6 ms·

Can someone share any relevant experience with this? Best would be if you did it properly under supervision of clinical professional, or if you are a profession

Can someone share any relevant experience with this? Best would be if you did it properly under supervision of clinical professional, or if you are a professional here, by any chance. Doesn’t matter if it’s US or not.

hospitalJail 3y ago
Back in 2018 had just gotten a surprise extra TV from my friend for Christmas. Now we had a 48in tv and a 42in tv. I wasnt sure what to do with it, I wanted 2 TVs for my 2 monitor setup(PC + Wireless mouse and keyboard). My wife cared about appearance more than anything. This was quite contentious. We happened to take MDMA for the first time(at home) and we talked about the TV situation. We figured out a way to have both of them in the living room and make it look good. We were so impressed that we ended up designing our backyard landscaping after that.
- hammyhavoc 3y ago
  You didn't use it in a medicinal context though. You used it recreationally and thought about a problem then arrived at a solution. There's only x ways you could have fit the TVs in, and I'm sure most people could have figured it out without taking anything, it's hardly a difficult task.
  - eimrine 3y ago
    how to use mdma in medical way? does it requires obeying to some owner of some kind of medical license?
    - hammyhavoc 3y ago
      Medicinally, ergo, if someone has depression, they can use it to overcome it (apparently). Recreationally means that you don't have a medical issue that you are trying to solve and are taking it just to take it.
      - eimrine 3y ago
        Thank you for definition. The thing is that I might have a depression and an understanding of what to do with mdma but a lack of trust to every psych* specialist because they are educated by govt who just wants some obey from everybody.
        hammyhavoc 3y ago
        I've also struggled with depression. If you're certain there's no rationality behind it (self-esteem, family ill, money problems, war, health etc), it might be worth considering medication of some description, but most depressive episodes can be solved without any kind of medication. Most medications simply mask the problem and don't deal with the root cause. That's not to say that medications can't be useful in tackling the root cause, they can be, but not uncommonly, the negative side effects outweigh the benefits of taking them versus just resolving the problems in your life. CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) can be very effective for a lot of problems.
        ImPostingOnHN 3y ago
        it's worth noting that MDMA generally doesn't seem to be one of those drugs that "masks the problem", and can be quite useful in "dealing with the root cause"
        eimrine 3y ago
        Dealing with the root cause seems more about lsd/dmt. Masks the problem temporarily is about alcohol. Mdma is about mask the problem long term. But the problem I am having in mind is not war-related PTSR. I don't imagine how to heal from problem when you are a massacre survivor. Especially if you were mobilized against your will.
        ImPostingOnHN 3y ago
        MDMA doesn't seem to be one of those that masks the problem, short term or long term, but rather one that helps deal with the root cause: when you're not afraid to discuss a subject due to the pain it causes, you can discuss it
    - musictubes 3y ago
      If MDMA is approved as a treatment drug it will undoubtedly by a schedule 2 drug only administered at a doctor’s office. The key idea is MDMA assisted therapy. MDMA is used as therapeutic grease. People with PTSD frequently can’t talk about or otherwise process what happened to them without reliving the event(s) and re-traumatizing them. MDMA tamps down the fear response and makes them more open to communication. It frequently makes people want to connect to someone else which also helps with therapy. MDMA isn’t what relives the PTSD, it is the therapy. If I recall the MAPS study, patients were given 2-3 doses of MDMA over 8 months of therapy.
  - jonfw 3y ago
    I think that designing the TV layout is not the point, the point is opening yourself to new ideas and empathy, facilitating compromise
    - hammyhavoc 3y ago
