consumed before and during the festival, and the ways those substances may have affected their physical and psychological response to trauma.

While the phenomenon of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety following exposure to war and terrorism is becoming an increasingly pressing global mental health concern, scientific understanding about the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the development of these conditions remains partial and limited. To date, most knowledge in the field is based on research in animal models, rather than on direct evidence from humans exposed to extreme traumatic events — especially not under the influence of mind-altering substances. This is what makes the Nova Festival an exceptional event — it was a real-world situation, as opposed to a laboratory simulation, in which trauma and psychedelics intersected.

The study’s findings show that survivors who had used “classic” psychedelics — including hallucinogenic mushrooms (psilocybin), LSD, mescaline, and 2C-B — reported significantly lower levels of anxiety and post-traumatic symptoms compared to those who had not used psychedelics or who had consumed other substances, such as MDMA, cannabis, or alcohol. These results remained statistically significant even after controlling for factors such as age, gender, previous psychiatric history, and prior psychedelic use. For example, while the average anxiety symptom score across the entire sample was 1.90, it dropped to 1.38 among the survivors who had taken classic psychedelics.

Dr. Zohar Rubinstein of the Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology at Reichman University said: “This is a powerful example of the simultaneous exposure of almost 4,000 people to a traumatic event on a massive scale. The survivors’ willingness to cooperate with us during such a difficult time allowed us to examine the effects of psychedelics at a relatively early stage of symptom onset, and in a more natural setting (compared to therapeutic settings). These data are of great clinical importance.”

Einat Karp Barnir, a clinical psychologist at the Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology at Reichman University, said: “A few days after October 7th, I began volunteering as a clinical psychologist in a healing space. After dozens of conversations I had with survivors, I started to notice that some of those who had been under the influence of certain substances appeared to show milder symptoms — less anxiety and fewer post-traumatic responses. Around the same time, I came across an article claiming that substance use could increase the post-traumatic stress of those who were at the Nova Festival. The discrepancy between what was being said in the media and what I was seeing on the ground sparked the idea for this study. I contacted Dr. Zohar Rubinstein, and we decided to explore the connection between the type of substance taken at the party and the severity of psychological responses after the event. At a time when understanding and treating trauma is more relevant than ever, there is still a lack of sufficient information about the factors that influence the formation of traumatic memories. Our study sheds light on the differing effects of various substances and contributes to our understanding of how traumatic memories are formed and retained. Such an understanding could one day not only improve treatment, but even help prevent the development of PTSD.”

Prof. Rany Abend of the Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology at Reichman University said: “What the survivors have given us — through tremendous courage — is a unique glimpse into how mind-altering substances affect the formation of trauma, based on their personal experiences. The main finding of our study indicates that the brain systems activated by classic psychedelics are involved in the connection between the experience of a life-threatening event, the formation of a traumatic memory, and the emergence of psychological symptoms.”

This study adds to a growing body of research on this important topic, provides new insights for researchers and therapists, and presents real-world evidence that the use of classic psychedelics may reduce trauma symptoms — an important finding with implications for both research and clinical practice.

However, the researchers emphasize the need for caution. “The study’s findings are not intended to encourage the free and unsupervised use of psychedelics, nor do they suggest that such use constitutes a form of treatment,” Dr. Rubinstein clarifies. “Rather, they point to potential mechanisms — which need to be further investigated — that may explain how supervised use within an integrative psychological treatment setting may yield therapeutic benefits.”