CEH PsychEd

This 2-hour presentation provides a comprehensive overview of MDMA-assisted therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  The presentation starts with an exploration of how psychotropic-assisted therapies have captured attention in both media coverage and the broader cultural zeitgeist. The presentation then examines the strengths and limitations of current evidence-based treatments for PTSD, including trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapies such as Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy, which are effective for many but not all patients. Participants will then learn about MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), its pharmacological properties, subjective and objective effects, and how it differs from classical psychedelics (Wolfgang et al., 2025). The core of the presentation focuses on the structure and delivery of MDMA-assisted therapy and provides a detailed review of randomized controlled trials, including the two recent Phase 3 trials demonstrating significant reductions in PTSD symptoms (Mitchell et al., 2021; Mitchell et al., 2023), while also addressing the methodological critiques and limitations of the current evidence base (Cristea et al., 2024; Wolfgang et al., 2025) that were partly responsible for the Federal Drug Administration’s rejection of MDMA-assisted treatment for PTSD in the summer of 2024. The presentation then explores next steps in MDMA-assisted therapy research, including efforts to combine MDMA with established trauma-focused interventions to potentially enhance treatment outcomes and improve implementation feasibility (Maples-Keller et al., 2025; Rothbaum & Schnurr, 2025). The presentation concludes with a balanced synthesis of current evidence, offering attendees a framework for critically evaluating MDMA-assisted therapy as an emerging treatment option for PTSD.

This is a live, interactive webinar course that will take place on February 27, 2026 at 10am EST. It will be recorded for subsequent posting as a self-paced, on-demand course.