OPT-IN facilitator brief · Trip of Compassion screening · 2026

MDMA therapy in 2026: where things stand for Ohioans

Trip of Compassion (2017, directed by Gil Karni; released in the U.S. in 2019) follows people with severe PTSD through MDMA-assisted therapy in a clinical study at the Beer Yaakov Mental Health Center in Israel, among them a survivor of sexual abuse, a survivor of a kidnapping and a first responder. It was the first feature documentary to film inside psychedelic therapy sessions, and seeing the work happen in the room is what makes it so moving. We share the hope it carries for people whose PTSD hasn't shifted with other care.

We hold that hope alongside where MDMA therapy actually stands. The FDA turned it down in August 2024 over concerns about the data, safety reporting and trial conduct, including sexual misconduct by two therapists in an earlier trial, and a resubmission is now pending. MDMA is Schedule I in the United States and in Ohio, and street "molly" often isn't what it claims to be. We meet clients where they are, with accurate information and without judgment, and we help them integrate whatever they choose.

The short version

MDMA is Schedule I federally and in Ohio. No state program covers it, including Oregon's and Colorado's.
The FDA rejected MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD in August 2024. The sponsor, now Resilient Pharmaceuticals, refiled in 2026 without a new Phase 3 trial, and no decision has been announced.
Legal access exists through Australia's authorized psychiatrists, Israel's compassionate-use program and U.S. research, including a VA trial that began enrolling in May 2026.
We can offer preparation, harm reduction and integration; we cannot supply, dose or refer to an illegal source.

Federal

The FDA picture

In June 2024, 10 of 11 members of an FDA advisory committee voted that the benefits of MDMA-assisted therapy didn't outweigh its risks. They cited possible bias in the data, adverse events that may not have been reported, and sexual misconduct by two therapists with a participant in a Phase 2 trial. The FDA rejected the application that August and asked for another Phase 3 study.

In August 2026, MAPS confirmed reports that the sponsor, renamed Resilient Pharmaceuticals, had resubmitted with additional analyses rather than a new trial. The April 2026 executive order on psychedelics directs federal agencies to speed their review of psychedelic treatments; it approved nothing.

Ohio

How that lands here

Today: possessing a Schedule I drug in less than the bulk amount is a fifth-degree felony (up to 12 months and a $2,500 fine), and selling or making it carries more serious charges. Ohio has no MDMA program or research funding, and Colorado's decriminalization law doesn't cover MDMA either.

After an approval: under R.C. 3719.43, a federal rescheduling applies to Ohio's schedules automatically, so an approved product could reach Ohio clinics without a new state law. MDMA has been studied with therapists in the room for the whole session, so an approval would likely put Ohio counselors, social workers and psychologists at the center of the work, under whatever conditions the FDA sets.

The paths clients are taking

Each path carries its own protections and risks. Ask about each one without judgment; clients rarely tell us about something they expect to be shamed for.

Clinical trials

Legal · limited

The VA began a placebo-controlled trial in May 2026 for about 80 veterans with PTSD and alcohol use disorder, at sites in Providence and West Haven.

Know: search ClinicalTrials.gov for "MDMA" and "PTSD" to see what's enrolling. Legitimate trials don't charge participants for the study drug.

Australia

Legal · costly

Since July 2023, authorized psychiatrists can prescribe MDMA for PTSD. About 87 people had been treated with MDMA by September 2025, about 30 psychiatrists were authorized by year-end, and reported costs run into the tens of thousands of dollars.

Know: confirm eligibility with the clinic before planning travel, and plan how integration continues after you fly home.

Israel

Compassionate use

Israel's Health Ministry has allowed compassionate use of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD since 2019, at psychiatric hospitals including Beer Yaakov, where the film was made.

Know: it runs through hospitals, not retreats, so check eligibility with the program directly.

Underground therapists

Unlicensed · in Ohio

Some therapists offer MDMA sessions outside the law. There's no license or complaint process, and the FDA review showed how vulnerable people are while on MDMA.

Know: ask for two facilitators, touch boundaries agreed in writing, consent before any recording, and a plan for a medical emergency.

Street "molly"

Felony in Ohio

Pills and powders sold as MDMA often contain other drugs, including synthetic cathinones ("bath salts").

Know: test every batch with reagent kits and fentanyl test strips; harm-reduction groups like DanceSafe sell both.

Healing sessions at home

Felony in Ohio

Some people try a therapeutic session on their own. Hard memories can surface fast, and there's no one trained to help hold them.

Know: a sober, trusted sitter, a dose decided in advance, and a clinician lined up for integration all lower the risk.

Any route

Harm-reduction essentials

Heat and water: MDMA can push body temperature dangerously high, and drinking too much water can drop sodium to dangerous levels. Rest somewhere cool and sip rather than chug.
Medications: MAOIs and other serotonergic drugs raise the risk of serotonin syndrome, and SSRIs often blunt MDMA's effects. Medications should be reviewed with a prescriber, not stopped on one's own.
Heart and blood pressure: MDMA raises both, so heart conditions and high blood pressure need screening first.
Consent and touch: after the misconduct found in a trial, agree in writing on what touch is okay, and that "stop" means stop.
Integration: low mood in the days afterward is common, and trauma that opened up needs somewhere to land; that is where our work comes in.

Fireside Project (free peer support, during or after): 62-FIRESIDE (623-473-7433)

Overheating, confusion, seizure or no response: 911 · Crisis: 988 (veterans press 1)

For Ohio clinicians

Staying inside our scope

Can: educate, explore a client's plans, offer harm-reduction information, help them prepare, and do integration afterward.
Can't: supply, procure, handle or dose MDMA, attend an illegal session, or refer to a specific underground provider.
Document the conversation as harm reduction and informed consent, including the legal risks the client has been told about.
When unsure, consult your licensing board's guidance, your ethics code and a colleague. This brief is education, not legal advice.

After the film

Questions for the room

What stayed with you from Trip of Compassion, and why?
The film shows therapists in the room for hours at a time. What would Ohio clinicians need to do that work well?
How should the field respond when misconduct happens inside a trial meant to show a treatment works?

Prepared by OPT-IN, the Ohio Psychedelic Therapy & Integration Network, for the Trip of Compassion community screening. Current as of October 23, 2026. Educational only: not medical or legal advice, and not an endorsement of illegal use. Laws and timelines change quickly.

Sources: Trip of Compassion, IMDb; Mind Medicine Australia screening (film credits); NPR, FDA advisers reject MDMA therapy (June 4, 2024); MAPS, response to MDMA resubmission (Aug. 10, 2026); Psychedelic Alpha, Resilient refiles MDMA application; American Legion, VA launches MDMA trial (May 26, 2026); Psychedelic Alpha, Australia's psychedelic program; Mind Medicine Law, where MDMA is legal; The Regulatory Review, psychedelic medicine in Australia; MAPS, Israel approves compassionate use (2019); Ohio R.C. 2925.11; Ohio R.C. 3719.43; Mind Medicine Law, Colorado Prop 122 substances; NIDA, MDMA DrugFacts; DanceSafe; ClinicalTrials.gov: MDMA and PTSD; Fireside Project; 988 Lifeline.