Have you ever wondered what happens when psychedelics—specifically MDMA, the substance often associated with rave culture—meets couples therapy? The therapeutic potential of MDMA has made waves in both the scientific community and the media, including its use as a tool to enhance couples therapy in the context of trauma. In this episode of The Integration Session, we are joined by a leading expert in the field—Dr. Anne Wagner—who conducted the first clinical trial of MDMA-assisted couples therapy. We discuss what MDMA really is, its unique effects on the brain and body, and Dr. Wagner’s findings about its promising role for relational healing.

Dr. Anne Wagner, C.Psych. (she/her), is a clinical psychologist, speaker, writer and treatment development researcher living in Toronto, Canada. Anne is the founder of Remedy, a mental health innovation community, and Remedy Institute, Remedy’s home for research. She is the lead investigator of the pilot trial of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD + MDMA and the randomized trial of Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD (CBCT) + MDMA, a couples therapy for PTSD. Anne is deeply committed to bridging the worlds of psychotherapy and non-ordinary states of consciousness, and has a passion for its use for relational healing. She is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology and an Associate Member of the Yeates School of Graduate Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University. She is the Past-Chair of the Traumatic Stress Section of the Canadian Psychological Association, has served as a Global Ambassador for the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, and is a former board member of Casey House, Toronto’s hospital for those living with and at impacted by HIV/AIDS.

For more information on her studies, including to apply, please visit www.remedyinstitute.ca.

For more information on her clinical practice, please visit www.remedycentre.ca.