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Michael C Mithoefer

43 papers in the library · 5,604 citations · publishing 2003-2025

Papers

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A model training curriculum for psychedelic, psycholytic, and entactogen-assisted psychotherapy.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) June 10, 2025 Torsten Passie, Anja Loizaga-Velder, Alicia Danforth et al. 4 citations

The authors offer a model for curriculum for education and training in substance-assisted psychotherapy (SAP), that is, psychedelic, psycholytic, and entactogen/MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine)-assisted psychotherapy, addressing both the detailed contents of training and the question of experiential training. All authors of this model have an abiding interest and extensive experience in...

Retraction Note: Long-term follow-up outcomes of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of PTSD: a longitudinal pooled analysis of six phase 2 trials.

Psychopharmacology (Berl) November 1, 2024 Lisa Jerome, Allison A. Feduccia, Julie B. Wang et al. 10 citations

Retraction Note: Long-term follow-up outcomes of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of PTSD: a longitudinal pooled analysis of six phase 2 trials.

Retraction Note: MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of PTSD: study design and rationale for phase 3 trials based on pooled analysis of six phase 2 randomized controlled trials.

Psychopharmacology (Berl) November 1, 2024 Michael C Mithoefer, Allison A. Feduccia, Lisa Jerome et al. 9 citations

Retraction Note: MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of PTSD: study design and rationale for phase 3 trials based on pooled analysis of six phase 2 randomized controlled trials.

Retraction Note: Discontinuation of medications classified as reuptake inhibitors affects treatment response of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

Psychopharmacology (Berl) November 1, 2024 Allison A. Feduccia, Lisa Jerome, Michael C Mithoefer et al. 6 citations

Retraction Note: Discontinuation of medications classified as reuptake inhibitors affects treatment response of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

Author Correction: MDMA-assisted therapy for moderate to severe PTSD: a randomized, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial.

Nat Med November 1, 2024 Jennifer Mitchell, Marcela Ot’alora G., Bessel Van der Kolk et al. 4 citations

In the version of the article initially published, some members of the MAPP2 Study Collaborator Group were listed only in the Supplementary Information. Charlotte Harrison, Berra Yazar-Klosinski, Wael Garas, Darrick May, Cole Marta, Susan Walker, Elizabeth Nielson, Gregory Wells, Randall Brown, Revital Amiaz, Yair Wallach, Ray Worthy, Alia Lilienstein and Amy Emerson have now been added to the...

Developing an Ethics and Policy Framework for Psychedelic Clinical Care: A Consensus Statement.

JAMA Network Open June 3, 2024 Amy L. Mcguire, I Glenn Cohen, Dominic Sisti et al. 41 citations

As government agencies around the globe contemplate approval of the first psychedelic medicines, many questions remain about their ethical integration into mainstream medical practice. To identify key ethics and policy issues related to the eventual integration of psychedelic therapies into clinical practice. From June 9 to 12, 2023, 27 individuals representing the perspectives of clinicians,...

Effects of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD on self-experience

PLoS One January 10, 2024 Rachel Yehuda, Leah Bedrosian, Charlotte Harrison et al. 52 citations

Introduction There is a resurgence of interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelic substances such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Primary findings from our randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-site Phase 3 clinical trial of participants with severe PTSD (NCT03537014) showed that MDMA-assisted therapy induced significant attenuation in the...

Preliminary evidence for the importance of therapeutic alliance in MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder.

European Journal of Psychotraumatology 2024 Richard J. Zeifman, Hannes Kettner, Stephen Ross et al. 34 citations

Background: MDMA-assisted psychotherapy (MDMA-AP) is a combined psychotherapeutic and pharmacologic intervention that shows promise in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although therapeutic alliance has been established as a key predictor across psychotherapies and is emphasised within MDMA-AP treatment manuals, research has not yet examined the relationship between...

The conceptual framework for the therapeutic approach used in phase 3 trials of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD.

Frontiers in Psychology 2024 Kelley C O'Donnell, Lauren Okano, Michael Alpert et al.

Results from multiple recent studies support further evaluation of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in conjunction with psychotherapy (i.e., MDMA-Assisted Therapy) in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In two Phase 3 trials, MDMA-Assisted Therapy comprised a short-term, intensive psychotherapy that included three sessions directly facilitated by MDMA (referred to as...

Group psychedelic therapy: empirical estimates of cost-savings and improved access

Frontiers in Psychiatry December 6, 2023 Elliot Marseille, Manish Agrawal, Paul Thambi et al. 40 citations

Objective To compare group and individual psychedelic-assisted therapy in terms of clinician time, costs and patient access. Methods Using 2023 data from two group therapy trial sites, one using 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) to treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and one using psilocybin to treat major depressive disorder (MDD), we compared overall variable costs, clinician...

MDMA-assisted therapy for moderate to severe PTSD: a randomized, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial.

Nature Medicine October 1, 2023 Jennifer Mitchell, Marcela Ot’alora G., Bessel Van der Kolk et al. 400 citations

This multi-site, randomized, double-blind, confirmatory phase 3 study evaluated the efficacy and safety of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) versus placebo with identical therapy in participants with moderate to severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Changes in Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) total severity score (primary endpoint) and...

MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Severe PTSD: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Phase 3 Study.

Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) July 1, 2023 Jennifer Mitchell, Michael P. Bogenschutz, Alia Lilienstein et al. 97 citations

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) presents a major public health problem for which currently available treatments are modestly effective. We report the findings of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-site phase 3 clinical trial (NCT03537014) to test the efficacy and safety of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted therapy for the treatment of patients with...

