Progress in Neurology and Psychiatry
November 1, 2011
Ben Sessa
24 citations
Abstract In recent studies, 3,4‐methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (MDMA) has shown promise in the treatment of post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as an adjunct to post‐trauma psychological therapy. However, because of historical associations with its use as the recreational drug ecstasy, MDMA research remains a controversial subject. Dr Sessa discusses these controversies and describes a...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
April 15, 2010
Ben Sessa, Amanda Feilding, Robin Carhart-Harris et al.
53 citations
This study sought to assess the tolerability of intravenously administered psilocybin in healthy, hallucinogen-experienced volunteers in a mock-magnetic resonance imaging environment as a preliminary stage to a controlled investigation using functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore the effects of psilocybin on cerebral blood flow and activity. The present pilot study demonstrated that...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
February 28, 2008
Ben Sessa
117 citations
Human creativity is difficult to define and measure, but it is undoubtedly an important cognitive process. This makes it an interesting challenge for modern neuroscientific exploration - especially given the current interest in developing cognitive enhancers for commercial and clinical uses. There are similarities between the typical traits of creative people and the subjective psychological...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
November 1, 2007
Ben Sessa, David Nutt
39 citations
3,4-Methylenedioxymethlyamphetamine (MDMA) has penetrated extensively into our culture in the last thirty years. It started life in medicine when adopted as a clinical tool by psychotherapists on the West Coast of America who used it as an alternative to the then banned LSD for facilitating interactions in couples’ therapy. From the therapist’s couch the drug leaked into public use, with a...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
February 28, 2007
Ben Sessa
44 citations
Much has been written in scientific and popular literature in recent years about the dangers surrounding the recreational use of the drug MDMA/ecstasy. What is little known and understood however is the history of the apparently safe and effective use of MDMA as a therapeutic tool for psychotherapy. In this paper the author explores this history and describes the recent re-emergence of...
The British Journal of Psychiatry
June 1, 2005
Ben Sessa
97 citations
Psychedelic or hallucinogenic drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), 3, 4, 5-trimethoxy-β-phenethylamine (mescaline), psilocybin, 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamph-etamine (MDMA), N, N-dimethyltrypta-mine (DMT) and their relations occur in abundance throughout the natural world, and have been used by humankind for thousands of years.