Not just a party drug – it could be a valuable aid to psychotherapy


Ecstasy, MDMA or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, to give it its full name, is one of the world’s most popular recreational drugs. It is also a promising medical treatment to assist psychotherapy, particularly for people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

MDMA triggers a massive release of serotonin and oxytocin in the brain, causing feelings of love and euphoria. Fear and anxiety are suppressed, which in a clinical setting can help people with PTSD to talk about troubling memories with a therapist and reach a new understanding of their trauma.

MDMA was first patented by German pharmaceutical company Merck in 1912, but it remained obscure until the 1970s, when it was rediscovered by Alexander Shulgin, an American chemist with an interest in drug experimentation. Shulgin introduced it to his friend Leo Zeff, a psychotherapist, who was convinced that MDMA would be a valuable aid to therapy.

Once ecstasy became known as a party drug and made illegal, research with MDMA became very difficult. The first neuroimaging study to examine the drug’s effects in the brain did not take place until 2012, when it was organised in a TV documentary for the UK’s Channel 4. New Scientist writer Graham Lawton was one of the participants.


The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a non-profit organisation in the US, has spearheaded clinical research into MDMA therapy for PTSD. Trial results have been impressive enough to convince the US Food and Drug Administration to grant MDMA “breakthrough therapy” status, which will accelerate the path towards approval. If further trials go well, it could be in use as soon as 2021.

Researchers are also exploring MDMA-assisted psychotherapy as treatment for people with autism, and those with alcohol addiction.

When taken in clinical doses under medical supervision, MDMA appears to be very safe. However, taking MDMA in other settings can be risky. The strength of street MDMA is highly variable, so it is hard to know how much you are taking, and the product may be adulterated with other, much more dangerous substances. Drug safety tests are now permitted at some festivals and nightclubs, where users can volunteer drugs to be tested for high-strength or dangerous chemicals.

MDMA itself can raise body temperature dangerously, which is particularly risky when users are dancing in a hot club where they can become dehydrated. It can also cause the kidneys to retain too much water, making the blood become too dilute. For this reason, drinking too much water can be as dangerous as drinking too little while on MDMA. Sam Wong


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