MAPS Bulletin: The Emergent Psychedelic Ecosystem Now Available Online
Over a dozen new articles about the emerging field of psychedelics
September 28, 2021
Dear friends and supporters,
We’re excited to share that the newest MAPS Bulletin: The Emergent Psychedelic Ecosystem, is now available online and in subscriber mailboxes! This unique issue features over a dozen original articles from MAPS staff, supporters, and affiliates on a wide variety of topics including MAPS values and principles, investigator-initiated trials, psychedelic career development, the psychedelic therapy training program, ayahuasca and ibogaine research in Brazil, new apps for psychedelic education and experiences, the legal landscape of psychedelic medicine, and much more.
The MAPS Bulletin is mailed to members who donate $50 or more per year ($60 international) to support our research and educational initiatives. Donate $50 or more to MAPS to receive your copy of the Bulletin!
On September 14, we announced our entry into a Memorandum of Understanding with Wesana Health Inc, a publicly traded, data-driven life sciences company. Wesana will provide an initial $1.5 million engagement fee to explore the viability of collaborating with MAPS and MAPS PBC to accelerate research into MDMA-assisted therapy for traumatic brain injury (TBI). The engagement fee will be used by MAPS and MAPS PBC, in part, to finance evaluation of legal, scientific, and operational elements of the proposed commercial relationship. Read our announcement here.
We’re excited to share several recent advancements in MAPS-sponsored clinical trials! On Friday, September 10, 2021, MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) researchers conducted a site initiation visit in Madison, Wisconsin, for the cross-over extension study for MAPS-sponsored Phase 3 trials of MDMA-assisted therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). On September 17, 2021, the first study participant was treated at the Boulder, Colorado study site. The next participant is scheduled to receive treatment at our Charleston, South Carolina study site in several weeks.
On August 17 and 18, 2021, researchers from MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) conducted the official site initiation visit for the MAPS-sponsored Phase 2 study of MDMA-assisted therapy for U.S. Veterans with PTSD. The study takes place at the James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Bronx, New York. Researchers are planning to screen their first participant before the end of 2021. The study is led by PTSD researcher Rachel Yehuda, Ph.D., Director at the Mental Health Patient Care Center, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, and Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Our team is still seeking research volunteers for Phase 3 clinical trials of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. Trials are recruiting in Charleston, South Carolina; Boulder, Colorado; Fort Collins, Colorado; Boston, Massachusetts; Los Angeles, California; New York, New York; Madison, Wisconsin; San Francisco, California; and Tel Aviv, Israel. Volunteers should apply at mdmaptsd.org. Volunteers will help contribute to scientific knowledge and will help us better understand if MDMA-assisted therapy works for 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.
A new book, Psychedelic Justice: Toward a Diverse and Equitable Psychedelic Culture, edited by MAPS Public Education and Culture Specialist Bia Labate, Ph,D., and licensed clinical psychologist Clancy Cavnar, offers a compendium of writings about social justice in psychedelic research and education. The book discusses the concerns of social justice activists including equity, diversity, inclusion, sustainability, cultural appropriation, capitalism, oppression in psychedelic-assisted therapy training models, sexual abuses within psychedelic circles, and the need to expand the harm reduction community. Read more about the book at chacruna.net.
In this edition of the MAPS Newsletter, you'll also learn:
- Videos of EntheoGeneration 2021, hosted by the Zendo Project at this year’s virtual Burning Man, are now available for viewing and sharing
- MAPS, MAPS PBC, and MAPS Europe are hiring!
- Save the date: MAPS is hosting Psychedelic Science 2023, a conference taking place from June 18-25, 2023, in Denver, Colorado.
Follow MAPS on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, and YouTube.
As we welcome autumn, we’re thrilled to bring you the latest psychedelic news and updates.
With appreciation,
Amy Mastrine
MAPS Web and Email Marketing Associate
Treating PTSD with MDMA-Assisted Therapy
Site Initiation Visit and First Participant Treated in Open Label Cross-Over Extension Study to the Phase 3 Trials of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD
Phase 3 Trials of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD: Seeking Research Volunteers
Now Active and Recruiting: A Single-Site, Open-Label Phase 2 Study of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for U.S. Military Veterans with Combat-Related PTSD
Site Initiation Visit Takes Place for Phase 2 Study at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Bronx, New York
MDMA Therapy Training Program Update: September 2021
Support MAPS
August Giving Report: MAPS Raises Over $1.7 Million for Psychedelic Research, Education, and Programs
We’re Hiring!
Psychedelic Peer Support
Zendo Project: EntheoGeneration 2021 Videos Now Available
Policy and Advocacy
MAPS Representatives Attend Congressman Dan Crenshaw’s 3rd Annual Healthcare Innovation Summit
MAPS in the Media
- MAPS to Receive $1.5 Million to Evaluate Collaboration with Wesana Health in TBI Treatment
- BBC: The Worldview-Changing Drugs Poised to Go Mainstream
- The New York Times: The Ezra Klein Show: This Conversation Will Change How You Think About Trauma
- High Times: MAPS Organization Granted $12.9 Million to Study Cannabis and PTSD
- AJMC: Could Psychedelics Ease Mental Health Toll From COVID-19, Other Crises?
- Aubrey Marcus Podcast: The MDMA Therapy Revolution With Rick Doblin, Ph.D.
- Lucid News: Denver Launches the Nation’s First Psychedelic Harm Reduction Training for First Responders
- Chacruna: Women Behind the Scenes in Psychedelic Science: Making MDMA a Legal Medicine with Amy Emerson
- AZ Mirror: VA Sending Mixed Messages for Vets About Cannabis Use to Treat PTSD
Events
Browse our Event Calendar page for more opportunities.
Fluence: Access and Inclusion in Psychedelic Treatment Webinar Series, September 23 – December 9, 2021
Neuropsychiatric Drug Development Summit: Developing a New Wave of Clinically Efficacious Therapeutics for Neuropsychiatric Disorders, September 29-30, 2021, Online
Psychedelia: The History and Science of Mystical Experience & The Way of the Psychonaut, October 2, 2021, Online
Psychedelic Science 2023, June 18-25, 2023, Denver, Colorado
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 MDMA/PTSD trial participant enrollment is now open. Please bookmark our Participate in Research page and check it frequently for updates.
More News
Johns Hopkins Receives Grant from National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to Study Psilocybin for Tobacco Addiction
Thank you to Dr. Bronner’s for their company’s support of the MAPS Newsletter!