Final Treatments Completed in Phase 2 Trials of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD
Global Psychedelic Dinners continue throughout April; 30th Anniversary Banquet and Celebration takes place April 17 in Oakland, Calif.
April 8, 2016
Dear friends and supporters,
Three decades after our founding in 1986—thanks to countless individuals, foundations, businesses, and non-profit allies—the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is on the cusp of launching the final phase of research needed to make MDMA-assisted psychotherapy a legal treatment option for people suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
This year, we complete our international series of six Phase 2 studies of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, and this summer we’ll travel to Washington, D.C., to plan our Phase 3 trials in collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Once approved, clinicians will be able to legally prescribe and use MDMA in combination with psychotherapy, not as a take-home drug but for inpatient PTSD treatment. This could happen in five years, by 2021.
The MAPS 30th Anniversary Banquet and Celebration is taking place on April 17 at the Scottish Rite Center in Oakland, Calif. At this historic gathering, the global psychedelic science community will come together to celebrate the progress we’ve made since our founding, and to help build the future of psychedelic medicine with a fundraiser to support our $400,000 purchase of one kilogram of pharmaceutical grade (GMP) MDMA for Phase 3 clinical trials and other research around the world.
- Ticket sales for the Banquet end on April 11 at midnight PST. Celebration tickets will still be available. Update: A limited number of Banquet tickets (50) are now available until sold out. Celebration tickets will be available at the door.
- Can’t join us in person? Watch and share the FREE LIVE STREAM, sponsored by Psymposia and Robert Barnhart.
The Spring 2016 Special Edition of the MAPS Bulletin is now available online! Focused on the theme of Psychedelics and the New Economy, we’ve gathered over a dozen original articles on the growing role of psychedelics and marijuana in business, philanthropy, commerce, and innovation.
In the April 2016 edition of the MAPS Email Newsletter, you’ll learn:
- This month, over 300 people in 36 countries have registered to host a Global Psychedelic Dinner to raise funds and awareness for MAPS’ research—find one in your area, host your own, or triple your gift to help make MDMA a legal medicine
- The final experimental treatment in our Phase 2 trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD takes place in Israel
- The Independent Review Board (IRB) approves our upcoming study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD in couples in South Carolina
- Brain imaging data collection begins in our ongoing study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with life-threatening illness in Marin, Calif.
- The San Francisco Chronicle interviews participants about their experience in our Marin study, and AlterNet interviews MAPS Founder and Executive Director Rick Doblin, Ph.D., a “psychedelic pioneer who has expanded the boundaries of medicine”
The conversation is always expanding! Now you can follow MAPS on Facebook, Twitter (now @MAPS), YouTube, reddit, Tumblr, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
We can truly feel the hope and excitement, as we work together to make it possible for all human beings to benefit from the safe and legal use of psychedelics and marijuana for science, healing, spirituality, creativity, and personal growth.
Always upwards, together,
Brad Burge
MAPS Director of Communications and Marketing
Contents
Treating PTSD with MDMA-Assisted Therapy
1 Israel: Final Experimental Treatment Completed
2Conjoint Therapy: IRB Approves Study Protocol
MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Anxiety Associated with Life-Threatening Illness
3M
arin: Eighth Participant Enrolled; Brain Imaging Data Collection Starts
Medical Marijuana Research
4 Marijuana for PTSD: Phoenix Site Seeks Study Coordinator
Support MAPS
5 Find a Global Psychedelic Dinner in Your Area—And Triple Your Impact!
6March Giving Report: Support Grows As We Move to Phase 3 and Beyond
Media
7San Francisco Chronicle, AlterNet, Tech Insider, and more…
MAPS Store
8LSD: My Problem Child by Albert Hofmann
Events
10 MAPS 30th Anniversary Banquet and Celebration: April 17, 2016, Oakland, CA
11 Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelics Research: June 3-5, 2016, Amsterdam
12 Sumiruna Awakenings Conference: June 23-26, 2016, Bucharest, Romania
13 Psychedelic Science 2017: April 19-24, 2017, Oakland, CA
More News
Tune in to the free live stream of the MAPS 30th Anniversary Banquet and Celebration on April 17 starting at 5:00pm PST/8:00pm EST.
