MAPS: Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies

History and Mission

The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) was founded in 1986 by Rick Doblin, a Harvard Kennedy School public policy graduate who has dedicated his entire adult life to the goal of developing psychedelics and MDMA into legal prescription medicines. Doblin founded MAPS in the same year that the DEA emergency-scheduled MDMA as a Schedule I drug — a direct response to growing therapeutic and recreational use — and has described his life's work as an "undoing" of the War on Drugs in the domain of psychedelic medicine.

MAPS is structured as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation, explicitly choosing a non-commercial model to pursue research that the pharmaceutical industry had no financial incentive to fund in the 1980s and 1990s. Its stated mission is to develop psychedelics and marijuana into prescription medicines, educate the public and professionals about their risks and benefits, and advocate for their sensible regulation. Unlike universities, MAPS acts as a sponsor — funding, organising, and overseeing clinical trials contracted to academic medical centres around the world — rather than conducting research in its own laboratories.

MAPS has received funding from thousands of individual donors over its history, supplemented by major grants and foundation gifts. In 2014, MAPS established the MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) as a separate for-profit subsidiary designed to commercialise approved products while returning revenues to the nonprofit parent for continued research and advocacy. This hybrid structure attracted larger institutional investments, including a $30 million financing round in 2020. Doblin stepped down as executive director of MAPS in 2023, transitioning leadership while remaining involved as a senior adviser.

MDMA-Assisted Therapy Program

MAPS's primary research programme has focused on MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Beginning with Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials spanning the 1990s through 2010s, MAPS built an evidence base demonstrating that MDMA dramatically enhanced the effectiveness of trauma-focused therapy — reducing PTSD symptoms by enabling patients to process traumatic memories with reduced fear response and increased feelings of safety and compassion. The FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to MAPS's MDMA-assisted therapy programme in 2017, the first such designation for a psychedelic-related treatment.

Phase 3 trials (MAPP1 and MAPP2), conducted at sites across the United States, Canada, Australia, and Israel, enrolled a total of approximately 200 participants with severe PTSD. Results published in Nature Medicine in 2021 (MAPP1) and 2023 (MAPP2) showed that 67–71% of participants in the MDMA group no longer met diagnostic criteria for PTSD after three sessions, compared to 32–48% with placebo therapy. MAPS submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the FDA in December 2023. However, in August 2024 the FDA rejected the application, citing concerns about functional unblinding (participants could often tell if they received MDMA), the inability to achieve a proper placebo control in psychotherapy trials, and questions about potential cardiovascular risks and abuse liability. The FDA requested an additional Phase 3 trial with a modified design.

The FDA setback was a significant blow to MAPS and the broader psychedelic medicine field, but it has also provided a clarifying signal about what regulators will require. MAPS and MAPS PBC are working on a modified trial design to address the FDA's concerns, with the goal of re-submission. The episode has informed how psilocybin trial sponsors are designing their own Phase 3 programmes, particularly around blinding methodology and safety monitoring.

Psilocybin and Other Psychedelic Research

While MDMA has been MAPS's primary focus, the organisation has supported and funded psilocybin-related research through grants and educational initiatives. MAPS has provided financial support to researchers studying psilocybin, LSD, ibogaine, and other psychedelics, functioning as a funding clearinghouse for the broader psychedelic research ecosystem in periods when academic funding was scarce. This broad scope reflects Doblin's view that multiple psychedelics will ultimately have distinct but complementary therapeutic applications.

MAPS has been particularly active in supporting ibogaine research for opioid addiction — an area where the compound shows remarkable early clinical signals but faces significant safety concerns (cardiac arrhythmia risk) that require careful clinical management. MAPS has also sponsored or supported LSD research in Switzerland and other jurisdictions where regulatory conditions permitted it, including studies of LSD microdosing and LSD-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety.

More broadly, MAPS publications and educational resources — including its peer-reviewed journal (the MAPS Bulletin, later the Journal of Psychedelic Studies in partnership with other organisations), books, and annual Psychedelic Science conferences — have built the infrastructure of the psychedelic research community. The Psychedelic Science conference, held most recently in Denver in 2023 with approximately 12,000 attendees, is the largest gathering of psychedelic researchers, therapists, and advocates in the world and has functioned as the de facto professional congress for the field.

Policy Advocacy and Education

MAPS has from its founding combined research with drug policy advocacy, operating on the premise that regulatory and legal change is as necessary as clinical evidence for psychedelic medicines to reach patients. Doblin has testified before the FDA, submitted comments to DEA rulemaking processes, and engaged extensively with international regulatory bodies over four decades. MAPS's advocacy philosophy is explicitly harm-reduction oriented — prioritising evidence-based policy over abstinence-based drug prohibition — and aligns closely with the broader drug policy reform movement represented by organisations such as the Drug Policy Alliance.

