So much true. As person who sufferd from trauma, I can tell that MDMA helped me a lot to overcome it. It is time to end the stupid war on drugs and start to look at things from a different aproach
wasabi26 There are actually Drs who want to help us, those who've been subjected to ALL/Every type of abuse. I've survived 😑 trauma from a very young age (3+) and found some help through year's of counselling. But, now with hyper vigilance and PTSD coming into play after finding my best friend dead and a year later another death (accident) in front of me. I'm back to ground zero! It's Shut Me Down inside, feeling is lost.... I've never been in jail, or trapped doing a serious drug. But, I can't keep "Surviving" it's living but, with a thick pane of glass between myself and the world that feels good, normal, positive feelings... Still waiting on wait list for MAPPS... Tired of Florida's uptight Psychiatrist's refusing to read the damn research... 💔🙏 We're just expendable to those making decisions that could give us a chance to live....
We knew this 20 years ago. MDMA helped me through trauma. I have conscious friends who are therapists and a variety of healers I was able to do it with. I understand a person who has no experience and suffering mentally/emotionally feeling more comfortable doing this with a psychiatrist….but there are communities out there who know way more about this. Glad the mainstream is catching on and hope it doesn’t prohibit people who would really benefit from it getting it
Watching this video has literally made me start crying. I have been clinically depressed and anxious through my whole life due to child abuse and molestation. Growing up I was suicidal and felt I couldn't connect with anyone. By the time i was 16 I had already been in and out of 2 rehab facilities. After being on multiple different cocktails of prescriptions I started using various drugs, including things like, lsd, mushrooms, cocaine, and various pills, which led me to rehab again. I started transitioning from as a transgender person which alleviated a good many of my problems and helped me become gradually sober, but did little to cure my anxiety and childhood problems. After getting raped I realized I needed to start talking to a therapist again, this time i was finally open to start talking about my issues as opposed to sitting there for hours getting no where can I was so scared. We discovered i had PTSD, but even with all her tricks we couldn't get me to say a lot of things I needed to in order to work through my ptsd. Leading to this last week, I had heard about MDMA being able to help with PTSD and managed to find some that I know was at least mostly pure. Upon taking it I had a huge panic attack, ones that usually would make me disassociate for hours and stare in trauma, and started to think about all the things that had happened in my life. After 10 minutes the MDMA had brought me back to earth and was almost telling me things were okay. I began to reflect and question why how I felt about everything and was finally able to attack my thoughts head on and was able to, in a sense, start a dialog with myself and finally allowed myself to talk about it, to feel it, and to accept it as it with honestly. I also was about to see how I though about it and could allow myself to realize it's not my fault. Since then I have been able to keep the dialog with myself and remain honest and positive about myself and it has truly changed my life in a way I never thought it could have. I never thought I would be able to talk myself out of a anxiety driven ptsd disassociate episode and process them in order to pull myself out of it and ultimately grow and love myself. This ted talk has changed my life and makes me cry because I'm so happy I can finally move on with my life after 21 years.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! It seems to be a powerful tool, as I've heard similar things from several people and after using it with my partner our relationship has grown far deeper. May it's heart opening qualities always stay with you!
I had the most spiritual, transformative experience of my life, the first time i tried mdma. without even knowing, i became aware of my ptsd and my traumas, while i was realizing the most beautiful secrets about the universe and existence itself. i was only 18 years old. it completely changed the course of my life. it's great to see that finally, psychedelics are being re-introduced into psychoptherapy. Thank you for this speech Ben.
I suffered for DECADES. Am finally glad to be alive, was suicidally depressed for YEARS. Did everything, but this worked !! Off, label, if you get my drift. At home, with the Tibetan Monks on youtube, crystal clear intent and a powerful success. I now celebrate my Re-Birthday !! Never used that stuff in my life, before. I am a 60 year old Mother and Grandmother. Go Science !!
MDMA changed my social life. It also absolutely changed my friend's life. He used to be uncomfortable with himself and really not socially skilled. He is now so much more extroverted and happy with himself.
Even though XTC has a bad rep... almost everyone I know who has ever used MDMA in a club setting (tested obv, pure) is not at all surprised by this news and has an attitude like: Uhm, duh yeah... No surprise. We can hate on ravers for misusing this drug but maybe they are just people who all discovered how immensely it can improve their quality of life. Its not the ravers opposing the use of MDMA for clinical trials. If all, they would be the ones who have the empathy to want to give this experience to others just like the group who introduced me to it. They did it to show me the light and the help me improve my life and it did. Yesterday I met a guy of 39 years old who every once in a while used it since he was 17, he was happy, had a life and kid, he was nice friendly. Great guy. You can hate on teenagers all you want but how I see it, it is the ravers who have known about this potential by first hand experience and we keep shitting on their choices in life on how they are misusing the drug. Many of the people who go to raves end up dancing and talking A LOT to each other and to be social and inevitably do that mental surgery on their little problems in life. The reason they are all taking garbage such as PMMA and other amphetamines is not because they are irresponsible but because it is impossible to get your stash tested. We don't have that problem here in Holland.
Robert Fennis, I agree Robert, I spent many weekends at music festivals and nightclubs in my 20's using real mdma. I still find it amazing that I met and had deep and meaningful conversations with a wide range of people (from abused girls/women, lawyer's, even someone who is now a politician!) sometimes on the dance floor. The bonds formed in some cases last to this day and the openness is still there. I only really stopped as the available drugs changed and with them the empathy.
Yeah, it's kinda sad, that we need god knows how many scientists, doctors, activists etc. to convince people of something that is so damn obvious once you've experienced it.
Excellent to hear this. I have worked in substance abuse and addiction treatment for over 35years and i wholeheartedly agree with every word Ben says about how psychiatry generally deals poorly with many mental health problems today. I, like him, have witnessed exactly the same presentations from patients/clients. I am an advocate for MDMA treatment, as i think it has an important place in psychotherapy; so i sincerely hope it will soon be sanctioned for use in the near future.
MDMA cured my depression flat out, 1 thing I will say is buy a test kit there is a lot of bad stuff around but I was taking 90mg doses once a month for around 3 months and it completely changed my life, great talk and good luck.
This video was uploaded in during the very time frame that I was using MDMA to cure my c-PTSD. Three self sessions over 8 weeks. In those sessions, I was able to see the source of what I'd been holding for so long, reframe the memories, and also find & correct the source of my emotional instability. I'm highly intuitive/introspective, and have a knack for using these particular tools on my own to solve my problems. In general, however, I'd highly recommend this be done in a therapeutic setting. I will never go back to that despair-filled anxious mess that I was just 3 years ago.
did you find the 3x ins 8 weeks appropriate? I know that maps does one month of space in between. Do you think you benefitted from having your sessions so close to each other?
+Ben Sessa all I see is pain 20 years of multiple layers of trauma and other 20 years of retraumatising myself. Tried everything to heal and feel suicide everyday. Getting max 3 hours sleep. Never been positive. Never been loved. Time to die can't handle life anymore. Only slept for two hours I'm going crazy!
+M T I've done Vipassna, I didn't like it, plus I didn't sleep for at least 6 nights of the 10 nights of it. It drove me quite nutty. I know other people who liked it though. I don't eat that much meat these days but my acupuncturist who is amazing says I need certain meat for my body type and my type of blood benefits from it too. Not that I have ever been that big I've eaten well over the past few months and have lost 12kgs and are very tonned as well due to acupuncturist I think and eating a special type of home made muesli every day and drinking lemon water every morning. That hasn't helped my trauma though.
