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Enrolling by invitationNCT05746572Updated Jul 8, 2026

MDMA Plus Exposure Therapy for PTSD

A Phase 2 interventional study of MDMA in PTSD, sponsored by Emory University. Enrolling by invitation at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 21 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-08.

Sponsored by Emory University · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
40
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
21 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating disorder. While effective treatments exist, some patients fail to receive the full benefits. Alternative treatment approaches are needed. 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a medicine associated with feelings of closeness and love for others, empathy, insightfulness, and feelings of peace or well-being. Recent research combining one or two doses of MDMA with psychotherapy has shown improvements in PTSD symptoms.

For the present study, the researchers will investigate MDMA in combination with Prolonged Exposure therapy (PE), a gold-standard treatment for PTSD. All participants receive MDMA on the second day of a 10-day PE treatment program in which a PE therapy session occurs each day. This study will occur at the Emory Brain Health Center. Potential participants will be recruited via community advertising and mental health referrals.

The research team will also collect psychophysiological data for exploratory analyses regarding how MDMA may improve PE treatment for PTSD. This is an important study as it is the first time MDMA will be combined with an evidence-based existing PTSD treatment.

The study population will consist of people who meet the criteria for PTSD and are medically appropriate for MDMA administration.

Read the detailed description

Exposure-based interventions for PTSD have strong empirical support and involve helping PTSD patients confront feared trauma-related memories and triggers in a therapeutic manner so that distress decreases. This study will involve massed exposure therapy, which involves daily therapy sessions for two weeks, in combination with a one-time administration of MDMA. This is an open-label trial in which all enrolled participants will receive MDMA administration during treatment. An initial phone screen will be conducted for interested individuals to describe the study and assess eligibility. Following the phone screen, informed consent will occur. Interested individuals will also complete a drug test in their local community to be reviewed by the study team. For individuals interested in tapering their psychiatric medication, this may be done with a local provider or study physician. In this event, a psychiatric assessment will be conducted at the end of medication tapering to reassess eligibility.

For those who choose to participate and are eligible, the first day will include a medical and psychiatric assessment to confirm eligibility, a blood draw to check medical labs, a psychophysiological assessment, completion of self-report measures, and one therapy session. Additionally, an optional functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan will be offered at the pre-treatment and end-of-treatment visits.

Upon confirmation of eligibility, the second day (or Medicine session) will involve MDMA administration followed by two therapy sessions with a break in between. A psychophysiological session will also occur on Day 2. Days 3-10 (which do not involve drug administration) will include a daily exposure therapy session. Psychophysiology will be collected during the therapy session. A psychophysiology session will occur on Days 4, 9, and 10 in addition to Days 1 and 2. Participants will be contacted at one week, two weeks, four weeks, and 6 months after treatment ends to complete symptom assessments via phone or online measures.

02

Conditions studied

  • PTSD

Keywords

  • MDMA
  • Massed Exposure Therapy
03

In context

Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

2,239 studies on the registry are indexed under Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; 554 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 40 is below the median of 70 across 1,858 interventional studies indexed under Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic.

Browse Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic studies →

Lead sponsor

Emory University is the lead sponsor of 1,386 studies on the registry; 236 are open to participants now.

