This chapter explores the profound impact of trauma on mental health, with a focus on PTSD experiences among veterans. It emphasizes the potential of MDMA-assisted therapy, detailing personal accounts of individuals participating in clinical trials, the therapeutic protocols, and the contrast between placebo and actual treatment. The narrative highlights the journey towards healing, the importance of therapeutic relationships, and the complexities of adjusting to civilian life after traumatic military experiences.
Military veterans are unlikely collaborators with the psychedelic counterculture. The two groups’ efforts are being tested this month, when the FDA is poised to announce whether or not it’ll approve MDMA for PTSD.
This episode was reported and produced by Haleema Shah, edited by Lissa Soep and Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Andrea Kristinsdottir and Rob Byers, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram. It’s the second in a series supported with a grant from the Ferriss–UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellowship.
Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast
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