Your participation in the comment section is remarkable, Ben! You did a really good job on pointing out why MDMA holds such a great medical potential. Thank you for this engaging talk :)
@Ben Sessa stoked to see you engage also, Ben. I got the link via a segment done on this by my fave aussie news program The Project. Segment was featuring host Tommy Little. Very relevant to me, as early next yr a new specialist I am seeing is training in MDMA & Psylocilibin to complement her existing offering of CBD& THC oils.
I didn’t even realize I had ptsd until I took mdma not too long ago. Ive been suppressing these things that have happened to me during childhood for so long and not dealing with it. It’s been so long since I’ve actually felt GOOD feelings. It’s crazy that after 23 years of life I’m finally realizing this. I had the idea that everyone felt the way I did…
Hi Ben, This talk of yours brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so so much for your work in this area and for helping people like myself (and others who are much worse off). Your understanding of human nature and practical use of empathy is what the world of mental health needs right now. Long story short: I grew up with multiple family members having mental illnesses in an environment similar to what you described in this video with "Claire". In a loooooong roundabout way this led me to rehabilitating traumatised dogs from shelters, which is what I now do! I have been diagnosed with PTSD & BPD and all that comes along with those disorders. I've been lucky enough to have experienced the use of MDMA and for the first time in my life I felt "bonding" with another person. I finally knew I'm not alone. It's all I'd ever wanted. Even now I can still replicate that feeling naturally - years after the MDMA wore off. Ending the stigma around these drugs will enable SO many mentally crippled people to stop suffering and become happy, productive members of our society. I'd be more than happy to volunteer any information you want for your research, for what it's worth. Thank you again and all the best from Malta
We need to let go of the negative connotations linked to these drugs, or chemical compounds, if we're to properly explore new ways of treating mental health. There have been some interesting developments with LSD as well, as a treatment for specific forms of depression - the war on drugs is in part a war on mental health as well, as it's legitimately getting in the way of progress. Interesting and well made talk, thanks Ben
Yes, it is very strange that we have no problems giving patients heavy drugs like opiates and benso, but giving them mdma or psychadelic drugs is a big nono.
Really brilliant talk Ben, bravo man, you just nailed it. I know a lot of people look up to rock stars, actors and athletes as some of the best that humanity has to offer, but I think the true rock stars of this life are doctors and scientists like you. Rock on dude. x
I couldn't agree more Sam. Someday the line light will shift from the jocks and the rock stars to the true pioneers, prophets and saviors of our world, those whose contributions greatly benefit mankind instead of those who merely entertain.
Excellent talk, changed my view of MDMA. Even if we do eventually discover it to be neurotoxic, if what you are saying is true, the benefit far outweighs the negative effects.
+Ben Sessa I really enjoyed this talk, you speak with such compassion and empathy. In a way you personify MDMA and other entactogens. I just want to address the guy above: you can protect serotonergic neurons with daily piracetam (although its neuroprotective mechanism isn't clearly understood). This counteracts or at least minimizes some of the negative potential effects of Adam. We're not even entirely sure if MDMA is neurotoxic at the levels used recreationally because data's lacking and rat models aren't easily comparable to humans.
so by ecstasy, you're referring to "street ecstasy", in which case i agree, that stuff is dirty and godawful, but let's not assume all ravers are dumb enough to take whatever a random Joe on the street is selling without any testing. The MDMA my circle of friends uses is always tested to have no harmful additives, and is usually 66% pure (since it's in pill form, binding agent and all that) without any additive harmful drugs.
Dr Sessa you did not sound like i thought you would from reading your books ! I am a mental health nurse student and i have been interested in this field for a few years now. fantastic talk. I have met consultant psychiatrists in this country who agree with you but it is a political minefield i have been told. I support this and will continue to. People will happily have there heart shocked during a heart attack but ECT is looked down upon for severe depression... why ? Mental health deserves its penicillin as you gracefully put it. 100% agree with you
YES, the message its on its way - I myself know of the healing power - and helped a friend to change her life with the use of the medicine dramatically and it was lasting!! Unbelievable! .... I live in Germany and also here - it's on its way - for the Good of the many .... People like you are important to talk about it, because you will be taken serious also cuz of the academic title you are holding .... Thanks a lot !!! (By the way - I would offer to translate the talk into German subtitles.)
Thank you so very much, Dr Sessa, you have a truly outstanding and far healthier approach to the absolute curse of PTSD. I wish you the very best in all your future endeavours - and I will be watching any future broadcasts with great interest!! Please keep up your vitally important and GREAT work!! Dennis
Fantastic Ben!! Keep hammering away. We all know you are right but the kooks and trolls are always drawn from under their rocks when great ideas are set forth. As a PTSD sufferer, I would love to attempt this form of treatment some day.
One Session CURED me, still can't believe it !! I want to shout it from the rooftops ! Had PTSD for 58 1/2 years, wished I was dead for DECADES, it's OVER !!! It's not a treatment, it's a CURE !!
Excellent speech my friend, this truly is a resource for the MDMA psychotherapy movement. Right now, one of my closest friend's father is struggling with PTSD stemming from his career as a firefighter. His father has bad instances of anxiety and his general level of well being is declining. He is on these anti-deppresants we all know and loathe, and my close friend wants to help his father, so we are working towards potentially administering a dose of MDMA to him in a controlled, positive setting. Our first step in this process starts with discussing the benefits of MDMA with my close friend's mother, in hopes of getting her on board with helping her husband. This video is a huge resource, thanks again Ben!
What a great talk! It was thorough and relevant. Not a single dull moment. I love how Dr Sesar talked about Claire, it made it so much more relatable. He said she is not just a single patient but an amalgamation of all his patients. It helped me understand and be more emphatic towards those who suffer from it. I do hope MDMA is the antibiotic psychiatry has been waiting for. Thanks for this talk.
I really liked the way you highlighted the need to be compassionate towards people. You don't know how they got to be that way. Are you looking for any volunteers for your trials?
Incredible work and great presentation. As a sufferer, a time when effective treatment can be delivered cannot come soon enough. 14 years down this road and possibility of being that 50/60 year old is growing! Very best
I had severe anxiety due to trauma. MDMA helped me navigate things in my mind that I've never even tried to. It helped me understand my parents and fix my relationship with them. MDMA changed my life.
I'll be honest I've had anxiety for years & I've tried all kinds of things. Like you stated SSRI's balance out mood but they also don't make you feel yourself leaving you very tired. Benzo medication works well for anxiety but again leaves you tired and it's addictive. So I tried MDMA & honestly it makes you you again. It takes away all fear puts you back in that happy child like state of mind and you want to talk to people while having the energy still. It gives you ambition it makes you want to do the things you've been fearful of or only dreamed of doing. The trick is though the dosage is very important with pure MDMA you don't need allot in one session. You seriously don't even need enough to create euphoria it's finding that micro dose sweet spot where you can control it and be that perfect self. But as a person who has had bad anxiety for a long time with depression MDMA is by far the best thing I've tried to get my mind right. 100% honesty
do you still don't have anxiety? i want to try it since i'm crippled with horrible social anxiety for 9 years (2 years of depressive moods with suicidal thoughts)
I cried when i watch it. everybody should watch this video, it must be mandatory. i wish there were some subtitles for those who do not speak english well
Wow this is an important talk! Just thinking about what that poor girl Claire went through moved me to tears.. It's absolutely AMAZING that she could have a treatment that would enable her and others like her to live a normal life.
