The Use of Mind-Altering Substances: MDMA, Psilocybin, and Marijuana for Treating PTSD and Other Mental Distress *Pre-Order* – Michael Mithoefer, Bessel Van der Kolk , Richard C. Schwartz …

Salepage link: At HERE. Archive:

This digital seminar is currently on pre-order meaning that the video will not be ready until 10-12 weeks after the program has taken place.

For the first time in over four decades, researchers are returning to examining the therapeutic benefits of mind altering substances, including MDMA (ecstasy), psilocybin (mushrooms), marijuana and LSD.

In the 1970s the study of all psychedelics was criminalized in the US, despite emerging evidence of their medical value. Over the past decade, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Research (MAPS) has helped to revive psychedelic research, sponsoring studies across the United States and around the world, including MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, and end-of-life anxiety. The results have been very positive, lasting over 72 months of follow-up, with few adverse effects.

Psychedelics may promote a deepening and acceleration of the psychotherapeutic process. During therapy, people often are able to access and find peace with disavowed, “exiled” parts of themselves.

In this workshop recording the founder of MAPS will describe the evolution of psychedelic therapy, the principal investigator of the Phase I and II level trials will discuss outcomes and processes, the PI of the Hopkins psilocybin study terminally ill patients and a marijuana researcher the promises and pitfalls for that substance. The Boston MDMA study team will discuss clinical experiences and applications.

In appropriate therapeutic contexts, psychedelics may prove to be more effective than most conventional treatments, as well as safer and more cost-effective.

1. Identify how the emerging research of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy (MDMA-AP) can be an effective for clients who do not respond to traditional therapies for PTSD.
2. Distinguish how prolonged exposure (PE) therapy can be ineffective for some clients, and recognize how MDMA-AP decrease client dropout rates.
3. Summarize the mechanism of MDMA in the brain and how that relates to the treatment of trauma.
4. Examine the therapeutic benefits of psychedelic substances, including MDMA (ecstasy), psilocybin (mushrooms) and LSD.
5. Identify the positive effects on PTSD symptom severity by the end of the first treatment trial.
6. Discover how psychedelics may promote a deepening and acceleration of the psychotherapeutic process for clients.
7. Evaluate the research regarding phase I & II trials involving MDMA.
8. Evaluate the potential risks of MDMA-AP, including substance abuse and neurocognitive decline.

Evolution of Psychedelic Therapy

• MDMA – ecstasy
• Psilocybin – mushrooms
• LSD

Why Study MDMA-assisted Therapy for PTSD

Clinical Trials

Phase I & II Trials

• Process
• Outcomes
• Potential risks and benefits

PTSD – Boston’s MDMA Study Team

• Clinical experiences
• Applications

IFS + MDMA Research Studies

Integration of MDMA

Therapist-Client Relationship

Keys to Work Safely with Trauma Clients

Questions/Comments