As final trials move to establish MDMA-assisted psychotherapy as a legal and legitimate clinical treatment, a new study has recently been published demonstrating the results of the world’s first clinical trial for another, albeit more controversial, application – treating severe social anxiety in adults with autism.
MDMA, or 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, is perhaps more commonly known by its recreational moniker of Molly, or ecstasy, and despite its initial clinical and therapeutic uses, the drug spent several decades under heavy legal restrictions. More recently though, it has undergone a renaissance in research circles, and pioneering work from Rick Doblin and a large team of scientists has led to the previously taboo substance now sitting on the precipice of FDA approval for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).