Therapist training is a major component of MAPS's work, reflecting the understanding that MDMA- and psilocybin-assisted therapy require specialised skills distinct from conventional psychotherapy. MAPS has developed and delivered training programmes for hundreds of therapists across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia — building the clinical workforce that will be needed if psychedelic medicines achieve regulatory approval. These programmes cover set-and-setting preparation, monitoring and safety management during sessions, and integration therapy approaches.

MAPS has also been involved in harm reduction efforts at the community level, including the establishment of Zendo Project, a harm reduction service operating at music festivals that provides peer support to individuals experiencing difficult drug experiences. The Zendo model — offering calm, compassionate peer presence, normalisation, and "talking down" rather than medical intervention — has been adopted by other organisations globally and represents a practical application of psychedelic-informed principles outside the clinical context. By demonstrating that psychedelic crises can be resolved through psychological rather than pharmacological means, Zendo has contributed to the evidence base for the safety of psychedelics when supported appropriately.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was MAPS founded and by whom?

MAPS was founded in 1986 by Rick Doblin, a public policy graduate who has dedicated his career to developing psychedelics and MDMA into legal medicines. The organisation was founded the same year the DEA emergency-scheduled MDMA, in direct response to that scheduling. Doblin stepped down as executive director in 2023 but remains involved as a senior adviser.

What is MAPS's primary research focus?

MAPS's primary research focus is MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). After decades of Phase 1 and 2 trials, MAPS conducted Phase 3 trials (MAPP1, MAPP2) showing 67–71% of participants no longer met PTSD criteria after treatment. An FDA NDA submitted in 2023 was rejected in 2024; re-submission is planned with a modified trial design.

Why did the FDA reject MAPS's MDMA application?

In August 2024, the FDA rejected the MDMA-assisted therapy NDA citing concerns about functional unblinding (participants often knew if they received MDMA vs placebo), challenges of blinding in a psychotherapy context, potential cardiovascular risks, and questions about abuse liability. The FDA requested an additional Phase 3 trial with a modified design before re-submission.

Does MAPS work on psilocybin?

Yes. While MDMA is MAPS's primary focus, the organisation has funded and supported psilocybin, LSD, ibogaine, and other psychedelic research through grants and educational initiatives. MAPS has also hosted international conferences (Psychedelic Science) that have become the central gathering of the psilocybin research community.

What is MAPS PBC?

MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) is the for-profit subsidiary established in 2014 to commercialise MAPS's approved products while returning revenues to the nonprofit parent for continued research. It attracted a $30 million institutional financing round in 2020. This hybrid structure allows MAPS to access commercial capital while maintaining its mission-driven nonprofit core.

What is the Psychedelic Science conference?

Psychedelic Science is the largest annual conference in the psychedelic research field, organised by MAPS. The 2023 Denver conference attracted approximately 12,000 attendees — researchers, therapists, advocates, and interested public — and is regarded as the de facto professional congress of the global psychedelic medicine community.

Does MAPS train therapists?

Yes. Therapist training is a major MAPS programme, recognising that MDMA- and psilocybin-assisted therapy requires specialised skills. MAPS has trained hundreds of therapists across the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia in set-and-setting preparation, safety monitoring during sessions, and integration therapy — building the clinical workforce for when psychedelic medicines achieve regulatory approval.

What is the Zendo Project?

The Zendo Project is a harm reduction programme established by MAPS that provides peer support to individuals experiencing difficult drug experiences at music festivals. Trained volunteers offer calm, compassionate presence, normalisation, and psychological support ("talking down") rather than medical intervention. The model has been adopted globally and demonstrates that psychedelic crises can often be resolved through skilled psychological support.

Is MAPS involved in drug policy advocacy?

Yes. MAPS has combined research with drug policy advocacy since its founding, operating on the principle that regulatory change is as necessary as clinical evidence. Doblin has testified before the FDA and engaged with regulatory bodies internationally for decades. MAPS aligns philosophically with harm-reduction-oriented drug policy reform organisations such as the Drug Policy Alliance.

What is MAPS's stance on harm reduction?

MAPS explicitly embraces harm reduction as a philosophical and practical framework — prioritising evidence-based approaches to minimising drug-related harm over abstinence-only prohibition. This is reflected in the Zendo Project's festival support services, MAPS's support for drug checking, and its broader advocacy for decriminalisation and regulated access as alternatives to criminalisation of drug users.