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MAPS Email Newsletter:
First Clinical Psychedelic Therapy
Trial in Canada in Over 40 Years
Canadian MDMA-Assisted Therapy for
PTSD Study Starts After 8-Year Effort
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January 9, 2015
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Dear friends and supporters,
The January 2015 issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry features two editorials on psychedelic therapy research.
The cover art (“The Shulgins and their Alchemical Angels”) was presented to Sasha and Ann Shulgin by artist Alex Grey at MAPS’ Psychedelic Science in the 21st Century conference in April 2010.
Happy 2015 from MAPS! Since our founding in 1986, MAPS has disbursed over $20 million—all generously donated by individuals and family foundations—to support research into the risks and beneficial uses of psychedelics and marijuana. That generosity has been the key to our success. Generosity, and persistence.
In 2006—over eight years ago—MAPS begin working to start MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) research in Canada. Finally, on January 2, 2015, the first preparatory psychotherapy session took place for the first subject in our new Canadian study in Vancouver, BC. This is the first Health Canada-approved clinical psychedelic research to take place in over 40 years.
“This is an exciting time as MAPS Canada grows and builds credibility with a wide variety of community leaders and organizations,” says MAPS Canada Board of Directors chair Mark Haden. “After suffering under the drug war paradigm for decades, the current change toward an evidence-based approach to psychedelics is both refreshing and illuminating.”
In the January 2015 edition of the MAPS Email Newsletter, you’ll also find:
- Acid Test: LSD, Ecstasy, and the Power to Heal by award-winning journalist Tom Shroder is 30% off in the MAPS Store until January 31
- December 2014 was a month of giving, with 521 donors helping MAPS make psychedelics and marijuana into prescription medicines
- MAPS announces an educational series in Israel this March together with the pioneering transpersonal psychiatrist and psychedelic researcher Dr. Stanislav Grof
Stay up-to-date by joining our over 125,000 supporters on Facebook, and following us on Twitter, YouTube, and reddit.
Thank you for staying informed and doing what you can to donate and spread the word about our work to discover and utilize the healing, spiritual, and creative potentials of psychedelics and marijuana.
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Always upward,
 Brad Burge MAPS Director of Communications and Marketing |
Treating PTSD with MDMA-Assisted Therapy
Support MAPS
Media
MAPS Store
Events
More News
- Educational Series in Israel to Explore Transpersonal Psychology and Psychedelic Research
- Society of Cannabis Clinicians Announces First-Ever Comprehensive Online CME Course
TREATING PTSD WITH MDMA-ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY
1. Canada: First Preparatory Session; Second and Third Subjects Enrolled
In 2006—over eight years ago—MAPS begin working to start MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD research in Canada. Finally and after enormous effort, on January 2, 2015, the first preparatory psychotherapy session took place for the first subject in our new Canadian study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD in Vancouver, BC. The second and third subjects were enrolled on December 23, 2014. Led by Principal Investigator Ingrid Pacey, M.D., and co-therapists Donna Dryer, M.D., and Richard Yensen, Ph.D., in Vancouver, B.C., this study will treat up to 12 subjects with chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD from any cause. This is the first Health Canada-approved clinical psychedelic research to take place in over 40 years! “This is an exciting time as MAPS Canada grows and builds credibility with a wide variety of community leaders and organizations,” says MAPS Canada Board of Directors chair Mark Haden. “After suffering under the drug war paradigm for decades, the current change toward an evidence-based approach to psychedelics is both refreshing and illuminating. Let the healing begin!” Learn more | Donate to help complete this study…
$419,000 estimated study cost • $51,000 raised + $3,500 raised by partners • $364,500 still needed
Learn about our work to make psychedelics and medical marijuana into prescription medicines at the newly designed maps.org.
Learn about our Funding Priorities.
SUPPORT MAPS
2. December Giving Report: 2015 Begins Inspired by Your Support
December was a month of generosity. In December 2014, MAPS received $461,672 from 521 donors in cash and pledges. On behalf of those who have been and are being helped by the safe and beneficial uses of psychedelic therapy and marijuana, thank you!
