Can Psychedelics Offer Hope for Treating Long Covid?

After recovering from their first infection with Covid-19 in December 2021, Melina Cassidy started to notice lingering symptoms of what medical professionals were only just beginning to identify as “long haul effects” of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

“It was a lot of neuropathy, fatigue, breathlessness, and terrible brain fog,” Cassidy tells DoubleBlind from their home in the Comox Valley, in Canada. “I wasn't able to smell or taste things; I had to nap every single day.” 

Eventually, they were accepted into a clinic designed to help medical professionals explore the growing phenomenon of Long Covid (LC). Receiving a diagnosis was a small step in the right direction, but finding relief was beyond the scope of what the clinic could offer. Experienced with psychedelics, Cassidy decided to take a self-guided psilocybin mushroom journey, drinking it in a tea infusion.

“I got higher than I had been in a long time. I had a lot of emotions. I spent half the time looking at my cat and crying for joy,” Cassidy says, giggling at the memory. The next day, they noticed they were having an easier time staying focused on tasks and writing out ideas. “It was as if my cognitive abilities were stronger.”  

Cassidy began “connecting the dots” between the potential of psilocybin on brain function after attending a virtual gathering of international neurologists discussing the effects of Covid-19, in particular, how the virus damages the protective myelin sheath of nerve cells, contributing to debilitating brain fog. Studies on psilocybin function have shown promising outcomes for the growth and maintenance of the myelin sheath, indicating the potential of neural regeneration. 

Cassidy then began a microdosing protocol developed by mycologist Paul Stamets, which combines psilocybin, lion’s mane mushroom, and niacin. They included additional supplements in the stack, such as chaga mushroom extract and omega fats. After a year on this regimen, they noticed a significant reduction in neuropathy and improvements in hand-eye coordination, in addition to a curious return of their synesthesia — a rare perceptual phenomenon. t. “One of the other things that I think has been a benefit [of micro and macrodosing regularly] is reconnecting with joy again.”  

Despite finding relief from this regimen, however, Cassidy still experiences LC symptoms and continues a committed protocol of psilocybin and supplements. They also live in a region where access to substances, particularly psilocybin mushrooms, is higher due to legal gray areas that currently prevent outright criminalization in Canada.

Cassidy is a part of a growing grassroots movement to find sustainable relief from the incapacitating effects of LC by experimenting with psychedelic substances. LC has been established as a “chronic, systematic disease with profound consequences,” according to a rigorous report published by The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). In many ways, LC mirrors the biomarkers of severe inflammation and symptoms of other chronic illnesses, including Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), with symptoms including debilitating fatigue, post-exertional malaise (PEM), and cognitive dysfunction. Chronic illnesses that result in debilitating symptoms affect an estimated 1.55 billion people globally, with approximately 60% of citizens in the U.S. suffering from at least one chronic condition. 

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Court Wing’s background in cutting-edge physical performance and rehabilitation informs his unique expertise in the emerging field of neurobiology, chronic pain and illness, and psychedelics. A 14-year martial arts career — marked by an immersive apprenticeship with the U.S. Chief Instructor for Ki-Aikido — was later expanded through his early adoption of CrossFit and training as a Z-Health Master in applied neurophysiology. Paired with over two decades of sobriety and the early influence of Terrence McKenna’s teachings on psychedelics, his deep understanding bridges the connections between pain, spiritual and emotional health, and the physical body.

The slow unraveling of his once thriving NYC-based fitness company, coupled with the death of his best friend and the arrival of his first child, marked the turning point when Wing was gripped by debilitating depression, suicidal ideation, and moderate but consistent chronic pain throughout his body. 

Desperate for relief, he went back on SSRI medication after being off it for more than a decade, to no avail. Tracking the wave of psychedelic research on treatment-resistant depression, he applied and was accepted into NYU’s Usona Institute psilocybin trial in March 2020. He knew within half an hour of administration that he had been given the psychedelic dose.

“By the end of the day, I was in complete and total remission,” Wing tells DoubleBlind. “[My depression] was shockingly gone. It felt like it had been surgically excised. But then, honestly, the most shocking part was the next day when I realized my chronic pain was (also) completely gone.” While these results are stunning, Wing continues to exercise a well-supported medicinal and nutritional protocol to manage his health. 

Inspired by his experience, Wing set out to connect with psychedelic researchers and medical professionals, building a network to advance the largely unexplored study of pain and psychedelic medicine. He has since founded REMAP Therapeutics, joining forces with Clusterbusters, Psychedelics Today, and researchers including Dr. Joel Costellanos, Dr. Devon Christie, Bob Wold, and Dr. Gul Dolen to host the first Pain and Psychedelics Symposium. It is now an annual online event, focusing on the therapeutic potential of psychedelic medicine for chronic pain, as well as offering evidence-based courses and workshops.

