Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.
This randomized, double‑blind, cross‑over trial gave 51 patients with life‑threatening cancer two sessions of psilocybin (one very low dose and one high dose) spaced five weeks apart. The high dose (22–30 mg/70 kg) produced large drops in clinician‑ and self‑rated depression and anxiety, and increased quality of life, meaning, and…
This randomized, double-blind phase 3 trial tested MDMA-assisted therapy versus placebo with the same therapy in 90 adults with severe PTSD. Participants had three drug sessions plus preparatory and integration therapy, and were assessed 18 weeks after starting. The MDMA group had larger drops in PTSD symptoms and in functional…
This paper pooled data from six randomized, double‑blind phase‑2 trials of MDMA‑assisted psychotherapy for adults with PTSD (total N=103). After two blinded MDMA sessions, the MDMA group showed larger reductions in clinician‑rated PTSD symptoms than the control group (mean difference −22.0 points on the CAPS‑IV, P < 0.001) and a…
This multi-site, randomized, double-blind phase 3 trial tested MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) versus placebo with the same therapy in 104 people with moderate to severe PTSD. Blinded assessors found larger average reductions in PTSD symptoms and in functional impairment for the MDMA-AT group than for the placebo group. The MDMA group…
The damaging effects of Ecstasy/MDMA are far more widespread than was realized a few years ago, with new neuropsychobiological deficits still emerging.
This review explains why the FDA gave Breakthrough Therapy Designation to MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. It summarizes six Phase 2 trials (2004–2017) in which MDMA was given in up to three 8-hour sessions combined with preparatory and follow-up therapy, and pooled analyses showed a large effect on PTSD symptoms and…
This small, randomized, double-blind pilot study tested MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety tied to life‑threatening illness. Eighteen people were enrolled (13 got MDMA, 5 got placebo) and had two blinded 8‑hour therapy sessions, with later open‑label MDMA sessions and 6‑ and 12‑month follow-ups. The MDMA group showed a larger drop in…
This systematic review looked at human studies of cannabidiol (CBD) for anxiety up to June 2019. Eight studies were included (6 small randomized controlled trials, 1 case series, and 1 case report). The studies tested CBD for anxiety in healthy volunteers, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and PTSD-related anxiety.…
This review looks at research on how cannabis and its active chemicals relate to psychosis. It says there are three patterns: short psychotic symptoms during intoxication, short psychosis that can last beyond intoxication (often resolving within a month in case reports), and persistent psychosis that is not clearly tied to…
This review looked at animal and human studies of cannabidiol (CBD) for anxiety. In animals, CBD often reduced anxiety-like behaviors at low or medium doses but sometimes increased anxiety at high doses. Small human studies and public-speaking tests suggest CBD might reduce anxiety in healthy people and in social anxiety…
MAPS reports results from a randomized, blinded Phase 3 trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for severe, chronic PTSD (90 people, average 14 years of PTSD). After three MDMA-assisted therapy sessions, 67% of treated participants no longer met the study's PTSD diagnosis and 88% had a clinically meaningful symptom drop, compared with…
Researchers surveyed counseling professionals about psychedelics and psychedelic‑assisted therapy. They found that counselors had mixed feelings overall, but were more accepting when use was medically supervised. Most counselors said these therapies show promise and that more research is needed. The study matters because drugs like MDMA and psilocybin may soon…