Currently undergoing DBT for PTSD and also very passionate about pursuing a career in mental health. Of particular interest is the bulk of your talk, and alternative treatments to such root causes of trauma. I plan to self educate before school and was wondering what public resources you could recommend? Both Psychology and Psychiatry are in my sights and the research is exciting! Thank you Ben for your passion and compassion. Well done :)
wow ! i thought mdma was just something people, inc myself took in nightclubs, i had no idea that it has medical benefits. thanks ben, youve opened my eyes abit.
Wonderful lecture and incredible participation in the comments. Way to go Ben! Its truly a shame that the war on drugs has halted so much promising scientific research especially in the field of psychiatric care. I recently read "The Acid Test" by Tom Shroder and you've emphasized many of the same points and its so cool to see these ideas reiterated throughout different mediums. There is so much potential for MDMA therapy and yet there continues to be so many obstacles to its practice. I recently graduated with a B/S in Psychology and I was wondering if you had any advice as to the best path/places for me to be in order to get into this type of therapy/research. Thanks for everything. Luke
I sat with alternative therapies for decades, ended up sitting in the Amazon with plant medicine, micro dosing psilocybin since over 1 year and just had my first mdma experience. Mind blowing and real as I can observe so far from changes. Thanks for the talk. I totally agree, politicians, meds and so on and forth, you own to people to make their lifes real better. There will be always abuse, but the people whom suffer from ptsd and other experiences, they also want to get better, change for real. Remember, change does come from within, and not through a new law or medical drug that treats symptoms.
amazing talk by a visionary psychiatrist! Im fighting with you sir, and I hope to be using this substance with my clients in treatment legally in canada in the coming years!
This is exactly why I get offended when someone tells me psychedelic drugs are, in the words of Mr. Mackay, "Bad". If I could have felt the MDMA effect during therapy when I was majorly depressed and had multiple panic attacks a day, maybe it wouldn't have been so hard on me or my family. I eventually had ECT therapy and it worked for me, but my memory is also trashed because of it. I knew a few people that weren't as lucky and took their own life. Is PhRMA's paycheck worth the possibility of your current/future family member hanging them self because the help they needed wasn't there? Thanks Ben Sessa
Congratulations Ben for challenging and exposing the controlling institutions, big pharma's and others in the health professions that make billions of dollars out of the misfortune of others. Your research evidence is outstanding and your presentation excellent. Let's hope there is progress from your experience, knowledge and wisdom. We do owe this to the people who suffer mental illness.
I took my first this December( 70mg, then 50mg two hours later. My body weight is 55kg). I plan to leave at least 4 months between an use and the next. My reason for doing MDMA is more therapeutical than recreational(although I do both in one session, they are not mutually exclusive uses). During these months before next use, I will try to apply the epiphanies I got from my first session to grow and internalize the lessons, that way I can get new and better lessons next time.
@Ben Sessa casually found my comment... update: I have taken MDMA 3 more times since then, great results :) I did this on my own since it isn´t legal where I live, and I don't know of underground therapists... I can only imagine how powerful it must is along a therapist, not to mention that I had to do some research throughout the process that would haven´t been necessary if I had had the help of a professional. This should be legal, at least on therapy settings. (but I think that legalizing it for recreational use might reduce harm if implemented properly too.)
It's so true. We need a drug that makes depressed patients THINK. Something that unravels it all. Maybe it's acid or shrooms, or maybe they can find a better one, but like he said, "if you could invent a hypothetical drug to treat depression, it would be mdma."
I was just talking to my girlfriend in the car a few hours before discovering this talk about antidepressants. I have never responded very positive to them, and to be honest I have a fairly negative view of them. They say they are not addictive, but I ran out of an SSRI once just before a trip with my work, and that "comedown" was the worst I've experience, I've never been so paranoid in my life as I was then. I said that I would have taken MDMA if I got a prescription for that though, and how I possibly MDMA could be a prescription drug someday. I think some of the therapists I've met could use some MDMA during sessions as well to gain empathy that would assist in communication. Not feeling like your therapist gets a word you are saying is only dragging you down more then pulling you up. I don't expect help from therapists anymore, the reason for going is more the social alibi it gives. I've struggled with depression and anxiety most of my life since about 6-7 years old. I would say that whatever progress I have made have been in spite of, not because of the help I have received.
I'm planning on micro dosing MDMA for depression, anxiety, social anxiety and neck pain. When I use to take it for clubbing/raving, I've never felt so much in my skin. Zero anxiety, zero negative thoughts, just pure inline. Which, lead me to take it going to house parties. Where I found my shy self would push through and become more comfortable in a high pace crowded environment. Now, don't get me wrong I was taking the recreational dosage which made me dance the night away at the clubs/raves but took a lower dose at house parties. Which, was more of a chill setting. Especially, on a lower dose. I truly believe micro dosing can change my life in the most positive way. To come to think of it I believe it could help with my OCD, as well.
I was misdiagnosed with personality disorder, and the way doctors started treating me after that was appalling. I demanded a private reassessment and the psychiatrist felt some combination of cptsd / amxiety, but still wasnt able to pin it down. However now I do not have PD on my record, they treat me much better. The way I was treated made me worse, not better. The system is broken. Even if they allowed MDMA usage, it would be restricted to such a small cross section of patients as to be useless, and therapy in any case is limited in number of sessions and on a casework basis. You might increase effectiveness by some small percentage, and the NHS will look at that poor figure and conclude its worthless. That and the social stigma mean that even if it works, it will not be used. I've had every therapy and antidepressant going, they want me to do psychodynamic therapy even though I have had similar in the past. I feel like I am going to be that person who is still like this in their 70's, despite years of working hard in therapy and spending thousands on it. Then when you don't get better, they treat you like YOU are the problem. We are living in the psychiatric dark ages yet think of ourselves like spacemen.
Thank you for having the audacity to be "controversial" to save and improve lives! It takes great courage to speak out because you run the risk of potentially being wrong or just off the mark somehow. It's essential. But we must try! I'm sure many thought Edward Jenner (inventor of first successful vaccine) was crazy. Great talk.
I can say -- Hope............ where you can receive the treatment .?? I wish you all feel well.... unique ppl who are struggling with ptsd ...you are strong, you are loved ....and one day you will help other people....👥 thank you for sharing .
Thank you, Dr. Sessa for speaking on this important topic - I hope we continue to make headway towards a more open-minded medical world. I do have a question for you - I have a family member that I think would benefit from this treatment but has had heart issues in the past. Would MDMA assisted therapy still be possible? Thank you.
I've been suffering from a childhood traumatic experience. I have PTSD form that event and now it's making my life a caged prison for me. It's like a cloud over my head that i can't shake off. I'm afraid to try psychedelic. Should I?!
MDMA is beautiful. Its not addicted, the side effects are very limited. Everyone should try it at least once in my eyes. Whether its for Psychiatric issues or not.
