The party drug Ecstacy was classified as a drug in the late 1980s after it spread in the rave culture.

But researchers have discovered that the active substance in the drug, abbreviated MDMA, alleviates fears and makes people with trauma dare to remember their experiences and talk about them.

In the video, you see Ron Bowman receiving treatment for ecstasy.

Psychedelic therapy changes the brain

In combination with talk therapy, MDMA seems to cause permanent changes in the brain and be able to break recurring flashbacks and nasty memories.


- During my 30 years as a therapist, we have not had anything that works as well as MDMA, says psychologist Willa Hall in the US who treats people with PTSD.

In the largest study to date of just under 100 people, half were randomized to MDMA, the rest received sugar pills.

All were given therapy.

Of those who took the drug MDMA, two thirds got rid of their PTSD.

In addition, many of the patients with PTSD have gotten rid of their eating disorder with the psychedelic therapy.

Does not appear to be addictive

"MDMA does not appear to be an addictive drug," said Robin Carhart-Harris, a professor of psychology and neurology at the University of California San Francisco.

However, those who take MDMA for a long time, ie not a single pill during a therapy, risk heart disease, depression, anxiety and memory problems, and there is a concern that the party drug will eventually be released to everyone.

Approval is expected next year in the United States

The US and European Medicines Agency are awaiting a response from the ongoing studies before any approval can be given.

"The treatment is groundbreaking and we believe that the US Food and Drug Administration will give its approval at the end of 2023," says Berra Yazar-Klosinski, head of research at the multidisciplinary organization for psychedelic science MAPS, which is behind the studies.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has also called for a study in Europe prior to possible approval of the treatment.

That research is currently underway in the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic and Germany.

Swedish researchers at Karolinska Institutet are also planning an MDMA study against PTSD.

More about the progress in psychedelic science can be seen in "Healthy of magical mushrooms" in the World of Science on Monday 25 April at 20:00 on SVT2 or on SVTPlay.