Over the past several months, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) has been going through some major changes—in a sense, we’re growing up.
We’ve been setting priorities, clarifying budgets, preparing studies, and increasing our staff to prepare for the great amount of work required to move to the next phase of our MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD research program. I’ve been especially excited to see our communications staff expanding to meet the needs of the growing psychedelic and medical marijuana research community.
Here are my favorite highlights from the July 2012 edition of the MAPS Email Newsletter:
- The 9th subject starts treatment in our ongoing study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for veterans with PTSD in South Carolina.
- The results of the long-term follow-up to our initial U.S. study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD is accepted for publication.
- An impressively wide range of media—including Care2, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and Brazilian magazine Época—make MAPS’ research international news.
- MAPS receives a generous $52,500 grant from The Libra Foundation for our MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD research, including $12,500 for our internship program, which is now accepting applications.
Mark your calendars for Psychedelic Science 2013, our next major international collaborative psychedelic research conference, taking place April 18-22, 2013, in Oakland, California. Psychedelic Science 2013 is presented by MAPS along with our colleagues the Heffter Research Institute, the Beckley Foundation, and the Council on Spiritual Practices.
Meanwhile, stay in touch with the psychedelic science community by connecting with MAPS on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube.
Research into the beneficial uses of psychedelics and marijuana is expanding at an unprecedented rate, and we need your support more than ever. If you enjoy the MAPS Email Newsletter, please consider donating today and be a part of transforming medicine.
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Sincerely,
 Brad Burge MAPS Director of Communications |
- U.S. Veterans Study: Ninth Subject Starts Treatment, One More Enrolled
- U.S. Proof of Principle Study: Long-Term Follow-Up Paper Accepted for Publication
- MDMA Shipment Arrives at New Storage Facility
- Individuals Make a Difference
- New in the MAPS Store: Healing our Deepest Wounds by Stanislav Grof, M.D., Ph.D.
- New in the MAPS Store: Works by Acclaimed Visionary Artists
- Watch: Dr. Julie Holland on Treating Trauma with MDMA-Assisted Therapy
- Esquire: UK Scientists Study MDMA’s Medical Uses
- Care2: MDMA Turns 100 Years Old, Still Faces Stereotypes
- Chronicle of Philanthropy: $10 Million Bequest Shared by Five Non-Profits
- Época: Doors Reopen for LSD
- HerbalGram: Is CBD the Answer?
- Listen: David Nutt Reveals the Truth about Drugs on Science Weekly
- Listen: Colorado Public Radio Hosts Discussion on Marijuana for PTSD
- Drug Testing and Analysis Special Issue Highlights Clinical Research on Psychedelics and Cannabis
- Upcoming Documentary Follows Veterans’ Ayahuasca Journey
- PSYCHEDELIC SCIENCE 2013: April 18-22, 2013, Oakland, CA
- Women’s Visionary Congress: July 27-29, 2012, Petaluma, CA
- Psychedemia: September 27-30, 2012, Philadelphia, PA
- Plantando Consciencia: International Symposiums on Psychedelics and Neuroscience, Brazil and Mexico
- Seeking Volunteers for Psychedelic Harm Reduction Services at Burning Man 2012
- Now Accepting Internship Applications for Fall 2012
- MAPS Welcomes Bryce Montgomery as New Multimedia Associate
MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD Research:
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MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD Research
Learn more about treating PTSD with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy at mdmaptsd.org.
1. U.S. Veterans Study: Ninth Subject Starts Treatment, One More Enrolled
On July 7, 2012, the ninth of 24 subjects received their first MDMA-assisted psychotherapy session in our ongoing study in U.S. veterans, firefighters, and police officers with chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD. This subject was enrolled on June 26. Another subject, also a veteran with PTSD resulting from military service, was enrolled on July 5. Learn more…
Preparing for the future:
MDMA for research safely arrives
at new storage facility
2. U.S. Proof of Principle Study: Long-Term Follow-Up Paper Accepted for Publication
On June 20, 2012, the results of our long-term follow-up of subjects who participated in the initial proof of principle study were accepted for publication by the Journal of Psychopharmacology. The long-term follow-up, conducted an average of 3½ years after the last MDMA-assisted psychotherapy session, found that the benefits persisted over time. We are currently in the process of determining the final publication date when the paper will be publicly available. Learn more…
3. MDMA Shipment Arrives at New Storage Facility
On June 13, 2012, the research firm that MAPS has contracted to store the MDMA for use in our U.S. clinical studies notified MAPS that the shipment containing 937.14 grams of MDMA had safely arrived. The DEA approved the contractor’s Schedule I MDMA distributor’s license on April 23. Learn more…
Looking for more ways to get involved? Check out the non-MAPS sponsored studies on our Participate in Research page!
