I do see the logic in its clinical application: It's the combination of two facts:
1) Human recall is imperfect. The act of remembering an event actively modifies the memory for future recall, which can be tinted by other thoughts and experiences someone is having while doing the recollection.
2) It's rather difficult to feel strong negative emotion while on MDMA. While under the effects, the baseline is somewhere between "happy" and "downright euphoric".
Combine those two ideas, and you have a pretty compelling groundwork for how MDMA would help those with traumatic memories, particularly PTSD. Dose them with feel-good drugs, have them recall and talk through their traumatic memories without the usual, extreme negative emotional response, and the new memories are less associated with extreme negative emotion. Rinse, repeat, until someone can remember a traumatic experience without setting off an extreme stress response.
> It's rather difficult to feel strong negative emotion while on MDMA. While under the effects, the baseline is somewhere between "happy" and "downright euphoric".
I am floored by this assertion, as it's completely contrary to my experience. My reaction to MDMA was a nightmare of disorientation, fear, and anxiety. I don't remember the dosage, but the setting was my own home, among friends and acquaintances at my own birthday party.
I don't know if my strongly negative memories of this event constitute "trauma," but they are certainly neither warm nor fuzzy.
Did you have it tested? If you look at Erowid’s test reports, so many things that are labeled “Ecstasy” are not wholly or even partly MDMA. Lots of samples are mostly either MDA, meth, other stimulants, a combination of those or other non related chemicals.
Actual, pure MDMA can only ever make you feel good.
> It's rather difficult to feel strong negative emotion while on MDMA.
This is patently incorrect.
My experience is that MDMA makes one feel emotions much more intensely, with a bias towards positive emotions.
I've personally felt a number of negative emotions on MDMA as well, primarily loneliness when I've taken it alone, or ended up alone after taking it. This makes sense because it makes one strongly desire physical intimacy and physical touch of various kinds (hugs, shoulder rubs, compliments, deep expressions of love, etc)
Even the negative emotions I've experienced on it have however generally occurred at the same time of very positive physical sensations, and a strong sense of connection with myself.
1) Human recall is imperfect. The act of remembering an event actively modifies the memory for future recall, which can be tinted by other thoughts and experiences someone is having while doing the recollection.
2) It's rather difficult to feel strong negative emotion while on MDMA. While under the effects, the baseline is somewhere between "happy" and "downright euphoric".
Combine those two ideas, and you have a pretty compelling groundwork for how MDMA would help those with traumatic memories, particularly PTSD. Dose them with feel-good drugs, have them recall and talk through their traumatic memories without the usual, extreme negative emotional response, and the new memories are less associated with extreme negative emotion. Rinse, repeat, until someone can remember a traumatic experience without setting off an extreme stress response.