By Natasha Baer
When news broke that two Australians, in a national first, had received MDMA as part of psychedelic-assisted therapy, it left people asking: Is MDMA psychedelic?
Many of those people wondering whether MDMA qualifies as a psychedelic drug may have taken the substance for recreational purposes. Their experiences, while mood-changing, were not what they would describe as psychedelic.
The image above from the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, shows MDMA as an empathogen, alongside ethylone, mephedrone, and PMA/PMMA. The effects of empathogens include anxiety, sweating, dehydration, depression, mood swings, sexual arousal, connectedness, understanding, and sense of belonging.
Under the psychedelic category the image lists ayahuasca, LSD, NBOMs, psilocybin, DMT, 2C-B, and salvia. The effects of psychedelic drugs include increased body temperature, loss of coordination, hallucinations, distorted perceptions, disorganised thoughts, anxiety, paranoia, panic, and euphoria.
Looking deeper, according to Dr. Hillary McBride, a Canadian-based Registered Psychologist, Registered Clinical Counsellor, and author, “MDMA, in particular, again, it’s not a classic psychedelic, it’s an empathogen. We often lump it into the category of medicines that we’re using that create non-ordinary states of consciousness… What it does is it decreases activation in fear centres of the brain, increases the activity in the neuro-anatomical structures responsible for compassion, awareness, self-reflexivity, the ability to think differently about your own cues, think differently and more compassionately about a different person and feel, feel in your body a sense of connection to them. So it’s really, really useful for people who are struggling with particular relational problems, like distress or communication, or even for relational enhancement, for strengthening connection and experiencing closeness and intimacy without some of the walls that you put up.” Listen to the full interview here: How People are Using Psychedelics to Help Their Relationships with Dr. Hillary McBride.
Yet, a study published by Müller et al. published on Neuropsychopharmacology.com explored the impact of the non-hallucinogenic substance MDMA on brain connectivity. The findings show that MDMA led to decreased connectivity within visual networks, the default mode network (DMN), and the sensorimotor network—similar to results seen with hallucinogenic drugs, like LSD. This challenges the idea that such changes are unique to hallucinogens, and suggests that MDMA can broadly influence within-network connectivity. While MDMA may not produce trippy visuals, biologically its impact on brain networks is akin to traditional hallucinogens.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration, in their decision on February 3 2023 regarding the change in the classification of psilocybin and MDMA to enable prescribing by authorised psychiatrists, stated, “From 1 July [2023], medicines containing the psychedelic substances psilocybin and MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine) can be prescribed by specifically authorised psychiatrists for the treatment of certain mental health conditions.” From this, we can understand that MDMA is considered a psychedelic substance.
Dr Ben Sessa, a UK-based Psychiatrist and Researcher at the forefront of psychedelic research, highlighted the efficacy of psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine in treating various mental disorders during Mind Medicine Australia’s Psychedelic Public Lecture. Dr. Sessa noted the potential of MDMA in curing PTSD is so profound that he said “If someone were to invent a cure for PTSD, they would invent MDMA.”
He presented research showing psychedelic therapy works for various mental disorders. Research studies spanning from 2006 to 2022 show that psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine have successfully treated:
In a therapeutic setting, these substances – psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine – create neuroplasticity in the brain, allowing more flexibility and a window of opportunity for healing stuck and rigid thoughts patterns and programs. The shared ubiquity of these substances in addressing a wide spectrum of mental disorders shows their commonalities with each other, and their potential as treatment options in therapeutic medicine.
While the image from the Alcohol and Drug Foundation categorises MDMA as an empathogen, distinct from classic psychedelics such as ayahuasca, LSD, and psilocybin, the debate over whether MDMA is a psychedelic drug hinges on its classification and therapeutic applications. The Therapeutic Goods Administration's decision to permit the prescription of medicines containing psychedelic substances, including MDMA, for specific mental health conditions supports the notion that, in a treatment setting, MDMA falls under the umbrella of psychedelics.
Ultimately, the characterisation of MDMA as a psychedelic depends on the context—technically no, but within the realm of psychedelic-assisted therapy, because of its properties and its role in creating non-ordinary states of consciousness, it counts as a psychedelic.
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