MDMA always reminds me of the serotonin syndrome reaction it gave me. It's a very scary experience. I feel that each of our personal reactions should somehow be tested before we use MDMA as a medication, just because serotonin syndrome is a painful thing to ride out. I had the exact same reaction to anxiety pills, which is how I learned that my MDMA reaction had a scientific name.
Years ago I had a girlfriend whose mother died of alcoholism like 10 years before we were together,, during the time when we were together we were eating ecstasy on the weekends doin the rave thing rite, this girl had mentioned at one point as I was getting to know her that she could not picture her mother's face unless she looked at her picture ,,, one night after partying having had several pills a piece throughout the night we get back to my house and she had this experience where she felt like her mother was present with us in the room and of course at the time the thing was dancing right so she decided that she wanted to dance with her mom in my living room and she invited me to do so with her so I obliged,, a few days later we talked about that experience and she said she had peace concerning her mom and from then on she could picture her mom's face with out looking at a picture.. I don't condone drugs anymore but I have to admit, what I witnessed taking place in that girl was pretty amazing...
"40 years of studies showed no adverse side effects". The upload is 5 years old, and we are still in phase 3 trials in only a handful of countries 😱 maybe this would be adressed and sped up if depression was a life wrecking pandemic?! Humanity is hopeless. All my best to Dr. Sessa and the audacious people trying to make this place a better one, fighting against dogma, lack of empathy and economical motivations.
Ben, is there any future in MDMA or psilocybin treating Bipolar Disorder? And will I have to wait til I've been suffering for years or prove myself treatment-resistant to use it?
Ben Sessa That's interesting because I've always smoked marijuana, and a fairly good amount of it, and it's never triggered psychosis. Well, I mean I get high, and I feel sane, and I come down. Sometimes I worry if I'm inducing psychosis because I occasionally get social anxiety/paranoia, but if I come down it must not have been psychosis/mania, right? So if marijuana has never induced psychosis for me, I'd imagine psilocybin wouldn't either? It just seems hard to imagine because everything I've ever read says stay away from psilocybin or MDMA if you're bipolar, much more than people warn against marijuana. And I'm curious why your colleague is studying ayahuasca for bipolar. Hasn't it been shown to be very dangerous for bipolar people to try?
pharma drugs actually induce psychosis when patient uses 'illegal' drugs on therapy.. they create the environment in body that reacts negatively on positive things (like thc).. like they're programmed to..
Noah, as someone that has used MDMA, it can treat any level of trauma. I'm not a medical professional by any means, but I do have my fair share of amazing experiences from it. I was heavily depressed as a teen. High School was rough and it got me super down but I really didn't know why I wanted to kill myself. A year and a half ago, I tried it for the first time and understood what my depression was rooted it, some 8 years after I had graduated. It let me see what I needed to "untangle" within my own mind to make myself right and whole. All this happened at a rave... literally the best night of my life.
Unless you've been bombarded with antidepressants over the years (that you stopped taking finally) and even a small amount later sends you into worse depression that takes weeks to recover from. Never will I try this again. Not for everyone. My experience is that trauma work - serious, mindful clear-headed work over the long run is what helps.
Interesting. Thanks. Helps support the idea of never using recreational MDMA (which is probably cut with things) for any reason if you have been through the kind of depression I have been through. I've known someone who struggled with more mild depression who only felt bad for a few days (recreatonally) and others who have done a lot of recreational "MDMA" and have no issues and then two others who did too much, ended up with severe depression and committed suicide. I am glad if clinical MDMA helps people.
+Ben Sessa Saw your talk at ICPR, great stuff! I was wondering: a family member has been diagnosed with multiple disorders, including anorexia, borderline disorder and psychosis, benzo addiction, leading to multiple suicide attempts because she said a voice commanded it. So pretty complex case. In that context: Does your research apply to people who've only been diagnosed with PTSD, or could it be potentially broadened beyond that?
I used ecstasy and later was told that something was wrong. It's one of those things that seems to affect everyone in a big way. Plus you can't turn back the clock..
Many thanks, very interesting. I hope it will be recognized as an evidence based drug soon. What do u think about other drugs such as Ketamine in this context (i.e. a new antibiotic in psychiatry) ?
So much true. As person who sufferd from trauma, I can tell that MDMA helped me a lot to overcome it. It is time to end the stupid war on drugs and start to look at things from a different aproach
I can relate
I wish I could try it.
May I speak to you about your experience?
wasabi26
There are actually Drs who want to help us, those who've been subjected to ALL/Every type of abuse. I've survived 😑 trauma from a very young age (3+) and found some help through year's of counselling. But, now with hyper vigilance and PTSD coming into play after finding my best friend dead and a year later another death (accident) in front of me. I'm back to ground zero! It's Shut Me Down inside, feeling is lost.... I've never been in jail, or trapped doing a serious drug. But, I can't keep "Surviving" it's living but, with a thick pane of glass between myself and the world that feels good, normal, positive feelings... Still waiting on wait list for MAPPS... Tired of Florida's uptight Psychiatrist's refusing to read the damn research... 💔🙏 We're just expendable to those making decisions that could give us a chance to live....
wasabi26 may I ask if you did it with a therapist or you just took it yourself at home?
We knew this 20 years ago. MDMA helped me through trauma. I have conscious friends who are therapists and a variety of healers I was able to do it with. I understand a person who has no experience and suffering mentally/emotionally feeling more comfortable doing this with a psychiatrist….but there are communities out there who know way more about this. Glad the mainstream is catching on and hope it doesn’t prohibit people who would really benefit from it getting it
Watching this video has literally made me start crying. I have been clinically depressed and anxious through my whole life due to child abuse and molestation. Growing up I was suicidal and felt I couldn't connect with anyone. By the time i was 16 I had already been in and out of 2 rehab facilities. After being on multiple different cocktails of prescriptions I started using various drugs, including things like, lsd, mushrooms, cocaine, and various pills, which led me to rehab again. I started transitioning from as a transgender person which alleviated a good many of my problems and helped me become gradually sober, but did little to cure my anxiety and childhood problems. After getting raped I realized I needed to start talking to a therapist again, this time i was finally open to start talking about my issues as opposed to sitting there for hours getting no where can I was so scared. We discovered i had PTSD, but even with all her tricks we couldn't get me to say a lot of things I needed to in order to work through my ptsd.
Leading to this last week, I had heard about MDMA being able to help with PTSD and managed to find some that I know was at least mostly pure. Upon taking it I had a huge panic attack, ones that usually would make me disassociate for hours and stare in trauma, and started to think about all the things that had happened in my life. After 10 minutes the MDMA had brought me back to earth and was almost telling me things were okay. I began to reflect and question why how I felt about everything and was finally able to attack my thoughts head on and was able to, in a sense, start a dialog with myself and finally allowed myself to talk about it, to feel it, and to accept it as it with honestly. I also was about to see how I though about it and could allow myself to realize it's not my fault.
Since then I have been able to keep the dialog with myself and remain honest and positive about myself and it has truly changed my life in a way I never thought it could have. I never thought I would be able to talk myself out of a anxiety driven ptsd disassociate episode and process them in order to pull myself out of it and ultimately grow and love myself.
This ted talk has changed my life and makes me cry because I'm so happy I can finally move on with my life after 21 years.
Enjoy your life now =)
GET the MEDICINE !!! I am CURED of PTSD, after one session !! I am a new person at 60 years old !! I am overwhelmed with gratitude.
