May 7, 2020
From the event website:
Towards Legal Psychedelic Psychotherapy
Featuring Amy Emerson and Rick Doblin, Ph.D.
Thursday, May 7, 2020, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Pacific
This presentation will address MAPS’ strategy of focusing research efforts on MDMA, and why on PTSD. In this very special session, MAPS Founder and Executive Director Rick Doblin, Ph.D., and MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) Executive Director Amy Emerson will explore their therapeutic method and training program for therapists, and discuss the challenge of double-blind in Phase 3 clinical trials, how they are addressing that issue, and how MDMA-assisted psychotherapy may be regulated post-FDA approval. They’ll also shed some light on other studies MAPS is supporting in combining MDMA with other non-drug psychotherapies as well as group psychotherapy, and efforts to create safe, legal global access. Rick and Amy will also cover Phase 2 clinical trial results and the design of Phase 3 FDA and European Medicines Agency (EMA) trials, and how they are conducting and monitoring research right now.
Amy Emerson is the Executive Director and Head of Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs at the MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a 501(c)(3) non-profit. As the Executive Director, Amy has lead the growth and development of this new subsidiary and is responsible for overall global regulatory strategy and implementation of research programs with a focus on the MDMA-assisted psychotherapy program within MAPS PBC. Amy started as a pro bono consultant at MAPS in 2003, and since then has built MAPS’ clinical department while managing the MDMA Clinical Development Program with a focus on the PTSD indication. In 2014, MAPS Public Benefit Corporation was incorporated to focus on psychedelic drug development, therapist training programs, and future sales of prescription psychedelics prioritizing public benefit above profit. Amy brings decades of pharmaceutical development and research experience in Phase 1 through Phase 3 Randomized Controlled Trials including supporting three successful regulatory approvals for new biologics. Her professional experience at Novartis, Chiron and other pharmaceutical companies (1993-2009) spans various fields including immunology, oncology and vaccines. Pursuing her love of science and nature cultivated while growing up in the woods of Alaska she earned her B.S. in genetics and cell biology from Washington State University in 1992 to prepare for a career in research. Amy is passionate about being a mother and the work of bringing the potential of psychedelics for healing further into the consciousness of the world, leaving a better world for the following generations. She has a lifelong love of travel, living abroad with her husband, exploring in nature and cooking with her family.
Rick Doblin, Ph.D., is the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). He received his doctorate in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where he wrote his dissertation on the regulation of the medical uses of psychedelics and marijuana and his Master’s thesis on a survey of oncologists about smoked marijuana vs. the oral THC pill in nausea control for cancer patients. His undergraduate thesis at New College of Florida was a 25-year follow-up to the classic Good Friday Experiment, which evaluated the potential of psychedelic drugs to catalyze religious experiences. He also conducted a thirty-four year follow-up study to Timothy Leary’s Concord Prison Experiment. Rick studied with Dr. Stanislav Grof and was among the first to be certified as a Holotropic Breathwork practitioner. His professional goal is to help develop legal contexts for the beneficial uses of psychedelics and marijuana, primarily as prescription medicines but also for personal growth for otherwise healthy people, and eventually to become a legally licensed psychedelic therapist. He founded MAPS in 1986, and currently resides in Boston with his wife, two dogs, and empty rooms from three children, one of whom is in college and two have graduated.
Session Resources
- Neuroimaging of Chronic MDMA (“Ecstasy”) Effects: A Meta-Analysis
- Cognitive Effects of MDMA in Laboratory Animals: A Systematic Review Focusing on Dose
- Rick Doblin’s TED Talk: “The Future of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy”
- Amy Emerson: “Psychedelics and Drug Policy” at Symposium: Cultural and Political Perspectives on Psychedelic Science
- Breakthrough for Trauma Treatment: Safety and Efficacy of MDMA-Assisted Therapy Compared to Paroxetine and Sertraline
- Reduction in Social Anxiety after MDMA-Assisted Therapy with Autistic Adults
- Rick Doblin on The Peter Attia Drive Podcast
