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Evaluation ViewAttendees 5

Treatment - CBT
Session Type:: Symposia

Symposium 23 - Expanding the Frontiers of CBT: Emerging Evidence and Equitable Engagement in Psychedelic- and MDMA-Assisted Therapies

Friday, November 21, 2025
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM CST
Location: Empire D, Level 2
CE: 1.5

Keywords: Randomized Controlled Trial, CBT, Psychotherapy Outcome
Level of Familiarity: Basic to Moderate
Recommended Readings: Luoma, J. B., Sabucedo, P., Eriksson, J., Gates, N., & Pilecki, B. C. (2019). Toward a contextual psychedelic-assisted therapy: perspectives from acceptance and commitment therapy and contextual behavioral science. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 14, 136-145.,   Weintraub, M. J., Jeffrey, J. K., Grob, C. S., Ichinose, M. C., Bergman, R. L., Cooper, Z. D., & Miklowitz, D. J. (2023). Psilocybin-Assisted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adults with Major Depressive Disorder: Rationale and Treatment Development. Psychedelic Medicine, 1(4), 230-240.,   Morland, L. A., Perivoliotis, D., Wachsman, T. R., Alam, A., Knopp, K., Khalifian, C., ... & Wagner, A. C. (2024). MDMA-assisted brief cognitive behavioral conjoint therapy for PTSD: Study protocol for a pilot study. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 40, 101314.,   Rothbaum, B. O., & Maples-Keller, J. L. (2023). The promise of 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in combination with prolonged exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology: Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 48(1), 255-256.,   Lear, M. K., Smith, S. M., Pilecki, B., Stauffer, C. S., & Luoma, J. B. (2023). Social anxiety and MDMA-assisted therapy investigation: A novel clinical trial protocol. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1083354.

Psychedelic- and MDMA-assisted therapies have rapidly gained attention for their potential to treat a range of mental health conditions, yet few studies have integrated these treatments with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This symposium highlights groundbreaking findings from four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that examine the synergistic effects of psychedelics and MDMA when combined with evidence-based CBT frameworks—an emerging frontier poised to reshape clinical practice.
The first four presentations feature new outcome data from RCTs applying CBT techniques alongside psychedelic or MDMA administration to address diverse populations, including individuals with depression, social anxiety, and PTSD. Findings will cover improvements in psychological well-being, functional outcomes, and quality of life, as well as the safety profiles and clinical considerations specific to integrating CBT with these novel pharmacotherapies. Taken together, these studies represent a pivotal step in validating an innovative treatment paradigm that could redefine how we deliver and optimize CBT for conditions often resistant to conventional therapies.
The fifth presentation addresses a key priority for the expansion of psychedelic science: fostering meaningful community engagement and improving representation of underserved populations in clinical trials. Drawing on ongoing efforts at Johns Hopkins University, the presenter will discuss strategies to build trust, enhance accessibility, and promote cultural humility to reduce barriers to participation in clinical trials involving psychedelics and CBT approaches. These initiatives are essential to ensuring that emerging therapies—especially those that combine emerging pharmacological agents with established psychotherapeutic modalities—are made equitably available to all who may benefit.
By merging robust, cutting-edge clinical research with deliberate community outreach, this symposium illustrates how blending CBT and psychedelics can forge new treatment horizons.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
  1. Explain how psychedelics and MDMA can enhance the therapeutic effects of CBT.
  2. Summarize key outcome data from four RCTs integrating psychedelics/MDMA with CBT techniques.
  3. Explain the potential mechanisms behind the synergistic effects observed in these integrated treatment paradigms.
  4. Discuss how these findings could reshape clinical practice for conditions resistant to conventional therapies.
  5. Review the research methodologies employed in these RCTs and their implications for study validity.
  6. Discuss methods for increasing the representation of underserved populations in clinical trials.
  7. Develop informed recommendations for future research and clinical practice integrating CBT with psychedelic and MDMA-assisted therapies.

Presentations:

  • 5:05 PM - 5:22 PM CST
    (SYM 23) Mdma-assisted Therapy in Combination with Exposure Therapy for Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial

    Speaker: Jason Luoma, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, & Training Center

    Co-author: M. Kati Lear, PhD (she/her/hers) – Portland Institute for Psychedelic Science

    Co-author: Brian Pilecki, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Portland Psychotherapy

    Co-author: Jenna LeJeune, PhD (she/her/hers) – Portland Institute for Psychedelic Science

    Co-author: Kyong Yi, LCSW (she/her/hers) – Portland Institute for Psychedelic Science

    Co-author: Aryan Sarparast, MD (he/him/his) – oregon Health and Scient University

    Co-author: Seth Mehr, MD (he/him/his) – Cascade Psychedelic Medicine

  • 5:22 PM - 5:39 PM CST
    (SYM 23) The Promise of MDMA in Combination with Prolonged Exposure Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

    Speaker: Barbara O. Rothbaum, ABPP, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Emory University School of Medicine

    Co-author: Barbara O. Rothbaum, ABPP, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Emory University School of Medicine

  • 5:39 PM - 5:56 PM CST
    (SYM 23) Psilocybin-assisted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression – Acceptability, Feasibility, and Clinical Outcomes of Open Trial

    Speaker: Marc J. Weintraub, Ph.D. – UCLA Semel Institute

    Co-author: Jessica Jeffrey, M.P.H., M.D., Other – University of California, Los Angeles

    Co-author: Megan Ichinose, Ph.D. – UCLA

    Co-author: Lindsey Bergman, PhD (she/her/hers) – UCLA

    Co-author: Anabel Salimian, BA (she/her/hers) – UCLA

    Co-author: Benjamin Shapiro, MD (he/him/his) – UCLA Semel Institute

    Co-author: Hewa Artin, MD (he/him/his) – UCLA Semel Institute

    Co-author: Gregory Barnett, MD (he/him/his) – UCLA Semel Institute

    Co-author: Marc Lynn, LCSW (he/him/his) – UCLA Semel Institute

    Co-author: Charles Grob, MD (he/him/his) – UCLA Semel Institute

    Co-author: David J. Miklowitz, Ph.D. – University of California Los Angeles

  • 5:56 PM - 6:13 PM CST
    (SYM 23) Healing Together: MDMA Assisted Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD

    Speaker: Leslie Morland, Psy.D. (she/her/hers) – National Center for PTSD

    Co-author: Kayla Knopp, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – VA San Diego Healthcare System/University of California, San Diego

    Co-author: Chandra E. Khalifian, Ph.D. – University of California, San Diego and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System

    Co-author: Bettye Chargin, BS – VA San Diego Healthcare System

  • 6:13 PM - 6:30 PM CST
    (SYM 23) Strategies for Inclusion in Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy Trials

    Speaker: Dara G. Friedman-Wheeler, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

    Co-author: Frederick Barrett, PhD (he/him/his) – Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research

    Co-author: Rebecca Ehrenkranz, PhD (she/her/hers) – Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research

    Co-author: Andrew Gaddis, MD, MPH (he/him/his) – Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research

    Co-author: Albert Garcia-Romeu, PhD (he/him/his) – Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research

    Co-author: Sandeep Nayak, MD (he/him/his) – Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research

    Co-author: David Yaden, PhD (he/him/his) – Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research