Breakthrough for Trauma Treatment: Safety and Efficacy of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Compared to Paroxetine and Sertraline.

Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) July 1, 2023 Allison A. Feduccia, Lisa Jerome, Berra Yazar-Klosinski et al. 24 citations

Unsuccessfully treated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious and life-threatening disorder. Two medications, paroxetine hydrochloride and sertraline hydrochloride, are approved treatments for PTSD by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Analyses of pharmacotherapies for PTSD found only small to moderate effects when compared with placebo. The Multidisciplinary Association for...

MDMA

Psychedelics as Psychiatric Medications March 1, 2023 Michael C Mithoefer, David E. Presti

Abstract MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) was originally synthesized and patented by the Merck chemical company in 1914. It was not explored for human use until the 1970–80s when there were published reports that it could be a useful catalyst to psychotherapy, in part because it often produced reduced anxiety and increased emotional openness. In 1985, in response to media attention to...

Self-experience in MDMA assisted therapy of PTSD

medRxiv Preprint Server January 3, 2023 Bessel Van der Kolk, Julie B. Wang, Rachel Yehuda et al. 2 citations preprint

In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelic substances such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). This renaissance of psychedelic studies opens the door for a new paradigm in psychiatric medicine: drug-facilitated psychotherapy. In this study we report the findings of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-site Phase...

MDMA-assisted therapy significantly reduces eating disorder symptoms in a randomized placebo-controlled trial of adults with severe PTSD.

Journal of Psychiatric Research May 1, 2022 Timothy D Brewerton, Julie B. Wang, Adele Lafrance et al. 81 citations

Eating disorders (EDs) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are highly comorbid, yet there are no proven integrative treatment modalities for ED-PTSD. In clinical trials, MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) has shown marked success in the treatment of PTSD and may be promising for ED-PTSD. Ninety individuals with severe PTSD received treatment in a double-blind, placebo-controlled pivotal trial...

Altered brain activity and functional connectivity after MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Frontiers in Psychiatry 2022 S Parker Singleton, Julie B. Wang, Michael C Mithoefer et al. 36 citations

3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has demonstrated promise in multiple clinical trials. MDMA is hypothesized to facilitate the therapeutic process, in part, by decreasing fear response during fear memory processing while increasing extinction learning. The acute administration of MDMA in healthy controls modifies recruitment...

Sleep Quality Improvements After MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Journal of Traumatic Stress August 1, 2021 Linnae Ponté, Lisa Jerome, Scott Hamilton et al. 42 citations Expression of concern

Sleep disturbances (SDs) are among the most distressing and commonly reported symptoms in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite increased attention on sleep in clinical PTSD research, SDs remain difficult to treat. In Phase 2 trials, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy has been shown to greatly improve PTSD symptoms. We hypothesized that MDMA-assisted...

Scaling Up: Multisite Open-Label Clinical Trials of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Severe Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Journal of Humanistic Psychology June 23, 2021 Julie B. Wang, Jessica Lin, Leah Bedrosian et al. 22 citations

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental health condition associated with serious adverse health outcomes and functional impairment. Previous MDMA–assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) studies have shown promising results in single site studies. Two open-label studies tested this modality in multisite clinical trials to assess the feasibility of scaling this manualized...

MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study.

Nature Medicine June 1, 2021 Jennifer Mitchell, Michael P. Bogenschutz, Alia Lilienstein et al. 965 citations

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) presents a major public health problem for which currently available treatments are modestly effective. We report the findings of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-site phase 3 clinical trial (NCT03537014) to test the efficacy and safety of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted therapy for the treatment of patients with...

3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy for victims of sexual abuse with severe post-traumatic stress disorder: an open label pilot study in Brazil.

Revista brasileira de psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999) 2021 Alvaro V Jardim, Dora V Jardim, Bruno Rasmussen Chaves et al. 54 citations

To conduct Brazil's first clinical trial employing 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), given its high prevalence resulting from epidemic violence. Of 60 volunteers, four matched the inclusion & exclusion criteria. Three patients with PTSD secondary to sexual abuse (diagnosed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV...

Relational and Growth Outcomes Following Couples Therapy With MDMA for PTSD.

Frontiers in Psychiatry 2021 Anne C Wagner, Rachel E Liebman, Ann T Mithoefer et al. 40 citations

Healing from trauma occurs in a relational context, and the impacts of traumatic experiences that result in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) go beyond the diagnosis itself. To fully understand a treatment for PTSD, understanding its impact on interpersonal, relational, and growth outcomes yields a more fulsome picture of the effects of the treatment. The current paper examines these...

The potential use of N-methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDMA) assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of eating disorders comorbid with PTSD.

Medical Hypotheses 2021 Timothy D Brewerton, Adele Lafrance, Michael C Mithoefer 28 citations

Despite advances in the field, eating disorders (EDs) remain very challenging disorders to treat, especially when comorbid with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). N-methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy for treatment refractory PTSD shows great promise, with two-thirds of participants achieving full remission at 1 year or more at follow-up. PTSD is a common...

MDMA-facilitated cognitive-behavioural conjoint therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: an uncontrolled trial.

European Journal of Psychotraumatology December 7, 2020 Candice M Monson, Anne C Wagner, Ann T Mithoefer et al. 90 citations

Cognitive-behavioural conjoint therapy (CBCT) for PTSD has been shown to improve PTSD, relationship adjustment, and the health and well-being of partners. MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) has been used to facilitate an individual therapy for PTSD. This study was an initial test of the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of MDMA-facilitated CBCT. Six couples with varying levels of...