Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

psymposia.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

111–120 of 159 posts

Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#111

Post by empath75 »

yesbabyyes wrote: post #45
cnp wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When a patient sits with a therapist under the influence of MDMA, which typically consists of two doses (100-120mg initially, then 70mg a few hours later) spread over an 6-8 hour period. The patient is largely experiencing their own internal process, but at times the therapist is there to help guide and comfort. Before and after the session there is conventional psychotherapeutic follow-up.

Is it possible to do this, today, anywhere in the world (without getting into a study, which seems hard, especially in another country)? I am looking for help for somebody close to me.

Just anecdotally, I worked out a lot of deep seated personal issues with people at rave after parties. Really you just need anyone you trust to listen to you.

Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#112

Post by benevol »

cnp wrote: post #65
bdamm wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only if you know a willing therapist.

And that therapist has access to 100% _pure_ (and unfortunately illegal) MDMA. This is one of the great tragedies of the war on drugs: UN member states are bound to the convention under law, so until this unjust (and unscientific) barrier is torn down it will always be dangerous and difficult to acquire for therapeutic purposes. But things, thankfully, are changing for the better.

It's the powers that be (money; pharmaceutical industry) who want these substances to remain criminalized, because these substances can be way more powerful and much cheaper than anti-depressants & Co. - and without destructive side-effects. So what MDMA, LSD, psilocybin and others can do is make people much healthier and the industry a tiny bit less rich, which is only in "the people's" interest.

Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#113

Post by bduerst »

moretai wrote: post #82
bduerst wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It might be because there are people who have experienced otherwise and you seem to be speaking in generalizations instead of experience. This is anecdotal, but taking MDMA once, recreationally and not in a theraputic sessions, helped me with social anxiety. The best analogy I can give is like you're playing a NES game, and it's glitching all over parts of the screen. You're still able to play, but there's interferen…

This is not my original thought, but what if that "beauty" is manufactured? What if it's not genuine beauty, but an illusion created by your mind to validate the experience of taking the MDMA? I guess the research would prove whether that's the case. I realize that's a pretty extreme statement to make. But from what I understand, we hardly realize how the mind works. I am not saying don't dismiss the research. I just…

Beauty in this context is interpersonal relationships that I had been missing out on because of the filter that social anxiety was creating. Sorry if I wasn't more clear with the analogy.

Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#114

Post by nql »

09bjb wrote: post #19
corporateslave3 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was the threat to the traditional American way of life really the reason they were made illegal? It seems more likely that it was due to the unknown and possibly dangerous nature of the drugs. As a society we have always outlawed drugs that can drastically alter perception (aside from alcohol).

I don't think there's a firm consensus on the reasoning, but it's generally acknowledged that the Sch. 1 classification of the psychedelics was motivated to 1) quell their threat of cultural and political destabilization and 2) to keep hippies and blacks in check. The 60s were similar to Occupy Wall Street: there's major (valid) fear on the part of the establishment when a radically different movement picks up steam.…

I agree, but we must remove all government social programs as well to make that dream come true. You can't have one group experimenting at the expense of another.

Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#115

Post by gnahckire »

brockwhittaker wrote: post #92
maxxxxx wrote: post #88

Is there a way to do this in the US or other countries in half ways safe manner? I would be very interested but the people I know who trip regularly don't seem responsible enough for my taste.

In the US find a dealer or the dark web, you can buy test kits to test for pure MDMA (Molly), to ensure it’s not mixed with things. Ecstasy can otherwise be mixed with opiates or uppers like speed. I know a lot of pretty responsible users of MDMA (most use during festivals). It’s also best to not do it more than once a month as it’ll significantly decrease the effects. It’s also important to be mindful that in days f…

The following is anecdotal evidence:

Magnesium helps w/ lockjaw/teeth grinding.

I sometimes take a tums as well to help w/ the minor upset stomach.

Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#116

Post by ThrustVectoring »

maxwer wrote: post #94

... until you stop taking the drug.

Not according to the study. Psychoactive drugs don't just change how you're feeling for a period of time - they also change how your brain is wired. That's what addiction is: drugs altering the brain into one that more wants to take that drug.

Now, MDMA isn't particularly prone to causing addiction. It is prone to causing lasting changes in how people relate to themselves and others, and a combination of personal anecdotes and studies suggest it's for the better.

Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#117

Post by gnahckire »

maxxxxx wrote: post #96
brockwhittaker wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US find a dealer or the dark web, you can buy test kits to test for pure MDMA (Molly), to ensure it’s not mixed with things. Ecstasy can otherwise be mixed with opiates or uppers like speed. I know a lot of pretty responsible users of MDMA (most use during festivals). It’s also best to not do it more than once a month as it’ll significantly decrease the effects. It’s also important to be mindful that in days f…

I don't know about MDMA in particular but over the last years I have seen two times the effect of trips gone wrong. Interestingly both involved women ripping off their clothes (seriously!) and running around screaming at the top of their lungs for hours. One especially was alone in the middle of the LA National Forest hours away from civilization next to pretty big cliffs. I just happened to hike by and could hear he…

Personally I wouldn't call taking MDMA tripping.

Also, those don't really seem like the effects that I have observed others experience which are:

- Hypersensitivity to others' emotions

- Euphoria

- Relaxation and reduced anxiety

- Sense of inner peace

Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#118

Post by jMyles »

leyth wrote: post #57

Anything that alters since of time in the brain is not really a good idea.

Did you mean "sense" of time?

Lots and lots of seemingly benign things have a serious effect on a person's sense of time. Some examples:

* Sleep

* Travel

* Cannabis

* Caffeine

* Turkey and red wine

* Video games or other intense visual engagement

* Scuba diving

* Intense cardio workouts

Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#119

Post by Toast_25 »

yesbabyyes wrote: post #83
bdamm wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only if you know a willing therapist.

Thanks bdamm. Yes, in particular, I am looking for pointers to that, I suppose. Perhaps, somewhere there is one and we could travel there.

If you decide to attempt the process in a place where you can't be guaranteed 100% pure MDMA, I suggest you look into Marquis reagents.

Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#120

Post by Mz »

maxxxxx wrote: post #88

Is there a way to do this in the US or other countries in half ways safe manner? I would be very interested but the people I know who trip regularly don't seem responsible enough for my taste.

I have not read the article. I have never taken MDMA.

But, during my divorce, I was on boatloads of prescription drugs for a medical crisis. I basically used that as an excuse to do things I would not have done stone cold sober and to learn how to get my needs met and put down my childhood baggage. It was more effective than the therapy I did years earlier.

Based on that, the general idea seems sound to me and is not necessarily specific to MDMA.

Post reply on HN