      This handwaves the problem that two adults cannot reach a compromise without taking a drug. That's a personal problem not being solved, but actually being masked and brushed under the metaphorical rug. Perhaps what they need is relationship counselling? If you anesthetize me, I will protest less when you do something that would otherwise cause me pain, but you haven't taken away my ability to feel pain in the long-term. If you get me high, I'll be less anxious in the short-term, but the root cause of my anxiety hasn't been solved.
      - Xymist 3y ago
        I disagree with the "masked" framing. _Actually talking to each other_ is fairly difficult for a lot of people and even a lot of relatively happy couples. Managing to do that in a productive fashion may take a very good night's sleep, or a lot of coffee, or a few beers, or some MDMA, or post-coital neurochemical rush, or whatever else. As long as it happens, you've had the conversation. If it went well and you got somewhere and did a thing or mutually understand a problem or whatever, it was a success. Tools are tools. My inability to ram a nail into a wall with my thumb isn't being "masked" by my use of a hammer, and while I might get better at it with practice and better thumb technique that wouldn't be a more valid solution.
      - MAGZine 3y ago
        This seems like a bad take. Are you going to tell me ibuprofen is worthless because it doesn't fix the underlying issue? No, it's a tool. Nobody is saying you should take casual MDMA to discuss every day solutions. But it does highlight the power of allowing people to express things that they might otherwise have difficulty expressing. And maybe you learn something about your partner in the process. This is why it's a powerful therapeutic tool. People with PTSD can talk through their most troubled experiences and lift that weight from their shoulders. Something they may be incapable of doing in a sober context. In that sense, it's not just "anesthetizing" as you so lovingly put it, there is therapeutic value beyond a a momentary high.
  - AnthonBerg 3y ago
    The production of a judgement according to criteria defining medicinal is not required for the substance to benefit people. This is a case where a meaningful emotional bond was built on top of a situation which would have been a lingering conflict—or so it seems—and this bond remains and has lasting benefits to the couple involved.
- atommclain 3y ago
  That you for sharing, it’s a very sweet story and heartwarming to hear how the two of you were able to come up with a solution where both people were satisfied.
  - specproc 3y ago
    I think we just don't take enough time to talk properly and you know, get to understand how the other person is feeling. Communication is so important in a relationship.
52-6F-62 3y ago
My partners mother was depressed and shut in for years. She had been through every process, medical and otherwise, to try and find an escape hatch, window, anything. She eventually was accepted into a limited program in Victoria, BC for ketamine treatments. 3 large doses rendering intense trips that lasted the course of hours in a clinic under the supervision of doctors and therapists. After the first session she was fundamentally changed. After the third she looked back wondering how she ever could have felt so low. It’s not a silver bullet, she required some therapeutic work afterward and may do another session in the future. But it still stands that the person she is today (travelling, seeing friends, seeing family, etc) is radically different and restored compared to just a few years ago. She full heartedly credits those sessions, but also doesn’t feel a strong need to return-just to get on with life while she’s still in possession of her functioning body.
- toomanyrichies 3y ago
  What a great outcome. Glad to hear this and thanks for posting.
  - 52-6F-62 3y ago
    Happy to share. I’ve come to think it’s very important that we re-integrate these plants/practices/visions/what have you into society and we stand to benefit from a deeper level down than just salving creature comforts. Some people never forgot that matter and I’m sure are relieved to see some more “rational” people like myself coming around!
  - coffeebeqn 3y ago
    It’s certainly not a silver bullet but as these psychedelic drugs are low harm and quite potent/novel they’re extremely worth exploring
Glench 3y ago
My friend has been one of the clinicians on the MAPS trials in Boston. He says it's abundantly clear that people are able to have powerful internal experiences of emotional opening, fear-reduction, release of bodily tension, and self-compassion and new understanding. And amazingly he says that these experiences are somewhat durable — people end up making all sorts of positive changes in their lives after these sessions (like giving up substances of abuse or feeling able to go off medication). And all of this has been backed up by the data. Any specifics you're looking for?