Treating PTSD with MDMA-Assisted Therapy
Israel: Final Experimental Treatment Completed
On March 24, 2016, the final open label experimental treatment session was completed in our Israeli Phase 2 study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. In addition to being the final experimental session in this study, it was also the final experimental session in Phase 2 of MAPS’ plan to develop MDMA-assisted psychotherapy into a legal treatment for PTSD. Led by Principal Investigator Moshe Kotler, M.D., this Phase 2 study has treated 10 subjects with chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD from any cause. Once the final evaluations are complete, we will gather data for inclusion in an international meta-analysis of the safety and efficacy of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of PTSD. Learn more…
| $509,000estimated study cost | $92,000raised to date | $417,000still needed |
Donate Nowhelp fund this study |
Conjoint Therapy: IRB Approves Study Protocol
On March 16, 2016, the Independent Review Board (IRB) approved the protocol for our upcoming study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD in couples. Taking place in Charleston, South Carolina, and led by Principal Investigator Michael Mithoefer, M.D., and Sub-Investigator Candice Monson, Ph.D., this will be a pilot Phase 1/Phase 2 open-label study exploring Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy (CBCT) integrated with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study will enroll 10 participant pairs, each with one participant diagnosed with PTSD, and one concerned significant other without PTSD. MDMA will be administered to both participants to help facilitate communication and connection between participants and therapists. We anticipate starting the study in June 2016, once it has been approved by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Learn more…
| $220,000estimated study cost | $65,000raised to date | $155,000still needed |
Donate Nowhelp fund this study |
The Spring 2016 Special Edition of the MAPS Bulletin is now available online, featuring over a dozen original articles on the growing role of psychedelics and marijuana in business, philanthropy, commerce, and innovation. Cover art by Cameron Gray.
MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Anxiety Associated with Life-Threatening Illness
Marin: Eighth Participant Enrolled; Brain Imaging Data Collection Starts
On March 7, 2016, the eighth participant was enrolled in our ongoing study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with life-threatening illness in Marin, Calif. Led by Principal Investigator Phil Wolfson, M.D., with co-therapist Julane Andries, LMFT, this study is gathering preliminary data about the safety and efficacy of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety in 18 subjects diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. On April 3, investigators announced that the first participant has been scanned in an additional fMRI brain imaging study of the physiological correlates of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in subjects with anxiety associated with life-threatening illness. The brain imaging sub-study is a collaboration between the MAPS-sponsored study and Michael Silver, Ph.D., at the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. Learn more…
| $627,000estimated study cost | $234,000raised to date | $393,000still needed |
Donate Nowhelp fund this study |
Medical Marijuana Research
Marijuana for PTSD: Phoenix Site Seeks Study Coordinator
The Scottsdale Research Institute is searching for a full-time Study Coordinator for the MAPS-sponsored Phoenix, Ariz., study site of our upcoming clinical trial of marijuana for symptoms of PTSD in U.S. veterans. Starting May 1, 2016, this position is responsible for the professional execution of clinical research activities under the direction of Site Principal Investigator Sue Sisley, M.D. For information about requirements for this position and application instructions, visit maps.org/careers. We are currently anticipating this study to begin in June 2016. Learn more…
| $2,156,000estimated study budget | $2,156,000 grant awarded by the State of Colorado |
Funding Complete |
Donate Nowhelp fund more research |
Learn more about current and upcoming research at maps.org.
Support MAPS
Find a Global Psychedelic Dinner in Your Area—And Triple Your Impact!
DONATIONS ARE NOW BEING TRIPLED! Your gift will have three times the impact—the next $25,000 in online donations to the Global Psychedelic Dinner via Razoo will be TRIPLED!
Triple your impact to help make MDMA a legal medicine.
