Newsletter: August 2020 - Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies

MAPS Completes $30 Million Capstone Campaign

August 29, 2020

Dear friends and supporters,

This month, we officially completed the $30 million Capstone Campaign! In just 70 days and well before our September 10 deadline, over 2,500 supporters contributed over $10,000,000 in gifts ranging from $1 to $1,000,000, which unlocked the $10 million matching grant organized by Tim Ferriss and the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative (PSFC). The Capstone Campaign is the largest and most significant fundraising initiative in our 34-year history, which completes funding for FDA-regulated Phase 3 clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. This milestone means we have made historic progress towards making MDMA a legal medicine. We couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you!

Read the Press Release

The Zendo Project and MAPS are proud to present EntheoGeneration 2020, a free virtual psychedelic speaker series for Burning Man: the Multiverse starting on Sunday, August 31, 2020. EntheoGeneration is a psychedelic speaker series that examines how we can integrate our entheogenic experiences and wisdom into action. EntheoGeneration is a dialogue between individuals across generationsthat bridges the generational gap in perspectives, ideologies, and life experience.

We are currently seeking research volunteers for Phase 3 clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. Volunteers will help contribute to scientific knowledge and will help us better understand if MDMA-assisted psychotherapy works for the treatment of PTSD. MAPS conducts clinical trials under the guidance and regulations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in collaboration with federal regulators, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). To learn more about our clinical trials or apply to be a study participant, visit our website.

In this month’s edition of the MAPS Newsletter, you’ll also learn:

We’re hiring at MAPS, MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) and MAPS Europe
MAPS Founder and Executive Director Rick Doblin, Ph.D., is a featured speaker during Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: Ethics and Law Webinar, a virtual event taking place on November 7, 2020
MAPS Policy and Advocacy Counsel Ismail Ali, J.D., appears on Al Jazeera’s “The Stream”

Follow MAPS on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and reddit.

We could not succeed without supporters like you. Thank you for being a part of the MAPS community.

With appreciation,

Amy Mastrine
MAPS Web and Email Marketing Associate

Treating PTSD with MDMA-Assisted Therapy

Phase 3 Trials of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD

We are recruiting participants in the following locations:

Charleston, South Carolina, United States
Boulder, Colorado, United States
Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Not yet recruiting:

Los Angeles, California, United States
San Francisco, California, United States
Madison, Wisconsin, United States
New York, New York, United States
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Be’er Ya’akov, Israel
Tel Aviv, Israel

MDMA Therapy Training Program Update: August 2020

Best wishes from the Training and Supervision Department at MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC)! 

In a world reckoning with collective trauma, we extend our gratitude to you for your dedication to trauma healing. We hold the vision of a time in which effective trauma treatments, including MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, can be more greatly accessible to those who could benefit from them.

Online Trainings in 2020

MAPS PBC Trainers Annie Mithoefer, B.S.N., and Michael Mithoefer, M.D., recently completed the first ever live online training for the MDMA Therapy Training Program with support from MDMA Therapy Training Program staff. They delivered the online training across two weekends, June 20-21 and June 27-28, to the current CIIS Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research (CPTR) cohort. Michael Mithoefer and Annie Mithoefer provided a second online training to over twenty-five clinicians in July. MAPS PBC trainers Marcela Ot’alora, G, L.P.C., and Bruce Poulter, M.P.H., will be providing an online training for Naropa University in October. Annie Mithoefer, B.S.N., and Michael Mithoefer, M.D., will be providing an online training in November to prepare additional therapists in Europe for the new study protocol, the open-label lead-in study for the European segment of Phase 3, also researching MDMA-assisted psychotherapy as a treatment for PTSD.

The training team is excited to learn from our online trainings as we continue to work on training design and program development to support the growth of the MDMA Therapy Training Program. Sign up for the MDMA Therapy Training Program Newsletter to receive updates on future trainings.

MAPS Protocol Updates

In June, the study site in Klecany, Czech Republic, was the first of several European sites to begin screening participants for the new protocol. Forty European therapists are completing their final phase of training to prepare for work on this protocol.

