Double Your Gift to MAPS, Research Updates, and More
December 22, 2021
Dear friends and supporters,
As the end of the year approaches, we’re feeling grateful for over 35 years (three and a half decades!) of MAPS’ tireless work to make MDMA-assisted therapy into a legal treatment for PTSD.
Check out our new Encapsulating 2021 timeline which highlights our milestones from this year. We’re celebrating!
- More than 1,000 therapists trained
- $900,000+ granted in 231 Health Equity Scholarships for the MDMA Therapy Training Program,
- 1,000+ supporters who became monthly MAPS donors
- Publishing the outstanding results of our first Phase 3 study of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD in Nature Medicine and
- Science naming MAPS-sponsored therapy as a runner-up for Breakthrough of the Year!
To keep up our momentum, we’re asking for your help to exceed our fundraising goal before the year is over. You can give the gift of healing and create hope for a brighter future by making a tax-deductible donation before January 1.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to all our supporters who make our work possible.
We’re excited to share recent research news and other announcements as well:
MAPS and Vine Ventures Announce Regenerative Funding Structure to Infuse Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Research and Access With $70 Million
On December 2, we announced the creation of a novel social impact Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with Vine Ventures called the Regenerative Financing Vine (RFV) that will infuse $70 million into patient access infrastructure and research for MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. This model fully maintains both our nonprofit mission and governance and MAPS Public Benefit Corporation’s (MAPS PBC) public benefit drug development and post-approval activities. Request information about in investing in the Regenerative Financing Vine here.
“MAPS is the most important organization for the success of psychedelic therapies globally,” explained Vine Ventures founder and managing director Ryan Zurrer. “Vine has demonstrated a commitment to rethinking venture capital with our own reciprocity pledge, and we’ve been honored to work with MAPS to create this novel funding structure that empowers them to deliver on their mission of mass mental health. Getting MAPS out ahead of the industry will create a commercial and cultural bar that puts patient access first.” Read our update here.
Second Site Initiation Visit Conducted for Multi-Site Expanded Access Program for MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD
On December 8, 2021, the MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) conducted the second site initiation visit (SIV) for our multi-site expanded access program for MDMA-assisted therapy for patients with treatment-resistant PTSD at a site in Berkeley, California. The site is anticipated to open for screening in January 2022.
MAPS Study Sites in Europe Continue to Open and Enroll
Our open-label, Phase 2, multicenter feasibility study of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD in Europe, is continuing to enroll at study sites in Leiden, The Netherlands, and Klecany, Czech Republic. Enrollment has begun for study sites in Moss, Norway, and Maastricht, The Netherlands.
This month, the MAPS Europe research team will open study sites at Charité Berlin and University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany and Kings College, London, at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM).
The research team is working on the long-term follow-up (LTFU) study protocol for this study, which is intended to survey PTSD patients at least 6 months after they receive treatment. This protocol has been submitted to European regulators using the Voluntary Harmonisation Procedure (VHP). The team plans to release this protocol beginning in the Netherlands in early 2022.
Psyche Unbound, New Collection of Essays in Honor of Stanislav Grof, Now Available in the MAPS Store
We’re excited to announce our latest co-publishing work with Synergetic Press, Psyche Unbound: Essays in Honor of Stanislav Grof, will be released on January 11, 2022 in the MAPS Store. This is an extraordinary compilation of twenty-two essays that honor the lifework of Stanislav Grof, M.D., Ph.D., the world’s leading researcher in psychedelic-assisted therapy, breathwork, and the exploration of non-ordinary states of consciousness. Visit the MAPS Store to purchase the collection!
MAPS Attends Horizons Conference in New York City
From December 1-5, MAPS staff members and affiliates attended the 14th annual Horizons: Perspectives on Psychedelics conference in New York, New York. The team hosted an educational and fundraising booth with MAPS-published books, apparel, and learning materials about psychedelic-assisted therapy. Horizons is an annual conference that examines the role of psychedelics and plant medicines in science, medicine, culture, and spirituality. Thank you to everyone who stopped by the MAPS booth!
