Brown University researchers will launch a study in February on the use of psychedelics in therapy to treat veterans with post-traumatic stress and alcohol use disorders

FOCUS | HEALTH CARE

Study to examine benefits of psychedelics in therapy

BY CHRISTOPHER ALLEN | Allen@PBN.com

DR.

Christy Capone sees a lot of hope in psychedelic drugs that give users mindaltering experiences that can change moods and perceptions.

Capone, an assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University and a clinician at the Providence Veterans Administration Medical Center, is part of a team of Brown researchers launching a study in February on the use of psychedelics in therapy to treat veterans with both post-traumatic stress and alcohol use disorders.

The study will examine the effects of MDMA – which stands for methylenedioxy-methamphetamine but is more popularly known as ecstasy – on a group of military veterans under clinical supervision.

“There is a pretty solid evidence base that for MDMA-assisted therapy there is real and significant improvement and lasting change, which is something we don’t see very often,” she said, pointing to one study published by the British Journal of Psychiatry that found 85% of participants with treatment-resistant PTSD no longer had a diagnosis after three sessions.

Indeed, a growing body of research is indicating the effectiveness of psychedelics, administered in the proper clinical settings, for the treatment of psychological ailments such as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and chemical dependency.

Dr. Erica Eaton, a clinical psychologist at the Providence VA and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Brown University, is joining Capone and Dr. Carolina Haass-Koffler, associate professor of behavioral and social sciences and psychiatry and human behavior at Brown, to look at the “safety, feasibility and acceptability” of MDMA-assisted therapy.

Eaton says the study will further explore the integration of the drug, which results in elevated levels of empathy and compassion and allows patients to explore their trauma without re-injury.

“It also enhances the relationship between the therapist and the participant, allowing a rapport to develop more quickly,” she said.

The first-of-its-kind study will recruit 12 participants who first will be screened. They will then undergo eight-hour sessions in which they will receive MDMA dosages, followed by “integration sessions” in which patients are encouraged to explore their psychedelic experience and any breakthroughs that take place.

Eaton and Capone say there is still much to learn about why MDMA has proven so useful. One theory is that the drug reduces stress by releasing naturally occurring chemicals serotonin and dopamine and increasing levels of oxytocin, a hormone that supports feelings of trust and bonding. This allows patients to process past trauma more successfully. Posttherapy imaging of the brain shows decreases in inflammation.

“People feel more connected to other people and less defensive,” Capone said. “It facilitates positive emotions so that it is less scary to visit those memories and experiences in the context of a supportive therapy environment.”

State Rep. Brandon Potter, DCranston, speaks openly about his experience with psilocybin, a natural hallucinogenic found in certain mushrooms, that had a profound and “unexpected” therapeutic effect for him when he used it recreationally.

“That was the therapy I never knew I needed,” he said. “I did not necessarily go into it with that intention, but it was tremendously powerful. And it made me resolve a lot of things inside of myself that I didn’t realize were going on.”

Last March, Potter was the primary sponsor of legislation that would have legalized psilocybin for therapeutic and recreational purposes. The legislation died in the House Judiciary Committee.

“I wanted to open a dialogue and get it into play and make people aware of it,” he said. “The [clinical] data is overwhelming. People are seeing massive benefits, especially veterans and people with PTSD. There is no reason we should let these old taboos persist.”

Potter plans to resubmit legislation in the upcoming session, this time with more detail on regulation, cultivation and distribution.

“Anything you can do to put people in a better frame of mind to help them get over whatever internal struggles they are having, I am in favor of,” he said.

For now, patients in Rhode Island searching for alternative therapies are limited to participation in research trials. But Capone and Eaton say they expect the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve MDMA-assisted therapy next year.

The inclusion of psilocybin and MDMA in psychotherapy is supported by Dr. Sarit Lesser.

In her private practice at Dyad Psychology LLC in Providence, part of Lesser’s treatment options include psychedelic somatic psychotherapy with ketamine and cannabis to help patients overcome traumatic events.

Where traditional medications such as antidepressants are “aimed at addressing the symptoms,” she said, psychedelics are “addressing the core issue.”

“Psychedelics are very well tolerated, safe and can have a faster effect, sometimes with only a single therapy session,” Lesser said. “Federal regulators cannot avoid looking at the results when things are done properly.” n

GUIDED TRIPS: Dr. Christy Capone, left, and Dr. Erica Eaton, are among the Brown University researchers who will be studying the use of psychedelics during the therapy sessions with military veterans who have mental health issues.

PBN PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO

‘People feel more connected to other people and less defensive.’