Department of Veterans Affairs to fund research into psychedelic therapy for PTSD

by: Maddie Biertempfel

Posted: Dec 10, 2024 / 04:29 PM EST

Updated: Dec 10, 2024 / 04:29 PM EST

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The Department of Veterans Affairs announced earlier this month it’s funding research into psychedelic therapy for veterans with PTSD.

“Finally. Finally, the VA is saying there’s something here. Let’s study it,” Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.) said.

That something California Congressman Lou Correa says is MDMA. More commonly known as ecstasy, the psychedelic paired with therapy, Correa says, has eased PTSD in some veterans.

“We got to pull back the stigma around MDMA,” Correa said.

It’s not currently legal in the U.S., and the FDA rejected the drug’s approval earlier this year, but Correa says the number of veteran suicides warrants trying something new.

“Right now, 20 veterans a day are committing suicide. These drugs that we have are not working,” Correa said.

Correa and 59 other lawmakers sent a letter to the Biden administration in August, calling for more research into the treatment.

In a letter responding to Correa, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough said the VA will spend $1.5 million on a five-year study that starts next year.

VA researchers at Brown and Yale Universities will evaluate the treatment, which McDonough writes is: “believed to increase emotional openness, reduce fear, and promote introspection during therapy.”

“So it’s very promising. We definitely applaud the organization,” Heroic Hearts Project President and Founder Jesse Gould said.

Jesse Gould with the Heroic Hearts Project helps connect veterans to psychedelic treatments. He says this is a good first step to helping stem veteran suicides and improving mental health.

“Men and women have bravely served the country,” Gould said. “They upheld their end of the bargain, and now it’s the country’s turn.”

Department of Veterans Affairs to fund research into psychedelic therapy for PTSD | DC News Now