Frontiers in psychiatry
January 1, 2022
S Parker Singleton, Julie B Wang, Michael Mithoefer et al.
36 citations
In nine veterans and first-responders with chronic PTSD, MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) did not significantly increase amygdala-hippocampus resting-state functional connectivity as hypothesized, showing only a trend. After treatment, brain activation during trauma memory recall decreased in the cuneus. Recovery from PTSD correlated with changes in four functional connections during autobiographical memory recall: left amygdala with left and right posterior cingulate cortex and left insula, and left isthmus cingulate with left posterior hippocampus. These findings suggest that amygdala, hippocampus, and insula functional connectivity may be a target of MDMA-AT, highlighting regions involved in memory processes.
Journal of Humanistic Psychology
June 23, 2021
Julie B. Wang, Jessica Lin, Leah Bedrosian et al.
22 citations
MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) can be scaled across multiple clinic sites while maintaining high treatment fidelity. In an open-label study across 14 North American sites, cotherapist dyads were trained in a manualized protocol and administered three experimental sessions to participants with severe PTSD. Adherence to the therapy protocol was high across both dyads and sites. PTSD symptom severity, measured by the CAPS-5, decreased substantially after three sessions at 18 weeks. MDMA was well tolerated. These results indicate that the benefits of MDMA-AT for PTSD can be achieved in a multi-site, real-world clinical setting.
medRxiv Preprint Server
May 25, 2022
S. Parker Singleton, Julie B. Wang, Michael Mithoefer et al.
9 citations
preprint
In nine veterans and first-responders with chronic PTSD, MDMA-assisted therapy did not significantly increase amygdala-hippocampus resting-state functional connectivity as hypothesized, only showing a trend. After treatment, activation in the cuneus decreased when recalling traumatic versus neutral memories. The amount of PTSD recovery correlated with changes in four functional connections during autobiographical memory recall: left amygdala with left and right posterior cingulate cortex and left insula, and left isthmus cingulate with left posterior hippocampus. These findings suggest that MDMA-AT may alter functional connectivity in brain regions involved in memory and fear processing, but more research is needed to determine if these effects are specific to MDMA-AT compared to other PTSD treatments.
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
June 10, 2025
Torsten Passie, Anja Loizaga-Velder, Alicia Danforth et al.
4 citations
A consensus-based model curriculum for education and training in substance-assisted psychotherapy (SAP) covers theoretical topics and practical components including apprenticeship observation, ongoing clinical supervision, and self-experience for trainees. The model, developed by authors with extensive SAP experience, also addresses peer and conventional supervision, respect for intercultural differences, and teachings about indigenous use of related substances. It is largely adapted to western industrialized countries with established graduate-level psychotherapy training. The curriculum may be valuable for psychedelic researchers, those training therapists for research studies, and those preparing for clinical work outside research settings.
British Journal of Mental Health Nursing
February 2, 2024
Leonie Milner, Annie Mithoefer
The emerging field of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy currently lacks a defined role for nurses. Drawing on lived experience and co-authored by a key contributor, this article introduces nurses to the history and present state of the field. It offers insights into professional development opportunities as these treatments gain wider recognition and acceptance, anticipating a future need for nursing input.