Support MAPS
You can make a difference:
Looking out over the San Francisco Bay
on MAPS’ 25th anniversary conference cruise
4. Individuals Make a Difference
MAPS research and education programs are funded by individuals with a vision for a world where drug policy is based on science and where psychedelics can be used legally for a range of purposes. Over the last month, many individuals helped bring reality a little closer to this vision.
We received five gifts in June of over $1,000, including a $52,500 grant from The Libra Foundation to support our MDMA-assisted psychotherapy research program for veterans as well as our internship program. The Libra Foundation supports MAPS under its Social Justice and Drug Policy Reform program, “with an emphasis on fair application of the law, government accountability, human rights field building, and drug policy reform.”
We also hosted an online birthday party to celebrate the discovery of MDMA 100 years ago, for which 54 people generously contributed an average of $50. One person asked, “What good does my $50 do when the goal of $10,000,000 needed for completing the clinical trials is so large?” Each $10, $50, or $100 makes a huge difference! The $140,000 we receive in small donations annually pays for a lead investigator’s and assistants’ salaries, who in turn can provide psychedelic therapy for dozens of people a year. Every gift
is a generous gift and makes a difference. Please donate to MAPS today and join others in re-imagining our world.
5. New in the MAPS Store: Healing our Deepest Wounds by Stanislav Grof, M.D., Ph.D.
Stanislav Grof’s newest book, Healing Our Deepest Wounds: The Holotropic Paradigm Shift is an unprecedented consolidation and focusing of Stan’s lifetime of work in consciousness research and the application of that work to individual and collective healing and growth. Now available in the MAPS Store (scroll down for a full review by Holotropic Breathwork facilitator Renn Butler).
All purchases made through the MAPS Store support psychedelic and medical marijuana research and education.
6. New in the MAPS Store: Works by Acclaimed Visionary Artists
| Tantric Marriage by George Atherton |
Autumn’s Creek by Adam Scott Miller |
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| “As we create balance in ourselves, we create balance in the Universe.” – Jai Shiva Shakti | “Art is a tool for discovery, and a by-product of the experience of consciousness.” – Adam Scott Miller |
Media
Visit MAPS in the Media for more psychedelic and medical marijuana research news.
7. Watch: Dr. Julie Holland on Treating Trauma with MDMA-Assisted Therapy
In this outtake from the upcoming documentary From Neurons to Nirvana, Dr. Julie Holland, M.D., speaks about the success of MDMA in a therapy session with a person who previously refused to acknowledge his past. (July 3, 2012)
8. Esquire: UK Scientists Study MDMA’s Medical Uses
“If we were to invent a drug designed to treat PTSD, what qualities would it have?” asks MDMA researcher Ben Sessa, M.D. Neil Boorman of Esquire magazine describes his experience taking part in the UK’s first study of the effects of MDMA on the brain. (July 9, 2012)
9. Care2: MDMA Turns 100 Years Old, Still Faces Stereotypes
Care2 delves into the history of MDMA and its place in science and medicine. Brad Burge, MAPS Director of Communications, details MAPS’ research on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy as a treatment for PTSD and talks about the future of MDMA as a therapeutic drug. (June 27, 2012)
10. Chronicle of Philanthropy: $10 Million Bequest Shared by Five Non-Profits
The Chronicle of Philanthropy details the $5 million bequest from software pioneer Ashawna Hailey which brings MAPS significantly closer to the $15 million needed to make MDMA-assisted psychotherapy a legal treatment for PTSD. (June 24, 2012)
11. Época: Doors Reopen for LSD
Brazilian magazine Época summarizes the vast history of LSD. From the 1960s until today, researchers have studied the effects of LSD and its therapeutic potential. Now, MAPS-sponsored researchers in Switzerland are writing up the results of the first study of the therapeutic use of LSD in over 35 years. (June 18, 2012)
12. HerbalGram: Is CBD the Answer?
The official journal of the American Botanical Council sorts out the science behind the medical uses of cannabidiol (CBD) and describes researchers’ efforts to understand the real risks and benefits of all components of the cannabis plant, with quotes from MAPS Executive Director Rick Doblin, Ph.D. (July 9, 2012)
13. Listen: David Nutt Reveals the Truth about Drugs on Science Weekly
Professor David Nutt is featured on The Guardian‘s Science Weekly podcast, discussing his new book and the potential of drugs to elevate our understanding of the brain. (July 1, 2012)
14. Listen: Colorado Public Radio Hosts Discussion on Marijuana for PTSD
MAPS founder Rick Doblin tells Colorado Public Radio, “At a time when 18 veterans a day are committing suicide, it’s a national scandal that NIDA is refusing to sell marijuana for a privately-funded study that wouldn’t cost the government a penny and would generate important information that could help save the lives of veterans who deserve the best medical care that we can give them.” (June 18, 2012)
A special issue of the scientific journal Drug Testing and Analysis features several articles on the clinical use of psychedelics and cannabis, including an editorial by Torsten Passie, M.D., and Simon Brandt, M.D., on the range of clinical indications for which researchers are now exploring these compounds. Dr. Passie is a psychiatrist, researcher, and author of the forthcoming Healing with Entactogens, a new handbook for group MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for researchers and clinicians to be published by MAPS in 2012.
