Neuropharmacology
September 11, 2026
Laura Rullo, Loredana Maria Losapio, Hela Mrizak et al.
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) represents a major public health challenge, with current pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments showing limited efficacy. Recent clinical evidence suggests that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy may be effective for AUD, although concerns remain regarding its safety and potential for recreational use. This study investigated the effects of MDMA administration on...
September 11, 2026
Joseph M. Diehl, Christina Chwyl, Liliana Kennedy et al.
preprint
The therapeutic relationship is considered central to psychedelic-assisted therapy, yet little empirical research has examined how it changes during 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) or relates to acute MDMA experiences and clinical outcomes, particularly for social anxiety disorder (SAD). This preregistered secondary analysis examined therapeutic alliance and...
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
September 10, 2026
Olivier Le Bon
Abstract Background The MDMA-assisted therapy landscape has been dominated by mostly holding-oriented, non-directive models. These approaches prioritize containment of the MDMA experience but leave largely unexploited the unique window of accessibility to unconscious material that MDMA creates. Objective This paper presents Active Deep Dive Therapy (ADDT), a theoretically grounded model for...
ANCIENT LAND
September 10, 2026
Samir Arab
The present article examines the concept of ecstasy as a pathway to existential freedom in Zorba the Greek through a Nietzschean philosophical framework. It argues that Nikos Kazantzakis constructs the character of Zorba as the embodiment of Friedrich Nietzsche's ideal of lifeaffirmation, transcending conventional moral constraints through instinct, creativity, and joyful selfovercoming. By...
Harvard Review of Psychiatry
September 8, 2026
Warwick M. Green, Sanket B Raut, F. E. James et al.
There is a need for new effective treatment options for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as many people with PTSD do not fully recover despite current treatments. 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy (MDMA-AT) is emerging as a new treatment option. We assessed the current body of MDMA-AT evidence for effectiveness in treating PTSD, associated impairments, and...
Journal of Traumatic Stress
September 4, 2026
Healing together: Results from a pilot trial of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine-enhanced cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder.
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
September 1, 2026
U Schmidt
Abstract Background A substantial proportion of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) fails to derive significant clinical benefit from current standard-of-care treatments. In particular, complex PTSD exhibits a pronounced tendency toward chronicity. For this refractory population, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy has emerged as a highly promising therapeutic avenue. However, the...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
September 1, 2026
Christopher Poppe, Dimitris Repantis
Abstract Background MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) has shown promise for treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), leveraging unique affective effects such as enhanced trust, empathy, and social connectedness. Despite preliminary efficacy, ethical challenges in clinical trials may directly affect regulatory approval and future clinical implementation. Aims & Objectives The...
PsyArXiv Preprints
August 31, 2026
preprint
3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is widely described as an “empathogen”, yet empathy is not a unitary process. Here we review MDMA’s social effects by decomposing them into social perception and emotion discrimination, sociability and social reward, affective sharing, cognitive empathy and mentalizing, and prosocial behaviour. Available evidence gathered in humans and other mammals...
The American journal of hospice & palliative care
August 28, 2026
Krishna Hanubal, Akul Munjal, Jino Park et al.
PurposeDespite most psychedelic substances remaining Schedule I, clinical research exploring psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) in oncology is expanding. We sought to assess oncology providers' attitudes toward and understanding of PAT.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of healthcare professionals involved in oncology across five academic institutions in California, South Carolina,...
August 28, 2026
Holly Hepburn
Renewed clinical interest in psychedelics has drawn attention to their challenging effects, yet most phenomenological and psychometric work derives from psilocybin, leaving cross-substance variation underexplored. This thesis employed codebook thematic analysis to examine challenging experiences across DMT, psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine, utilising 146 naturalistic accounts collected from...
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
August 21, 2026
Ivan Temprado-Ordiaz
preprint
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has emerged as a promising therapeutic candidate for treatment-resistant neuropathic pain, offering a paradigm shift from transient palliative symptom masking toward disease-modifying neuroplastic reorganization. Preclinical and clinical evidence demonstrates that MDMA operates through an integrated, multi-tiered neurobiological cascade: presynaptic...
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
August 14, 2026
Subacute and long-term changes in cognitive functioning after administration of classic psychedelics, MDMA and ketamine: A systematic review of clinical and preclinical evidence.
Clinical Psychologist
August 13, 2026
Rita Ildiko Csako, Daniel Shepherd, Emese E. Vitalis et al.
Objective MDMA-Assisted Therapy (MDMA-AT) has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of several mental health conditions, most notably post-traumatic stress disorder. To better understand what shapes the attitudes of healthcare professionals we investigated whether psychologists’ own experience with MDMA impacts the attitudes towards the therapeutic and recreational uses of MDMA. Method The...
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...
International Journal on Science and Technology
August 6, 2026
Eric P. Rubenstein
Research on 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has concentrated on moderate-to-high doses used in psychotherapy, controlled laboratory studies, and non-medical settings. This conceptual review asks whether intermittent, functionally perceptible low-dose exposure should be investigated as a distinct psychopharmacological architecture optimized for cumulative multi-day function rather than...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
August 6, 2026
Tijmen 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...
Toxicology Reports
August 4, 2026
Anila Jaleel, Mahnoor Khan, Kiran Namoos et al.
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy") is a widely abused recreational drug associated with multi-organ toxicity. Objective was to compare hepatic, renal, and systemic biochemical abnormalities after acute MDMA exposure alone and with alcohol. This cross-sectional pilot study was conducted at Sheikh Zayed bin Al Nahyan and Shalamar Medical and Dental Colleges, Pakistan. The study...
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and 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)...