NOW ONLINE: The Winter 2014 MAPS Bulletin, featuring our Annual Financial Report, research updates, all-new articles, media, and more.
Special gratitude goes to the Mental Insight Foundation for their $50,000 grant for our MDMA-assisted psychotherapy study for PTSD in South Carolina, and their pledge of $30,000 for our MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with life-threatening illness study in Marin, Calif. We also thank the Riverstyx Foundation for pledging $150,000 in general support, as well as their $120,000 contribution for the Marin study. Others supporting the Marin study include Bill Melton ($10,000), and Lawrence & Rebecca Brucia ($1,000). ♦ Neva Goodwin, Richard Rockefeller’s sister, generously gave $15,000, and The David Rockefeller Fund gave $10,000. William Harrison gave $10,000 to support our new MDMA/PTSD therapy study in collaboration with the VA National Center for PTSD, which will combine MDMA-assisted psychotherapy with couples therapy.
Thank you to Rodney Garcia, The Haskell Fund, Carolyn Mary Kleefeld, and Roland Wiederaenders, who each generously gave $5,000 in general support. Thanks to new donors Sam Hummel, Jr. and the Hummel Family Fund for their collective contribution of $3,000, made after they saw Neurons to Nirvana on Netflix! Our gratitude continues to Theda and Tamblin Clark Smith Family Foundation ($3,000), Anne St. Goar ($3,000), John Heilemann ($2,500), Michael McPhee ($2,000) and Jared Luxenberg ($1,441). Tahoe Wellness Center gave a $1,200 unrestricted contribution. ♦ Donors making $1,000 unrestricted gifts in December included: Ingrid & Anthony Lombardino, Dan Girellini, Ivan & Ann Kruglak, Scott Meyer, Leigh Marz & Michael Ziegler, and Eric Dubiel. Rebecca R. Lambert gave $1,000 to support our MDMA research, and Elizabeth Davis and Maria Dines each gave $1,000 to our PTSD study in Boulder.
Our deep thanks goes to Julie Holland for contributing $5,124, her royalties earned on The Pot Book, for therapeutic cannabis research. Thanks to all who supported Medical Marijuana Research Month, including Ann Arbor Wellness Collective ($1,000), CannaCruz ($1,000), plus Alpine Wellness, Apothecarium, Benson Management Services, Berkeley Patients Group, Desert Bloom Relief, Green Valley Wellness, Harborside Health Center, High Mountain Helth, Ponderosa Releaf, and Takoma Wellness Center. ♦ We also extend our deep gratitude to the 473 donors who gave under $1,000, 149 of which are gifts made monthly. Every gift is a generous gift.
We also thank those who have made payments on pledges: $5,000 each from Tripp Keber at Dixie Brands, and Carey & Claudia Turnbull, and $456 from the Microsoft Matching Gifts Program.Find out if your employer will match your donations! ♦ In addition to donations for MAPS programs, 14 donors gave $82,023 to our fiscally sponsored projects: Ayahuasca Foundation, Bluelight, Ethnobotanical Stewardship Council, Global Ibogaine Therapy Alliance, ICEERS, and Weed the People. ♦ When you give, the light increases. Thank you. maps.org/donate
Learn about including MAPS in your will or trust.
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MEDIA
3. British Journal of Psychiatry, Reuters, Huffington Post, and more…
FEATURED Why I Support MAPS: Board Member David Bronner | view
David Bronner | December 30, 2014
FEATURED British Journal of Psychiatry: Making a Medicine Out of MDMA | view
Dr. Ben Sessa and Dr. David Nutt | January 1, 2015
Reuters: Colorado Awards $8 Million To Study Medical Marijuana Uses | view
Keith Coffman | December 18, 2014
Huffington Post: Colorado Funds Multiple Studies on Marijuana’s Medical Possibilities | view
Matt Ferner | December 17, 2014
Health News Colorado: Vets Applaud Research on Marijuana for PTSD | view
Katie Kerwin McCrimmon | December 18, 2014
NBC 9 News Colorado: State Approves Funding for Medical Pot Research | view
Ryan Haarer | December 17, 2014
Our Emergent Psychedelic Pharmaceutical Company: MAPS Founder Rick Doblin at Burning Man 2014 | view
Rick Doblin, Ph.D. | December 22, 2014
Explore MAPS in the Media for more psychedelic and medical marijuana research news.