Of its 229 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 174 (76%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
21 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Meet criteria for PTSD
  • Willingness of the participant to sign a release for the investigators to communicate with their primary care or mental health providers if indicated
  • Are able to visually read and understand the English language and give written informed consent.
  • Are able to swallow pills.
  • Agree to have study visits and treatment sessions video and/or audio recorded,
  • Must provide a contact (relative, spouse, close friend, or another support person) who is willing and able to be reached by the investigators.
  • Must agree to inform the investigators within 48 hours of any medical conditions and procedures.
  • If able to become pregnant, must have a negative pregnancy test prior to study entry, at study entry, and prior to the Medicine Session. Must agree to use adequate birth control for a month prior to the Medicine session and through 10 days after the Medicine session.
  • Agree to the following lifestyle modifications: comply with requirements for fasting and refraining from certain medications prior to Medicine Session, and not participate in any other interventional clinical trials during the duration of the study and are driven home or to a hotel after the Medicine Session, and commit to medication dosing, therapy, and study procedures.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Are not able to give adequate informed consent.
  • Have previously participated in a Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) sponsored MDMA clinical trial.
  • Have any current problem which, in the opinion of the investigator or study physician might interfere with participation.
  • Have hypersensitivity to any ingredient of the Investigational Medicinal Product (IMP).
  • Upon review of medical or psychiatric history and assessment, have any current or past diagnosis that would be considered a risk to participating in the study
  • Current or past substance abuse that would be considered a risk for participating in the study
  • Requires ongoing psychiatric medication use with certain exceptions. Individuals may decide to taper psychiatric medications under the guidance of their local provider.
  • Have a history of any medical condition that could make receiving MDMA dangerous because of increases in blood pressure and heart rate or any medical condition the study physician believes would pose a safety risk or interfere with the effects of the treatment. Any medical disorder judged by the investigator to significantly increase the risk of MDMA administration by any mechanism is exclusionary.
  • Have any unstable medical condition that would interfere with participation.
  • Have uncontrolled hypertension) documented on three separate occasions.
  • Have Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome or any other accessory pathway that has not been successfully eliminated by ablation.
  • Have a history of ever having ventricular arrhythmia or any other abnormal heart rhythm that the study physician believes would pose a significant risk of participation.
  • Have an abnormal finding on electrocardiogram
  • Have a history of additional risk factors for Torsade de Pointes (e.g., heart failure, hypokalemia, family history of Long QT Syndrome).
  • Require the use of concomitant medications that could impact the effects or safety of MDMA during the Medicine Session.
  • Have symptomatic liver disease or significant liver enzyme elevations.
  • Have a history of hyponatremia or hyperthermia.
  • Weigh less than 48 kilograms (105 lbs.).
  • Are pregnant or nursing
  • Have engaged in ketamine-assisted therapy or used ketamine within 12 weeks of enrollment.
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
40 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Medicine Session

    3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in combination with massed exposure therapy for PTSD

    Drug: MDMA

Interventions

  • DrugMDMA

    Participants will receive MDMA HCl (100 mg, 84 mg MDMA) in combination with massed exposure therapy for PTSD.

    Also known as: MDMA-assisted massed exposure therapy, MDMA + PE

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Effect of MDMA-assisted massed exposure therapy on clinician-rated PTSD symptoms

    Measured by the change in the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) total severity score from baseline to 1-month post-treatment. The CAPS-5 is a structured clinician-administered measure that assesses the presence and severity of PTSD per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria. All the DSM-5 symptoms of PTSD are assessed and rated on a scale from 0 (Absent) to 4 (Extremely Severe), with clear anchors provided to clinicians to assist with accurate ratings.

    Time frame: Baseline (day 1) and day 42 (+/- 2 days)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Effect of MDMA on massed exposure therapy on self-reported PTSD symptoms.

    Measured by the change in the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) from baseline to 1-month post-treatment. The PCL-5 is a 20-item self-report measure of DSM-5 PTSD symptoms. Scores on the PCL range from 0 to 80.

    Time frame: Baseline (day 1) and day 42 (+/- 2 days)

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Emory Brain Health Center
    Atlanta, Georgia 30329, United States
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Maples-Keller JL, Dunlop BW, Rothbaum BO. The METEMP protocol: Massed exposure therapy enhanced with MDMA for PTSD. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2024 Nov 24;43:101400. doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2024.101400. eCollection 2025 Feb. PubMed 39895858 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 8, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05746572
Lead sponsor
Emory University
Responsible party
Jessica Maples-Keller (Assistant Professor, Emory University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Feb 27, 2023
Start date
Feb 13, 2024
Primary completion
Oct 31, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Oct 31, 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Jul 8, 2026

Study contacts

Jessica Maples-Keller, PhD
principal investigator · Emory University
Barbara O Rothbaum, PhD
principal investigator · Emory University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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