Topic guide
MDMA
Evidence, approval status, therapy protocols, safeguarding and trial-design questions surrounding MDMA-assisted approaches.
Start with context
MDMA is pharmacologically and legally distinct from classic psychedelics. Promising trial results do not remove concerns about cardiovascular effects, functional unblinding, therapist conduct, protocol delivery or regulator scrutiny.
Questions this topic raises
- What did the pivotal PTSD trials report?
- Why did the FDA decline the application?
- How much of the intervention is drug, therapy or context?
- What safeguarding systems protect participants?
- How should strong expectancy affect confidence?
Read the evidence guides
MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD: Evidence, Limits and Approval Status
What phase 3 trials reported, why the FDA did not approve the application and what remains unresolved.
What Does “Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy” Really Mean?
A guide to preparation, monitored sessions, psychological support and integration.
Therapists, Boundaries and Safeguarding in Psychedelic Research
Why altered states heighten safeguarding duties and what responsible oversight should include.
Can Psychedelic Trials Really Be Blinded?
Understand functional unblinding, expectancy bias and the methods researchers use to limit them.
Screening, Contraindications and Risk in Psychedelic Research
What clinical trials screen and monitor—and why selected study populations cannot be generalised.
Psychedelic Medicine and UK Law: Research, Scheduling and Access
UK drug classes, schedules, research licences and the difference between trials and routine access.
Keep the boundary clear
These guides are educational. They do not provide medical advice, personalised risk assessment, legal advice or instructions for using a controlled substance.
