Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
January 1, 2013
Michael C Mithoefer, Mark T Wagner, Ann T Mithoefer et al.
377 citations
In a long-term follow-up of the first completed trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD, all 19 original participants took part, and 16 completed all outcome measures 17 to 74 months after their final MDMA session (average 45.4 months). The mean CAPS score at follow-up (23.7) was nearly identical to the mean score at study exit (24.6), indicating that the substantial symptom relief achieved during the trial was maintained over time. Although two participants relapsed, the majority sustained clinically significant improvements, and no one reported harm from participation.
Lancet Psychiatry
April 5, 2016
Michael C Mithoefer, Charles S. Grob, Timothy D Brewerton
237 citations
Psilocybin and MDMA, known for their illegal use as psychedelic drugs, are showing promise as therapeutics in a resurgence of clinical research over the past 10 years. Psilocybin is being tested for alcoholism, smoking cessation, and anxiety in patients with advanced cancer. MDMA shows encouraging results as a treatment for refractory post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety in autistic adults, and anxiety associated with a life-threatening illness. Both drugs are studied as adjuncts or catalysts to psychotherapy, not as stand-alone treatments. This model offers a possible alternative to existing pharmacological and psychological treatments, though further research is needed.
Journal of Psychiatric Research
May 1, 2022
Timothy D Brewerton, Julie B. Wang, Adele Lafrance et al.
81 citations
Among 89 individuals with severe PTSD enrolled in a placebo-controlled trial of MDMA-assisted therapy, 15% had eating disorder symptoms in the clinical range and 31.5% in the high-risk range at baseline, despite no active purging or low weight. After treatment, participants who received MDMA-assisted therapy showed significantly greater reductions in eating disorder symptoms compared to those who received placebo, especially among women with elevated baseline scores. The findings suggest that eating disorder psychopathology is common in severe PTSD and that MDMA-assisted therapy may reduce these co-occurring symptoms.
Medical Hypotheses
January 1, 2021
Timothy D Brewerton, Adele Lafrance, Michael C Mithoefer
28 citations
Eating disorders remain difficult to treat, especially when accompanied by posttraumatic stress disorder. MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment-resistant PTSD shows promise, with two-thirds of participants achieving full remission at one year or more follow-up. The authors hypothesize this therapy will be effective for both eating disorder and PTSD symptoms in people with both conditions. MDMA's effects—reduced fear, enhanced wellbeing, increased sociability, reduced self-criticism, increased compassion, interpersonal trust, and alert consciousness—may counteract avoidance and hyperarousal in therapy. Other features like body image distortion, cognitive rigidity, and socio-emotional difficulties may also improve. Personal accounts describe benefit, but risks and challenges are noted.
Journal of Eating Disorders
May 26, 2025
Julie Trim, Samantha Shao, Nadav Liam Modlin et al.
14 citations
Psychedelic therapy (PT) may be beneficial for treating eating disorders and trauma-related conditions such as PTSD and dissociative amnesia. The abstract reviews how psilocybin could help patients remember and process traumatic memories, suggesting a mechanism for its therapeutic effects.
Ann Clin Psychiatry
March 1, 1997
Timothy D Brewerton
11 citations
Psychosis resulting from complex partial seizure disorder (CPSD) is often misdiagnosed as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar illness, or psychotic depression. This organic mental disorder has distinct clinical features that can distinguish it from other psychoses. It responds to limbic anticonvulsants, with or without neuroleptics or lithium, but is generally refractory to neuroleptics alone. The author reviews literature on the clinical phenomenology and treatment of this topic and illustrates the clinical profiles of 10 treatment-refractory patients admitted to a state hospital with previously undiagnosed psychoses secondary to CPSD. This illness should be considered in the differential diagnosis of severely ill patients with atypical psychoses refractory to traditional treatments.
Journal of Eating Disorders
February 17, 2026
Stéphanie Knatz Peck, Timothy D Brewerton
Spontaneously recovered, previously forgotten traumatic memories of sexual assaults emerged in two research participants during psilocybin treatment. The authors defend their classification of these experiences as dissociated traumatic memories against criticisms that they lacked corroborating evidence and failed to consider alternative explanations. They further discuss potential therapeutic effects linked to how such experiences are labeled.