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Emma Hapke

Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), San Jose, CA, USA. MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC), San Jose, CA, USA. Kleiman Consulting and Psychological Services, Sayreville, NJ, USA. KPG Psychological Services LLC, Brunswick, ME, USA. Aguazul-Bluewater Inc., Boulder, CO, USA. MDMA Therapy Training Program, MAPS Public Benefit Corporation, San Jose, CA, USA. Nautilus Sanctuary, New York, NY, USA. Fluence, Woodstock, NY, USA. Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA. Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA. San Francisco Insight and Integration Center, San Francisco, CA, USA. British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA. Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer, Israel. Ray Worthy Psychiatry LLC, New Orleans, LA, USA. Wholeness Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA. New School Research LLC, North Hollywood, CA, USA. Zen Therapeutic Solutions, Mt Pleasant, SC, USA. University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dr Simon Amar Inc., Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Be'er Ya'akov Ness Ziona Mental Health Center, Be'er Ya'akov, Israel. Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA. e-mail: jennifer.mitchell@ucsf.edu.

7 papers in the library · 1,462 citations · publishing 2018-2023

Papers

MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study.

Nature medicine June 1, 2021 Jennifer M Mitchell, Michael Bogenschutz, Alia Lilienstein et al. 965 citations

A phase 3 clinical trial tested MDMA-assisted therapy against placebo for severe PTSD. Participants received manualized therapy with either MDMA or placebo alongside preparatory and integrative sessions. At two months after the last session, the MDMA group showed a significantly greater reduction in PTSD symptoms (average 24.4-point drop on the CAPS-5 scale) compared to the placebo group (13.9-point drop), with a large effect size. Functional impairment also improved more with MDMA. No serious safety issues such as abuse potential, suicidality, or heart rhythm problems were observed. The findings suggest MDMA-assisted therapy is highly effective and safe for severe PTSD, including in people with common co-occurring conditions.

Psychedelic microdosing benefits and challenges: an empirical codebook

Harm Reduction Journal July 9, 2019 Thomas Anderson, Rotem Petranker, Adam Christopher et al. 130 citations

A mixed-methods study of an active microdosing community categorizes the experiences participants report, identifying high-potential avenues for future scientific research. The resulting taxonomy distills intervention targets from participant reports to help allocate research funding efficiently. Microdosing research complements full-dose psychedelic studies as clinical treatments and neuropharmacological mechanisms are developed. The framework aims to guide researchers and clinicians as experimental microdosing research begins in earnest.

MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Severe PTSD: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Phase 3 Study.

Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) July 1, 2023 Jennifer M Mitchell, Michael Bogenschutz, Alia Lilienstein et al. 97 citations

A phase 3 clinical trial tested MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD. In 90 participants randomized to receive either MDMA or placebo alongside therapy, those receiving MDMA showed a significantly larger reduction in PTSD symptoms, with an average decrease of 24.4 points on the CAPS-5 scale compared to 13.9 points in the placebo group. Functional impairment also improved more with MDMA. No serious safety issues like abuse potential or suicidality were observed. The treatment was effective even for patients with common co-occurring conditions such as depression or substance use history. The authors conclude MDMA-assisted therapy is a safe and highly effective treatment for severe PTSD.

Microdosing psychedelics: Demographics, practices, and psychiatric comorbidities

Journal of Psychopharmacology February 28, 2020 Daniel Rosenbaum, Cory R. Weissman, Thomas Anderson et al. 75 citations

People who microdose psychedelics—taking small, non-hallucinogenic amounts of LSD or psilocybin—are less likely to report a history of substance use disorders or anxiety disorders than non-microdosers, but more likely to report recent recreational substance use. Among 909 participants recruited from Reddit, most microdosers used LSD (59.3%) or psilocybin (25.9%) on a one-day-on, two-days-off schedule. The findings suggest that microdosers differ from non-microdosers in psychiatric and substance-use profiles, and well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate safety and potential benefits in clinical populations.

Psilocybin mushrooms for psychological and existential distress

Canadian Family Physician November 1, 2022 Ryan Patchett-Marble, Sean O’sullivan, Sayali Tadwalkar et al. 13 citations

Psychedelic medicine is experiencing a resurgence of interest after decades of dormancy, primarily driven by medical researchers. Recent legal changes in Canada have permitted some access to these compounds, though the abstract does not specify a main finding or argument beyond describing this renaissance and legal context.

Microdosing Psychedelics: Personality, mental health, and creativity differences in microdosers

November 1, 2018 Thomas Anderson, Rotem Petranker, Daniel M. Rosenbaum et al. 11 citations preprint

People who regularly consume small amounts of psychedelics like LSD or psilocybin—a practice called microdosing—report lower levels of dysfunctional attitudes and negative emotionality, and higher levels of wisdom, open-mindedness, and creativity compared to those who do not microdose. This pre-registered study, the first to investigate microdosing and mental health, recruited participants from online forums. Although promising, the findings are preliminary and warrant controlled experimental research to test safety and clinical efficacy. Microdosing may offer clinical benefits without the hallucinogenic effects of full-dose psychedelic therapy.