When New Yorker Stacy Berman was young, she would take MDMA (otherwise known as “molly” or “ecstacy”) once in awhile for recreational reasons. It just made her feel good, she says. So when she discovered as an adult that she’d been suffering from Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD)—often found in victims of child abuse and Holocaust survivors—she thought she’d give MDMA another try.
At the time, Berman was working to complete a doctoral program in mind/body medicine. She couldn’t believe how much MDMA helped. “The idea behind CPTSD is that in a situation where a person is not able to fight or flee, they tend to freeze up… MDMA allowed me to start feeling again,” she says.
[quote position="right" is_quote="false"]It’s difficult to set up and run clinical trials on MDMA because it’s a Schedule 1 illegal substance, like heroin.[/quote]
Researchers have been studying this party drug for years now, digging up compelling physiological and behavioral evidence that MDMA promotes strong feelings of empathy, closeness, and positivity. The substance is scientifically classified as an “empathogen” and was described by The Daily Beast as a “turbo-charged SSRI” (or antidepressant).
Over the years, the results have been so intriguing to leading Stanford neuroscientist/psychiatrist Robert Malenka and his colleague Boris Heifets, an anesthesiologist, that the two teamed up to argue that MDMA is worthy of rigorous scientific exploration. Their commentary appeared late last month in the journal Cell.
“For many decades both in my own work and as a well-trained neuroscientist, I've viewed psychoactive substances as valuable probes of the nervous system,” says Malenka. He’s especially fascinated by how MDMA evokes what he calls “a powerful pro-social effect.” In other words, it appears to promote “positive, good feelings towards another member of your species, rather than negative, aggressive feelings,” he says.
But it’s difficult to set up and run clinical trials on MDMA because it’s a Schedule 1 illegal substance, like heroin. The National Institute on Drug Abuse states that high doses of MDMA “can lead to a spike in body temperature that can occasionally result in liver, kidney, or heart failure or even death.” Overdoses and deaths at raves or festivals like 2013’s Electric Zoo shouldn’t be ignored. Still, Malenka and Heifets argue, trials on the safety and utility of MDMA have uncovered undeniable therapeutic potential. Notably, a 2011 controlled study of a group of PTSD sufferers published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that 83 percent of the participants who received MDMA no longer qualified as having PTSD by its end. Another study from 2016 showed that MDMA reduces social anxiety in autistic adults.
Before MDMA can be effectively utilized as a form of therapy, Malenka says its molecular underpinnings need to be better understood. Early research has suggested that MDMA may influence the release of the neurochemical oxytocin, the hormone essential to feelings of love and bonding in humans. But, says Malenka, “What hasn't been done is really trying to figure out which of those molecular targets are the most important for its pro-social effects—where in the brain those molecular targets are located.”
[quote position="left" is_quote="true"]One controlled study of PTSD sufferers found that 83 percent of the participants who received MDMA no longer qualified as having PTSD by its end.[/quote]
This is where the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Study (MAPS) comes in. Malenka credits the organization with having done a tremendous amount of work in raising awareness and lifting legislative and legal burdens to study MDMA. According to their website, “MAPS is undertaking a roughly $20 million plan to make MDMA into a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved prescription medicine by 2021.”
Compass, which is pushing for similar goals but primarily for psilocybin (mushrooms), also focuses on “accelerating access to evidence-led innovation in mental health and well-being,” according to its co-founder and director George Goldsmith.
Goldsmith is optimistic about the future of hallucinogenic-based drug therapies. “We think there could be great promise in combining these medicines to create a greater sense of openness with a new therapy in a careful, supportive environment,” he says, adding that they have no intention of eventually pushing these kinds of drugs “at CVS or Walgreens.”
Berman, who went on to finish her doctoral program and found her own integrated wellness startup, agrees. After taking MDMA an estimated six or seven more times over a five-year period—in combination with therapy and meditation—Berman feels that it allowed her to “open up and feel vulnerable again and trust people.” Her encounter with MDMA’s therapeutic purposes inspired her to more deeply research what was behind the “profound feelings of love and connection” she’d experienced. After looking into a number of studies, Berman feels confident stating that the MDMA “literally rewired my brain in a way that allowed me to start feeling and then to process the good and the bad.”
Of course, Berman recommends caution and care when pursuing this illicit substance, both because it is illegal and because she feels anyone intending to take it must “always know and trust the person who has given it to you. Be in a safe environment.”
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A Looney Tunes classic. 
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Love, Mom.Photo from Heidi Johnson 
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Why do some folks use social media but don't engage?
Psychologist says people who never comment on social media share these 5 positive traits
For over 20 years, social media has developed into a staple in many people’s day-to-day lives. Whether it’s to keep in communication with friends and family, following the thoughts of celebrities, or watching cat videos while sipping your morning coffee, there seem to be two types of social media users: commenters and lurkers.