MAPS is continuing Phase 3 clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD at 14 sites in the U.S., Canada, and Israel, the second MAPS-sponsored Phase 3 study for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. This study will enroll participants who have moderate or greater severity of PTSD and are in otherwise good health. The second FDA-regulated Phase 3 clinical trial has started participant recruitment with COVID-19 safety measures in place, and we expect completion of the study in early 2022. If you know someone with PTSD who is interested in participating in a clinical trial, they can visit mdmaptsd.org to find more information to apply.

MAPS will conduct a Phase 2, open-label, multi-site study of the safety and feasibility of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for eating disorders, anticipated to begin enrollment in 2021. This study will explore MDMA-assisted psychotherapy and adjunct caregiver involvement in the treatment of individuals with for anorexia nervosa restricting subtype (AN-R) and binge eating disorder (BED). The addition of a supportive caregiver as a treatment ally with every participant reflects this most recent development in science and practice; supportive caregivers enrolled in the study will receive non-drug psychotherapy support. Strategy Lead Adele Lafrance, Ph.D., is overseeing this study and also recently participated in a panel Can Psychedelics Offer A New Treatment For Eating Disorders?

The multi-center expanded access program, which will allow patients with PTSD to receive the investigational treatment of MDMA combined with psychotherapy outside of a clinical trial, is anticipated to begin enrollment in early 2021 at various approved sites in the US.

We appreciate your support as we work for collective healing, and to bring the healing potential of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD to those in need. • Learn More

Support MAPS

July 2020 Giving Report: Capstone Challenge Continues; MAPS Raises Nearly $4.4 Million

In July 2020, MAPS raised $5,612,809 in donations and pledges from over 2,100 supporters. Of that amount, $4.94 million was pledged toward our $30 million Capstone Campaign to complete Phase 3 and make MDMA a medicine.

Since the $10 million challenge launched on June 12, we’ve already raised over $6.876 million from over 3,500 donors. We extend a special thanks to the supporters listed under Phase 3 (Capstone Challenge) who have already pledged $1000 or more towards the $10 million challenge. Visit maps.org/capstone for more information.

Support in July also included $255,332 for general support, $300,815 for MDMA related projects, $220,000 for BIPOC Health Equity, $15,000 for education projects, $113 for the Zendo Project, and $250 for ibogaine research. An additional $49,717 was raised by organizations that MAPS fiscally sponsors including ICEERS ($25,065), From Shock to Awe ($15,000), Somatic Center Portland ($5,000), the Bay Area Healers Resilience Fund ($3,370), Ceremony Health ($1,200) MAPS Canada ($30), Cosmic Sister ($20), Ibogaine Stories ($10), Ayahuasca Foundation ($10), Bluelight ($10), and Kaphi ($2).

The positive outcome of the interim analysis in March 2020 indicates that with sufficient funding, MAPS has an excellent chance of generating additional promising safety and efficacy data and potentially receiving FDA approval for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD by the end of 2022.

We appreciate donations of any size and are particularly grateful to the following supporters for their generous contributions of $1,000 or more:

Capstone Campaign

Alan Fournier ($1,000,000)
Antonio Gracias, CEO Valor Equity Partners ($1,000,000)
Anonymous ($1,000,000)
Ryan and Maggie McKillen ($500,000)
Peter Attia ($300,000)
David Balter ($200,000)
Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative ($166,760)
Jennifer Gates ($150,000)
Emily Fairbairn ($100,000)
Michael Pollack/SCA Charitable Foundation ($100,000)
The William H. Donner Foundation ($100,000)
Anonymous ($100,000)
Brock Pierce ($75,000)
Clay Rockefeller ($50,000)
Robert Bienstock ($25,000)
Anne St Goar and Shippen Page ($25,000)
Paul and Kristina Eklund ($15,000)
NOK Foundation ($10,000)
Anonymous ($10,000)
Anthony Gossage ($5,000)
Anonymous ($5,000)
Scott Faber ($2,500)
Forrest Cioppa ($2,150)
Sara Heller ($1,545)
Nina Massinello ($1,200)
David Braginsky ($1,000)
Clark Carlisle ($1,000)
Jessica Colas ($1,000)
Guido Hummel ($1,000)
Robert J. Kenney, Jr. ($1,000)
Jonathan Liwanag ($1,000)
Daren Nordhagen ($1,000)
Andrew Sendejo ($1,000)
Denise Shields ($1,000)
Hans Petter Sveen ($1,000)
William Wofford ($1,000)
Anonymous ($1,000)
Anonymous ($1,000)
Anonymous ($1,000)
Anonymous ($1,000)
Anonymous ($1,000)

