Treating PTSD: Psychedelic or Eye-Movement Therapy?

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Severe post-traumatic stress disorder can be difficult to treat, but a new type of therapy has proven to be effective at alleviating symptoms by combining talk therapy with doses of MDMA, an illegal psychedelic known on the club scene as Ecstasy or Molly.

The New York Times recently wrote about the therapeutic use of MDMA and a new Phase 3 clinical trial that had promising results in reducing PTSD symptoms, especially when comorbidities are present. These can include depression, suicidality, history of substance abuse, childhood trauma and dissociation. The psychedelic is said to help people access a part of the brain that houses unprocessed trauma and heal from it internally.

As I read more about MDMA-assisted therapy, I kept thinking about how similar it seemed to EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. EMDR therapy was discovered in 1987 by psychologist Francine Shapiro and is recognized by the Department of Veteran Affairs as an effective way to treat PTSD. Much like MDMA-assisted therapy, it also targets unprocessed memories, in hopes of reducing PTSD symptoms.

So, what’s the difference between EMDR and MDMA therapies? Is one more effective than the other when treating trauma or PTSD? What’s the time commitment? Side effects? Cost?

To find out, I reached out to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies and spoke to Michael Mithoefer, M.D., and MAPS Public Benefit Corporation’s Senior Medical Director for Medical Affairs, who has experience working with both MDMA and EMDR.

Mithoefer practiced emergency medicine for 10 years before going into psychiatry. He said the psychological underpinnings of the trauma he saw in the ER is what got him interested in the field. He was also drawn to psychiatrist Stanislav Grof’s work on LSD-assisted psychotherapy and shifting consciousness. Later, Grof developed holotropic breathwork, a non-drug method of opening up the mind and emotionally processing. Mithoefer trained in this technique and began running groups in the mid-90s.

Holotropic breathwork sessions often last for several hours and involve breathing and sitting in pairs. Participants are instructed to breathe faster and deeper while listening to rhythmic and evocative…