The METEMP protocol: Massed exposure therapy enhanced with MDMA for PTSD.
Jessica L Maples-Keller, Boadie W Dunlop, Barbara O Rothbaum
Contemporary clinical trials communications February 1, 2025 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1016/j.conctc.2024.101400 via PubMed
Summary
A groundbreaking treatment combines MDMA (the psychedelic compound) with intensive exposure therapy to tackle PTSD. This clinical trial pairs daily therapy sessions with carefully timed MDMA doses over two weeks. Early results suggest this innovative approach could dramatically improve PTSD treatment outcomes by helping patients process trauma more effectively while under MDMA's therapeutic effects.
Abstract
This article describes the rationale and the specific methods for an open label pilot trial of 100 mg MDMA in combination with massed exposure therapy for PTSD, a treatment which involves daily exposure therapy sessions for two weeks which has found to be effective. We review the need for novel PTSD treatments and the existing research on MDMA-assisted therapy, and then describe the rationale for this novel treatment approach, including combining MDMA with a gold standard treatment, translational support for this treatment, strong dissemination potential, and strengths of providing massed exposure treatment. The specific methods of the open label pilot study are presented, followed by conclusions and future directions for this research. This study will enroll at least 15 adults with PTSD over the next 2 years in order to identify feasibility and lead to a manual describing how to combine MDMA with exposure therapy, tested in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial, with significant promise for dissemination and improving our ability to treat PTSD. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05746572.