20. The Current State of Psychedelics: An Insider’s Perspective

Psychedelic Divas

We are celebrating the one-year anniversary of the podcast with a cornerstone of the psychedelic renaissance: Amy Emerson. Amy is a respected leader in the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy. She was Lykos Therapeutics CEO for an important period in advancing MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder as a drug with the FDA. In 2003, she began volunteering with the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), assisting with clinical research monitoring. Her expertise was instrumental in establishing MAPS' clinical department and managing the MDMA Clinical Development Program. When MAPS founded its Public Benefit Corporation in 2014 to develop and commercialize MDMA-assisted therapy, Amy was appointed CEO. The organization, later rebranded as Lykos Therapeutics, completed multiple Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials and raised a successful Series A all working toward the goal of obtaining FDA approval for MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. Amy resigned from her CEO role in September 2024. Currently she is an advisor in the psychedelic research field.

In this episode, Amy shares about her own personal psychedelic use and how that led her to her early volunteer work with MAPS. We discuss what happened with the FDA approval process with MDMA, what went right, what went wrong and where the process goes from here. As part of the what-went-wrong focus, we explore what can be done to minimize the harm from inappropriate sexual encounters in psychedelic therapy, including the importance of therapists doing their own shadow work to help mitigate such abuse. We do a deep dive into the world of trauma and how these medicines can help provide healing on a number of levels. Amy also provides her dream scenario for where the psychedelic world could ideally be in ten years.

Learn More About Amy Emerson

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-emerson-5ab7473/

Connect with Carla

If you’re inspired by this episode and want to stay connected, follow Carla and Psychedelic Divas on social media or visit the website to get your Psychedelic Safety Guide Including What to Do When Things Go Wrong:

· Website: PsychedelicDivas.com

· Carla’s Coaching: CarlaDetchon.com

· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/psychedelicdivas

· YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@carladetchon

· Subscribe & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Psychedelic Divas. Your support helps amplify these important conversations and grow our community.