MDMA/PTSD

The Libra Foundation ($300,000)

Unrestricted

Evolve Foundation ($200,000)
Rockefeller Family Fund ($10,000)
Ullmann Family Foundation ($10,000)
Humanity United ($3,000)
Samwell Freeman ($1,030)
Roger Mason via the Young Again Foundation ($1,000)
MUDWTR ($1,000)
Donald R. Scott, MD ($1,000)
Jiri Techet ($1,000)
Anonymous ($1,000)

Education

Bo Shao ($15,000)

LSD

Steven Schlansker ($1,000)

Expanded Access

Riverstyx Foundation ($100,000)
Rachel Ratliff ($100,000) – BIPOC Health Equity
Gwyneth Paltrow ($20,000) – BIPOC Health Equity
David Bronner ($5,000) – Somatic Center Portland

Fiscal Sponsor Grantees

David Bronner ($25,000) – ICEERS
Jack and Diane Stuppin ($15,000) – From Shock To Awe
Rachel Ratliff ($3,030) – Bay Area Healers Resilience Fund
Philip Rettger ($1,000) – Ceremony Health

MAPS relies on the generosity of individual donors to achieve its mission. Psychedelic science is again being conducted under federal guidelines, but no funding for psychedelic psychotherapy research is yet available from governments or major foundations.

Together, we can legalize psychedelic medicine.
Donate now at maps.org/donate. Learn how to include MAPS in your will or estate plans.

We’re Hiring!

MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) and MAPS Europe are currently hiring!

You can support MAPS by referring qualified candidates to these positions.

Psychedelic Peer Support

Zendo Project Summer Speaker Series

Virtual Burning Man 2020: The Multiverse

In lieu of a physical event at Black Rock City this year, Burning Man will be hosting Virtual Burning Man 2020: The Multiverse, which includes eight virtual platforms with a variety of talks, art, music, immersives, and participatory online experiences through their Kindling website for the community to enjoy worldwide.

EntheoGeneration 2020

As part of the Burning Man Multiverse experience, the Zendo Project and the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) are proud to present EntheoGeneration 2020, a psychedelic speaker series that examines how we can integrate our collective psychedelic experiences and wisdom into action for positive planetary transformation.

We are pairing together our psychedelic elders with the younger generations of psychedelic leaders to create a dynamic conversation that bridges the gaps between perspectives, ideologies, and life experience. Through this diversity, we hope to share the collective intelligence, insights, and intuitions with our audience to inspire a hopeful and obtainable future through the generations.

Policy and Advocacy

MAPS Policy Team Appears on Al Jazeera, MAPS-Sponsored Researcher Files Lawsuit Challenging DEA’s Marijuana Rescheduling Denials

MAPS Policy and Advocacy Counsel, Ismail Ali, appeared as a panel guest, along with psychedelic psychotherapist Danielle Herrera (Sage Institute) and journalist Michelle Janikian on Al Jazeera’s “The Stream”on July 28, 2020. The topic was psilocybin, and the panelists used the case study of this substance to touch on broader policy topics like recognition of indigenous practices in Western medicine and culture, practicing personal and legal harm reduction, and some of the key distinctions between decriminalization and legalization. A further policy discussion between Ali and Al Jazeera host Josh Rushing followed on Instagram to cover more topics.

