DOD Commits $9.8M to Study MDMA Therapy for Active-Duty Troops

In a first in history, the Department of Defense (DOD) has given $9.8 million to study MDMA-assisted therapy for active-duty Army members with mild to severe PTSD.

The 2024 Defense Appropriations Act will give $4.9 million to each of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Emory University's STRONG STAR consortium so that they can do double-blind placebo studies.

The study at Walter Reed, led by Maj. Aaron Wolfgang will look into how MDMA improves psychological flexibility, trust, and self-compassion. This could be a big step forward in treating mental health problems in the military.

A new study in the American Journal of Psychiatry says that MDMA does not cause dreams like LSD or psilocybin do. Instead, it makes people more emotionally open and innovative.

In the middle of the 20th century, the U.S. military did illegal tests with psychedelics. This is the first formal trial of MDMA for treating PTSD in active-duty troops.

Officials from the Department of Defense (DoD) hope that this groundbreaking study could lead to new ways to treat PTSD besides traditional therapy and medication. This would give service members who are struggling with combat trauma new hope.

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