- thejackgoode 3y ago
  That’s impressive. I was interested in first hand experience with PTSD and persistent depression treatment, but I am happy with any sort of “subjective but clinical” information about this.
specproc 3y ago
Only recreational. I've taken MDMA many times in my life and -- presumably like most people who have -- can see why it's got therapeutic potential. Honestly though, I'm not convinced about it in a clinical setting, unless there's a particularly severe issue that needs addressing. I reckon most people are best off just buying some, getting together with a couple of very good mates on a nice day, rolling out into the country with some very good speakers, and just working it all out by yourselves. Sure-fire cure for what ails ya. On a sensible note: don't drink alcohol with it, titrate your dose up to ~150mg, if possible get it from a Tor-enabled marketplace so you can be relatively confident in quality.
- eimrine 3y ago
  What a strange idea is to recommend a dose with respect to neither a weight nor a desired effect
  - specproc 3y ago
    OK, fair point. In my head it was a fairly big tilde. I don't think it's a terrible start, but yes, of course, YMMV and one should never go doing such things without a bit of reading about.
    - eimrine 3y ago
      If you are starting from very very low and if you are consuming the crystal then you dont need to read anything more. You can try 5mg in the morning and I promise any newbie will understand it fully before evening.
- bnjms 3y ago
  I disagree about a clinical setting, though I think I mostly agree overall. Mainly I fear people will read this and mistake it for a defense of MDMA as a drug for going out with your mates. I think this can be helpful for some and very helpful for others but not as helpful as a clinical setting. Where a clinical setting is a therapists office and not a cold clinic room. I do think people would do just as well or better with a couple good mates, a nice set and setting like you described, and some intentionality (vaguely even) about why they are going on the trip. The problem is many don’t have a couple good mates, or don’t know how to talk things through with themselves or otherwise, and would benefit from guidance. Better if people go into it with an agenda like a therapist would have. Edit: The reason this bothers me is because I’ve tried to think through what gave the few old hippies I’ve met burnout. And maybe they were just high but I fear it was psychedelics too often and for people on message boards to assume MDMA discussions are the same as psychedelic discussions when the dosing patterns I’ve heard discussed are very different. This is I’m content with these synthetic drugs remaining prescription only. Having a system about it supports cultural expectations. The MAPS guys are really doing it right. The only problem is our system that doesn’t get approval for drugs out of patent. e.g. ketamine/s-ketamine
meepmorp 3y ago
Not MDMA, but LSD. For me, it was unreasonably effective, though some of that might be my quirks. I preferred to use it alone, would frequently do housework while on it, and talked out my problems with myself. It was easier to be kind to myself, and to treat my emotions and thoughts with a degree of distance which was incredibly helpful. FWIW, I haven't hade the same effect from other psychedelics.
fallingknife 3y ago
Have done it recreationally, and I can't imagine doing molly "under the supervision of a clinical professional." Seems like it would be absolutely awful. Don't recommend. I mean I really hope this helps a lot of people, but it's a hard pass from me. Would definitely recommend getting your hands on some and trying it with friends, though.
- musictubes 3y ago
  Therapeutic and recreational doses are very different. As are the goals. Rolling at a festival is very different than trying to open up to a therapist about past trauma. Therapeutic doses aren’t designed to be fun, they are there to stop you from being afraid and willing to talk to someone. In addition, the subjects are only occasionally using MDMA in context of extended therapy. It’s not like they give you molly and see how you feel afterwards. MDMA is a tool for making therapy better or even possible for people with entrenched issues that couldn’t be solved with conventional treatments.
