Surfing the wave of novel research into medical uses for psychedelic compounds, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has launched a dedicated psychedelic center focusing initially on the study of MDMA and psilocybin for PTSD and other stress-related conditions
Named the Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research the institution is first focusing on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a promising treatment currently in advanced stages of Phase 3 trials with FDA approval expected over the next one to two years. The Center will be led by professor of psychiatry and neuroscience Rachel Yehuda whose field of expertise encompasses traumatic stress and the neurobiology of PTSD.
“People taking MDMA report feelings of introspection, connectedness, compassion towards self and others, empathy, and increased interpersonal trust, which are optimal conditions for engaging in the processing of difficult or traumatic material,” says Yehuda. “It is important that we listen to people’s subjective experiences with these compounds and then study therapeutic possibilities through rigorous clinical trials.”
Alongside MDMA the Center will also investigate psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy with compounds such as psilocybin. As evidenced in the Center’s name the research will primarily focus on psychedelics as adjunct to psychotherapy for trauma-related disturbances.