The triple will apply to all online donations via Razoo to the Global Psychedelic Dinners. Just donate to any Team Fundraiser for the Global Psychedelic Dinners, and our generous matching donors will donate twice that amount to MAPS. Thank you to George Goldsmith and Ekaterina Malievskaia for their inspiring $25,000 matching gift, and to Steve Chapman ($18,000), Susan and René Ruiz ($10,000), and Carey and Claudia Turnbull ($5,000) for their community challenge gifts.
By hosting or joining a Global Psychedelic Dinner this April, you’ll join people around the world in gathering your community, hosting an open, personal conversation about psychedelics and psychedelic experiences, spreading the word, and helping raise $400,000 for MAPS’ purchase of one kilogram of pharmaceutical grade (GMP) MDMA for our Phase 3 trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). You’ll be helping reduce stigma and enhance public understanding of the risks and beneficial uses of psychedelics. Donate (x3) | Find a dinner in your area
UPDATE: Over 300 people in 35 countries have registered to host their own Global Psychedelic Dinner!
March Giving Report: Support Grows As We Move to Phase 3 and Beyond
In March 2016, MAPS received nearly $89,000 in new donations from over 200 supporters. We’re seeing greater support for our work as we prepare to move into Phase 3 of our clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of PTSD, and to launch our new study of marijuana for the treatment of U.S. veterans with PTSD.
We look forward to our 30th Anniversary Banquet and Celebration on April 17 in Oakland, Calif., and are grateful to all who have generously supported MAPS over the past three decades. We give special thanks to these donors from the past month:
General Support
- John Gilmore ($30,000)
- Hilary Silver ($7,500)
- Joshua Mailman ($5,000)
- HeadCount ($3,759)
- Threyda ($1,000)
GMP MDMA
- George Goldsmith & Ekaterina Malievskaia ($25,000)
- Robert Barnhart ($1,008)
Marijuana for PTSD Study
- Adam Denmark Cohen ($2,500)
The Zendo Project: Psychedelic Harm Reduction
- California Institute of Integral Studies ($1,500)
MAPS relies on the generosity of individual donors to achieve our mission. Psychedelic science is again being conducted under federal guidelines, but no funding for psychedelic therapy research is yet available from governments or major foundations. Learn how to include MAPS in your will or estate plans.
Media
San Francisco Chronicle, AlterNet, Tech Insider, and more…
FEATURED
San Francisco Chronicle
Patients in MDMA Clinical Trial Find Drug Beneficial
Don Lattin | March 19, 2016
FEATURED
AlterNet
Meet Rick Doblin, Psychedelic Pioneer Who Has Expanded the Boundaries of Medicine
April M. Short | April 2, 2016
Chemical and Engineering News
Psychedelic Compounds Like MDMA May be Good for More Than Just a High
Jyllian Kemsley | March 28, 2016
Tech Insider
An Effort to Get Ecstasy FDA-Approved Is Moving Right Along
Kevin Loria | March 31, 2016
Mic
The Future of Therapy Involves a Little Bit of MDMA
Ruth Reader | March 24, 2016
Inverse
MDMA Steps Closer to FDA Approval, But Now it Needs to Leap
Christine Jun | March 23, 2016
-
The Natural Born Alchemist Podcast
Interview with Merete Christiansen of MAPS
Natural Born Alc
hemist | March 13, 2016 
The Addictive Podcast
Interview with Bryce Montgomery of MAPS
The Addictive Podcast | March 19, 2016
NED-X
The MDMA Edition with Berra Yazar-Klosinski, Ph.D., of MAPS
NED-X | March 30, 2016
-
Explore MAPS in the Media for more psychedelic and medical marijuana research news.
MAPS Store
SIGNED LSD: My Problem Child by Albert Hofmann
Hardcover | 209 pages | McGraw-Hill, 1980
Commemorate the discovery of LSD by adding this rare collector’s item to your library. MAPS has a limited supply of original hardcovers, each signed by LSD discoverer Albert Hofmann, Ph.D., and translator Jonathan Ott. In the book, we follow Hofmann’s trek across Mexico to discover sacred plants related to LSD, and listen in as he corresponds with other notable figures about his remarkable discovery. Albert Hofmann was named #1 out of 100 in Telegraph Magazine‘s “Top 100 Living Geniuses” list in 2007.