What an amazing story! I’m so pleased for you. Gives me so much hope to hear a story like this. All the best to you ❤️
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! It seems to be a powerful tool, as I've heard similar things from several people and after using it with my partner our relationship has grown far deeper. May it's heart opening qualities always stay with you!
Makes me so happy to know you also found this. It also helped me to be fully cured for good, at last :-b
I had the most spiritual, transformative experience of my life, the first time i tried mdma. without even knowing, i became aware of my ptsd and my traumas, while i was realizing the most beautiful secrets about the universe and existence itself. i was only 18 years old. it completely changed the course of my life.
it's great to see that finally, psychedelics are being re-introduced into psychoptherapy.
Thank you for this speech Ben.
i'm not sure, but probably about 100 - 150mg
I suffered for DECADES. Am finally glad to be alive, was suicidally depressed for YEARS. Did everything, but this worked !! Off, label, if you get my drift. At home, with the Tibetan Monks on youtube, crystal clear intent and a powerful success. I now celebrate my Re-Birthday !! Never used that stuff in my life, before. I am a 60 year old Mother and Grandmother. Go Science !!
where did u get it?
MDMA changed my social life. It also absolutely changed my friend's life. He used to be uncomfortable with himself and really not socially skilled. He is now so much more extroverted and happy with himself.
same!
Even though XTC has a bad rep... almost everyone I know who has ever used MDMA in a club setting (tested obv, pure) is not at all surprised by this news and has an attitude like: Uhm, duh yeah... No surprise. We can hate on ravers for misusing this drug but maybe they are just people who all discovered how immensely it can improve their quality of life. Its not the ravers opposing the use of MDMA for clinical trials. If all, they would be the ones who have the empathy to want to give this experience to others just like the group who introduced me to it. They did it to show me the light and the help me improve my life and it did. Yesterday I met a guy of 39 years old who every once in a while used it since he was 17, he was happy, had a life and kid, he was nice friendly. Great guy. You can hate on teenagers all you want but how I see it, it is the ravers who have known about this potential by first hand experience and we keep shitting on their choices in life on how they are misusing the drug. Many of the people who go to raves end up dancing and talking A LOT to each other and to be social and inevitably do that mental surgery on their little problems in life. The reason they are all taking garbage such as PMMA and other amphetamines is not because they are irresponsible but because it is impossible to get your stash tested. We don't have that problem here in Holland.
Robert Fennis Great comment.
This is exactly what I was thinking!
I love you all! :D :D :D
Robert Fennis, I agree Robert, I spent many weekends at music festivals and nightclubs in my 20's using real mdma. I still find it amazing that I met and had deep and meaningful conversations with a wide range of people (from abused girls/women, lawyer's, even someone who is now a politician!) sometimes on the dance floor. The bonds formed in some cases last to this day and the openness is still there. I only really stopped as the available drugs changed and with them the empathy.
Uhm, duh yeah... No surprise. :-D
Yeah, it's kinda sad, that we need god knows how many scientists, doctors, activists etc. to convince people of something that is so damn obvious once you've experienced it.
great video. Doctor´s should be able to give mdma to their patients.
MDMA sould be oerscipted
Alter Simon du bist echt überall 😂😂😂
Absolutely !!@Green Phantom
they can prescribe meth and ritalin so why not
Excellent to hear this. I have worked in substance abuse and addiction treatment for over 35years and i wholeheartedly agree with every word Ben says about how psychiatry generally deals poorly with many mental health problems today. I, like him, have witnessed exactly the same presentations from patients/clients. I am an advocate for MDMA treatment, as i think it has an important place in psychotherapy; so i sincerely hope it will soon be sanctioned for use in the near future.
MDMA cured my depression flat out, 1 thing I will say is buy a test kit there is a lot of bad stuff around but I was taking 90mg doses once a month for around 3 months and it completely changed my life, great talk and good luck.
This video was uploaded in during the very time frame that I was using MDMA to cure my c-PTSD. Three self sessions over 8 weeks. In those sessions, I was able to see the source of what I'd been holding for so long, reframe the memories, and also find & correct the source of my emotional instability. I'm highly intuitive/introspective, and have a knack for using these particular tools on my own to solve my problems. In general, however, I'd highly recommend this be done in a therapeutic setting.
I will never go back to that despair-filled anxious mess that I was just 3 years ago.
Hi, I find your comment very interesting and I would like to reach out to you in private if you if you could.
did you find the 3x ins 8 weeks appropriate? I know that maps does one month of space in between. Do you think you benefitted from having your sessions so close to each other?
Thank you for sharing!
MDMA just reduce fear to confront reality, it's not tricking your consciousness, instead it's helping to know the truth
Exactly that! :)
+Ben Sessa all I see is pain 20 years of multiple layers of trauma and other 20 years of retraumatising myself. Tried everything to heal and feel suicide everyday. Getting max 3 hours sleep. Never been positive. Never been loved. Time to die can't handle life anymore. Only slept for two hours I'm going crazy!
+M T I've done Vipassna, I didn't like it, plus I didn't sleep for at least 6 nights of the 10 nights of it. It drove me quite nutty. I know other people who liked it though. I don't eat that much meat these days but my acupuncturist who is amazing says I need certain meat for my body type and my type of blood benefits from it too. Not that I have ever been that big I've eaten well over the past few months and have lost 12kgs and are very tonned as well due to acupuncturist I think and eating a special type of home made muesli every day and drinking lemon water every morning. That hasn't helped my trauma though.
I have HAD PTSD since I was 2 1/2 years old, I am 60, and am now CURED !!! Get the Treatment !!! Be better, not improved, CURED !!
Have been suicidal for DECADES, MDMA Therapy, made life worth living !!@@andrewg3768
Your participation in the comment section is remarkable, Ben!
You did a really good job on pointing out why MDMA holds such a great medical potential. Thank you for this engaging talk :)
@Ben Sessa stoked to see you engage also, Ben. I got the link via a segment done on this by my fave aussie news program The Project. Segment was featuring host Tommy Little. Very relevant to me, as early next yr a new specialist I am seeing is training in MDMA & Psylocilibin to complement her existing offering of CBD& THC oils.
I didn’t even realize I had ptsd until I took mdma not too long ago. Ive been suppressing these things that have happened to me during childhood for so long and not dealing with it. It’s been so long since I’ve actually felt GOOD feelings. It’s crazy that after 23 years of life I’m finally realizing this. I had the idea that everyone felt the way I did…
What a brilliant lecture. 6 years later and this aspect of research is finally coming to fruition, what a time to be alive.
I'll recommend you to this dude he sells the best of mushrooms, DMT chocolate bars Xanax MDMA Lean, LSD and lots more and his shipping is discreet*
They're on telegram
Psycho_pillstore
Hi Ben,
This talk of yours brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so so much for your work in this area and for helping people like myself (and others who are much worse off). Your understanding of human nature and practical use of empathy is what the world of mental health needs right now. Long story short: I grew up with multiple family members having mental illnesses in an environment similar to what you described in this video with "Claire". In a loooooong roundabout way this led me to rehabilitating traumatised dogs from shelters, which is what I now do! I have been diagnosed with PTSD & BPD and all that comes along with those disorders. I've been lucky enough to have experienced the use of MDMA and for the first time in my life I felt "bonding" with another person. I finally knew I'm not alone. It's all I'd ever wanted. Even now I can still replicate that feeling naturally - years after the MDMA wore off. Ending the stigma around these drugs will enable SO many mentally crippled people to stop suffering and become happy, productive members of our society. I'd be more than happy to volunteer any information you want for your research, for what it's worth. Thank you again and all the best from Malta
I wish I could get treatment 20 plus years of trauma and then another 20 plus years of suffering.
