Published MDMA/Ecstasy Experiences of Adults on Autism Spectrum

Heh....you show up everywhere, don't you Alicia:)

Yours, Lestat.

It was most interesting to talk with you the other day, hope to catch you again on friday and hear about your psilocybin research. Any chance you could PM me the time to catch you over at AFF?
 
I could understand the interests in using this substance for theraputic assist. However to subject an autistic person to such an experience that would be highly risky when dealing with hallucinegenic amphetimine type chemical. It possesses the ability to perhaps be a bit much. I have 30+ years experience in MH and have dealt and enjoyed my experiences with children and adults diag. with autism/aspergers and Im here to just say be very careful with this. You could be pouring gas on an allready out of control fire. However, I do beleive that it is an avenue that could lead to great things. wildmans
 
I'll post a summary of key findings in this forum. . . eventually. I have to work through the monunmental tasks of data collection and analysis and writing first.

I seem to have a sense that you find that somewhat enjoyable or else you wouldn't have ended up at your current institute or in your field. Being on the cutting edge doesn't exactly lend itself to laziness. ;)

I've entered my bid in the survey. Being actually diagnosed with Asperger's disorder/syndrome and having done the prerequisite 'less than 50' amount of mdma/ecstasy(if there is one thing I will be grateful to Bluelight for is how to spell ecstasy correctly), I am quite interested in the results of this survey.
 
I have Aspergers sydrome and was diagnosed at about 6 and am now 17 so I can't really participate in this survey even though this is probably something I have thought about a lot before , the different impact drugs will have on the brain on a person with Aspergers .

Although a lot of drugs do help with the social problems of Aspergers , MDMA/ecstasy by far has to be one of the best for this , the state of well being and love for others is amazing , meth is great as well , but u just end out on an ice rant anyway .. Alcohol is really good too but brings out my depression and can make me feel sick so I'm even less talkative .

I easily find LSD amazing for insight and stuff thanks to having such a high potential for understanding and knowledge being affected by Aspergers .

One of the major downsides to drugs/Aspergers is , I'm not sure if all people with the syndrome get it or just a portion , but I have an extremely addictive personality , and almost no space in my mind for what I don't enjoy . When I like something , it's becomes my priority to become really good at it , then Eventually I get really good , flatline and quit and move on .
Unfortunately with drugs they're also extremely addictive so it really doesn't mix well , plus with things like meth u can always get very high , very regularly .
 
I am quite interested in the results of this survey.

After you finish the last survey, there's an option to indicate if you would like to receive a summary report of the key findings. Recruitment has been slow but steady. I'm hoping enrollment will pick up now that college students are on summer break. Thanks for your support of the project!
 
Research Progress Update: Since February, 2012, I have been collecting surveys and personal accounts from autistic/Aspergian adults (age 21+) who have had experiences with MDMA (Ecstasy) for my dissertation. I have collected data from participants in 10 countries so far, and data gathering is scheduled to conclude on July 31. I would like to collect 20 more survey sets by then. The community in this forum has been a top referral source, so, "Thank you!"

For information and enrollment: www.danforthresearch.com
 
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Hi Alicia,

You mention that data collection was scheduled to end on July 31st, but your website still has the button to participate in the survey. Is this just a technical error or have you expanded the timeline to gather more data?

If you've concluded data collection I'll change the status of this thread to 'writing-up'. I'm glad to hear we were a good source of survey participants, and thanks to you for the research you're doing. Be sure to tell us your findings when it wraps up. :)
 
Hi I'm mizzprincess n I came across this discuion n I done MDMA a lot n it just gives u a feeling like amazing n after tho u feel Like crap
 
^ If you do a bit of reading you'll find that it can do a lot more than that. The wikipedia page on MDMA therapy is a good place to start. The more you know.. :)
 
No, this has been addressed earlier in the thread if you want to see the details.

There is a question on whether you've had a professional diagnosis/treatment. However, those who feel they live the life of someone on the spectrum, but it hasn't been severe enough to go through clinical channels are included as well.
 
Research Update -- October 14, 2012: Interviews complete and coded. Data analysis and write up continuing at a reasonable pace. Non-MDMA comparison group survey collection complete. Room for two more survey sets from participants who have used MDMA.
 