$1,000 | Now available
MAPS Shirt
These 100% organic cotton unisex tees are screen-printed by hand in Santa Cruz, Calif., by local artist Clay Chollar. Available in dark blue in limited sizes and quantities.
$30 | Now a
vailable
Learn about psychedelic harm reduction by signing up for the Zendo Project Email Newsletter, and following the Zendo Project on Facebook and Twitter.
Events
MAPS 30th Anniversary Banquet and Celebration: April 17, 2016, Oakland, CA
Update: A limited number of Banquet tickets (50) are now available until sold out. Celebration tickets will be available at the door.
Don’t delay—reserve your seats now.
Join MAPS and the global psychedelic community on April 17, 2016, at the magnificent Scottish Rite Center in Oakland, California, celebrating three decades of advancements in psychedelic research and therapy. We’ll build the future of psychedelic medicine with a fundraiser to support MAPS’ $400,000 purchase of one kilogram of MDMA for clinical trials around the world, including MAPS’ Phase 3 studies to make MDMA-assisted psychotherapy a legal prescription treatment for PTSD.
The Banquet includes an exquisite buffet dinner, a keynote address from MAPS Founder Rick Doblin, Ph.D., plus commemorative toasts from MAPS Public Benefit Corporation Executive Director Amy Emerson, MDMA researcher Michael Mithoefer, M.D., study participants Hania Withem and Nigel McCourry (USMC-Ret.), visionary artists Alex Grey and Allyson Grey, MAPS donor Moshe Tov Kreps, Onnit CEO Aubrey Marcus, and Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps CEO David Bronner.
A visionary art gallery hosted by Phaneros Gallery will feature artwork from Alex Grey and Allyson Grey, Martina Hoffmann, Robert Venosa, Android Jones, Michael Divine, Jonathan Solter, and Seth McMahon. We are also excited to include the first public showing of the original painting of Chor Boogie’s “The Love Dance,” featured on the cover of the Winter 2015 MAPS Bulletin. All art sales support MAPS’ psychedelic and medical marijuana research.
The Celebration begins after dinner with keynote address from MAPS Founder and Executive Director Rick Doblin, Ph.D., and continues with a multimedia performance by internationally renowned artist Android Jones and PHADROID, a performance of “The Hidden Code” by DJ Spooky, and a special guest performance by Ken Jordan of The Crystal Method. Sponsorships and group rates | Reserve your tickets now…
Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelics Research: June 3-5, 2016, Amsterdam
MAPS is a proud sponsor of the third international Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelics Research, organized by the OPEN Foundation. During this three-day event, international researchers from a wide range of academic disciplines will present their latest results and advances in scientific research on psychedelics. ICPR is a multidisciplinary, strictly scientific conference featuring the most current research on psychedelic substances. Register…
Sumiruna Awakenings Conference: June 23-26, 2016, Bucharest, Romania
As the first Eastern European conference about expanded states of consciousness and visionary art, the Sumiruna Conference brings together some of the world’s leading authors, visionaries, artists, researchers, and teachers to Romania, to discuss what can be gained and to share the latest research and techniques for exploring consciousness. Register…
Psychedelic Science 2017: April 19-24, 2017, Oakland, CA
Save the date! Psychedelic Science is coming back to the San Francisco Bay Area. The conference will return to the Oakland Marriott City Center in California from April 19-24, 2017. The conference will feature the latest findings in the psychedelic research community and is expected to sell out early. Ticket sales, as well as opportunities to participate, will be announced soon. For past conference information, speaker videos, and more from Psychedelic Science 2013, visit psychedelicscience.org.
More News
Now Hiring: Web Assistant
MAPS is seeking to hire a Web Assistant to expand MAPS’ capability for Web- and email-based educational and marketing campaigns. This is a full-time (40 hours/week) position at the MAPS headquarters in Santa Cruz, California. Learn more…