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On the July 21, 2020, episode of The goop Podcast, Gwyneth Paltrow was joined by MAPS Founder and Executive Director, Rick Doblin, Ph.D., in a discussion about the promising results from clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD [2,3]. Inspired by the conversation, Gwyneth is donating to support a Black patient to receive treatment in the expanded access/compassionate use protocol for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of PTSD.[4]
Communities of color experience high rates of PTSD, as social marginalization is traumatic. Yet, due to systemic racism, people of color are underrepresented in psychedelic research.[5] MAPS is seeking to remedy this imbalance by recruiting, training, and offering scholarships for BIPOC therapists interested in MDMA-assisted psychotherapy and subsidizing the cost of treatment for people who identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color. In August 2019, MAPS hosted its first MDMA Therapy Training for Communities of Color, training over 50 therapists. This training was preceded by a workshop entitled Psychedelic Medicine and Cultural Trauma: you can learn more about psychedelics and cultural, racial, and intergenerational trauma by watching these videos from the workshop.
Now, Gwyneth is encouraging you to donate to MAPS to support these efforts. The Riverstyx Foundation has generously offered a $100,000 matching grant to double donations in support of this effort.
You also have the option of supporting the Capstone Challenge, MAPS’ fundraising initiative to raise $10 million in donations and multi-year pledges by September 10, in order to unlock an additional $10 million in challenge pledges and complete funding for MAPS’ ongoing Phase 3 clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, which will support gaining FDA approval.
- Source: Jerome, L., Feduccia, A.A., Wang, J.B. et al. Long-term follow-up outcomes of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of PTSD: a longitudinal pooled analysis of six phase 2 trials. Psychopharmacology 237, 2485–2497 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-020-05548-2
- goop is not affiliated with and does not direct, sponsor, or otherwise manage MAPS.
- MDMA is not yet approved by the FDA as a treatment for PTSD in conjunction with psychotherapy. Learn more about the study of MDMA as a potential treatment of PTSD in conjunction with psychotherapy here.
- Learn more about expanded access here.
- Source: Michaels et al. Inclusion of people of color in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy: a review of the literature. BMC Psychiatry (2018) 18:245. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-018-1824-6