MAPS-sponsored researcher Dr. Sue Sisley of the Scottsdale Research Institute (SRI) filed suit in the United States (U.S.) Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals,asking for a review of the DEA’s scheduling determination that cannabis be listed as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. The petition also asks for a review of similar DEA determinations made in 2016 and 1992. The litigation questions the rationale that the DEA uses to repeatedly deny rescheduling of cannabis and claims that discretionary scheduling decisions by the DEA, which is an executive agency, violates the separation of powers granted by the U.S. Constitution.

Media

MAPS in the Media:

Wall Street Journal: Silicon Valley and Wall Street Elites Pour Money Into Psychedelic Research
- August 20, 2020

The Stream from Al Jazeera English: Are Magic Mushrooms Going Mainstream?
- July 28, 2020

Psychology Today: Do Psychedelic Worlds Really Exist?
- August 16, 2020

Bustle: “Did We Know We Were Lying About The Drugs? Of Course”: The Real History Of Psychedelics
- July 16, 2020

Be Here Now Network: Mindrolling with Raghu Markus, Episode 348: The Psychedelics Renaissance with Rick Doblin
- July 27, 2020

Big Brains Podcast: From LSD to Ecstasy, How Psychedelics Are Altering Therapy, with Prof. Harriet de Wit (Ep. 51)
- August 3, 2020

The Jewish News of Northern California: Psychedelic Journeys Brought Peace to This Holocaust Survivor. Now He’s Helping Others on Their Own Journey
- July 16, 2020

MAPS Store

Coming Soon: The Way of the Psychonaut by Stanislav Grof, M.D., Ph.D., Audiobooks

Stayed tuned to the MAPS Newsletter to learn about the release of The Way of the Psychonaut audiobooks. This is one of the most important books ever written about the human psyche and the spiritual quest.

“New Eyes” Art Print by Amy Mastrine

Printed on bright white paper with archival pigmented inks for the most vibrant colors. Designed to last up to 200 years. Available in 8.5x11in or 12x16in for easy framing. A portion of the proceeds from this print benefit MAPS. • Buy Now

Events

Browse our Event Calendar page for more opportunities.

Polaris Insight Center: Trainings for Clinicians, July – November 2020, San Francisco, California

Polaris Insight Center provides didactic, experiential, and residential trainings in ketamine-assisted therapy. These programs are designed to provide interested physicians, psychologists, therapists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals with principles and procedures of KAP and how to use ketamine in combination with psychotherapy in a clinical setting. • Learn More

Canada and Psychedelics Research Conference 2020, September 20, 2020, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

This conference is aimed at creating an interdisciplinary space for Canadian academics who are interested in research relating to psychedelic compounds. Our primary goal is to foster dialogue between distinct disciplinary and methodological approaches to psychedelic research, and to help facilitate a greater Canada-wide psychedelic research community. • Learn More

Psychedelic Psychotherapy Forum, October 14-18, 2020, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada

Now in its fifth iteration, the 2020 Psychedelic Psychotherapy Forum // Vision & Visionaries is Canada’s premiere conference, facilitating dialogue and shared learnings about psychedelic-assisted therapies and research, including the ethical, cultural, indigenous and spiritual use of plant medicines and psychedelic substances for personal and collective healing and transformation. Our forum and workshops offer continuing education credits for health practitioners including psychologists, clinical counsellors, psychotherapists, nurses, and family physicians. • Learn More

The Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research, September 24-26, 2020, Online

This is the fourth edition of the Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research (ICPR). The ICPR 2020 conference takes place from Friday, April 24 to Sunday, April 26, 2020, in the beautiful city of Haarlem, The Netherlands. ICPR 2020 is an academic conference focused on high quality scientific and scholarly research into psychedelics. Many academic disciplines have important contributions to make within the field of psychedelic studies. ICPR aims to bridge and connect these disciplines, and to facilitate a dialogue between the diverse academic fields and researchers involved in the study of psychedelics. • Learn More

MDMA and Psychedelic Assisted Therapy: Ethics and Law Webinar featuring Rick Doblin, Ph.D., November 7, 2020, Online

