January 30, 2026
Makaela Weeda, Valeria Gazzola, Christian Keysers et al.
preprint
Besides its widespread recreational use, MDMA attracted the attention of many researchers and clinicians for its therapeutic potential for various mental disorders. Although recent clinical studies yielded promising results, MDMA has not been approved for medical use, partially due to the lack of clear insight into its neurobiological effects. In fact, although some suggest that MDMA’s...
European child & adolescent psychiatry
November 1, 2024
Samuli Kangaslampi, Josjan Zijlmans
18 citations
3,4-Methylenedioxymetamphetamine(MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy (MDMA-AP) is a proposed treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that may be approved for adults soon. PTSD is also common among trauma-exposed adolescents, and current treatments leave much room for improvement. We present a rationale for considering MDMA-AP for treating PTSD among adolescents. Evidence suggests that as an...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
2024
Jerome Herpers, Natalie Maximets, Noah N N van Dongen et al.
7 citations
Introduction: The positive results of MDMA from Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials in MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) call for a critical evaluation of its regulatory status within the European mental healthcare system. This is driven by the recent submission of MDMA-AT for FDA approval in the United States. Unless coordinated efforts in the...
Drug Science, Policy and Law
2023
Anoek S Van Vugt, Josjan Zijlmans, Ramon Lindauer et al.
2 citations
Background PTSD in adolescence causes much suffering and has substantial health-care costs. Many patients with severe PTSD do not respond to psychotherapy or continue to have symptoms despite trauma-focused psychotherapies and psychopharmacological treatment. A recent alternative in the search for cost-effective treatments for PTSD in adults is 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted...
ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science
May 4, 2021
James W. Sanders, Josjan Zijlmans
94 citations
The mysticism framework is used to describe psychedelic experiences and explain the effects of psychedelic therapies. We discuss risks and difficulties stemming from the scientific use of a framework associated with supernatural or nonempirical belief systems and encourage researchers to mitigate these risks with a demystified model of the psychedelic state.