Call for Papers for Frontiers in Psychiatry
We are accepting manuscript applications for the Special Issue in Frontiers in Psychiatry, “MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Treatment of PTSD and Beyond,” which features guest editors from MAPS and MAPS Public Benefit Corporation. This is a unique opportunity to expand your presence in the field of psychedelic science! The deadline for abstract submissions is February 28, 2022. Submit your paper using this link.
In this edition of the MAPS Newsletter, you’ll also learn:
- You can buy merch in the MAPS Store
- MAPS, MAPS PBC, and MAPS Europe are hiring!
- Save the date: MAPS is hosting Psychedelic Science 2023, the fourth in a series of Psychedelic Science conferences to take place from June 19-25, 2023, in Denver, Colorado. Previous Psychedelic Science conferences took place in 2010, 2013, and 2017, with the 2017 conference being the world’s largest psychedelic conference ever with about 3,000 participants. We’re anticipating 10,000 people at Psychedelic Science 2023!
Follow MAPS on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
With appreciation,
MAPS
Treating PTSD with MDMA-Assisted Therapy
MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD: An Update on the Progress of MAPS’ Pivotal Program
MDMA Therapy Training Program Update: December 2021
First Participant Screening in A Phase 2, Open-Label, Randomized Comparative Effectiveness Study for MDMA-Assisted Therapy in U.S. Military Veterans with Chronic PTSD
Investigator-Initiated Trials Recruitment: A Phase 2 Open-Label Treatment Development Study of MDMA-Assisted Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD
Investigator-Initiated Trials Recruitment: A Phase 1 Study on the Effects of MDMA on Prefrontal and Amygdala Activation in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Investigator-Initiated Trials Recruitment: A Phase 2 Open-Label Study to Assess the Feasibility of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for Veterans with Combat-Related, Refractory PTSD
Second Site Initiation Visit Conducted for Multi-Site Expanded Access Program for MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD
Open-Label, Phase 2, Multicenter Feasibility Study of Manualized MDMA-Assisted Therapy with an Optional fMRI Sub-Study Assessing Changes in Brain Activity in Subjects with PTSD in Europe
Support MAPS
November 2021 Giving Report: Donors Give Over $480,000 to Psychedelic Research and Education
We’re Hiring!
Policy and Advocacy
Chacruna Institute Releases Guide for Plant Medicine Churches
MAPS in the Media
- Forbes: Psychedelic Therapy Is Poised To Create A Revolution In Mental Health, Can VR Accelerate It?
- Science: MDMA-Assisted Therapy Selected as Runner-Up in Breakthrough of the Year
- Lucid News: Rick Doblin Explains MAPS’ New $70 Million Investment Fund With Vine Ventures
- ABC Radio National: All in the Mind Podcast: Psychedelics for Mental Illness with Rick Doblin, Ph.D.
- Bloomberg: Jurvetson’s Big Gift Shows How Psychedelics Capital Is Different
- Billboard: The Psychedelic Renaissance Is Ushering In a New Genre Of Electronic Music — And With It, New Revenue Streams
- WhoWhatWhy Podcast: Are Psychedelics the Cutting Edge Treatment for Mental Illness?
- Benzinga: Australian Psychiatrist Sues State of Victoria for Denying MDMA Treatment for Ailing Patient
- Business Trip: The Business Model of MAPS PBC
Store
Events
A Journey Through the Psychedelic Revival: A Six-Part Virtual Learning Series Sponsored by UPenn Nursing, January 19 – March 30, 2021, Philadelphia, PA
Polaris Insight Center: Training and Retreats, January 2022-August 2022, Online
Integrative Psychiatry Institute Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training, July 2022 – May 2023
Psychedelic Science 2023, June 19-25, 2023, Denver, Colorado
More News
Contribute to the collective knowledge base of drug use by participating in the Global Drug Survey 2022! Your anonymous, confidential and encrypted responses will inform drug policy, public education, and harm reduction.
New Documentary: Psychedelic Capitalism & The Sacred
Thank you to Dr. Bronner’s for their company’s support of the MAPS Newsletter!