A double-blind placebo-controlled study found that the hallucinogen MDA increases closed-eye visions and mystical-type experiences. People who had more intense visions tended to perform worse on tests of contour integration and object recognition, suggesting that drug-induced hallucinations may be stronger in individuals with poorer perceptual processing. This points to possible shared mechanisms with hallucinations in psychiatric and neurological conditions.
MDMA produces a prosocial syndrome that facilitates emotional disclosure by increasing feelings of authenticity and decreasing concerns about negative evaluation by others. In a within-subjects double-blind placebo controlled study of 1.5 mg/kg oral MDMA, the drug showed both sedative- and stimulant-like effects, including increased self-report anxiety, but positively altered self-evaluation and reduced social anxiety. MDMA also increased how comfortable participants felt describing emotional memories, consistent with the suggestion that it represents a novel pharmacological class.