MDMA Psychotherapy vs Regular Psychotherapy

[Patrick Lynam]

Does anyone have experience with the two? Im getting frustrated with myself and I'm not very hopeful about regular psychotherapy when you hear stories about MDMA assisted psychotherapy and it sometimes being equivalent to 12 months of regular therapy. Is regular therapy a waste of my time and money should i travel to a country where mdma psychotherapy is legal? 

[ivory]

I have experience with regular psychotherapy. The thing with therapy is that it's a very slow process. But for me it was worth it and I would do it again. Whatever you do, know that it's going to take time. I personally don't believe that mdma is a replacement for regular therapy because you still have to face whatever it is that you're avoiding. For example, if you're afraid of conflict, mdma isn't going to cure you of that fear. If you're afraid of talking to hot chicks, same deal. You're going to face your fears over, and over, and over until they no longer bother you. Self-criticism is an especially difficult beast to tame. Most of the healing process is very counterintuitive. It really helps to have a professional point out the flaws in your thinking and teach you how to work with them. Be wary of anyone who tells you that you're going to heal after one or two sessions of anything. You heal by being out in the world and rising to the challenges that life presents you. It really, really helps to have a someone in your corner coaching you as you move through life.

[Elisabeth]

I heared a talk about MDMA assisted psychotherapy. A couple of relevant points is: 

- it seems to be really great for PTSD, with other problems, not necessarily/not tested

- the therapeutic setting is still very important, it's not the same to just take mdma, in mdma therapy you do hours of talking on the drug, and further integration sessions; it's still extremely important to trust the therapist

[David Hammond]

@Patrick Lynam Theapy is a complete waste of money because talking isn't solving any problems, it's addressing the problem on the wrong level of the human being. 

Things are just talked about but the underlying emotions aren't changed because these things are from a different part of the mind. Often times therapist try to change their clients and even use methods like gaslighting in order to force results, which is very bad practice because the reason the person is damaged in the first instance is because they were forced to change and not given unconditional love. 

Stick with meditation. It worked for me, I'm an enlightened master! 

Edited May 9, 2019 by David Hammond

[Leo Gura]

@Patrick Lynam I'm not really sure anyone offers MDMA assisted therapy since MDMA is illegal in most countries and a serious therapist would not want to risk it.

You can either do psychedelics on your own and that itself is the therapy.

Or you can consider doing psychedelics with a shaman like with Ayahuasca or toad venom or ibogaine clinics in Costa Rica, Canada, etc.

Traditional talk therapy certainly works, but nothing compares to the therapeutic power of psychedelics. You don't need a therapist to administer it. The psychedelic is 100x wiser than any silly therapist. The therapist is more of a distraction than of help during a trip. The psychedelic will show you everything you need to know about yourself and your issues if you come to it with a genuine intention. All that's required is that you want to know the TRUTH about your issue. That's all. The psychedelic will show you all the answers, as much as you're willing to stomach.

Just make sure you follow a proper tripping protocol. And start with small doses.

It's very smart to take charge of your own mental and psychological issues. No one can really sort you out but you. Which is why traditional talk therapy is so gradual. The answers are all inside you, if you'd only sit down with a notepad and introspect.

You can teach yourself how to diagnose and troubleshoot all of your own psychological problems.

Of course if you have the cash to burn, talk therapy could be good too. But you can't just rely on talk therapy to fix your life. Your life will require a lot deeper work to truly sort out. No talk therapist even understands how deep this work goes. So it's worth your time to learn how to self-help.

[daniel695]

@Leo Gura how would you suggest someone learn how to self-help themselves? where can they go to learn how to really question and introspect? im questioning my beliefs and want to be more effective with changing my perspective. will i get better with more time at asking better questions? what you do is appreciated and will also appreciate your decision to move forward in your journey!

[NisKobolds]

I did MDMA with my (now) husband and that night I could free myself from a lot of bad things of our relationship (we where separated at that time, trying to get back together). Today we are a strong couple with two kids. I was a powerful therapy experience, and I think without it I would not be able to  restart things with him. I doubt that conventional therapy would work the same so fast as it was with MDMA. Truly incredible for me. You can try it alone with a good mindset.