MDMA is a psychoactive compound that affects brain chemistry. It increases the release of certain neurotransmitters, including serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which are involved in mood regulation and emotional processing. The substance may also have empathogenic and entactogenic effects that promote feelings of emotional openness, empathy, and connectedness.
Additionally, the compound decreases activity in the amygdala, the brain region responsible for fear and emotional responses. This biochemical interplay potentially mitigates the hyperarousal and intrusive thoughts often associated with PTSD.
MDMA-assisted therapy combines the use of MDMA with psychotherapy sessions. In this study, MDMA enhanced the therapeutic process by reducing fear and anxiety, promoting emotional introspection, and facilitating the processing of traumatic memories. Participants on MDMA-assisted therapy clearly saw more reduction in PTSD symptoms and functional impairment than those on the placebo.
How it’s administered MDMA ?
A typical MDMA-assisted psychotherapy session involves ingesting 120 mg of MDMA, followed by an optional half-dose of 40 mg administered about two hours after the initial dose to extend the therapeutic effects. The effects can last as long as eight hours, during which the patient has the opportunity to revisit important past events and emotions with two trained therapists. Preparation and integration sessions help the patient consolidate therapeutic gains. Generally, patients receive two or three sessions within a 12-week period.
What are the effects of MDMA in therapy?
MDMA’s effects last for several hours in humans. The subjective effects during an active MDMA session include :
- feeling more open
- enhanced trust with therapist
- increased alertness
- reduced social inhibition
- positive mood/euphoria
- heightened sensory and somatic (body) experiences
MDMA is “weakly hallucinogenic”, in that it doesn’t cause auditory hallucinations and creates visual hallucinations in only 20% of users. Even these visual hallucinations are not concrete, typically described as peripheral light flashes .
After an MDMA session, patients are invited to integrate their experience with the help of a trained psychedelic therapist. The evidence for efficacy in MDMA therapy is strong, with rapid onset of improved symptoms that endures after treatment for many patients
MDMA’s pro-social and inward-facing effects make it a powerful tool in psychotherapy. By activating feel-good hormones like dopamine and serotonin, MDMA helps people with PTSD open up about their traumatic memories while decreasing their anxiety . It could also work by helping people ignore negative emotions and perceptions, making them more inclined toward positive mood .
In patients with PTSD, MDMA therapy has proven to be dramatic and life-changing. In one 2021 study, nearly 70% of participants who received MDMA therapy did not qualify for a PTSD diagnosis a year later. This is a stark contrast to traditional psychotherapy, which has a limited effectiveness for people with PTSD .
