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ViewAttendees 4

Symposia

Treatment - CBT

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

4 - (SYM 23) Healing Together: MDMA Assisted Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD

Friday, November 21, 2025
5:56 PM - 6:13 PM CST
Location: Empire D, Level 2
Keywords: Randomized Controlled Trial, CBT, Psychotherapy Outcome
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.
Abstract Body

Objectives: Cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for PTSD (CBCT) and its brief version (bCBCT) are effective treatments for PTSD that leverage intimate partners to enhance recovery. MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine)-assisted therapy is emerging as a breakthrough treatment for PTSD. Given MDMA’s empathogenic properties, it may be a particularly good fit for couple-based PTSD treatments.

Methods: This is the first open pilot study evaluating the benefits of MDMA-assisted bCBCT for veterans within the Veterans Administration Healthcare System (VAHS). We will present on clinical outcome data from our 8 veteran and partner dyads (n = 16) and practical implementation benefits and challenges unique to the Veteran Healthcare System and veteran population (i.e., using a single-dosing medicine model, flexibility of intensive outpatient care, recruitment and eligibility).

Results: Initial findings show a low rate of conversion from referral to enrollment, with the most common reasons for exclusion being inability to commit to the scheduling requirements and medical and psychiatric exclusion. Overall, veterans expressed a high level of treatment approval, including a desire for more veterans to have access to the treatment. Quantitative results show significant improvements in veterans’ PTSD symptoms and both partners’ relationship functioning, though findings were marked by significant variability across participants.

Conclusions: MDMA-assisted bCBCT shows the potential for benefits and challenges in the VA, and pilot data emphasize the need for larger trials to explore replicability of effects in this unique population.