As someone with experience dealing with Autistic individuals I can tell you your research using Aspergers diagnosed subjects will invalidate your results. Aspergers is the most commonly misdiagnosed form of Autism. I can't tell you the number of children I see that are diagnosed as AS that are not Autistic or even close. They may be a little strange or have trouble making friends. Some were just not raised well by their parents and display anti-social behavior. Instead of the doctor telling the parents their kid is just weird, they get an IEP and steal resources from truly Autistic children. Children that can't walk into a room with an echo because the sound frightens them. Childre that have trouble processing stimuli from their environment, have limited speech function and delayed learning are for whom the Autism diagnosis was intended. If you have enough comprehension to seek out and complete this survey then you are most likely not Autistic. Aspergers is not Autism. If you gave MDMA to a truly Autistic person they would not experience the sense of community you wish to exhibit from your results. It would be a traumatic and frightening experience for them. An Autistic person does not have the capability of expressing their feelings as most of their verbal reactions are taught to them. They see no purpose in verbal communication until they are taught it important for getting what they need. An Autistic person would simply shut down, cover their ears and moan and Stim to deal with the added stimulation and hallucinations from the MDMA. What makes MDMA so great to a neurotypical person is that they understand enough about what they have ingested that the effects are desireable. But imagine if you went to Wendy's and one of the employees put 10 hits of acid in your drink and you had never done LSD before. You would be freaking out because you can't explain these profound changes in your perception, mood and reality. Now imagine if you took all that LSD and were unable to tell anyone what was going on in your head or ask for help. That is what you are doing when you give MDMA to a truly Autistic individual. I think before you begin encouraging MDMA realted studies with Autistic individuals you should determine what causes Autism and recognize that Aspergers is not Autism but a personality disorder. Furthermore, there have been no drugs that are more theraputic to persons with Autism than Speech and Occupational therapy. Good old fashioned one on one, day in and day out repetition, scheduling and education.
 
As someone with experience dealing with Autistic individuals I can tell you your research using Aspergers diagnosed subjects will invalidate your results. Aspergers is the most commonly misdiagnosed form of Autism. I can't tell you the number of children I see that are diagnosed as AS that are not Autistic or even close. They may be a little strange or have trouble making friends. Some were just not raised well by their parents and display anti-social behavior. Instead of the doctor telling the parents their kid is just weird, they get an IEP and steal resources from truly Autistic children. Children that can't walk into a room with an echo because the sound frightens them. Childre that have trouble processing stimuli from their environment, have limited speech function and delayed learning are for whom the Autism diagnosis was intended. If you have enough comprehension to seek out and complete this survey then you are most likely not Autistic. Aspergers is not Autism. If you gave MDMA to a truly Autistic person they would not experience the sense of community you wish to exhibit from your results. It would be a traumatic and frightening experience for them. An Autistic person does not have the capability of expressing their feelings as most of their verbal reactions are taught to them. They see no purpose in verbal communication until they are taught it important for getting what they need. An Autistic person would simply shut down, cover their ears and moan and Stim to deal with the added stimulation and hallucinations from the MDMA. What makes MDMA so great to a neurotypical person is that they understand enough about what they have ingested that the effects are desireable. But imagine if you went to Wendy's and one of the employees put 10 hits of acid in your drink and you had never done LSD before. You would be freaking out because you can't explain these profound changes in your perception, mood and reality. Now imagine if you took all that LSD and were unable to tell anyone what was going on in your head or ask for help. That is what you are doing when you give MDMA to a truly Autistic individual. I think before you begin encouraging MDMA realted studies with Autistic individuals you should determine what causes Autism and recognize that Aspergers is not Autism but a personality disorder. Furthermore, there have been no drugs that are more theraputic to persons with Autism than Speech and Occupational therapy. Good old fashioned one on one, day in and day out repetition, scheduling and education.
 
What you're describing is low-functioning Autism. Autism exists on a spectrum. And what Aylish is hoping to accomplish with this survey is to take steps towards hopefully disproving the last two sentences. That's the purpose of scientific research. There's no way that you can know the results of the study without carrying out the experiments. What you're typing isn't the helpful blurb you think it is. It's the enemy of everything Science, Progress, and the scientific method stand for. Medical knowledge isn't static. It evolves because brave people are willing to break new ground to help people on all levels of the Autism spectrum.

And Asperger's is most definitely not a personality disorder. Aspergian traits can be found fully formed in children that are barely old enough to talk - me, for example. I had acute hyperlexia and could read perfectly as soon as I was able to talk. I also have always had incredible trouble interpreting nonverbal social cues. Personality disorders are a result of upbringing and cannot be diagnosed until the patient has reached adulthood. You will not find a six year old with borderline traits. You will not find a child that could be classified as schizoid or schizoaffective. But you will find a pre-pre-teen that has enough cues to be diagnosed with Asperger's.

Science's very purpose is to do things that haven't been done before. You sound like someone who has turned common knowledge into inflexible dogma.
 
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Is there any handbook or reference book on conducting MDMA therapy with an Aspergers patient?
Excellent work BTW.
 
Thanks for the feedback. Dr. Grob and I are currently in consultation with a multidisciplinary team, which includes autistic consultants, to modify existing guidelines for conducting MDMA-assisted therapy to develop approaches that will support study participants on the autism spectrum. We're paying careful attention to the needs of participants who receive placebo, as well.
 
Update: June, 2013

I am writing to update this forum on the progress of this research project. The final dissertation draft was approved on May 27,2013. I will post a summary report of key findings here later in the summer, and I will make a link to the final dissertation available as soon as it is posted. In the meantime, this presentation from the MAPS Psychedelic Science 2013 conference provides an overview of the emergent themes from the qualitative data analysis. (I have been told that there have been problems with playing the audio on Android devices.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCIoOu3ygYc

Thank you to all who posted encouraging words here.
 
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