Key points
Psychedelics increase empathy, trust, and bonding, necessary ingredients for conflict resolution.
Observational studies show MDMA is quite effective for couples therapy.
Psychedelic workplace retreats are becoming more common.
There are glimmers of hope that psychedelics may even help facilitate peace among warring nations.
MDMA and ketamine are types of psychedelics, sometimes referred to as "heart-opening" medicines. By relaxing our defensive armor and increasing feelings of safety and compassion, they create a pathway for more authentic communication. MDMA is currently a heartbeat away from being FDA-approved to treat post- traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) in combination with talk therapy . Ketamine is currently used off-label to treat depression , anxiety , and PTSD, and many clinicians are combining ketamine with therapy to obtain a deeper level of healing. Studies show that MDMA decreases activity in the fear center of our brains, the amygdala. This means that stressful and upsetting content that may otherwise trigger a fear response is instead approached through a peaceful and compassionate lens. So, people having conflicts may be able to really listen to another person’s perspective without shutting down or attacking. MDMA in Couple’s Therapy
I had heard anecdotally how MDMA can help partners rekindle their passion. But I hadn’t known there was literature from the 1980s describing MDMA’s effectiveness in couple’s therapy.
Greer and Tolbert write, The single best use of MDMA is to facilitate more direct communication between people involved in a significant relationship. Not only is communication enhanced during the session, but afterward as well. Once a therapeutically motivated person has experienced the lack of true risk involved in direct and open communication, it can be practiced without the assistance of MDMA. . . . Regardless of the mechanism, most subjects expressed a greater ease in relating to their partners, friends, and coworkers for days to months after their sessions. ( Greer and Tolbert, 1986 ) MDMA seems to work as a catalyst for dissolving encrusted communication blocks. Ingrasci, who treated 100 patients with MDMA from 1980-1985, many of them couples, writes, “To sit with a couple . . . as […]
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