game_the0ry 3y ago
Here are 2 accounts: Tucker Max wrote at length about mdma therapy. [1] Vice News had a piece on mdma therapy and ptsd. [2] [1] https://www.tuckermax.com/what-mdma-therapy-did-for-me/ https://www.tuckermax.com/what-mdma-therapy-did-for-me/ [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAvUDRYg4h4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAvUDRYg4h4
yboris 3y ago
Highly recommend MDMA as a personal experience. I did not have PTSD or trauma to work through, but I realized how much I could love other people. It's an experience worth having at least once in your life.
cflewis 3y ago
Ketamine was huge for me. I have major depression and generalized anxiety disorder. I've been on medicine that I would consider very good for me for four or five years but I wasn't getting to where I wanted to be. By the time I took Ketamine in a clinical setting (legalized in California), I was spending 80% of my time fighting negative narratives inside my head. "I want to die" (not really, but my engineering brain had decided this was eventually a solution to every problem... Louis CK has a bit that is basically identical to the way my brain was thinking)... "this person hates me so I should hate them"... "all I ever do is fail". I only had 20% of my brain left for interacting with others. I was not a nice person to be around for any period of time. I would be withdrawn a lot because I was in my head. My therapist asked me once "what would it feel like to wake up and not immediately feel defeated?" and I legitimately had no idea. After a series of ketamine treatments the narratives calmed down immensely. 80%->10% to some periods in a day of 0%. I truly despise the actual act of taking ketamine. If you're doing lozenges it tastes like shit, I always felt very nauseous after the trip. I found the trips weird and not therapeutic. Like weird patterns, sometimes seeing things gloopy, sometimes odd experiences that sound fun but just felt strange and disconcerting like flying through hyperspace with Gandalf. But the long-term results have been life-changing. I would recommend ketamine to anyone who has gone for 2+ years or 2+ psychiatrists and haven't seen the results they had hoped for.
cascades42 3y ago
My mother-in-law did MDMA and psychedelic mushroom therapy (on separate occasions) with an experienced guide. This occurred prior to the official training that's occurring now but after the decriminalization of drugs in Oregon. The guide was not a licensed clinician, but she had guided 100s of clients. My mother-in-law found it incredibly helpful in processing traumas from childhood and in getting "unstuck" in thinking patterns. She described the experience as a seismic shift. She had been in therapy for her entire life. I suspect that her prior therapy had laid the groundwork for understanding the thinking patterns that weren't serving her. My wife and I have noticed a subtle personality change. She seems happier and more open to new ideas. This personality change seems to have faded slightly with time. These are of course just our observations, which could be completely off. Psilocybin mushrooms grow everywhere here in the Pacific Northwest-- I see them all of the time in mulch around our city. I've had many friends take them recreationally, and none of these friends have had such an impactful experience. All of this is anecdotal of course, but it leads me to believe that working with a therapist might be essential for efficacy of the therapy. I'm a neuroscience researcher, and I'm hopeful that these treatments will be helpful for many people. It is tragic that there haven't been more clinical trials. I'm hesitant to try them myself until there's more data. If I was suffering from intractable depression or anxiety, I'd feel differently.
- coffeebeqn 3y ago
  If you just take them yourself it’s kind of dumb luck if it’ll be helpful. I found a large dose powerful but also kind of random and confusing. I enjoyed my time and still think about it sometimes but it didn’t cure my mental issues. I think with a professional therapist it would be a lot more efficient and directed. Less time spent on trying to figure out if I’m in the correct universe or if time is still a thing or how human food works. With MDMA I certainly had lovely time talking with friends but again without a therapeutic goal it was just a good time.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

