BBC Science Focus - 10.2019

DISCOVERIES

HOW DID THE RESEARCH COME

ABOUT?

As a psychiatrist working with children

and adolescents, I spent years working

with abused and maltreated children.

Then I moved into adult addictions,

and realised that adults in their 30s,

40s and 50s with cocaine, opiate and

alcohol addictions are the same cohort

of grown-up children. Almost all have

experienced childhood trauma.

I knew MDMA therapy was being

used to treat PTSD successfully, and

I saw adult addictions as ‘PTSD plus

drug’. Alcohol misuse is a major public

health concern in this country. The

obvious thing to do, in my opinion, was

an MDMA therapy study for alcohol

use disorder. We got independent

funding from a philanthropist donor,

and we were away.

W H AT H A P P E N S I N A T Y P I C A L

TREATMENT PROGRAMME?

First, patients undergo medical detox,

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detox they enter an eight-week course

of weekly psychotherapy sessions –

most of them non-drug sessions. On

weeks three and six, interspersed

with non-drug sessions, they have an

MDMA-assisted psychotherapy session.

The session lasts all day and then they

stay in the facility overnight before

being seen again the next day.

WHAT DOSE OF THE DRUG ARE THE

PATIENTS GIVEN?

Initially 125mg, then a further 62.5mg

two hours later. They do this on two

occasions, during weeks three and six

of the course.

HOW DOES THE MDMA HELP WITH

THE THERAPY SESSIONS?

MDMA reduces the fear response.

This allows for safe recall of traumatic

memories that the patient would

normally avoid. This allows them to

fully engage in psychotherapy, and to

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resolve past traumas.

HOW SAFE IS THE TREATMENT?

The dangers are very low indeed. We’re

not talking about ecstasy tablets, we’re

talking about clinical MDMA. This is

not like taking it in a nightclub where

you don’t even know what you’re

taking. They’re in a hospital setting

with a doctor, a nurse, a therapist. We

monitor their blood pressure, heart

rate and temperaturae every half hour.

They stay all day, then they sleep over

in the therapy centre and we see them

the next morning. We telephone them

every day for a week, and then we see

them every week for 10 weeks, then we

continue to follow them for up to nine

months. They have blood tests and

ECGs before and after the treatment.

The risks are reduced to an absolute

Preliminary study indicates

that the drug outperforms

conventional therapies in

preventing relapse

MDMA

therapy

shows

promise

in treating

alcohol

misuse

Dr Ben Sessa psychiatrist

“MDMA

reduces the

fear response.

is allows

for safe recall

of traumatic

memories the

patient would

normally avoid”

Horizons

GET T Y IMAGES

DISCOVERIES

HOW DID THE RESEARCH COME
ABOUT?
As a psychiatrist working with children
and adolescents, I spent years working
with abused and maltreated children.
Then I moved into adult addictions,
and realised that adults in their 30s,
40s and 50s with cocaine, opiate and
alcohol addictions are the same cohort
of grown-up children. Almost all have
experienced childhood trauma.
I knew MDMA therapy was being
used to treat PTSD successfully, and
I saw adult addictions as ‘PTSD plus
drug’. Alcohol misuse is a major public
health concern in this country. The
obvious thing to do, in my opinion, was
an MDMA therapy study for alcohol
use disorder. We got independent
funding from a philanthropist donor,
and we were away.

W H AT H A P P E N S I N A T Y P I C A L

TREATMENT PROGRAMME?

First, patients undergo medical detox,

VJGPKPVJGTUVYGGMQHPKUJKPIVJG

detox they enter an eight-week course

of weekly psychotherapy sessions –

most of them non-drug sessions. On

weeks three and six, interspersed

with non-drug sessions, they have an

MDMA-assisted psychotherapy session.

The session lasts all day and then they

stay in the facility overnight before

being seen again the next day.

WHAT DOSE OF THE DRUG ARE THE

PATIENTS GIVEN?

Initially 125mg, then a further 62.5mg

two hours later. They do this on two

occasions, during weeks three and six

of the course.

HOW DOES THE MDMA HELP WITH

THE THERAPY SESSIONS?

MDMA reduces the fear response.

This allows for safe recall of traumatic

memories that the patient would

normally avoid. This allows them to

fully engage in psychotherapy, and to

TGGEVWRQPEJCNNGPIGCPFGXGPVWCNN[

resolve past traumas.

HOW SAFE IS THE TREATMENT?

The dangers are very low indeed. We’re

not talking about ecstasy tablets, we’re

talking about clinical MDMA. This is

not like taking it in a nightclub where

you don’t even know what you’re

taking. They’re in a hospital setting

with a doctor, a nurse, a therapist. We

monitor their blood pressure, heart

rate and temperaturae every half hour.

They stay all day, then they sleep over

in the therapy centre and we see them

the next morning. We telephone them

every day for a week, and then we see

them every week for 10 weeks, then we

continue to follow them for up to nine

months. They have blood tests and

ECGs before and after the treatment.

The risks are reduced to an absolute

Preliminary study indicates

that the drug outperforms

conventional therapies in

preventing relapse

MDMA

therapy

shows

promise

in treating

alcohol

misuse

Dr Ben Sessa psychiatrist

“MDMA

reduces the

fear response.

is allows

for safe recall

of traumatic

memories the

patient would

normally avoid”

Horizons

GET T Y IMAGES