16. Upcoming Documentary Follows Veterans’ Ayahuasca Journey
In the upcoming documentary film Yarindin, a band of warriors journey deep into the jungle to heal their souls with indigenous plant medicine. Dr. Richard Grossman has taken the next step in manifesting his vision. Dr. Grossman plans to recruit and transport six to eight traumatized veterans to the jungle of Peru for three weeks of intensive ayahuasca ceremony, documenting the process before, during, and after their journey. The hope is to tell a story so compelling it will touch hearts and minds on a wide scale. MAPS is in communication with scientists seeking to conduct research in these veterans. Learn more.
Events
See our Events Calendar for more!
17. PSYCHEDELIC SCIENCE 2013: April 18-22, 2013, Oakland, CA
Save the Date!
MAPS, together with our partners the Heffter Research Institute, The Beckley Foundation, and the Council on Spiritual Practices, is happy to announce Psychedelic Science 2013, an international psychedelic research conference taking place April 18-22, 2013 at the Oakland Marriott City Center and Oakland Convention Center in Oakland, CA.
These four leading psychedelic research organizations will gather researchers, therapists, artists, and the curious over five days to share the latest research on MDMA, LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca, ibogaine, and more. Our 2010 Psychedelic Science in the 21st Century conference sold out and generated international media attention. The field has grown tremendously over the past several years, and Psychedelic Science 2013 will offer even more chances to connect and learn. This will be the last international collaborative psychedelic research conference in the U.S. until 2019 or 2020.
Tickets go on sale September 1. See maps.org/conference for more information.
18. Women’s Visionary Congress: July 27-29, 2012, Petaluma, CA
19. Psychedemia: September 27-30, Philadelphia, PA
Plantando Consciencia, a newly formed Brazilian non-profit dedicated to psychedelic science, announces two symposiums at scientific congresses in the second half of 2012. At the end of August, the Brazilian Congress on Biological Sciences (FeSBE) will focus on Ayahuasca, Neuroscience, and Consciousness, featuring anthropologist Dr. Luis Eduardo Luna and three Brazilian researchers. A free screening of the documentary The Sp
irit Molecule is also scheduled. In November, in Cancún, Mexico, the Manifesting the Mind symposium will be part of the First Meeting of the Latin American Neuroscience Federation (FALAN), focusing on psychedelics. It will cover ayahuasca, DMT, and ibogaine, and featuring a lecture by renowned psychiatrist Dr. David Nutt (Imperial College London) on the brain mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities for psychedelic drugs.
More News
21. Seeking Volunteers for Psychedelic Harm Reduction Services at Burning Man 2012
MAPS is seeking additional volunteers—especially doctors, residents, nurses, and emergency medical technicians—to provide support for a psychedelic harm reduction services space hosted by the Fractal Nation theme camp at Burning Man 2012. The Fractal Nation Zendo Project will be a space available for people having difficult experiences with psychedelic substances. If you would like to volunteer (particularly if you are a qualified medical professional and/or have relevant experience supporting people in non-ordinary states of consciousness) and are considering attending Burning Man 2012 (and ideally already have a ticket) please fill out the Fractal Nation Zendo Project Application 2012 to apply.
MAPS is also sending several staff to assist with psychedelic harm reduction services at Boom Festival in Portugal from July 28-August 4, 2012. Learn more about psychedelic harm reduction.
22. Now Accepting Internship Applications for Fall 2012
MAPS is now accepting applications for the following intern positions for Fall 2012:
- Clinical Administrative Assistant
- Communications Assistant
- Development and Outreach Assistant
- Event Volunteer Coordination Assistant
- Front Desk and Shipping Assistant
All positions are unpaid, and interns must be willing and able to travel to Santa Cruz, CA, where our administrative office is based. Positions will begin on Monday, September 10, and continue through December 14. To be considered, please submit your application no later than midnight (PST) on Sunday, July 22, and you will be notified as to whether we would like to schedule a follow-up interview by Friday, August 3. For more information, and to apply, please visit maps.org/internships. We look forward to hearing from you!
23. MAPS Welcomes Bryce Montgomery as New Multimedia Associate
We are delighted to announce that Bryce Montgomery has joined the MAPS staff as the new part-time Multimedia Associate. Having previously served as a Communications intern for over a year, Bryce is now the newest member of the Communications Department, and will be helping MAPS continue to expand our education and outreach projects through the Web and social media. Bryce will also be responsible for managing event videographers and our growing A/V and multimedia resources. Welcome Bryce!