hospitalJail 3y ago

Back in 2018 had just gotten a surprise extra TV from my friend for Christmas. Now we had a 48in tv and a 42in tv. I wasnt sure what to do with it, I wanted 2 TVs for my 2 monitor setup(PC + Wireless mouse and keyboard). My wife cared about appearance more than anything. This was quite contentious. We happened to take MDMA for the first time(at home) and we talked about the TV situation. We figured out a way to have both of them in the living room and make it look good. We were so impressed that we ended up designing our backyard landscaping after that.

hammyhavoc 3y ago
You didn't use it in a medicinal context though. You used it recreationally and thought about a problem then arrived at a solution. There's only x ways you could have fit the TVs in, and I'm sure most people could have figured it out without taking anything, it's hardly a difficult task.
- eimrine 3y ago
  how to use mdma in medical way? does it requires obeying to some owner of some kind of medical license?
  - hammyhavoc 3y ago
    Medicinally, ergo, if someone has depression, they can use it to overcome it (apparently). Recreationally means that you don't have a medical issue that you are trying to solve and are taking it just to take it.
    - eimrine 3y ago
      Thank you for definition. The thing is that I might have a depression and an understanding of what to do with mdma but a lack of trust to every psych* specialist because they are educated by govt who just wants some obey from everybody.
      - hammyhavoc 3y ago
        I've also struggled with depression. If you're certain there's no rationality behind it (self-esteem, family ill, money problems, war, health etc), it might be worth considering medication of some description, but most depressive episodes can be solved without any kind of medication. Most medications simply mask the problem and don't deal with the root cause. That's not to say that medications can't be useful in tackling the root cause, they can be, but not uncommonly, the negative side effects outweigh the benefits of taking them versus just resolving the problems in your life. CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) can be very effective for a lot of problems.
        ImPostingOnHN 3y ago
        it's worth noting that MDMA generally doesn't seem to be one of those drugs that "masks the problem", and can be quite useful in "dealing with the root cause"
        eimrine 3y ago
        Dealing with the root cause seems more about lsd/dmt. Masks the problem temporarily is about alcohol. Mdma is about mask the problem long term. But the problem I am having in mind is not war-related PTSR. I don't imagine how to heal from problem when you are a massacre survivor. Especially if you were mobilized against your will.
        ImPostingOnHN 3y ago
        MDMA doesn't seem to be one of those that masks the problem, short term or long term, but rather one that helps deal with the root cause: when you're not afraid to discuss a subject due to the pain it causes, you can discuss it
  - musictubes 3y ago
    If MDMA is approved as a treatment drug it will undoubtedly by a schedule 2 drug only administered at a doctor’s office. The key idea is MDMA assisted therapy. MDMA is used as therapeutic grease. People with PTSD frequently can’t talk about or otherwise process what happened to them without reliving the event(s) and re-traumatizing them. MDMA tamps down the fear response and makes them more open to communication. It frequently makes people want to connect to someone else which also helps with therapy. MDMA isn’t what relives the PTSD, it is the therapy. If I recall the MAPS study, patients were given 2-3 doses of MDMA over 8 months of therapy.
- jonfw 3y ago
  I think that designing the TV layout is not the point, the point is opening yourself to new ideas and empathy, facilitating compromise
  - hammyhavoc 3y ago
    This handwaves the problem that two adults cannot reach a compromise without taking a drug. That's a personal problem not being solved, but actually being masked and brushed under the metaphorical rug. Perhaps what they need is relationship counselling? If you anesthetize me, I will protest less when you do something that would otherwise cause me pain, but you haven't taken away my ability to feel pain in the long-term. If you get me high, I'll be less anxious in the short-term, but the root cause of my anxiety hasn't been solved.
    - Xymist 3y ago
      I disagree with the "masked" framing. _Actually talking to each other_ is fairly difficult for a lot of people and even a lot of relatively happy couples. Managing to do that in a productive fashion may take a very good night's sleep, or a lot of coffee, or a few beers, or some MDMA, or post-coital neurochemical rush, or whatever else. As long as it happens, you've had the conversation. If it went well and you got somewhere and did a thing or mutually understand a problem or whatever, it was a success. Tools are tools. My inability to ram a nail into a wall with my thumb isn't being "masked" by my use of a hammer, and while I might get better at it with practice and better thumb technique that wouldn't be a more valid solution.
    - MAGZine 3y ago
      This seems like a bad take. Are you going to tell me ibuprofen is worthless because it doesn't fix the underlying issue? No, it's a tool. Nobody is saying you should take casual MDMA to discuss every day solutions. But it does highlight the power of allowing people to express things that they might otherwise have difficulty expressing. And maybe you learn something about your partner in the process. This is why it's a powerful therapeutic tool. People with PTSD can talk through their most troubled experiences and lift that weight from their shoulders. Something they may be incapable of doing in a sober context. In that sense, it's not just "anesthetizing" as you so lovingly put it, there is therapeutic value beyond a a momentary high.
- AnthonBerg 3y ago
  The production of a judgement according to criteria defining medicinal is not required for the substance to benefit people. This is a case where a meaningful emotional bond was built on top of a situation which would have been a lingering conflict—or so it seems—and this bond remains and has lasting benefits to the couple involved.
atommclain 3y ago
That you for sharing, it’s a very sweet story and heartwarming to hear how the two of you were able to come up with a solution where both people were satisfied.
- specproc 3y ago
  I think we just don't take enough time to talk properly and you know, get to understand how the other person is feeling. Communication is so important in a relationship.