This movement to study psychedelics and plant medicine for chronic conditions has gained momentum, because of the emergence of LC. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified at least 200 LC symptoms affecting every major organ system in the body, including neurological damage resulting in cognitive dysfunction, dysautonomia, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), post-exertional malaise, memory loss, increased risk of dementia, hallucinations, depression, anxiety, rapid changes in blood pressure, nausea, joint pain, skin rashes, menstrual changes, vertigo, anemia, low white blood cell count, low platelet count, and more. Reports indicate an increase in heart attacks among people aged 25-44 since the pandemic began, and a 2024 study by RECOVER, found that up to 5.8 million children in the United States have LC, revealing that LC is likely now surpassing asthma as the leading chronic illness in children. In October of this year, at the 3rd annual Symposium on Long Covid in Vancouver, Dr. Malgorzata (Gosia) Gasperowicz, a developmental biologist and a researcher at the University of Calgary, Canada, shared the statistical projection that 1 in 3 Canadian citizens will face LC by 2027.

In 2024, Covid Specialist Dr. David Putrino stated, "We need to be very, very firm with our messaging that there is no such thing as a mild SARS-CoV2 infection. There is no such thing as a SARS-CoV-2 infection that does not have prolonged consequences.” 

In 2023, USC researchers Jakub Hlávka and Adam Rose estimated Covid-19’s economic toll could reach $14 trillion — and that didn’t even account for the human cost. A recent study from the Yale School of Medicine found that about 14% of the U.S. workforce living with LC — roughly two million people — were unable to return to work three months after infection.

“Despite efforts to ‘return to normal,’ policymakers must consider the clinical and economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s employment status and work absenteeism,” the study concludes. Nature Review’s estimates say: “The cumulative global incidence of LC is around 400 million individuals, which is estimated to have an annual economic impact of approximately $1 trillion, equivalent to about 1% of the global economy.”

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​MaryAnne Welke-Lesage, an academic from Ottawa, Canada, was diagnosed with LC in 2022. Her desperation for relief pushed her beyond her comfort zone. Amid disinformation and medical gaslighting, she decided to go to an “underground” psychedelic ceremony.

While Welke-Lesage’s story of healing is now widely public, she explains how it took her plenty of reflection — and the encouragement of Court Wing — to step out from being an “anonymous” source. Coming out of the “psychedelic closet,” she explains, was influenced by a sense of solidarity with all people living with LC and chronic conditions. “LC is a mass disabling event that is happening right now. I’m lucky enough to have recovered mostly, and I feel a responsibility to share that.” 

Even so, she says she’s nervous people will interpret her story as a sure-fire medical protocol that will work for everyone. “This is not a suggestion for anybody else,” she tells DoubleBlind. “This is just my story.” 

In 2022, Welke-Lesage didn’t set out to “heal” her LC symptoms when she joined her first psychedelic ceremony by the banks of the Ottawa River, on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation. “It came as a surprise.” 

​​Her initial journey with high doses of MDMA and psilocybin, followed by smaller dose sessions, is now part of a scientific case study. Yet, Welke-Lesage believes the science is only part of the story. “There’s this incredibly long lineage of spiritual significance and different ways that people can use them for a flourishing life.” She’s uncomfortable that her story has been framed only through a medical lens, arguing it reinforces doctors as gatekeepers and limits access to psychedelics. “They should be available for all people, with many different kinds of support, with the medical path being just one of them.” 

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Dr. Saleena Subaiya, an epidemiologist and emergency medicine physician in New York City, was on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

“I was vaccinated before anyone else — even Biden — on the second day vaccines were out. Effectively, 24 hours later, I had the onset of severe symptoms. I couldn't think, I was in bed 20 hours a day,” they explain. Most doctors Subaiya confronted didn’t think LC existed, and instead concluded it was PTSD from living through the pandemic. Their symptoms also included “crippling” insomnia, post-exertional malaise (PEM), and cognitive difficulties — symptoms that, despite their years of work in high-stress environments, they had never experienced.

Subaiya has been reluctant to discuss the origins of their initial LC symptoms for concerns of sparking vaccine hesitancy. “My symptoms began the day after the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, and I also relapsed three times after three Covid infections. Before vaccination, I had several negative PCR tests, and a negative nucleocapsid test — which distinguishes COVID exposure from vaccination — so I have both post-COVID vaccine injury and LC.” They emphasize that they have “been careful” sharing this due to their vaccine work at the CDC, but they think it’s “important to tell the whole story.” Subaiya remains firmly in favor of vaccinations, despite their illness. 

Covid vaccine injury remains a contentious topic, fuelling conspiracy theories and misinformation that have contributed to declining vaccine uptake. Yet, Subaiya’s story, while unique, is far from isolated. Recent research confirms that certain Covid-19 vaccine-related injuries — importantly, myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle — exist and should be taken seriously. However, while all mass vaccination efforts carry inherent risks, a 2024 study in Nature concludes: “Available evidence shows that COVID-19 mRNA vaccination is associated with an increased risk of myocarditis, but at a much lower level than the risk associated with COVID-19 infection, reiterating a clear positive benefit/risk ratio for COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.” 

Uniquely positioned as a scientist, doctor, and LC patient, Subaiya began to track relapses in their symptoms with each new infection they experienced, in addition to observing dietary choices and specific practices that either hindered or helped their symptoms. For example, high-histamine foods lead to their blood pressure “tanking,” a common symptom of dysautonomia, a condition linked to MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome) and LC, while meditation, breathing practices, and cold plunging provided some relief. 