The term “lurker” sounds equally mysterious and insidious, with some social media users writing them off as non-participants at best or voyeurs at worst. However, mindfulness expert Lachlan Brown believes these non-commenters have some very psychologically positive and healthy traits. Let’s take a look at how each one of these traits could be beneficial and see how fruitful lurking might be even though it can drive content creators crazy.
1. Cautious about vulnerability
Consciously or not, making a post online or commenting on one puts you and your words out there. It’s a statement that everyone can see, even if it’s as simple as clicking “like.” Doing so opens yourself up to judgment, with all the good, bad, and potential misinterpretation that comes with it. Non-commenters would rather not open themselves up to that.
These silent users are connected to a concept of self-protection by simply not engaging. By just scrolling past posts or just reading/watching them without commentary, they’re preventing themselves from any downsides of sharing an opinion such as rejection, misunderstanding, or embarrassment. They also have more control on how much of themselves they’re willing to reveal to the general public, and tend to be more open face-to-face or during one-on-one/one-on-few private chats or DMs. This can be seen as a healthy boundary and prevents unnecessary exposure.
Considering many comment sections, especially involving political topics, are meant to stir negative emotional responses to increase engagement, being extra mindful about where, when, and what you comment might not be a bad idea. They might not even take the engagement bait at all. Or if they see a friend of theirs post something vulnerable, they feel more motivated to engage with them personally one-on-one rather than use social media to publicly check in on them.
2. Analytical and reflective mindset
How many times have you gone onto Reddit, YouTube, or any other site and just skimmed past comments that are just different versions of “yes, and,” “no, but,” or “yes, but”? Or the ever insightful, formerly popular comment “First!” in a thread? These silent browsers lean against adding to such noise unless they have some valid and thoughtful contribution (if they bother to comment period).
These non-posters are likely wired on reflective thinking rather than their initial intuition. Not to say that all those who comment aren’t thoughtful, but many tend to react quickly and comment based on their initial feelings rather than absorbing the information, thinking it over, researching or testing their belief, and then posting it. For "lurkers," it could by their very nature to just do all of that and not post it at all, or share their thoughts and findings privately with a friend. All in all, it’s a preference of substance over speed.
3. High sense of self-awareness
Carried over from the first two listed traits, these silent social media users incorporate their concern over their vulnerability and their reflective mindset into digital self-awareness. They know what triggers responses out of them and what causes them to engage in impulsive behavior. It could be that they have engaged with a troll in the past and felt foolish. Or that they just felt sad after a post or got into an unnecessary argument that impacted them offline. By knowing themselves and seeing what’s being discussed, they choose to weigh their words carefully or just not participate at all. It’s a form of self-preservation through restraint.
4. Prefer to observe rather than perform
Some folks treat social media as information, entertainment, or a mix of both, and commenting can feel like they’re yelling at the TV, clapping alone in a movie theater when the credits roll, or yelling “That’s not true!” to a news anchor that will never hear them. But contrary to that, social media is a place where those yells, claps, and accusations can be seen and get a response. By its design, social media is considered by experts and the media as performative, regardless of whether it is positive or negative. Taking all of the previously mentioned traits into account, one can see why they would prefer to “observe the play” rather than get up on the stage of Facebook or X.
On top of that, these non-commenters could be using social media differently than those who choose to fully engage with it. Using this type of navigation, there may be nothing for them to comment about. Some commenters are even vying for this for their mental health. There are articles about how to better curate your social media feeds and manipulate algorithms to create a better social media experience to avoid unnecessary conflict or mentally tiring debate.
If you go on a blocking spree on all of your accounts and just follow the posters that boost you, it could turn your social media into a nice part of your routine as you mainly engage with others face-to-face or privately. In terms of commenting, if your curated Instagram is just following cute dogs and all you have to offer for a comment is “cute dog,” you might just enjoy the picture and then move on with your day rather than join in the noise. These non-commenters aren’t in the show and they’re fine with it.
5. Less motivated by social validation
The last trait that Brown showcases is that social media users who browse without posting tend to be independent from external validation, at least online. Social media is built to grow through feedback loops such as awarding likes, shares, and reposts of your content along with notifications letting you know that a new person follows you or wants to connect. This can lead many people to connect their activity on social media with their sense of self worth, especially with adolescents who are still figuring out their place in the world and have still-developing brains.
Engaging in social media via likes, shares, comments, and posts rewards our brains by having them release dopamine, which makes us feel good and can easily become addictive. For whatever reason, non-commenters don’t rely on social media as a means to gauge their social capital or self worth. This doesn’t make them better than those who do. While some non-commenters could have healthier ways to boost their self worth or release dopamine into their systems, many get that validation from equally unhealthy sources offline. That said, many non-commenters’ silence could be a display of independence and self confidence.
Whether you frequently comment online or don’t, it’s good to understand why you do or don’t. Analyzing your habits can help you determine whether your online engagement is healthy, or needs to be tweaked. With that information, you can then create a healthy social media experience that works for you.