Trauma Under Psychedelics: How Psychoactive Substances Impact Trauma Processing
bioRxiv Preprint Server March 28, 2024 Ophir Netzer, Noa Magal, Yonatan Stern et al. 7 citations preprint
Survivors of the October 7, 2023 Supernova festival attack in Israel who were under the influence of MDMA during the trauma reported feeling less overwhelmed, had more social interactions, better sleep quality, and reduced psychological distress compared to survivors not using any substance. In contrast, those who consumed cannabis or alcohol during the attack reported higher psychological distress, more PTSD symptoms, and worse sleep quality. The findings suggest MDMA's known effects of reducing negative emotions and increasing prosociality may have buffered trauma impact, while cannabis and alcohol had deleterious effects. The study included 772 adult survivors assessed one to four months after the attack.