Can Psychedelics Help With Conflict Resolution?

MDMA and ketamine are types of psychedelics, sometimes referred to as "heart-opening" medicines. By relaxing our defensive armor and increasing feelings of safety and compassion, they create a pathway for more authentic communication. MDMA is currently a heartbeat away from being FDA-approved to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in combination with talk therapy. Ketamine is currently used off-label to treat depression, anxiety, and PTSD, and many clinicians are combining ketamine with therapy to obtain a deeper level of healing. Studies show that MDMA decreases activity in the fear center of our brains, the amygdala. This means that stressful and upsetting content that may otherwise trigger a fear response is instead approached through a peaceful and compassionate lens. So, people having conflicts may be able to really listen to another person’s perspective without shutting down or attacking.

MDMA in Couple’s Therapy

I had heard anecdotally how MDMA can help partners rekindle their passion. But I hadn't known there was literature from the 1980s describing MDMA's effectiveness in couple's therapy.

Greer and Tolbert write,

The single best use of MDMA is to facilitate more direct communication between people involved in a significant relationship. Not only is communication enhanced during the session, but afterward as well. Once a therapeutically motivated person has experienced the lack of true risk involved in direct and open communication, it can be practiced without the assistance of MDMA. . . . Regardless of the mechanism, most subjects expressed a greater ease in relating to their partners, friends, and coworkers for days to months after their sessions. (Greer and Tolbert, 1986)

MDMA seems to work as a catalyst for dissolving encrusted communication blocks. Ingrasci, who treated 100 patients with MDMA from 1980-1985, many of them couples, writes,

“To sit with a couple . . . as they kind of opened up and you facilitate the process a bit, but, quite frankly, once things get rolling, it’s like, they just kind of go where they need to go. . . . What [MDMA] does is actually remove the fear of being real, of being authentic with yourself and with other people. . . . Afterwards . . . you don’t need to take MDMA in order to experience authenticity." (Ingrasci, 2000)

In this state, neurotic fears are dissolved, and the couples are able to communicate in very direct, honest, and compassionate ways. “I have seen MDMA help many couples break through long-standing communication blocks because of the safety that emerges in the session as a result of the drug.” (Ingrasci, 1985)

Might Psychedelics Help a Divided Family?

As I read through these clinician’s insights, I couldn’t help but wonder if there may be other areas where psychedelics could facilitate conflict resolution. What about workplace conflict? Family conflict? What would happen if a politically divided family that is on the brink of not speaking to each other took MDMA together at Thanksgiving?

It turns out that many of my musings were not original. In certain cultures in South America, psychedelics have been used for thousands of years to help resolve family conflicts and build a cohesive group. In the US, workplace retreats are turning to psychedelics, sometimes holding ketamine "experientials" to help foster a healthy group work dynamic.

Might Psychedelics Offer Hope for International Conflicts?

Although hard to believe, there are small studies suggesting that psychedelics may play a role in finding peace between nations. One small study examined a small group of participants in Ayahuasca ceremonies, which included Palestinians and Israelis, and found that both sides had more compassion for the other’s perspective and actually had a lived experience of being the other nationality. Of course, psychedelics cannot magically cure the world of conflict. But in a very divided world, it can be nice to feel a sliver of hope.