Healing Trauma with MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy

Aug. 6, 2021

Dan Engle, MD, is a psychiatrist with a clinical practice that combines aspects of regenerative medicine, psychedelic research, integrative spirituality, and peak performance.

His medical degree is from the University of Texas at San Antonio. His psychiatry residency degree is from the University of Colorado Denver, and his child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship degree is from Oregon Health & Science University

On this podcast, Dan talks about the potential to help people heal trauma - and instigate change in their lives - with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. He discusses how this drug, commonly known as Ecstacy, has been shown in studies to be remarkably effective for curing even difficult cases of post-traumatic stress disorder. We talk about his new book, A Dose of Hope, which offers a client’s first-person account of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for healing transgenerational trauma.

An important disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical recommendations, diagnoses, or treatment. The use of information in this podcast is at one’s own discretion and is not an endorsement of use given the complexity inherent in these medicines, and the current variable widespread illegality of their usage.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Dan Engle:

[00:00:41] Dan's background and interest in psychedelics.

[00:02:38] How psychedelic therapy helped Dan.

[00:05:22] Book: A Dose of Hope: A Story of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy, by Dan Engle and Alex Young.

[00:11:34] Video: ‘EQUASY’: How Horse Riding Is More Likely To Kill You Than Ecstasy | David Nutt On London Real.

[00:13:56] Psychological contraindications for MDMA.

[00:15:29] Stanislav Grof tested the value of LSD in the treatment of psychologically ill people.

[00:18:11] Dr. Gabor Maté.

[00:19:04] Bruce Alexander's Rat Park experiments.

[00:21:03] MDMA as the best treatment for trauma.

[00:21:45] Physical contraindications for MDMA.

[00:22:26] Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS).

[00:25:08] 83% cure rate for PTSD in 2-3 sessions; Study: Mithoefer, Michael C., et al. "The safety and efficacy of±3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy in subjects with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder: the first randomized controlled pilot study." Journal of psychopharmacology 25.4 (2011): 439-452.

[00:25:46] Psychotherapeutic interventions used along with MDMA.

[00:26:25] Follow-up studies on MDMA therapy and PTSD: Jerome, Lisa, et al. "Long-term follow-up outcomes of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of PTSD: a longitudinal pooled analysis of six phase 2 trials." Psychopharmacology 237 (2020): 2485-2497.

[00:37:23] Dan's co-author, Alex Young.

[00:39:41] Podcast: The Neurophysiology of Safety and How to Feel Safe, with Stephen Porges, PhD.

[00:39:51] Book: The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self, Third Edition, by Alice Miller.

[00:39:58] Book: The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, by Bessel van der Kolk.

[00:40:02] Book: Will I Ever Be Good Enough?: Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers, by Karyl McBride.

[00:40:32] Transgenerational family trauma; Book: It Didn't Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle, by Mark Wolynn.

[00:44:45] The process and cost of the therapy.

[00:59:01] The future and vision of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

[01:03:16] MDMA vs. talk therapy.

[01:09:11] Find Dan at d drdanengle.com; kuya.life, Full Spectrum Medicine.