We need to let go of the negative connotations linked to these drugs, or chemical compounds, if we're to properly explore new ways of treating mental health. There have been some interesting developments with LSD as well, as a treatment for specific forms of depression - the war on drugs is in part a war on mental health as well, as it's legitimately getting in the way of progress. Interesting and well made talk, thanks Ben
Yes, it is very strange that we have no problems giving patients heavy drugs like opiates and benso, but giving them mdma or psychadelic drugs is a big nono.
Really brilliant talk Ben, bravo man, you just nailed it. I know a lot of people look up to rock stars, actors and athletes as some of the best that humanity has to offer, but I think the true rock stars of this life are doctors and scientists like you. Rock on dude. x
I couldn't agree more Sam. Someday the line light will shift from the jocks and the rock stars to the true pioneers, prophets and saviors of our world, those whose contributions greatly benefit mankind instead of those who merely entertain.
Excellent talk, changed my view of MDMA. Even if we do eventually discover it to be neurotoxic, if what you are saying is true, the benefit far outweighs the negative effects.
+Ben Sessa I really enjoyed this talk, you speak with such compassion and empathy. In a way you personify MDMA and other entactogens. I just want to address the guy above: you can protect serotonergic neurons with daily piracetam (although its neuroprotective mechanism isn't clearly understood). This counteracts or at least minimizes some of the negative potential effects of Adam. We're not even entirely sure if MDMA is neurotoxic at the levels used recreationally because data's lacking and rat models aren't easily comparable to humans.
+EndofMusic Yep
MDMA is neurotoxic, however neurotoxicity can be reduced with cannabis.
Ben Sessa
Yeah, this guy gets it ^
so by ecstasy, you're referring to "street ecstasy", in which case i agree, that stuff is dirty and godawful, but let's not assume all ravers are dumb enough to take whatever a random Joe on the street is selling without any testing.
The MDMA my circle of friends uses is always tested to have no harmful additives, and is usually 66% pure (since it's in pill form, binding agent and all that) without any additive harmful drugs.
Dr Sessa you did not sound like i thought you would from reading your books ! I am a mental health nurse student and i have been interested in this field for a few years now. fantastic talk. I have met consultant psychiatrists in this country who agree with you but it is a political minefield i have been told. I support this and will continue to. People will happily have there heart shocked during a heart attack but ECT is looked down upon for severe depression... why ? Mental health deserves its penicillin as you gracefully put it. 100% agree with you
Thanks for talking about that medicine and making the healing power public .... it HAS to spread for the good of those who need it .....
YES, the message its on its way - I myself know of the healing power - and helped a friend to change her life with the use of the medicine dramatically and it was lasting!! Unbelievable! .... I live in Germany and also here - it's on its way - for the Good of the many .... People like you are important to talk about it, because you will be taken serious also cuz of the academic title you are holding .... Thanks a lot !!!
(By the way - I would offer to translate the talk into German subtitles.)
Thank you so very much, Dr Sessa, you have a truly outstanding and far healthier approach to the absolute curse of PTSD. I wish you the very best in all your future endeavours - and I will be watching any future broadcasts with great interest!! Please keep up your vitally important and GREAT work!! Dennis
Fantastic Ben!! Keep hammering away. We all know you are right but the kooks and trolls are always drawn from under their rocks when great ideas are set forth. As a PTSD sufferer, I would love to attempt this form of treatment some day.
One Session CURED me, still can't believe it !! I want to shout it from the rooftops ! Had PTSD for 58 1/2 years, wished I was dead for DECADES, it's OVER !!! It's not a treatment, it's a CURE !!
Excellent speech my friend, this truly is a resource for the MDMA psychotherapy movement. Right now, one of my closest friend's father is struggling with PTSD stemming from his career as a firefighter. His father has bad instances of anxiety and his general level of well being is declining. He is on these anti-deppresants we all know and loathe, and my close friend wants to help his father, so we are working towards potentially administering a dose of MDMA to him in a controlled, positive setting. Our first step in this process starts with discussing the benefits of MDMA with my close friend's mother, in hopes of getting her on board with helping her husband. This video is a huge resource, thanks again Ben!
What a great talk! It was thorough and relevant. Not a single dull moment. I love how Dr Sesar talked about Claire, it made it so much more relatable. He said she is not just a single patient but an amalgamation of all his patients. It helped me understand and be more emphatic towards those who suffer from it. I do hope MDMA is the antibiotic psychiatry has been waiting for. Thanks for this talk.
Writing my Masters Thesis on this and kept coming across "Sessa." Glad to find his Ted talk on such a wonderful and fascinating subject.
I really liked the way you highlighted the need to be compassionate towards people. You don't know how they got to be that way. Are you looking for any volunteers for your trials?
Incredible work and great presentation. As a sufferer, a time when effective treatment can be delivered cannot come soon enough. 14 years down this road and possibility of being that 50/60 year old is growing! Very best
I had severe anxiety due to trauma. MDMA helped me navigate things in my mind that I've never even tried to. It helped me understand my parents and fix my relationship with them. MDMA changed my life.
I'll be honest I've had anxiety for years & I've tried all kinds of things. Like you stated SSRI's balance out mood but they also don't make you feel yourself leaving you very tired. Benzo medication works well for anxiety but again leaves you tired and it's addictive. So I tried MDMA & honestly it makes you you again. It takes away all fear puts you back in that happy child like state of mind and you want to talk to people while having the energy still. It gives you ambition it makes you want to do the things you've been fearful of or only dreamed of doing. The trick is though the dosage is very important with pure MDMA you don't need allot in one session. You seriously don't even need enough to create euphoria it's finding that micro dose sweet spot where you can control it and be that perfect self. But as a person who has had bad anxiety for a long time with depression MDMA is by far the best thing I've tried to get my mind right. 100% honesty
do you still don't have anxiety? i want to try it since i'm crippled with horrible social anxiety for 9 years (2 years of depressive moods with suicidal thoughts)
@@Dregomz02 hi) How are you? I have the same problem 😕
@@Dregomz02 how are you doing now ? And did anything work for you ?
VERY TRUE AND ACTUALLY IMPORTANT THAT THIS COMES TO BE.
I cried when i watch it. everybody should watch this video, it must be mandatory. i wish there were some subtitles for those who do not speak english well
Wow this is an important talk! Just thinking about what that poor girl Claire went through moved me to tears.. It's absolutely AMAZING that she could have a treatment that would enable her and others like her to live a normal life.
I was shaking my head up and down this entire video, so well thought out and well spoken! And your passion topped it off! Awesome ted talk!
The best TED talk ever.
It’s amazing. The best feeling I’ve ever had in my entire life.
Currently undergoing DBT for PTSD and also very passionate about pursuing a career in mental health. Of particular interest is the bulk of your talk, and alternative treatments to such root causes of trauma.
I plan to self educate before school and was wondering what public resources you could recommend? Both Psychology and Psychiatry are in my sights and the research is exciting!
