#29: Psychedelic Update! How MDMA-assisted therapy could treat PTSD with Rick Doblin

Brain Health with Dr. Nissen

Research into MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) shows impressive results.

See my ABC News article on the trial results here

Rick Doblin, Ph.D., is the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). He received his doctorate in Public Policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, where he wrote his dissertation on the regulation of the medical uses of psychedelics and marijuana and his Master's thesis on a survey of oncologists about smoked marijuana vs. the oral THC pill in nausea control for cancer patients. His undergraduate thesis at New College of Florida was a 25-year follow-up to the classic Good Friday Experiment, which evaluated the potential of psychedelic drugs to catalyze religious experiences. He also conducted a thirty-four-year follow-up study to Timothy Leary's Concord Prison Experiment. Rick studied with Dr. Stanislav Grof and was among the first to be certified as a Holotropic Breathwork practitioner. His professional goal is to help develop legal contexts for the beneficial uses of psychedelics and marijuana, primarily as prescription medicines but also for personal growth for otherwise healthy people, and eventually to become a legally licensed psychedelic therapist. He founded MAPS in 1986.

Here is my interview with Rick about MAPS' latest Phase III Clinical Trial for MDMA-assisted therapy as a treatment for PTSD. In the trial, they enrolled 90 participants and randomly assigned 46 to receive MDMA-assisted therapy, while the other 44 participants were given a placebo with identical talk therapy. This therapy went on for 18 weeks. Ultimately, 67% of those in the MDMA-assisted therapy group no longer had PTSD after three sessions, compared to 32% in the placebo with therapy group.

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