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Therapeutic effect of increased openness: Investigating mechanism of action in MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
August 1, 2017
Mark T Wagner et al. (7 authors)
Journal ArticleRandomized Controlled TrialHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to determine whether MDMA-assisted psychotherapy leads to lasting changes in personality traits (Openness and Neuroticism) and if these changes mediate improvements in PTSD symptoms.

Results Summary

The study found that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy increased Openness, which moderated PTSD symptom reduction, and also observed decreased Neuroticism in long-term follow-up. These changes suggest MDMA therapy may fundamentally alter personality structure beyond symptom relief.

Population

Individuals with chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (7)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy
decrease
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms
-
-
enduring improvements
#1
hallucinogens
increase
personality feature of "openness"
-
-
lasting changes
#2
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy
neutral
relationship between reduced PTSD symptoms and MDMA treatment
chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD
-
changes in Openness played a moderating role
#3
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy
increase
Openness
chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD
-
increased
#4
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy
decrease
Neuroticism
chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD
-
decreased
#5
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy
neutral
personality structure
-
-
extends beyond specific PTSD symptomatology and fundamentally alters
#6
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy
neutral
long-term persisting personality change
-
-
resulting in
#7
Abstract

A growing body of research suggests that traumatic events lead to persisting personality change characterized by increased neuroticism. Relevantly, enduring improvements in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms have been found in response to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy. There is evidence that lasting changes in the personality feature of "openness" occur in response to hallucinogens, and that this may potentially act as a therapeutic mechanism of change. The present study investigated whether heightened Openness and decreased Neuroticism served as a mechanism of change within a randomized trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD. The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) Global Scores and NEO PI-R Personality Inventory (NEO) Openness and Neuroticism Scales served as outcome measures. Results indicated that changes in Openness but not Neuroticism played a moderating role in the relationship between reduced PTSD symptoms and MDMA treatment. Following MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, increased Openness and decreased Neuroticism when comparing baseline personality traits with long-term follow-up traits also were found. These preliminary findings suggest that the effect of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy extends beyond specific PTSD symptomatology and fundamentally alters personality structure, resulting in long-term persisting personality change. Results are discussed in terms of possible mechanisms of psychotherapeutic change.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AdultCombined Modality TherapyFemaleHallucinogensHumansMaleN-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamineNeuroticismPersonality InventoryPsychotherapyStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticTreatment OutcomeYoung Adult
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality80/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations77
Citations/Year9.6
Relative Citation Ratio4.11
NIH Percentile90.5%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.95
Weight Score2.19
Normalized Score0.70
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Therapeutic effect of increased openness: Investigating mech... | Panacea Index