J Trauma Stress September 4, 2026
Healing together: Results from a pilot trial of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine-enhanced cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder.
Mindfulness September 1, 2026 Lindsay Tremblay, William Van Gordon, James Elander
Abstract Objectives Nonattachment, defined as the capacity to relate to internal experiences, identities, and external circumstances without clinging, avoidance, or over-identification, has been associated with reduced psychological distress and enhanced well-being, yet its deliberate cultivation within trauma-focused interventions remains underexplored. This study evaluated Nonattachment for...
International Journal of Innovative Technologies in Social Science August 31, 2026 Anna Szeszko, Weronika Maria Czernek, Magdalena Cichorzewska et al.
Psychedelic-assisted therapy has emerged as a prominent area for psychiatric investigation particularly with regards to treatment-resistant depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this narrative review was to outline the current body of research regarding psychedelic and psychedelic-like compounds in these two psychiatric conditions highlighting psilocybin-assisted...
medRxiv August 14, 2026 Annette M Braxton, Christina Driver, Daniel F. Hermens et al. preprint
Abstract Major depressive disorder (MDD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are prevalent, chronic, and disabling mental health conditions which are difficult to treat. Ketamine has demonstrated effect for improving depression and PTSD symptoms independently but reports often overlook focused comorbid improvement of these symptoms within individuals. To address this, we assessed...
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) August 12, 2026 Orr Shahar, Perettz Golding, Masha Chaykin et al. preprint
Abstract Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly prevalent, debilitating psychiatric condition. Existing treatments are ineffective for many patients. 3,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy has demonstrated substantial clinical efficacy but relies on prolonged, resource-intensive therapeutic protocols that limit scalability and accessibility. Here, we...
Journal of Psychopharmacology August 6, 2026 Tijmen P.L. Bostoen, Erwin Krediet, Annette van Schagen et al.
Background: The potential safety and efficacy of the psychedelic 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been researched in phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials. We examined the occurrence and role of mystical experiences in MDMA-AT. Methods: Data were sourced from two phase 2 randomized trials of MDMA-AT for chronic PTSD, in...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs August 5, 2026 Catherine S. Hwang, David C. Cameron, Allison O’Neill et al.
3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted therapy has emerged as a potential strategy to treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We conducted a national serial cross-sectional study of U.S. Veterans with PTSD from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2023, to quantify the prevalence of potential contraindications, risk factors, and drug-drug interactions relevant to MDMA-assisted...
Communications medicine July 30, 2026 Stacey B Armstrong, Adam W Levin, Nathan D Sepeda et al.
Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) shows promise for treating PTSD in adults but hasn't been studied in U.S. military Veterans, who face higher symptom severity and suicide risk. This open-label pilot trial evaluated the safety and feasibility of PAT in Veterans with severe, treatment-resistant PTSD. The clinical trial was pre-registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05554094). The eligibility...
Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry July 24, 2026 Omer Baruch, Nadav Reiss, Doron Todder et al.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains difficult to prevent after trauma, highlighting the need for early interventions that reduce the risk of chronic symptom development. This controlled study investigated the preventive potential of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in a validated rat model of PTSD induced by predator scent stress (PSS). Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (N = 175)...
Journal of Psychopharmacology July 16, 2026 Robert F. Dougherty, Nadav Liam Modlin, Niall M. Mcgowan et al.
Background: When administered alongside monitoring and support, psilocybin has shown promise in the treatment of multiple psychiatric conditions. However, the contribution and nature of participant support in the context of psychedelic trials are much debated. Aims: We sought to further illustrate the structure and format of the monitoring and support used in Compass Pathfinder Ltd (Compass)...
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...
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...
American Journal of Psychiatry January 5, 2021 Adriana Feder, Sara Costi, Sarah B. Rutter et al. 239 citations
OBJECTIVE Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and disabling disorder, for which available pharmacotherapies have limited efficacy. The authors' previous proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial of single-dose intravenous ketamine infusion in individuals with PTSD showed significant and rapid PTSD symptom reduction 24 hours postinfusion. The present study is the first...
Lancet Psychiatry May 1, 2018 Michael C Mithoefer, Ann T Mithoefer, Allison A. Feduccia et al. 443 citations
3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder in military veterans, firefighters, and police officers: a randomised, double-blind, dose-response, phase 2 clinical trial.
JAMA Psychiatry April 16, 2014 Adriana Feder, Michael K. Parides, James W. Murrough et al. 618 citations
IMPORTANCE: Few pharmacotherapies have demonstrated sufficient efficacy in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a chronic and disabling condition. OBJECTIVE: To test the efficacy and safety of a single intravenous subanesthetic dose of ketamine for the treatment of PTSD and associated depressive symptoms in patients with chronic PTSD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:...
Depression and Anxiety April 17, 2013 Anthony P. King, Thane M. Erickson, Nicholas D. Giardino et al. 258 citations
BACKGROUND: "Mindfulness-based" interventions show promise for stress reduction in general medical conditions, and initial evidence suggests that they are accepted in trauma-exposed individuals. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) shows substantial efficacy for prevention of depression relapse, but it has been less studied in anxiety disorders. This study investigated the feasibility,...
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) 2013 Michael C Mithoefer, Mark T Wagner, Ann T Mithoefer et al. 377 citations
We report follow-up data evaluating the long-term outcomes for the first completed trial of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy for chronic, treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Mithoefer et al., 2011). All of the 19 subjects who received MDMA-assisted treatment in the original trial participated in the long-term follow-up (LTFU), with 16 out of...
Journal of Psychopharmacology October 31, 2012 Peter Oehen, Rafael Traber, Verena Widmer et al. 407 citations
Psychiatrists and psychotherapists in the US (1970s to 1985) and Switzerland (1988–1993) used MDMA legally as a prescription drug, to enhance the effectiveness of psychotherapy. Early reports suggest that it is useful in treating trauma-related disorders. Recently, the first completed pilot study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD yielded encouraging results. Designed to test the safety...
J Psychopharmacol July 19, 2010 Michael C Mithoefer, Mark T Wagner, Ann T Mithoefer et al. 672 citations
The safety and efficacy of {+/-}3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy in subjects with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder: the first randomized controlled pilot study.