The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) was founded in 1986 as a nonprofit psychedelic pharmaceutical company in response to the 1985 scheduling of MDMA. MAPS developed the first double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD and plans for FDA prescription approval in 2021. Its research expanded to include LSD-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety from life-threatening illness, observational studies of ibogaine for addiction, and MDMA for social anxiety in people with autism. MAPS' harm-reduction efforts aim to avoid backlash and build a post-prohibition world by helping non-medical users transform difficult psychedelic experiences into growth opportunities.
Sleep disturbances are common and hard to treat in PTSD. In four randomized controlled double-blind studies, 63 participants received either active MDMA (75-125 mg) or placebo/control MDMA (0-40 mg) during psychotherapy sessions. At the primary endpoint 1-2 months after sessions, PTSD symptoms dropped more with active MDMA than placebo (CAPS-IV score change -34.0 vs. -12.4). Sleep quality also improved more with active MDMA (PSQI score change -3.5 vs. +0.6). Sleep quality continued to improve from treatment exit to 12-month follow-up. These data provide evidence that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy benefits sleep disturbances in PTSD.