MAPS’ goal is to turn MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) into the world’s first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved psychedelic prescription medicine by 2021.
Our plan is to bring this fascinating project to Brazil and to help MAPS achieve their goal through a multicentric, international study to begin in 2017.
At this stage we are preparing a small clinical trial with 4 patients to be carried out in 2016, the groundwork for the larger study of 2017.
This study has been approved by the National Research Ethics Committee (CONEP), a governmental agency tied to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, and is open for funding.
The treatments will be guided by Álvaro and Dora Jardim, certified Holotropic Breathwork Facilitators and therapists trained by Stanislav Grof, leading authority in the field of psychedelic psychotherapy.
In the long run, this pioneering initiative bears more than immense regional significance (Ribeiro WS et al. 2013, Andrade LH et al. 2012)1. It has the potential to become a milestone in the transition of drug and health policies worldwide, moving towards an ethos founded on the principles of tolerance and restoration.
Andrade LH, Wang Y-P, Andreoni S, Silveira CM, Alexandrino-Silva C, et al. (2012) Mental Disorders in Megacities: Findings from the São Paulo Megacity Mental Health Survey, Brazil. PLoS ONE 7(2): e31879. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031879.
Approved by the National Commission for Ethics in Research (CONEP CAAE #46252015.2.0000.5511).
Experienced Grof Transpersponal Training certified therapists and Holotropic Breathwork™ facilitators.
MDMA supplied by MAPS.
Project ready to get started.
Open for funding (see “Budget” tab below for more info)
PTSD is a chronic and devastating illness affecting millions of victims of war, violence and all kinds of traumatic events. Unfortunately, in many cases the available treatment options do not meet their goals satisfactorily.
Patients may face intense stress and suffering for decades, and symptoms include frequent nightmares, generalized anxiety, fear, re-experiencing, depression, social isolation and affective difficulties.
As an attempt to heal this condition, some patients are prescribed multiple medications, sometimes at once, aggravating their situation with unintended side-effects.
Despite the seemingly ineradicable nature of this problem, surprisingly, published research suggests MDMA-assisted psychotherapy to be effective even for treatment-resistant PTSD.
In the first study conducted by MAPS, 83% of patients benefited from MDMA, while only 25% improved their conditions with placebo. Furthermore, the improvement in the MDMA group was sustained for a very long period, averaging near four years.
These results are very promising and were highlighted in many peer-reviewed journals, including the prestigious Nature.
The safety and efficacy of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy in subjects with chronic, treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder: the first randomized controlled pilot study. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2011.
Durability of improvement in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and absence of harmful effects or drug dependency after 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy: a prospective long-term follow-up study. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2012.
MDMA keeps severe stress at bay, Nature, 2012.
Making a medicine out of MDMA. British Journal of Psychiatry, 2015.
The impact of epidemic violence on the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. PLOS ONE, 2013.
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