A therapeutic method using MDMA emphasizes careful attention to the mental state of both therapists and clients and the session environment. The therapists believed MDMA reduces fear responses to emotional threats, helping clients reframe past experiences in their current lives. Clients were screened and prepared until they had a clear purpose and willingness to experience anything that might happen. Medical contraindications were based on MDMA's sympathomimetic effects, and those with serious psychiatric impairments were excluded. Doses of 75-150 mg, with an optional 50 mg later, were given; clients then lay down with eyeshades and headphones listening to music during the peak effect.
Psychedelic compounds have a long and complex history with psychiatry, having been widely used in clinical settings a half century ago before being outlawed in the United States in 1970 due to concerns about abuse potential and their association with the counterculture movement. In recent years, a resurgence of research has revealed early evidence supporting psychedelic-assisted therapy for treating alcohol use disorder, nicotine use disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression. The literature indicates that psychedelic-assisted therapies may have treatment potential for mental illness and addiction, though adverse events from nonmedical use are rare. Current data suggest that, if administered thoughtfully by trained professionals in medical settings, psychedelic-assisted therapy could reduce suffering from mental illness and addiction.