Thank you Ben for your passion and compassion. Well done :)
wow ! i thought mdma was just something people, inc myself took in nightclubs, i had no idea that it has medical benefits. thanks ben, youve opened my eyes abit.
People who have not suffered trauma will, by and large, be like you. Those who have, know instinctively that this is a game-changer
Wonderful lecture and incredible participation in the comments. Way to go Ben! Its truly a shame that the war on drugs has halted so much promising scientific research especially in the field of psychiatric care. I recently read "The Acid Test" by Tom Shroder and you've emphasized many of the same points and its so cool to see these ideas reiterated throughout different mediums. There is so much potential for MDMA therapy and yet there continues to be so many obstacles to its practice. I recently graduated with a B/S in Psychology and I was wondering if you had any advice as to the best path/places for me to be in order to get into this type of therapy/research.
Thanks for everything.
Luke
Holy shit I got goosebumps at the end lol such a legitimate man.
I sat with alternative therapies for decades, ended up sitting in the Amazon with plant medicine, micro dosing psilocybin since over 1 year and just had my first mdma experience. Mind blowing and real as I can observe so far from changes. Thanks for the talk. I totally agree, politicians, meds and so on and forth, you own to people to make their lifes real better. There will be always abuse, but the people whom suffer from ptsd and other experiences, they also want to get better, change for real. Remember, change does come from within, and not through a new law or medical drug that treats symptoms.
amazing talk by a visionary psychiatrist! Im fighting with you sir, and I hope to be using this substance with my clients in treatment legally in canada in the coming years!
This is exactly why I get offended when someone tells me psychedelic drugs are, in the words of Mr. Mackay, "Bad". If I could have felt the MDMA effect during therapy when I was majorly depressed and had multiple panic attacks a day, maybe it wouldn't have been so hard on me or my family. I eventually had ECT therapy and it worked for me, but my memory is also trashed because of it. I knew a few people that weren't as lucky and took their own life. Is PhRMA's paycheck worth the possibility of your current/future family member hanging them self because the help they needed wasn't there? Thanks Ben Sessa
Thanks TED for this!!! This is brilliant. It gives me hope.
Hold onto that hope and GET THAT MEDICINE !!! Worked on my decades old treatment resistant suicidal depression !!
The greatest power of MDMA is that you become the teacher and healer all while remaining the self.
I really need this treatment. Sign me up Ben. You resonate with intuitive truth.
Highly supportive to those revolutionary treatments!
Congratulations Ben for challenging and exposing the controlling institutions, big pharma's and others in the health professions that make billions of dollars out of the misfortune of others. Your research evidence is outstanding and your presentation excellent. Let's hope there is progress from your experience, knowledge and wisdom. We do owe this to the people who suffer mental illness.
Absolutely vital work, and beautifully expressed from the heart. Thanks Ben, best wishes with the future.
We'd love to keep the vibe going. See the long email we just sent you! Keep well.
I took my first this December( 70mg, then 50mg two hours later. My body weight is 55kg). I plan to leave at least 4 months between an use and the next. My reason for doing MDMA is more therapeutical than recreational(although I do both in one session, they are not mutually exclusive uses). During these months before next use, I will try to apply the epiphanies I got from my first session to grow and internalize the lessons, that way I can get new and better lessons next time.
@Ben Sessa casually found my comment... update: I have taken MDMA 3 more times since then, great results :) I did this on my own since it isn´t legal where I live, and I don't know of underground therapists... I can only imagine how powerful it must is along a therapist, not to mention that I had to do some research throughout the process that would haven´t been necessary if I had had the help of a professional.
This should be legal, at least on therapy settings. (but I think that legalizing it for recreational use might reduce harm if implemented properly too.)
Brilliant talk. Thank you Ben for your noble, life saving work.
It's so true. We need a drug that makes depressed patients THINK. Something that unravels it all. Maybe it's acid or shrooms, or maybe they can find a better one, but like he said, "if you could invent a hypothetical drug to treat depression, it would be mdma."
we all need to join hands so that this drug is reached to the needy people who have lost everything of mental disorders
I was just talking to my girlfriend in the car a few hours before discovering this talk about antidepressants. I have never responded very positive to them, and to be honest I have a fairly negative view of them. They say they are not addictive, but I ran out of an SSRI once just before a trip with my work, and that "comedown" was the worst I've experience, I've never been so paranoid in my life as I was then. I said that I would have taken MDMA if I got a prescription for that though, and how I possibly MDMA could be a prescription drug someday.
I think some of the therapists I've met could use some MDMA during sessions as well to gain empathy that would assist in communication. Not feeling like your therapist gets a word you are saying is only dragging you down more then pulling you up. I don't expect help from therapists anymore, the reason for going is more the social alibi it gives. I've struggled with depression and anxiety most of my life since about 6-7 years old. I would say that whatever progress I have made have been in spite of, not because of the help I have received.
It "resets" the brain. I did the Therapy and have been CURED. Still can't believe it. BTW, it is NOT fun !! But it works !!
MDMA helped me feel peace for the first time in my life
I'm planning on micro dosing MDMA for depression, anxiety, social anxiety and neck pain. When I use to take it for clubbing/raving, I've never felt so much in my skin. Zero anxiety, zero negative thoughts, just pure inline. Which, lead me to take it going to house parties. Where I found my shy self would push through and become more comfortable in a high pace crowded environment. Now, don't get me wrong I was taking the recreational dosage which made me dance the night away at the clubs/raves but took a lower dose at house parties. Which, was more of a chill setting. Especially, on a lower dose. I truly believe micro dosing can change my life in the most positive way. To come to think of it I believe it could help with my OCD, as well.
This is in Bristol, i'm surprised everyone didn't jump out of their seats when he said MDMA for the first time.
Awesome talk! Hits very close to home.
thanks Ben
outstanding talk Ben thank you and thank you TED
I was misdiagnosed with personality disorder, and the way doctors started treating me after that was appalling. I demanded a private reassessment and the psychiatrist felt some combination of cptsd / amxiety, but still wasnt able to pin it down. However now I do not have PD on my record, they treat me much better. The way I was treated made me worse, not better. The system is broken.
Even if they allowed MDMA usage, it would be restricted to such a small cross section of patients as to be useless, and therapy in any case is limited in number of sessions and on a casework basis. You might increase effectiveness by some small percentage, and the NHS will look at that poor figure and conclude its worthless. That and the social stigma mean that even if it works, it will not be used. I've had every therapy and antidepressant going, they want me to do psychodynamic therapy even though I have had similar in the past. I feel like I am going to be that person who is still like this in their 70's, despite years of working hard in therapy and spending thousands on it. Then when you don't get better, they treat you like YOU are the problem. We are living in the psychiatric dark ages yet think of ourselves like spacemen.
Don't forget about bipolar!
Decriminalization will be helpful, hint, hint.
Revolutionary talk. I'm surprised Ted didn't ban it like they did Graham Hancock's.
Congratulations! Wonderful speech!
Thank you for having the audacity to be "controversial" to save and improve lives! It takes great courage to speak out because you run the risk of potentially being wrong or just off the mark somehow. It's essential. But we must try! I'm sure many thought Edward Jenner (inventor of first successful vaccine) was crazy. Great talk.
Mdma saved my life a long time ago when I was on the verge to commit suicide.