52-6F-62 3y ago

My partners mother was depressed and shut in for years. She had been through every process, medical and otherwise, to try and find an escape hatch, window, anything. She eventually was accepted into a limited program in Victoria, BC for ketamine treatments. 3 large doses rendering intense trips that lasted the course of hours in a clinic under the supervision of doctors and therapists. After the first session she was fundamentally changed. After the third she looked back wondering how she ever could have felt so low. It’s not a silver bullet, she required some therapeutic work afterward and may do another session in the future. But it still stands that the person she is today (travelling, seeing friends, seeing family, etc) is radically different and restored compared to just a few years ago. She full heartedly credits those sessions, but also doesn’t feel a strong need to return-just to get on with life while she’s still in possession of her functioning body.

toomanyrichies 3y ago
What a great outcome. Glad to hear this and thanks for posting.
- 52-6F-62 3y ago
  Happy to share. I’ve come to think it’s very important that we re-integrate these plants/practices/visions/what have you into society and we stand to benefit from a deeper level down than just salving creature comforts. Some people never forgot that matter and I’m sure are relieved to see some more “rational” people like myself coming around!
- coffeebeqn 3y ago
  It’s certainly not a silver bullet but as these psychedelic drugs are low harm and quite potent/novel they’re extremely worth exploring

Glench 3y ago

My friend has been one of the clinicians on the MAPS trials in Boston. He says it's abundantly clear that people are able to have powerful internal experiences of emotional opening, fear-reduction, release of bodily tension, and self-compassion and new understanding. And amazingly he says that these experiences are somewhat durable — people end up making all sorts of positive changes in their lives after these sessions (like giving up substances of abuse or feeling able to go off medication). And all of this has been backed up by the data. Any specifics you're looking for?

thejackgoode 3y ago
That’s impressive. I was interested in first hand experience with PTSD and persistent depression treatment, but I am happy with any sort of “subjective but clinical” information about this.

specproc 3y ago

Only recreational. I've taken MDMA many times in my life and -- presumably like most people who have -- can see why it's got therapeutic potential. Honestly though, I'm not convinced about it in a clinical setting, unless there's a particularly severe issue that needs addressing. I reckon most people are best off just buying some, getting together with a couple of very good mates on a nice day, rolling out into the country with some very good speakers, and just working it all out by yourselves. Sure-fire cure for what ails ya. On a sensible note: don't drink alcohol with it, titrate your dose up to ~150mg, if possible get it from a Tor-enabled marketplace so you can be relatively confident in quality.

eimrine 3y ago
What a strange idea is to recommend a dose with respect to neither a weight nor a desired effect
- specproc 3y ago
  OK, fair point. In my head it was a fairly big tilde. I don't think it's a terrible start, but yes, of course, YMMV and one should never go doing such things without a bit of reading about.
  - eimrine 3y ago
    If you are starting from very very low and if you are consuming the crystal then you dont need to read anything more. You can try 5mg in the morning and I promise any newbie will understand it fully before evening.
bnjms 3y ago
I disagree about a clinical setting, though I think I mostly agree overall. Mainly I fear people will read this and mistake it for a defense of MDMA as a drug for going out with your mates. I think this can be helpful for some and very helpful for others but not as helpful as a clinical setting. Where a clinical setting is a therapists office and not a cold clinic room. I do think people would do just as well or better with a couple good mates, a nice set and setting like you described, and some intentionality (vaguely even) about why they are going on the trip. The problem is many don’t have a couple good mates, or don’t know how to talk things through with themselves or otherwise, and would benefit from guidance. Better if people go into it with an agenda like a therapist would have. Edit: The reason this bothers me is because I’ve tried to think through what gave the few old hippies I’ve met burnout. And maybe they were just high but I fear it was psychedelics too often and for people on message boards to assume MDMA discussions are the same as psychedelic discussions when the dosing patterns I’ve heard discussed are very different. This is I’m content with these synthetic drugs remaining prescription only. Having a system about it supports cultural expectations. The MAPS guys are really doing it right. The only problem is our system that doesn’t get approval for drugs out of patent. e.g. ketamine/s-ketamine

meepmorp 3y ago

Not MDMA, but LSD. For me, it was unreasonably effective, though some of that might be my quirks. I preferred to use it alone, would frequently do housework while on it, and talked out my problems with myself. It was easier to be kind to myself, and to treat my emotions and thoughts with a degree of distance which was incredibly helpful. FWIW, I haven't hade the same effect from other psychedelics.

fallingknife 3y ago

Have done it recreationally, and I can't imagine doing molly "under the supervision of a clinical professional." Seems like it would be absolutely awful. Don't recommend. I mean I really hope this helps a lot of people, but it's a hard pass from me. Would definitely recommend getting your hands on some and trying it with friends, though.