MAPS STORE
4. Acid Test: LSD, Ecstasy, and the Power to Heal by Tom Shroder
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Hardcover | 432 pages | Blue Rider Press “Acid Test is a trip of a different kind. Tom Shroder makes the hunt for relief from modern wars’ biggest killers—depression and post-traumatic stress disorder—come alive in bright, unforgettable colors, characters. and emotions.” —Dana Priest, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and author of Top Secret America Read the review in The Lancet (November 15, 2014). $27.95 | Now available |
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NEW! Made with 50% organic cotton/50% recycled polyester blend, these zippered, hooded fleeces are extremely soft and warm. Made in the USA and screen-printed by hand in Santa Cruz, Calif., by local artist Clay Chollar. Available in dark blue, in limited sizes and quantities. $60 | Now available
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6. Vacuum-insulated MAPS Klean Kanteens
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NEW!
The new 20oz vacuum-insulated Klean Kanteen™ bottle features the MAPS logo, and stays cool to the touch while keeping liquids hot for six hours.
$30 | Now available |
EVENTS
7. American Psychiatric Association 168th Annual Meeting: May 18, 2015, Toronto, Canada
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD researcher Michael Mithoefer, M.D., will present at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in Toronto, taking place from May 16-20, 2015. On Monday, May 18, Dr. Mithoefer will present results and discuss the implications of MAPS’ ongoing Phase 2 MDMA-assisted psychotherapy PTSD research program. MAPS will also host an exhibit booth to further educate psychiatrists about the latest developments in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy research. Learn more…
Help us make psychedelics and marijuana into prescription medicines—donate today!
MORE NEWS
8. Educational Series in Israel to Explore Transpersonal Psychology and Psychedelic Research
From March 1-9, 2015, MAPS will sponsor a series of lectures, seminars, and workshops in Israel with pioneering psychiatrist Dr. Stanislav Grof. Focusing on transpersonal psychology, psychedelic research, and Holotropic Breathwork, the educational series will bring together students, researchers, and Breathwork practitioners from around the world to learn about and raise awareness for these transformational fields. All lectures will be in English.
- Tel Aviv
- March 1 (Evening Lecture)—Proposal for a Radical Revision of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Psychotherapy: Lessons from Half Century of Consciousness Research
- March 2 (1-Day Seminar)—Journey into the Depths of the Human Psyche: Exploration of the Realms of the Unconscious Revealed in Psychedelic Therapy and Holotropic Breathwork
- March 3/4 (2-Day Workshop)—The Adventure of Self-Discovery: A Holotropic Breathwork Experience
- Jerusalem
- March 8 (Evening Lecture)—Healing our Deepest Wounds: Insights from the Research of Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness
- March 9 (1-Day Seminar)—The Roots of Human Violence and Greed: Transpersonal Perspectives on the Current Global Crisis
For time, location, and registration information, contact natalie@maps.org.
9. Society of Cannabis Clinicians Announces First Comprehensive Online CME Course
The Society of Cannabis Clinicians (SCC), in collaboration with The Medical Cannabis Institute, has launched the first online medical cannabis curriculum presenting a 12-course series designed to take practicing clinicians from the basics to the clinical practice of medical cannabis. The eLearning curriculum offers medical professionals 12 CME credits and a certificate of competency in clinical cannabinoid medicine upon completion. “To date, there have been workshops or seminars on a variety of medical cannabis topics, but this is the first time that clinicians can find a pre-packaged set of courses that takes the clinician from the fundamentals all the way through clinical case study reviews,” said Deborah Malka, MD, PhD, Course Director at SCC. Register…
Looking for more ways to get involved? Check out our Student Resources page!