ANNIE AND MICHAEL MITHOEFER
Michael and Annie Mithoefer have been instrumental in developing the MDMA protocols and standards of care that have been used in the ongoing MAPS FDA trials. They crafted the MAPS MDMA Therapy Training Program, a clinical training program that facilities learning in the theory, skills and practice of MDMA-assisted therapy. The MAPS training program has reportedly introduced MDMA-assisted therapy to over 2,000 interested mental health care professionals.
In this program the Mithoefer’s candidly describe: how they prepare and conduct psychotherapeutic MDMA sessions, their experience with the way that MDMA can support healing, and the future applications of MDMA therapy. You can hear their presentation when you register for this free program.
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Michael Mithoefer, M.D., is a psychiatrist living in Asheville, NC, with a research office in Charleston, SC. In 2000, he began collaborating with MAPS on the first U.S. Phase 2 clinical trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. He and his wife Annie have since conducted many of the MAPS-sponsored Phase clinical trials testing MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. He is now Senior Medical Director for Medical Affairs, Training and Supervision at MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC). He is a Grof-certified Holotropic Breathwork Facilitator, is trained in EMDR and Internal Family Systems Therapy, and has nearly 30 years of experience treating trauma patients. Before going into psychiatry in 1991, he practiced emergency medicine for ten years, served as medical director of the Charleston County and Georgetown County Emergency Departments, and has held clinical faculty positions at the Medical University of South Carolina. He has been board-certified in Psychiatry, Emergency Medicine, and Internal Medicine.
Annie Mithoefer, B.S.N., is a Registered Nurse living in Asheville NC, where she is now focused primarily on training and supervising therapists conducting MAPS-sponsored clinical trials, as well as continuing to conduct some MAPS research sessions in Charleston, SC.
Between 2004 and 2018, she and her husband, Michael Mithoefer, M.D., completed two of the six MAPS-sponsored Phase II clinical trials testing MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, as well a study providing MDMA-assisted sessions for therapists who have completed the MAPS Therapist Training, and a pilot study treating couples with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy combined with Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy. Annie is a Grof-certified Holotropic Breathwork Practitioner, is trained in Hakomi Therapy, and has 25 years experience working with trauma patients, with an emphasis on experiential approaches to psychotherapy.
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The MIthoefers describe the protocols that they developed for the MAPS MDMA trials and the methodology that is presented in the MAPS MDMA trainings. Both of them were trained in the holotropic non-interventive model of holding space with Stan Grof. They model a client-centric approach that deeply honors the innate healing intelligence of their patients. They bring this sensitivity to their clinical work with MDMA. The Mithoefers have been at the center of clinical efforts to demonstrate the efficacy of MDMA and the efforts to make this molecule available as a prescription drug. They have introduced a new generation of practitioners to the protocols and nuances of MDMA assisted psychotherapy.
The way they hold space in sessions was strongly influenced by the Holotropic model of care which was described by Diana Medina in the previous presentation. Based on their experience using MDMA in clinical trials they have continued to refine their understanding of best practices.
Additional Reading: An Expert-Informed Introduction to the Elements of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy by BrainFutures, 2022.