MAPS and Columbia University Partner on First-of-its-Kind Study of MDMA-Assisted Couples Therapy

• Anonymous survey with optional confidential interviews will document how practitioners facilitate MDMA-assisted couples therapy
• Findings to inform ethical guidelines, future clinical trial protocols, and policy recommendations
• Study is part of a long-term strategy to legitimize psychedelic therapies for non-diagnostic therapeutic purposes
  

NEW YORK, Feb. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) announces a formal research partnership with Columbia University to study how practitioners are facilitating MDMA-assisted couples therapy in real-world settings. This first-of-its-kind study will conduct surveys and interviews with practitioners currently facilitating MDMA-assisted therapy with couples, aiming to document the landscape of training, methods, and professional backgrounds in this emerging field.

The study will gather insights from practitioners who have facilitated MDMA-assisted therapy sessions with couples through an anonymous survey and an optional confidential interview. Findings will help inform ethical standards, future research protocols, and policy recommendations as interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy continues to grow. To learn more or participate in the survey, go here.

Practitioners have been utilizing MDMA in work with couples for decades, learning what works and what doesn’t. This study documents this knowledge so we can move forward with evidence rather than assumptions and ensure couples are supported as this field develops. This is part of our work on MDMA therapy for wellness and thriving rather than only on treating diagnosable disorders.

—Rick Doblin, PhD; Founder & President, MAPS

The study, led by Principal Investigator Dr. Jae Sevelius of Columbia University with support from Postdoctoral Research Scholar Dr. Sabrina Cluesman, in collaboration with former MAPS staff Natalie Lyla Ginsberg, McKenna Leighton, and Project Coordinator Baya Voce, has been approved by Columbia University’s Institutional Review Board.

There is a deep well of experience among practitioners working with couples and MDMA outside today’s regulatory frameworks. Our aim is to document what’s happening — what training and modalities are being used, how screening and safety are handled, why couples seek this work, and which approaches appear most helpful — so that future clinical protocols and ethical guidance are informed by evidence rather than assumption. We take data security and participant privacy extremely seriously and have designed recruitment, consent, and data handling protocols with those commitments at the center.

—Jae Sevelius, PhD; Professor of Medical Psychology, Columbia University

About the Study

• Design: Anonymous online survey (~30 minutes) with optional confidential interview (~60 minutes with compensation)
• Participants: Current or former practitioners experienced in facilitating MDMA-assisted couples sessions
• Focus Areas: Practitioner training and supervision; therapeutic modalities used alongside MDMA; screening and safety practices for dyads; session structure and pacing; reasons couples seek care; measures of personal and social connectedness; ethical considerations in community-based clinical practice
• Outputs: Peer-reviewed publications; practical recommendations for ethical standards, training, and future clinical protocols; policy-relevant insights for non-pathologized use
• Enrollment Goal: 50–100 survey responses with 10–20 in-depth interviews
  

Note: The project is not a clinical trial and does not involve MDMA administration; instead, it collects information from experienced practitioners to map real-world practices and lay the groundwork for future regulated studies. Findings will appear in peer-reviewed journals and guide clinical protocol development, ethical guidelines, and policy recommendations for future dyadic psychedelic research and training programs.

MDMA-assisted couples therapy might be MDMA’s most compelling, impactful, and natural application. It supports deeper honesty and compassion in how partners communicate, regardless of the outcome. Documenting the real-world approaches, screening practices, and risk-mitigation strategies developed by practitioners allows us to build clinical research and ethical guidance on a foundation of lived experience rather than speculation.

—Philippe Lucas, PhD; Director, Research and Safe Access, MAPS

Call for Participation

MAPS and Columbia University invite practitioners with previous or current experience facilitating MDMA-assisted work with couples — across clinical, community, and ceremonial contexts — to participate in the survey and confidential interview. More information on the study, privacy details, and eligibility criteria can be found here.

Philanthropic Support

MAPS welcomes additional philanthropic partners to help complete the qualitative phase and advance future clinical research based on the findings. To explore support opportunities, please contact giving@maps.org or visit maps.org/donate.

ABOUT MAPS
Founded in 1986, MAPS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful use of psychedelics and marijuana. MAPS previously sponsored the most advanced psychedelic-assisted therapy research in the world and continues to support psychedelic and marijuana research with a focus on the people and places most impacted by trauma. MAPS incubated Lykos Therapeutics, a drug-development public benefit company, and The Zendo Project, a leader in psychedelic harm reduction. Since MAPS was founded, philanthropic donors and grantors have given more than $150 million to advance psychedelic research, change drug policy, and shape culture.

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