All tagged Psychology

Psychedelics and Psychiatry–the use of MDMA as a psychotherapy adjunct

Psychedelics and Psychiatry–the use of MDMA as a psychotherapy adjunct

Caleb Smith
Science & Nature

In the context of psychotherapy, MDMA is a psychedelic that has a considerable quantity of data supporting its efficacy in its role as an adjunct to therapy. With the completion of the second and final phase three clinical trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of PTSD in 2022, and the data available from those trials–MAPP1 demonstrated that 88% of participants displayed significant improvements, 67% no longer met criteria for diagnosis, MAPP2 showed results from participants having moderate PTSD, not exclusively severe, and lastly, MAPP2 enrolled nearly twice as many participants of color–it is evident that there will be a New Drug Application in the near future (Kuntz, 2022). This presents a potentially very promising future for PTSD patients who have yet to find relief from their symptoms in psychotherapy or psychopharmacology. 

Cognitive Anthropology A Primer

Cognitive Anthropology A Primer

Savannah Hinson Rivas
Science & Nature

Are anthropologists necessary to the great hunt for a unified theory of mind? Will cognitive anthropology decisively confirm whether anthropology as a whole is part of the humanities or the sciences? Are cognitive anthropological methodologies compatible with the research methods of other subfields of cognitive science? These are the big questions, of course, and to address them exhaustively is a near-impossible task for any researcher, and there is indeed conflict among anthropologists, even those who identify specifically as cognitive anthropologists, as to how this field can and should proceed. The goal of this brief article is to act as a primer, an introduction to this colorful and, I will argue throughout this series, necessary pillar of human cognitive studies.