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I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

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Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#151

Post by beagle3 »

refurb wrote: post #85
tome wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> For decades, there has been a near complete effective block on medical research for certain classes of drugs. In the US. One wonders why such a study wasn't carried out in a less puritan country.

Some of it has to do with the history of psychedelics. At least in the US, the 1960's were rife with "psychedelics cure everything!" and they were pretty broadly used in the psychiatrist community. What happened was that a lot of the promise of them didn't pan out. Then the laws changed and it made it much harder to do research. So in essence, it's not just one reason why psychedelic research pretty much disappeared.…

It pretty much is one reason. Neural networks also fell out of favor in the AI winter, for similar reasons, but people could still experiment (and did) so we now have an NN renaissance.

Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#152

Post by refurb »

joecool1029 wrote: post #146
refurb wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is nothing stopping them from making a patentable analogue. Happens a lot right now.

Well, except for this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Analogue_Act

Meh... that already isn't a barrier. Analogues of heroin (fentanyl, etc) are legitimate Rx drugs today.

Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#153

Post by refurb »

beagle3 wrote: post #151
refurb wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some of it has to do with the history of psychedelics. At least in the US, the 1960's were rife with "psychedelics cure everything!" and they were pretty broadly used in the psychiatrist community. What happened was that a lot of the promise of them didn't pan out. Then the laws changed and it made it much harder to do research. So in essence, it's not just one reason why psychedelic research pretty much disappeared.…

It pretty much is one reason. Neural networks also fell out of favor in the AI winter, for similar reasons, but people could still experiment (and did) so we now have an NN renaissance.

People could still experiment with schedule 1 drugs. Sure it's a lot of paperwork, but it can be done, in fact this MAPS study proves it!

Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#154

Post by anythingnonidin »

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.

If you're going to consume MDMA anyway, you should definitely read this page first: https://rollsafe.org/how-to-take-mdma/

Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#155

Post by wutbrodo »

et2o wrote: post #129
wutbrodo wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh, I wonder to what extent this is dependent on the therapist understanding that you're on MDMA. I.e., would it be possible for a patient to take some MDMA (assuming you have experience with it) and then go to a therapist? I've accidentally done as much myself with close friends instead of therapists: I started partying with Molly during a period in my life where I was already starting to recognize and work through…

Agree MDMA has incredible potential for therapy. However I think your therapist should be comfortable/trained with it - just showing up isn’t ideal.

To be clear, I wasn't talking about myself (I'm not in therapy), just idly wondering. I'm pretty comfortable with psychedelics personally, but have less experience with MDMA specifically and my impression is that it's a lot easier to manage than eg LSD.

There are plenty of psychoactive drugs that people don't think twice about managing themselves (weed, caffeine, alcohol), and I was just curious whether MDMA would fall into that category squarely enough (it's certainly easier to manage than alcohol is, for example).

Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#156

Post by wutbrodo »

mjevans wrote: post #130
wutbrodo wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh, I wonder to what extent this is dependent on the therapist understanding that you're on MDMA. I.e., would it be possible for a patient to take some MDMA (assuming you have experience with it) and then go to a therapist? I've accidentally done as much myself with close friends instead of therapists: I started partying with Molly during a period in my life where I was already starting to recognize and work through…

Some people climb mountains without professional guides. Beginners usually need a trainer and a guide to at least get started and to not end up in a life risking situation. In medical science those professionals are often called doctors and nurses.

I wasn't talking about beginners doing it, but there's enough confusion in the replies to my comment that the fault is probably mine for not being clear enough.

What I was wondering is more along the lines of: is the therapy appreciably different to complement the MDMA, or is it simply the increased openness etc that makes normal modes of therapy more effective?

I didn't intend to suggest that people _should_ take MDMA before therapy, but it was just a thought experiment to get at the above question. I only wondered about it because, as I said, I've incidentally done as much while talking with friends.

Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#157

Post by cnp »

rorykoehler wrote: post #147
yesbabyyes wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I know someone who recovered from an extremely traumatic experience through accidental self medication whilst out partying.

It's sad but it happens. Set and setting is most important -- and needless to say, knowing what you're taking is even more so.

Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#158

Post by corporateslave3 »

betterunix2 wrote: post #134
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).

"As a society we have always outlawed drugs that can drastically alter perception" Actually, in America nationwide drug laws began in the 20th century, and it had nothing to do with health or unknown effects. Opium was outlawed as part of a general effort to "protect America" from Chinese immigrants. Heroin was outlawed because a German company held a patent on it. Cocaine was outlawed because, according to the peopl…

"LSD happens to be one of the safest recreational drugs"

Purely anecdotal, but have you ever met someone that has taken large doses of LSD over the course of a few years? They are almost always permanently changed

Re: I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study

#159

Post by leyth »

jMyles wrote: post #118
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

We should not compare natural human behavior to a mind altering chemical substance.
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