Thank you sir for doing an amazing job relaying the message.
I can say -- Hope............ where you can receive the treatment .??
I wish you all feel well.... unique ppl who are struggling with ptsd ...you are strong, you are loved ....and one day you will help other people....👥 thank you for sharing .
Amazing man! Outside the box thinking.
Well said Dr Ben!
Thank you, Dr. Sessa for speaking on this important topic - I hope we continue to make headway towards a more open-minded medical world. I do have a question for you - I have a family member that I think would benefit from this treatment but has had heart issues in the past. Would MDMA assisted therapy still be possible? Thank you.
I've been suffering from a childhood traumatic experience. I have PTSD form that event and now it's making my life a caged prison for me. It's like a cloud over my head that i can't shake off. I'm afraid to try psychedelic. Should I?!
MDMA is beautiful. Its not addicted, the side effects are very limited. Everyone should try it at least once in my eyes. Whether its for Psychiatric issues or not.
MDMA causes brain damage and induces mental illness
@@capresti3537 so does drinking coffee
@@TravelChimp Coffee does not cause brain damage its from nature. MDMA is made in labs and causes brain damage.
great we are finnaly moving forward with mdma and its benafits for mental health issuess
Well said
MDMA always reminds me of the serotonin syndrome reaction it gave me. It's a very scary experience. I feel that each of our personal reactions should somehow be tested before we use MDMA as a medication, just because serotonin syndrome is a painful thing to ride out. I had the exact same reaction to anxiety pills, which is how I learned that my MDMA reaction had a scientific name.
If dosed right and without dangerous poly drug use MDMA won't give anyone serotonin syndrome. Also what kind of "anxiety pills" do you mean? SSRIs ?
Dosage and purity are a must.
@@SilentGuyX also, doesn't it help to use 5-HTP a few days before and after?
Years ago I had a girlfriend whose mother died of alcoholism like 10 years before we were together,, during the time when we were together we were eating ecstasy on the weekends doin the rave thing rite, this girl had mentioned at one point as I was getting to know her that she could not picture her mother's face unless she looked at her picture ,,, one night after partying having had several pills a piece throughout the night we get back to my house and she had this experience where she felt like her mother was present with us in the room and of course at the time the thing was dancing right so she decided that she wanted to dance with her mom in my living room and she invited me to do so with her so I obliged,, a few days later we talked about that experience and she said she had peace concerning her mom and from then on she could picture her mom's face with out looking at a picture.. I don't condone drugs anymore but I have to admit, what I witnessed taking place in that girl was pretty amazing...
"40 years of studies showed no adverse side effects". The upload is 5 years old, and we are still in phase 3 trials in only a handful of countries 😱 maybe this would be adressed and sped up if depression was a life wrecking pandemic?! Humanity is hopeless. All my best to Dr. Sessa and the audacious people trying to make this place a better one, fighting against dogma, lack of empathy and economical motivations.
Ben, is there any future in MDMA or psilocybin treating Bipolar Disorder? And will I have to wait til I've been suffering for years or prove myself treatment-resistant to use it?
Ben Sessa That's interesting because I've always smoked marijuana, and a fairly good amount of it, and it's never triggered psychosis. Well, I mean I get high, and I feel sane, and I come down. Sometimes I worry if I'm inducing psychosis because I occasionally get social anxiety/paranoia, but if I come down it must not have been psychosis/mania, right?
So if marijuana has never induced psychosis for me, I'd imagine psilocybin wouldn't either? It just seems hard to imagine because everything I've ever read says stay away from psilocybin or MDMA if you're bipolar, much more than people warn against marijuana.
And I'm curious why your colleague is studying ayahuasca for bipolar. Hasn't it been shown to be very dangerous for bipolar people to try?
research cbd oil from cannabis sativa ;)
pharma drugs actually induce psychosis when patient uses 'illegal' drugs on therapy.. they create the environment in body that reacts negatively on positive things (like thc).. like they're programmed to..
Noah, as someone that has used MDMA, it can treat any level of trauma. I'm not a medical professional by any means, but I do have my fair share of amazing experiences from it. I was heavily depressed as a teen. High School was rough and it got me super down but I really didn't know why I wanted to kill myself. A year and a half ago, I tried it for the first time and understood what my depression was rooted it, some 8 years after I had graduated. It let me see what I needed to "untangle" within my own mind to make myself right and whole. All this happened at a rave... literally the best night of my life.
Great speech!
Fascinating!
Not an area of work I'd be going into but I think it's important
Unless you've been bombarded with antidepressants over the years (that you stopped taking finally) and even a small amount later sends you into worse depression that takes weeks to recover from. Never will I try this again. Not for everyone. My experience is that trauma work - serious, mindful clear-headed work over the long run is what helps.
Interesting. Thanks. Helps support the idea of never using recreational MDMA (which is probably cut with things) for any reason if you have been through the kind of depression I have been through.
I've known someone who struggled with more mild depression who only felt bad for a few days (recreatonally) and others who have done a lot of recreational "MDMA" and have no issues and then two others who did too much, ended up with severe depression and committed suicide.
I am glad if clinical MDMA helps people.
Brilliant dr Ben
Our psychiatric environment today will be seen of as archaic in 100 maybe even 50 years
+Ben Sessa Saw your talk at ICPR, great stuff! I was wondering: a family member has been diagnosed with multiple disorders, including anorexia, borderline disorder and psychosis, benzo addiction, leading to multiple suicide attempts because she said a voice commanded it. So pretty complex case. In that context:
Does your research apply to people who've only been diagnosed with PTSD, or could it be potentially broadened beyond that?
I used ecstasy and later was told that something was wrong. It's one of those things that seems to affect everyone in a big way. Plus you can't turn back the clock..
very well presented
this is amazing
Many thanks, very interesting. I hope it will be recognized as an evidence based drug soon. What do u think about other drugs such as Ketamine in this context (i.e. a new antibiotic in psychiatry) ?
THIS!!!
Brilliant
Interesting results!
yeah sure, but what he said about mdma applies to medicines too. they work similarly helping in progress in therapy.
psychologists are advocating MDMA, trust me its a new beginning to treatment of psychological disorders
Obviously medications by psychiatrist and therapies by psychologist, I myself has a master degree in psychology..
you are initiating the cause to save lives of many, hope so it will soon be legalised for medical purposes
Thank you for a great talk Ben! I wonder if there is any possibility of me asking you a question in private? I understand if it isn't :)
Will it help with severe chronic anxiety (GAD) and suicidal ideation ?
@stewed hum
Did you do it alone. I am happy for you that you are back in the saddle.
@stewed hum
I just messaged him. Are you in the US?
I’m in London England.
Concerned about post and customs 🛃
😱
Agree 100 per cent.
Ben can you please give me the link to the PTSD study you talked about?
Taking MDMA with your partner is awesome. If you have problems, its so much easier to put words on your feelings, being open and compassionate.
How did the neuroimaging study go? Is it published anywhere? :)
Juliana Murray I want toto know this too
Don't know, don't care, this old Broad is freakin' CURED !!!
beautiful
Son zamanlarda bir çok psikoaktif maddelerin yarattığı etkenlerle verimli sonuçların alınması oldukça ilginç
Bu yeni hareketle ilgili sorun, insanların kendi başlarına deney yapabileceklerini düşünmeleridir ki bu tehlikelidir.