MDMA Study Asks if MDMA can Help "Do the Work" in Romantic Relationships

“Romantic relationships take work” is a phrase that’s verging on cliche. What no one talks about is how there are no rulebooks on what you can do to make things easier when it comes to maintaining a healthy relationship with a partner. For some couples, it’s about regularly checking in with one another to take an emotional temperature, or something more formal, like attending couples counseling. 

As psychedelic therapy becomes increasingly more mainstream, some couples are looking to alternative ways to work on their relationships. But does it work? Some research suggests that MDMA could be a useful tool for some couples, though there’s still a way to go before it’s a reality.

A recently completed qualitative study shows promise that MDMA could help repair relationships.

Couples could benefit from MDMA therapy

Titled Evenings with Molly: Adult Couples' Use of MDMA for Relationship Enhancement, the study focused on in-depth interviews with couples relating to their use of the drug along with the set and setting as a general framework to understand their private experiences with MDMA. Four overarching themes were uncovered: Conscious Use, A Tool for Exploring, Planned Recovery, and Difficult Experiences.

The couples surveyed reported making committed decisions about the use of the drug and preparing emotionally and physically for the experience together. They described the positive impact it had on communicating, intimacy, and helping to “tune up” their relationships.

It’s important to note that the study was limited to only eight couples, and researchers admitted that more study is needed when it comes to MDMA and couples struggling in a relationship. It’s likely we’ll be reading more about this, considering the promising results of recent trials involving the drug’s impact on certain mental health disorders. 

Studies show that MDMA can be effective alongside psychotherapy

‍Recent studies that focused on MDMA in people with PTSD concluded that the treatment, along with talk therapy, was “a potential breakthrough treatment that merits expedited clinical evaluation.”

The New York Times recently explored the theory that MDMA has the potential to help mend struggling relationships. It profiled several couples who experimented with unregulated MDMA as a last-ditch attempt to save their marriages, with some success. It references a published study where six couples experienced MDMA-assisted therapy in a clinical setting. At least one member of each pairing was required to have PTSD in order to take part in the research. The research found that five of the six people with PTSD no longer experienced symptoms and had felt more satisfied in their relationship.

Michelle Craver, APRN, a clinician at Mindbloom, sees the potential in MDMA as a therapeutic tool to help couples who struggle with communication, alongside talk therapy.

“MDMA has shown to be able to help individuals open up, which could provide added benefit for couples who aren’t inherently good at discussing their feelings together,” Craver says.

Mindbloom is continuing to monitor clinical studies on MDMA and its path to approval for treatment of PTSD.

Legal and safety notes

MDMA reduces inhibitions and can lead to feelings of euphoria, sexual stimulation, empathy and a more intense closeness to others. Side effects include nausea, increased heart rate, hot flashes or chills and frequent, involuntary clenching of the jaw. Prolonged or overuse of MDMA can lead to damage to nerve cells in the brain that contain serotonin. 

In the U.S., MDMA is a Schedule I drug, which means it is not legally prescribable and is only available for clinical trials.