The lastest research on the utility of psychedelic agents for treating PTSD from Bessel van der Kolk and his MAPS team.
Following the study of MDMA in the treatment if PTSD that was published 2 years ago in Nature Neuroscience, which the journal Science elected as one of the 10 most significant scientific breakthroughs of the year 2021, the team analyzed further data from this study on the effects of MDMA on self-experience. Half the group received 36 hours of psychotherapy from a team of 2 thoroughlly trained, experienced, therapists, while the other half received the same treatment, but for them this included three 8 hour sessions on the psychedelic MDMA.
The results were stunning. Those with major problems with self-experience, such as lack of self-compassion, alexithymia and problems with emotion regulation did poorly on psychotherapy alone. However, MDMA had a major positive effect on self-experience, with sharp increases in self-compassion, self-awareness and measures of emotion regulation. This dramatically improved self-experience turned out to account for their being able to benefit from the overall treatment, and the dramatic decrease in their PTSD symptoms. Contrary to expectations, the psychotherapy alone had only a small effect of negative self-judgment and self awareness, while the addition of MDMA produced very significant improvements. At this point in time MDMA still is not a legally available substance, but other mind alterering treatments, such as ketamine, are already available. It is critcal that these substances only are used for therapeutic purposes with well-trained and experienced therapeutic guides. These issues will be an important part of the TRF annual conference this year, May 1-4.