Psychedelics and autism
The most recent Psychedelic Salon podcast features new research on the use of psychedelics (specifically MDMA/”Ecstasy”) for treating social anxiety due to autism.
Psychologist Alicia Danforth surveyed autistic adults with MDMA experience. Many reported sudden, dramatic, and long-lasting improvements in social anxiety due to the use of MDMA. These reports are anecdotal and Danforth emphasized the need for further, quantitative research.
To that end, Danforth and UCLA Psychologist Charles Grob are currently recruiting adult volunteers with autism for a clinical trial of MDMA therapy. More information is available on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Posted in: Reason and Magic
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Fascinating. Another potential medical use to add to PTSD, depression, addiction, and end-of-life anxiety in terminal cancer patients.
Thanks, Sarah. I wonder what these conditions have in common.
Hi Geoff,
I wonder if you ever watch non-American TV, and thus have stumbled across a Danish TV series called “Bron-Broen” (“The Bridge”). Do not mistake this for the American version, which is terrible. The original series portrayed a character who was a successful and effective police detective, in spite of her pretty serious case of Asperger’s, which placed her somewhere on the autism scale. As I watched Sonya Helin’s masterful performance, I often found myself wondering what a dose of Ecstasy or LSD would do for her. After reading this piece, I suspect it would have helped.
I haven’t seen either version of the show you mention, but it sounds like one worth watching. (This is a little embarrassing to admit, but I’m a TV Luddite. The last thing I watched on TV was the Obama inauguration in 2009.)
It’s fascinating that psychedelics offer promise for treating such a wide range of conditions. PTSD, addiction, depression, and so on. I really wonder what these conditions have in common that makes them amenable to treatment by a drug like psilocybin. From a layperson’s standpoint, I notice that people who suffer from these conditions often claim that they feel like they’re imprisoned, trapped in a box. Psychedelics break down boundaries. Perhaps the drug gives them an initial experience of freedom. Once they see it’s possible, they can take it from there.