While teaching part-time in Columbia University’s Department of Psychiatry, they continued testing holistic protocols and drawing on their experience as a co-investigator in psychedelic research trials. “I really began to see how there was a huge potential there — and that’s what sparked the studies that we (the CUIMC team) are in the process of launching.”

Subaiya explains that in their studies, they have tracked participants' mental health, neurological and cognitive outcomes, and biological markers over time. They receive daily emails from LC patients who are “desperate, because there is no treatment,” which motivated them in 2024 to begin planning a private practice that will offer “holistic, supportive care to LC patients,” including medical interventions with prescribed medication, nutritional, dietary, and emotional and psychological support. Currently, Subaiya offers Long Covid consultations, virtually and in-person, in NYC. 

Subaiya says that while they see the potential of psychedelic medicine for LC recovery, they feel “hesitant” to say that psilocybin, in particular, is a “miracle cure” for everyone. They point out that the compound interacts with multiple systems in the body, including the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which regulates involuntary functions such as heart rate and blood pressure. “Dysautonomia is one of the biggest concerns in LC. With any medication that affects heart rate and blood pressure, there is the risk of worsening symptoms if patients are not adequately prepared and supported during sessions.” 

Subaiya references recent studies linking low serotonin levels with LC symptoms. This research shows that the SARS-CoV-2 virus lingers in the gut of patients with LC. With 95% of serotonin production existing in the gut, the infection may increase inflammation in the intestinal tract, inhibiting peripheral serotonin production, uptake, and storage. Serotonin is a crucial neurotransmitter, and low levels of it can increase the risk of blood clotting, blood pressure dysregulation, brain fog, and chronic nervous system dysregulation.

Subaiya explains that while it’s believed that the serotonin receptors in the brain are responsible for the psychedelic effects of these drugs, there are many other receptors that “mediate the ANS, specifically the vagus nerve,” which they believe is “important in the pathogenesis [or how disease develops and progresses] of LC. Some (scientists) hypothesize that serotonergic hallucinogens can interact with these receptors and possibly counteract some of the peripheral serotonin issues.” 

They say it’s important for people with LC who choose to experiment on themselves to connect with their doctors and care teams, given the added layers of complexity of the condition.

Dr. Sue Sisley, a medical cannabis and psychedelic researcher and advocate, quickly recognized a troubling pattern while working at a LC clinic affiliated with the University of Arizona. The medical team struggled to find effective therapies to alleviate patients' symptoms. Sisley’s patients at the clinic started experimenting with cannabis and psychedelic substances. “Over time, they were the ones who started educating us about what they were doing, and they were the ones who taught us that the psilocybin mushrooms were really helping them.” 

Sisley was “most impressed” by the enduring effect on people who were taking larger doses. “(Some) people were microdosing, but in fact, people who took a large dose said that their brain fog had dissipated and they had clarity for many months after, and didn't need to repeat it, for at least a year.” 

After successfully advocating for a bill in the Arizona legislature, Sisley helped secure $5 million for psilocybin research. Although two other studies received funding, the LC study didn’t, because there were no scientists who applied to compete for the money to carry it out. While she isn’t entirely sure why no one applied, she wonders if it’s because most people are “trying hard to put Covid in the rearview mirror.”

Sisley was the first in the U.S. to apply for a DEA Schedule 1 license to cultivate psilocybin mushrooms for future human trials. While the application is still tied up in red tape, she is taking action to prepare for approval. Sisley’s colleague Nicole Nichols, an enthusiastic advocate and volunteer, is responsible for growing as much biomass as possible, so they can undergo lab analysis to find ways to standardize samples for human trials. 

Sisley aims to expand research to include whole mushroom fruiting bodies — a groundbreaking and comprehensive approach that examines the many active compounds found in mushrooms, rather than focusing solely on a single synthetic compound as most clinical trials currently do. They will then assess the effects of set and setting, as well as the effects of group versus individual therapy sessions. This holistic approach challenges the conventional Western medical models for studying psychedelics. “Indigenous wisdom is really important here,” Sisley tells DoubleBlind. “I think Indigenous people (who use these medicines) have learned that group ceremonies are the most effective for them, and having the fellowship of the community with you, is the most valuable…there's no road map that's going to meet everybody's needs, and we just have to be agile.”

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Now in the fifth year of the pandemic, more than a million people in the U.S. have died from Covid-19 — a number likely underestimated by 15 to 30% — while millions more live with disabilities amid a collapsing health system that’s abandoned prevention and monetized care. Independent doctors, scientists, and journalists, including: The Sick Times, epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina, Dr. Lucky Tran, and disability justice advocates Alice Wong and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, are among those filling the gaps in data and public health reporting, while communities around the world organize MaskBloc’s to distribute free test kits and high-quality masks.

As the Trump regime continues to gut and cut public health services and vaccine programs, while replacing trusted medical professionals with uneducated propagandists, increasing mask bans, and advancing policies reminiscent of past atrocious public health inequities, community-based care, independent research, advocacy, and mutual aid networks have never been more vital.

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