While a number of pharmaco- and psychotherapies exist to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a large group of individuals, including military veterans and first responders, have demonstrated resistance to classical approaches. As a result, less traditional treatments have been explored, including the use of methylenedioxymethamphetamine, better known as MDMA.
A long-term follow-up qualitative study, published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, found that many veterans, police officers, and firefighters described experiencing lasting personal benefits and enhanced quality of life after receiving MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.
The goal of the study, and what sets it apart from previous research, is a focus on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in a long-term context. The results of this novel intervention were encouraging. One year after an MDMA-assisted clinical trial for treatment-resistant PTSD, 15 of 19 participants showed significant (> 30%) reduction in symptoms.
However, researchers wanted to delve deeper into the results of the therapy. To this end, a supplementary questionnaire was given to the participants, to better understand real-life benefits of the intervention beyond symptom reduction. Among the most significant improvements reported were increased self-awareness, improvements in relationships and social skills, and reduced substance abuse, and openness to continued therapy.
“The reemergence of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has allowed for more research to present evidence of safety and efficacy for these treatments. Based on the quantitative outcomes, the FDA designated MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD as a ‘Breakthrough Therapy.’ Findings from this retrospective qualitative analysis of a phase 2 MDMA-assisted psychotherapy trial illuminate a range of outcomes from the treatment that are not fully covered in quantitative explorations,” the researchers wrote in their study.
A number of limitations apply to the current study, well enumerated by the researchers. First and foremost, this was a qualitative study conducted after the start of a clinical trial. As a result, it was necessary to adapt the study’s method to pre-existing protocols. This included, for example, having one of the original trial therapists for the clinical trial conduct the interviews for this study, which may have influenced participants’ responses. Additionally, not only is the population size quite small in general, but it was almost exclusively male and White/Caucasian.
The use of psychedelic drugs in therapeutic interventions is not without controversy, given their potential for abuse, presence in the media, and colorful legal status. Much more data is needed to understand exactly how and why MDMA-assisted treatment was able to improve the quality of life of these individuals. Nonetheless, studies like this have already demonstrated their efficacy in treating psychopathologies, especially those which fail to improve through traditional interventions.
The study, “Perceived Benefits of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy beyond Symptom Reduction: Qualitative Follow-Up Study of a Clinical Trial for Individuals with Treatment-Resistant PTSD“, was authored by William Barone, Jerome Beck, Michiko Mitsunaga-Whitten, and Phillip Perl.
