Rick Doblin - The Man Bringing Psychedelic Therapies To The World

Jun 18

Introduction

Rick Doblin is a familiar face on the psychedelic scene. Not only is he the founder and executive director of Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), but also an activist who has fought tirelessly to make sure that researchers can study psychedelic therapies. His work has been instrumental in making MDMA-assisted psychotherapy an FDA-approved treatment for post traumatic stress disorder, and it likely won't be long until the first prescription drug derived from a psychedelic will be available for those who need it most.

Doblin is a man who has made it his life's work to bring psychedelic therapies to the world.

You may know Rick Doblin for his work with the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), the non-profit he founded in 1986 that has brought psychedelic therapy to the world. And now, after nearly 30 years of hard work, Doblin is ready to take it to the next level.

He studied clinical psychology with a focus on drug policy reform at New College in Florida and got a PhD in public policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Doblin also studied clinical psychology and drug policy reform at New College in Florida. He got his PhD in public policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, where he wrote about the history and politics of psychedelic research.

Doblin is a controversial figure in the psychiatric community, but his passion for psychedelic research has led him to found MAPS (the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies), which has been working on turning LSD into a federally approved prescription medicine since 1986.

He founded MAPS in 1986.

Doblin founded MAPS in 1986 to study the effects of psychedelic drugs on humans. Doblin and his team were focused on making psychedelic therapies available to the public, and they wanted to know what the effects were.

The non-profit organization has since made significant progress in their mission, with psilocybin clinical trials currently in progress as an antidote for depression, MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, ayahuasca ceremonies for addiction treatment and other uses.

He believes that psychedelics should be used as tools and not as recreational drugs.

When you look at the research, it's hard to argue with Doblin's belief that psychedelics can be used as powerful tools. Recent studies have shown that psychedelic substances like psilocybin and LSD can treat a number of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety and PTSD. And in some cases, they're more effective than traditional medications—especially when treating addiction.

"There are very few things out there that are this effective," Doblin said. "So we need to figure out how to make them available."

Doblin thinks the main reason why psychedelics haven't been widely used is because of stigma surrounding them. He hopes his work will help eliminate that stigma by demonstrating how powerful these substances are when used responsibly and under proper supervision; "If you give these medicines to people who are trained professionals," he said, "they're going to work better."

Psychedelic therapies can help treat trauma, addiction, depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses.

Psychedelic therapies can help treat trauma, addiction, depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses. In fact, the use of psychedelic substances to treat mental health conditions is nothing new. In fact, it's been happening for thousands of years.

Before the 1960s, when psychedelics were banned by western governments worldwide (except for in South America), they were commonly used in psychotherapy by psychiatrists who believed that psychedelics could unlock inner tensions and unconscious thoughts that would otherwise remain hidden from view. The first clinical trials with LSD as an aid to psychotherapy began at Harvard University in Maryland Psychiatric Research Center under the supervision of Timothy Leary - a psychologist well known for his liberal views on sex and drugs - as well as with Sidney Cohen at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). They believed that these drugs could help open up people's minds so that they could face their problems head-on rather than running away from them or suppressing them with other methods like talk therapy or medication alone."

Doblin has gone after governments and the DEA to get approval for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy through clinical trials.

Doblin has gone after governments and the DEA to get approval for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy through clinical trials. He's had a lot of success, too; in 2017, Doblin was able to get approval from the FDA to begin Phase 3 clinical trials on MDMA as a treatment for PTSD. This means that they are progressing closer and closer to getting it approved by the FDA—but there's still more work to do before we can say with 100% certainty that this will happen.

Doblin has been fighting for more than 30 years now, and he doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon. His goal is simple: bring psychedelic therapies out of the darkness so people can benefit from them around the world—and if that means taking down governments or fighting other organizations along the way? Then so be it!

MAPS currently sponsors four studies exploring MDM-assisted treatment for PTSD, one recently completed study that showed promising results in treating depression with psilocybin (the psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms), and another study approved by the FDA focusing on using LSD to help patients face death.

MAPS currently sponsors four studies exploring MDM-assisted treatment for PTSD, one recently completed study that showed promising results in treating depression with psilocybin (the psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms), and another study approved by the FDA focusing on using LSD to help patients face death.

MAPS is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing psychedelic therapy into mainstream medical practice. It’s an important nonprofit because it funds research into the therapeutic benefits of psychedelic drugs, which have been shown to alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression. In fact, MAPS has sponsored more than 100 clinical trials involving people who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

They are also sponsoring research at Johns Hopkins University looking into using MDMA, psilocybin and psilocybin to treat PTSD, anorexia nervosa and obsessive compulsive disorder, respectively.

These studies are only in the early phases of their research but Doblin hopes to see them reach fruition as soon as 2021.

Conclusion

MAPS has also been funding training programs for therapists who want to be trained in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Doblin hopes that this will help create a network of therapists around the world who can deliver these treatments to those who need them. This is just the beginning of what he hopes will become a larger movement toward using psychedelics as tools for healing and growth.