Editing Entactogen (section)

===Medical===
Psychiatrists began using entactogens as psychotherapy tools in the 1970s despite the lack of clinical trials.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of emotion|last1=Malamud|first1=Ozer, Yvette|last2=Yuri|first2=Ito|date=2010-01-01|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=9780313345746|oclc=934324453}}</ref> In recent years, the scientific community has been revisiting the possible therapeutic uses of entactogens. Therapeutic models using MDMA have been studied because of its entactogenic properties.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=The therapeutic use of Ayahuasca|last1=Caiuby|first1=Labate, Beatriz|last2=Clancy|first2=Cavnar|date=2014-01-01|publisher=Springer|isbn=9783642404252|oclc=876696992}}</ref> This type of therapy would be applicable for treating a patient who was experiencing psychological trauma such as PTSD. Traumatic memories can be linked to fear in the patients which makes engaging with these memories difficult. Administration of an entactogen such as MDMA allows the patient to disconnect from the fear associated with the traumatic memories and engage in therapy.<ref name=":1" /> MDMA acts by targeting the body's stress response in order to cause this therapeutic effect. In addition to reducing anxiety and a conditioned fear response, MDMA also reduces the avoidance of feelings.<ref name=":1" /> Patients are then able to trust themselves and their therapist and engage with traumatic memories under the influence of MDMA.

Although the therapeutic effects of entactogens may be promising, drugs such as MDMA have the potential for negative effects that are counter productive in a therapy setting. For example, MDMA may make negative cognition worse. This means that a positive experience is not a guarantee and can be contingent on aspects like the setting and the patient's expectations.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Parrott|first=A. C.|date=2007-04-01|title=The psychotherapeutic potential of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine): an evidence-based review|journal=Psychopharmacology|language=en|volume=191|issue=2|pages=181–193|doi=10.1007/s00213-007-0703-5|pmid=17297639|s2cid=40322032|issn=0033-3158}}</ref> Additionally there is no clear model of the [[Psychopharmacology|psychopharmacological]] means for a positive or negative experience.<ref name=":2" />  There is also a potential concern for the [[Neurotoxicity|neurotoxic]] effects of MDMA on the fiber density of [[serotonin]] neurons in the [[neocortex]]. High doses of MDMA may cause potential depletion of serotonergic axons. The same effects may not be caused by lower doses of MDMA required for treatment, however.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Psychopharmacology : drugs, the brain, and behavior|last=F.|first=Quenzer, Linda|isbn=9780878935109|oclc=869923492|date = 2013-05-06|publisher=Sinauer }}</ref>

MDMA-assisted psychotherapy (MDMA-AT) is in late-stage [[clinical trial]]s to treat PTSD as of 2025.<ref name="Baldo2024">{{cite journal | vauthors = Baldo BA | title = The entactogen 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ecstasy) as a treatment aid in psychotherapy and its safety concerns | journal = Arch Toxicol | volume = 98 | issue = 8 | pages = 2409–2427 | date = August 2024 | pmid = 38743292 | doi = 10.1007/s00204-024-03765-8 | bibcode = 2024ArTox..98.2409B | url = }}</ref><ref name="Singh2025">{{cite journal | vauthors = Singh B | title = MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Regulatory Challenges and a Path Forward | journal = CNS Drugs | volume = 39 | issue = 4 | pages = 339–343 | date = April 2025 | pmid = 39955464 | doi = 10.1007/s40263-025-01162-y | pmc = 11910333 | pmc-embargo-date = April 1, 2026 | url = }}</ref><ref name="WolfgangFonzoGray2025">{{cite journal | vauthors = Wolfgang AS, Fonzo GA, Gray JC, Krystal JH, Grzenda A, Widge AS, Kraguljac NV, McDonald WM, Rodriguez CI, Nemeroff CB | title = MDMA and MDMA-Assisted Therapy | journal = Am J Psychiatry | volume = 182 | issue = 1 | pages = 79–103 | date = January 2025 | pmid = 39741438 | doi = 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230681 | url = }}</ref>