MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for people diagnosed with treatment-resistant PTSD: what it is and what it isn’t

A review of research into MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment-resistant PTSD found that small-scale studies show reduced psychological trauma, but there is widespread misunderstanding that MDMA itself is a treatment for PTSD, which has not been researched. This misunderstanding leads to harmful media reporting and impedes research. The authors conclude that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy may help people who have not resolved their problems through existing treatments, but more research is needed, and accurate reporting is essential.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract Background PTSD is a chronic condition with high rates of comorbidity, but current treatment options are limited and not always effective. One novel approach is MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for people diagnosed with treatment-resistant PTSD, where MDMA is used as a catalyst to facilitate trauma processing during psychotherapy. The aim was to review all current research into MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. Methods Articles were identified through PubMed and Science Direct for items published up to 31st March 2019 using terms “treatments for PTSD”, “drug treatments for PTSD”, “MDMA”, “MDMA pathway”, “MDMA-assisted psychotherapy” and “MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD”. Articles were identified through Google Scholar and subject-specific websites. Articles and relevant references cited in those articles were reviewed. Results Small-scale studies have shown reduced psychological trauma, however there has been widespread misunderstanding of the aims and implications of this work, most commonly the notion that MDMA is a ‘treatment for PTSD’, which to date has not been researched. This has harmful consequences, namely dangerous media reporting and impeding research progression in an already controversial field. Conclusions MDMA-assisted psychotherapy may help people who have experienced psychological trauma and who have not been able to resolve their problems through existing treatments, however more research is needed. If this is to get appropriate research attention, we must report this accurately and objectively.