musictubes 3y ago
Therapeutic and recreational doses are very different. As are the goals. Rolling at a festival is very different than trying to open up to a therapist about past trauma. Therapeutic doses aren’t designed to be fun, they are there to stop you from being afraid and willing to talk to someone. In addition, the subjects are only occasionally using MDMA in context of extended therapy. It’s not like they give you molly and see how you feel afterwards. MDMA is a tool for making therapy better or even possible for people with entrenched issues that couldn’t be solved with conventional treatments.

game_the0ry 3y ago

Here are 2 accounts: Tucker Max wrote at length about mdma therapy. [1] Vice News had a piece on mdma therapy and ptsd. [2] [1] https://www.tuckermax.com/what-mdma-therapy-did-for-me/ https://www.tuckermax.com/what-mdma-therapy-did-for-me/ [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAvUDRYg4h4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAvUDRYg4h4

yboris 3y ago

Highly recommend MDMA as a personal experience. I did not have PTSD or trauma to work through, but I realized how much I could love other people. It's an experience worth having at least once in your life.

cflewis 3y ago

Ketamine was huge for me. I have major depression and generalized anxiety disorder. I've been on medicine that I would consider very good for me for four or five years but I wasn't getting to where I wanted to be. By the time I took Ketamine in a clinical setting (legalized in California), I was spending 80% of my time fighting negative narratives inside my head. "I want to die" (not really, but my engineering brain had decided this was eventually a solution to every problem... Louis CK has a bit that is basically identical to the way my brain was thinking)... "this person hates me so I should hate them"... "all I ever do is fail". I only had 20% of my brain left for interacting with others. I was not a nice person to be around for any period of time. I would be withdrawn a lot because I was in my head. My therapist asked me once "what would it feel like to wake up and not immediately feel defeated?" and I legitimately had no idea. After a series of ketamine treatments the narratives calmed down immensely. 80%->10% to some periods in a day of 0%. I truly despise the actual act of taking ketamine. If you're doing lozenges it tastes like shit, I always felt very nauseous after the trip. I found the trips weird and not therapeutic. Like weird patterns, sometimes seeing things gloopy, sometimes odd experiences that sound fun but just felt strange and disconcerting like flying through hyperspace with Gandalf. But the long-term results have been life-changing. I would recommend ketamine to anyone who has gone for 2+ years or 2+ psychiatrists and haven't seen the results they had hoped for.

cascades42 3y ago

My mother-in-law did MDMA and psychedelic mushroom therapy (on separate occasions) with an experienced guide. This occurred prior to the official training that's occurring now but after the decriminalization of drugs in Oregon. The guide was not a licensed clinician, but she had guided 100s of clients. My mother-in-law found it incredibly helpful in processing traumas from childhood and in getting "unstuck" in thinking patterns. She described the experience as a seismic shift. She had been in therapy for her entire life. I suspect that her prior therapy had laid the groundwork for understanding the thinking patterns that weren't serving her. My wife and I have noticed a subtle personality change. She seems happier and more open to new ideas. This personality change seems to have faded slightly with time. These are of course just our observations, which could be completely off. Psilocybin mushrooms grow everywhere here in the Pacific Northwest-- I see them all of the time in mulch around our city. I've had many friends take them recreationally, and none of these friends have had such an impactful experience. All of this is anecdotal of course, but it leads me to believe that working with a therapist might be essential for efficacy of the therapy. I'm a neuroscience researcher, and I'm hopeful that these treatments will be helpful for many people. It is tragic that there haven't been more clinical trials. I'm hesitant to try them myself until there's more data. If I was suffering from intractable depression or anxiety, I'd feel differently.

coffeebeqn 3y ago
If you just take them yourself it’s kind of dumb luck if it’ll be helpful. I found a large dose powerful but also kind of random and confusing. I enjoyed my time and still think about it sometimes but it didn’t cure my mental issues. I think with a professional therapist it would be a lot more efficient and directed. Less time spent on trying to figure out if I’m in the correct universe or if time is still a thing or how human food works. With MDMA I certainly had lovely time talking with friends but again without a therapeutic goal it was just a good time.

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