This conference will examine in depth ethical, clinical, and legal issues related to MDMA-Assisted Therapy, a new form of therapy that combines psychological treatment and a powerful psychoactive MDMA medication. Promising clinical research suggests that this unique therapy might become medically available in Canada and USA for treatment of trauma as early as 2022. Presenters will discuss issues such as safety, training and regulation, equity and access, and broader future healing potential such as relationship healing. The conference will consider MDMA-assisted therapy within the broader context of psychedelic-assisted therapy, and will offer global and historical perspectives on the issue. • Learn More

International Summit on Psychedelic Therapies for Mental Illness, November 16-19, 2020, Melbourne, Australia

Mind Medicine Australia is holding a two-day International Summit on Psychedelic Therapies for Mental Illness. This global event will bring together clinicians, scientists, academics, mental and public health professionals, philanthropists, government, law and policy makers, business, industry, investors, and other interested stakeholders. • Learn More

Participate in Psychedelic Research

MDMA Studies Sponsored by MAPS

MAPS sponsors clinical trials around the world that offer volunteers the opportunity to participate in our research studies. Our studies have strict enrollment criteria based on the goal of the study and the condition the study is investigating.

Phase 3 trial participant enrollment is now open. Please bookmark our Participate in Research page and check it frequently for updates.

Ayahuasca Ceremony and Retreat Participant Survey

This is an anonymous survey gathering preliminary data about the safety and ethics of ayahuasca ceremonies in various settings. The data collection is a part of the doctoral dissertation work of the principal investigator, Jessica Brown, M.A., L.M.F.T. • Learn More

More News

Grow the Indigenous Peyote Conservation Initiative (IPCI)

Indigenous Peyote Conservation Initiative (IPCI) empowers Indigenous communities to reconnect with, regenerate, and conserve peyote. IPCI is building a state-of-the-art research nursery through a groundbreaking effort to propagate peyote on the land, which will be a major step towards repopulating peyote. • Learn More

American Trip: Set, Setting, and the Psychedelic Experience in the Twentieth Century by Ido Hartogsohn

Are psychedelics invaluable therapeutic medicines, or dangerously unpredictable drugs that precipitate psychosis? Tools for spiritual communion or cognitive enhancers that spark innovation? Activators for one’s private muse or part of a political movement? In the 1950s and 1960s, researchers studied psychedelics in all these incarnations, often arriving at contradictory results. In American Trip, Ido Hartogsohn examines how the psychedelic experience in midcentury America was shaped by historical, social, and cultural forces—by set (the mindset of the user) and setting (the environments in which the experience takes place). • Buy Now

Chacruna’s Women in the History of Psychedelic Plant Medicines: Call for Articles

The history of psychedelics has often emphasized the contributions made by leading researchers, breakthrough therapists, and champions of a psychedelic ethos. It just so happens, that most of the figures whose names were on the scientific papers or political placards, were men. But, behind the scenes and even in the same rooms, women and junior colleagues were also working for a psychedelic future. Whether nurses, therapists, healers, interns, wives, or subjects themselves, women’s perspectives on the history of psychedelics help us to highlight a more inclusive past and perhaps a more diverse set of priorities when it comes to charting a psychedelic future. This call for articles invites you to participate in reclaiming this past, and revisiting this history to include perspectives that have been forgotten, buried, or under-acknowledged. The focus in this series is on women, but we welcome all contributions that engage with ideas of gender in psychedelic history, particularly perspectives that help to bring attention to previously unrecognized contributions or perspectives. For more information, and submissions write to guest editor Erika Dyck at: erika.dyck@usask.ca. • Learn More

Supporting Grassroots Initiatives for Indigenous People in the Amazon During COVID

Chacruna aims to contribute to a larger body of work that critically examines, celebrates, and elevates the importance of reciprocity to indigenous people in the psychedelic space. Here are some examples of how you can support their vision and learn about initiatives that their team members are involved in. • Learn More

Thank you to Dr. Bronner’s for their company’s support of the MAPS Newsletter!