Media reports about psychedelics are now more likely to be about emerging therapeutic uses than about raves or drug busts. Are your clients asking you about them, are you curious about their potential to enliven psychotherapy? Clinical trials of MDMA and psilocybin as catalysts to psychotherapy are in final stages of FDA trials. Results show large treatment effects for PTSD, depression, and relationship satisfaction in couples. In this treatment model, the drugs are administered only a few times in a course of psychotherapy aimed at accessing the individual’s own healing potential. Guided in this workshop by the psychiatrist at the helm of the MDMA-assisted psychotherapy trials, you’ll explore:

• The rationale for using drugs like MDMA as catalysts for psychotherapy
• How to understand the clinical trial results
• The MDMA-assisted psychotherapy process, illustrated with video clips
• The challenges of maintaining quality and equitable access as these treatments approach likely FDA approval

Michael Mithoefer, MD, is a psychiatrist who conducted the first FDA-approved clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. He trains and supervises therapists involved in the final phase of this research.

Rick Doblin, PhD, is the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS).