Can MDMA Help with PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, develops in some individuals who have experienced extreme or prolonged exposure to dangerous, stressful, or scary events. After a traumatic experience, it is natural to experience fear, but if your nervous system remains in a flight or flight response, PTSD can develop. MDMA is a stimulant and psychedelic currently being researched as a breakthrough therapy for those struggling with PTSD.
MDMA acts as a stimulant and a psychedelic that has energizing effects and causes increased feelings of euphoria and enjoyment. Although it isn’t legal in Washington or FDA-approved yet, preliminary research has shown that MDMA could be a promising treatment option for PTSD symptoms, even in treatment-resistant cases. Throughout this article, we will dive deeper into the history of MDMA as a therapeutic intervention while also exploring how this drug reduces PTSD symptoms.
What is PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, can occur after experiencing a single traumatic experience or repeated exposure to traumatic events. PTSD develops when your nervous system remains in a stress response following the traumatic event, causing trauma symptoms to stick around. This disorder significantly impacts your ability to regulate emotions and makes daily living and relationships more challenging.
PTSD symptoms can be broken into three categories: symptoms of acute stress, re-experiencing of the traumatic event, and avoidance. Acute stress symptoms include hypervigilance, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. Symptoms of re-experiencing can include intrusive memories, nightmares, and flashbacks. Emotional avoidance references emotional numbing, depression, or withdrawal. We will explore examples of these symptom categories in more depth below.
Symptoms of PTSD
Acute Stress
- Feeling on edge
- Being easily startled
- Difficulties falling or staying asleep
- Difficulty focusing
- Physical signs of stress, such as upset stomach or loss of appetite
- Feeling irritable and having angry or aggressive outbursts
- Engaging in reckless behavior
- Ongoing negative emotions, such as fear, anger, guilt, or shame
Re-experiencing of Traumatic Events
Feeling as though you are reliving the traumatic event
Recurring memories or dreams related to the event
Distressing thoughts
Avoidance
- Staying away from places, events, or objects that remind you of the experience
- Avoiding thoughts or feelings related to the traumatic event
- Trouble remembering key features of the traumatic event
- Loss of interest in previous activities
- Social isolation
- Difficulty feeling positive emotions, such as happiness or satisfaction
- Exaggerated feelings of blame directed toward yourself or others
- Negative thoughts about yourself or the world
Who Develops PTSD?
Anyone, regardless of age or gender, can develop PTSD. Between 1-10% of females and 1-5% of males will experience PTSD in their lifetime. If you have experienced or witnessed extreme traumas, such as sexual assault, abuse, accidents, disasters, terrorist attacks, and combat, you may be at an increased risk. In addition, prolonged exposure to stressful experiences, such as toxic stress, significant loss, neglect, and relational trauma, can leave you susceptible to developing PTSD.
What is MDMA?
Definition
MDMA is short for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. It is a monoamine releaser and re-uptake inhibitor that affects neurohormone release. It is a stimulant and a psychedelic that releases neurotransmitters, which are your brain’s chemical messengers.
MDMA releases your “feel-good” hormones like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin and energizing hormones like cortisol. The release of these hormones has been shown to cause:
Increased social engagement
Increased openness and receptiveness to positivity
Increased empathy and compassion for yourself and others
Increased feelings of closeness
Increased disclosure of emotional content
All of the effects can lead you to have expanded and new perspectives that are positive and affirming on past events, which is a promising outcome for the treatment of PTSD.
Brief History
MDMA was first synthesized in 1912 by a German company.
Even though the FDA didn’t approve it, between 1970-1980, MDMA was used by a handful of psychiatrists because they believed it helped people communicate more effectively.
In 1985, the Drug Enforcement Agency, or DEA, saw MDMA abuse on the rise and banned it, categorizing it as a Schedule I drug.
It wasn’t until the mid-1990s that the FDA approved Phase I of clinical trials to study the effectiveness of MDMA for treatment-resistant PTSD.
Now, MDMA is in Phase III of clinical trials, and the medication has been approved for use in very specific cases outside of trials.
How Does MDMA Help PTSD?
Antidepressants and talk therapy can help reduce symptoms of PTSD. However, a third of people end up dropping out, and about 58% report still experiencing PTSD symptoms at the end of their treatment. Trauma makes it hard to open up about experiences or to have empathy afterward for ourselves, and researchers are finding that these roadblocks are challenging to address in a short 45 to 60-minute session.
Pairing MDMA with talk therapy may create a more ideal treatment outcome if you have PTSD. MDMA can cause empathy toward yourself and a deeper sense of self-reflection. It has also been shown to assist you in not just talking about the events that triggered your PTSD but working through them while processing the complex emotions that arise along the way.
Researchers say that MDMA-assisted therapy may have more benefits than any other form of psychotherapy or medication used to treat severe PTSD. Initial studies have shown that for many people, PTSD symptoms were controlled or reduced after just 2-3 sessions. One study even showed that 67% of people no longer met the criteria for PTSD a year after finishing MDMA-assisted therapy, which means the benefits are also long-term.
Therapy for Trauma
Although MDMA-assisted psychotherapy is not yet legal in Washington or FDA-approved, the research shows lots of promise. Here at Thrive for the People, we are getting trained and closely watching for updates regarding the approval of MDMA-assisted therapy in hopes that one day we can offer this treatment to those interested.
However, in the meantime, we offer talk therapy for trauma and PTSD. Our therapists can help clients prepare for and integrate after an experience with psychedelics, but our practice doesn’t currently administer psychedelics themselves. If you are interested in exploring trauma therapy, don’t hesitate to reach out, and one of our therapists will get in touch for a free consultation call.
