[MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD]
- PMID: 38713560
- DOI: 10.17992/lbl.2024.05.793
[MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD]
Abstract
MDMA is a potential novel treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our goal is to review current knowledge on MDMA and its use in MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. Literature searches were done on PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar and references reviewed in identified articles. MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD usually consists of a few preparatory sessions before two or three sessions where one or two oral doses of MDMA are given along with supportive psychotherapy. The therapy is delivered in the presence of two therapists for about eight hours each time. In addition, the patient receives up to 9 integrative sessions in due course. This use of MDMA as a part of psychotherapy for PTSD is proposed to lessen the psychological distress that often arises in the processing of traumatic events to facilitate the treatment process and reduce the risk of drop-out. Recent studies indicate that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy reduces PTSD symptoms and is generally well tolerated. These studies are necessary if this MDMA-assisted treatment is to be approved by licensing authorities. There is an urgent need for new effective treatments for PTSD and for comparisons between this MDMA-assisted psychotherapy and currently approved psychotherapies with and without MDMA-use.
Keywords: MDMA; PTSD; empathogen; entactogen; psychedelics; psychotherapy.
Similar articles
-
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized phase 2 controlled trial.J Psychopharmacol. 2018 Dec;32(12):1295-1307. doi: 10.1177/0269881118806297. Epub 2018 Oct 29. J Psychopharmacol. 2018. PMID: 30371148 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial.
-
A comparison of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy to non-assisted psychotherapy in treatment-resistant PTSD: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Psychopharmacol. 2021 May;35(5):501-511. doi: 10.1177/0269881120965915. Epub 2020 Dec 20. J Psychopharmacol. 2021. PMID: 33345689
-
Efficacy of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2020 Jan 10;96:109735. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.109735. Epub 2019 Aug 19. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2020. PMID: 31437480
-
Beyond ecstasy: Alternative entactogens to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine with potential applications in psychotherapy.J Psychopharmacol. 2021 May;35(5):512-536. doi: 10.1177/0269881120920420. Epub 2020 Sep 10. J Psychopharmacol. 2021. PMID: 32909493 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Review of potential psychedelic treatments for PTSD.J Neurol Sci. 2022 Aug 15;439:120302. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2022.120302. Epub 2022 May 30. J Neurol Sci. 2022. PMID: 35700643 Review.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical